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Bhaiṣajyarāja

This article is about the Medicine King Bodhisattva. For the Medicine Buddha, see Bhaisajyaguru.

Bhaiṣajyarāja
Sanskrit	भैषज्यराज Bhaiṣajyarāja
Chinese	(Traditional) 藥王菩薩 (Simplified) 药王菩萨 (Pinyin: Yàowáng Púsà)
Japanese	薬王菩薩 (romaji: Yakuō Bosatsu)
Korean	약왕보살 (RR: Yagwang Bosal)
Tagalog	Bhaisakyalaja
Thai	พระไภษัชยราชโพธิสัตว์
Vietnamese	Dược Vương Bồ Tát
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Venerated by	Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna
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Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Shakyamuni Amitabha Adi-Buddha Akshobhya Prajñāpāramitā Devī Bhaiṣajyaguru Vairocana Mañjuśrī Avalokiteśvara Vajrapāṇi Vajrasattva Maitreya Kṣitigarbha Ākāśagarbha Samantabhadra Tara Wrathful deities
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Bhaiṣajyarāja (Skt: भैषज्यराज; Traditional Chinese: 藥王; Simplified Chinese: 药王; pinyin: yào wáng; Japanese: 薬王 Yakuō; Vietnamese: Dược Vương Bồ Tát), or Medicine King, is a bodhisattva mentioned within the Lotus Sutra and the Bhaiṣajyarāja-bhaiṣajyasamudgata-sūtra (Chinese: 佛說觀藥王藥上二菩薩經; Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on Visualizing the Two Bodhisattvas Bhaisajyarāja and Bhaisajyasamudgata).^[1][2][3] In chapter 23 of the Lotus Sutra (The Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja), the Buddha tells the story of the 'Medicine King' Bodhisattva, who, in a previous life, burnt his body as a supreme offering to a Buddha.^[4][5][6] He is said to have been reborn over a period of numerous lifetimes healing and curing diseases, and is a representation of the healing power of the Buddha.

Medicine King Bodhisattva is also found in The High King Avalokitesvara Sutra.

Together with Supreme Medicine Bodhisattva, Sunlight Radiance Bodhisattva, Moonlight Radiance Bodhisattva and the Twelve Great Yaksa Generals, he forms the retinue of Lapis-lazuli Medicine Buddha.^[7]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

• Benn, James A (2007), Burning for the Buddha, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 978-0824823719
• Ohnuma, Reiko (1998), "The Gift of the Body and the Gift of Dharma", History of Religions, 37 (4): 323–359, doi:10.1086/463513, JSTOR 3176401, S2CID 161648919
• Suzuki, Takayasu (2014). The Compilers of the Bhaisajyarajapurvayoga-parivarta Who Did Not Know the Rigid Distinction between Stupa and Caitya in the Saddharmapundarika. Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies 62 (3), 1185-1193
• Williams, Paul (1989), Mahāyāna Buddhism: the doctrinal foundations, 2nd Edition, Routledge, ISBN 9780415356534^{[permanent dead link]}
• Yün-hua, Jan (1965). Buddhist Self-Immolation in Medieval China, History of Religions, 4 (2), 243-268

External links[edit]

• SGI Library Online — The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

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