Vajrapani

Vajrapani

Indian painting of Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva, from the Ajaṇṭā Caves

Vajrapāṇi (from Sanskrit Vajra, "thunderbolt" or "diamond" and pāṇi, lit. "in the hand") is one of the earliest Bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of The Buddha, and rose to symbolize The Buddha's Power. Vajrapani was used extensively in Buddhist iconography as one of the three Protective deities surrounding The Buddha. Each of them symbolizes one of The Buddha's virtues: Manjusri (the manifestation of all the Buddhas' Wisdom), Avalokitesvara (the manifestation of all the Buddhas' Compassion) and Vajrapani (the manifestation of all the Buddhas' Power as well as the Power of all 5 Tathagathas). Furthermore, Vajrapani is one of the earliest Dharmapalas and the only Buddhist Deity to be mentioned in the Pali Canon as well as be worshiped in the Shaolin Temple, Tibetan Buddhism, and even Pure Land Buddhism (where he is known as Mahasthamaprapta and is one of a Triad comprising Amitabha and Avalokiteshwara). Manifestations of Vajrapani can also be found in many Buddhist temples in Japan as Dharma Protectors called Nio. Vajrapani is also associated with Acala who is venerated as Fudo-Myo in Japan where he is serenaded as the holder of the Vajra. Vajrapani here is different from that mentioned in the Vedas as Indra, the king of the Gods and the most widely mentioned Deity in all of the Indian scriptures.

Names

In Sanskrit, Vajrapani is also known as Vajra-sattva. The Sutra of Golden Light entitles him "great general of the Yakshas". Other name-forms are as follows.

• Bengali: Bojropani (বজ্রপাণি)
• Tibetan: Channa Dorje
• Mandarin: Jīngāng shǒu púsà (金剛手菩薩), Héyíluóhuányuèchā (和夷羅洹閱叉) or Báshéluóbōnì (跋闍羅波膩)
• Vietnamese: Kim cương thủ bồ tát, Hoà di la hoàn duyệt xoa or Bạt xà la ba nị
• Malay and Indonesian: Wajrapani
• Mongolian: Ochirvaani (Очирваань) or Bazarvaani (Базарваань)
• Korean: Geumgang su bosal (금강수보살) or Balsarapani (발사라파니)
• Japanese: Kongō shu bosatsu (金剛手菩薩), Wairaoneisa (和夷羅洹閱叉) or Bajarahaji (跋闍羅波膩)

Doctrine

On the popular level, Vajrapani, Holder of the Thunderbolt Scepter (symbolizing the Power of Compassion), is the Bodhisattva who represents the Power of all the Buddhas, just as Avalokitesvara represents their great Compassion, Manjushri their Wisdom, and Tara their miraculous deeds. For the yogi, Vajrapani is a means of accomplishing fierce determination and symbolizes unrelenting effectiveness in the conquest of negativity. His taut posture is the active warrior pose (pratayalidha), based on an archer's stance but resembling the en garde position in Western fencing. His outstretched right hand brandishes a Vajra and his left hand deftly holds a lasso - with which he binds demons. Although he wears a skull crown in a few depictions, in most depictions he wears a 5 pointed Bodhisattva crown to depict the Power of the 5 Tathagathas. (The skull crown is an iconographic Symbol of another similar Dharmapala called Mahakala). Vajrapani's expression is wrathful and he has a third Eye. Around his neck is a serpent necklace and his loin cloth is made up of the skin of a tiger, whose head can be seen on his left knee.

The Pali Canon's Ambattha Suttanta, which challenges the Caste system, tells of one instance of him appearing as a sign of The Buddha's Power. At the behest of his teacher, a young Brahmin named Ambatha visited The Buddha. Knowing The Buddha's family to be the Shakya clan who are Kshatriya Caste, Ambatha failed to show him the respect he would a fellow Brahmin. When The Buddha questioned his lack of respect, Ambatha replied it was because The Buddha belongs to a "menial" Caste. The Buddha then asked the Brahmin if his family was descended from a “Shakya slave girl”. Knowing this to be true, Ambatha refused to answer the question. Upon refusing to answer the question for a second time, The Buddha warned him that his head would be smashed to bits if he failed to do so a third time. Ambatha was frightened when he saw Vajrapani manifest above The Buddha's head ready to strike the Brahmin down with his thunderbolt. He quickly confirmed the Truth and a lesson on Caste ensues.

According to the Pancavimsatisahasrika and Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita any Bodhisattva on the Path to Buddhahood is eligible for Vajrapani's protection, making them invincible to any attacks "by either men or Ghosts".

Mantras

The Mantra oṃ Vajrapāṇi hūṃ phaṭ is associated with Vajrapani. His Seed Syllable is hūṃ.

Patron saint of Shaolin Monastery

Vajrapani Painting at Mogao Caves's Hidden Library, Dunhuang, China Power and anger personified. Late 9th Century, Tang Dynasty.

In his book The Shaolin Monastery (2008), Prof. Meir Shahar notes Vajrapani is the patron saint of the Shaolin Monastery. A short story appearing in Zhang Zhuo's (660-741) Tang anthology shows how the Deity had been venerated in the Monastery from at least the eighth century. It is an anecdotal story of how the Shaolin Monk Sengchou (480-560) gained supernatural strength and fighting ability by praying to the Vajrapani and being force-fed raw meat. Shaolin abbot Zuduan (1115–1167) erected a stele in his honor during the Song Dynasty. It reads:

According to the scripture Lotus Sutra, this Deity (Narayana) is a manifestation of Avalokitesvara (Guanyin). If a person who compassionately nourishes all living beings employs this [[[deity's]]] charm, it will increase his Body's strength (zengzhang shen li). It fulfills all vows, being most efficacious. ... Therefore those who study Narayana's hand-symbolism (Mudra), those who seek his spell (Mantra), and those who search for his image are numerous. Thus we have erected this stele to spread this Transmission.

— Stele re-erected (chong shang) by Shaolin's abbot Zuduan

Instead of being considered a stand alone Deity, Shaolin believes Vajrapani to be an emanation of the Bodhisattva Guanyin. The Chinese scholar A'De noted this was because the Lotus Sutra says Guanyin takes on the visage of whatever being that would best help pervade the Dharma. The exact Lotus Sutra passage reads: “To those who can be conveyed to Deliverance by the Body of the Spirit who grasps the Vajra (Vajrapani) he preaches Dharma by displaying the Body of the Spirit who grasps the Vajra.”

He was historically worshiped as the progenitor of their famous staff method by the Monks themselves. A stele erected by Shaolin abbot Wenzai in 1517 shows the Deity's Vajra-club had by then been changed to a Chinese staff, which originally "served as the emblem of the Monk". Vajrapani's Yaksha-like Narayana Form was eventually equated with one of the four staff-wielding "Kimnara Kings" from the Lotus Sutra in 1575. His name was thus changed from Narayana to "Kimnara King". One of the many versions of a certain tale regarding his creation of the staff method takes place during the Yuan Dynasty's Red Turban Rebellion. Bandits lay siege to the Monastery, but it is saved by a lowly kitchen worker wielding a long Fire poker as a makeshift staff. He leaps into the oven and emerges as a monstrous giant big enough to stand astride both Mount Song and the imperial fort atop Mount Shaoshi (which are five miles apart). The bandits flee when they behold this staff-wielding titan. The Shaolin Monks later realize that the kitchen worker was none other than the Kimnara King in disguise. Shahar notes the part of the kitchen worker might have been based on the actual Life of the Monk Huineng (638-713). In addition, he suggests the mythical elements of the tale were based on the fictional adventures of Sun Wukong from the Chinese epic Journey to the West. He compares the worker's transformation in the stove with Sun's time in Laozi's crucible, their use of the staff, and the fact that Sun and his weapon can both grow to gigantic proportions.

Statues and paintings of Kimnara were commissioned in various halls throughout Shaolin in honor of his defeat of the Red Turban army. A wicker statue woven by the Monks and featured in the center of the "Kimnara Hall" was mentioned in Cheng Zongyou's seventeenth century training manual Shaolin Staff Method. However, a century later, it was claimed that Kimnara had himself woven the statue. It was destroyed when the Monastery was set aflame by the KMT General Shi Yousan in 1928. A "rejuvenated religious cult" arose around Kimnara in the late twentieth century. Shaolin re-erected the shrine to him in 1984 and improved it in 2004.

The Buddhist monk Bodhidharma erroneously came to be known as the creator of the Monastery's arts. This occurred when a Taoist with the pen name "Purple Coagulation Man of the Way" wrote the Sinews Changing Classic in 1624, but claimed to have discovered it. The first of two prefaces of the manual traces this qigong style's succession from Bodhidharma to the Chinese general Li Jing via "a chain of Buddhist saints and martial heroes." Scholars damn the work as a forgery because of its numerous anachronistic mistakes and the fact that popular fictional characters from Chinese literature, including the "Bushy Bearded Hero" (虬髯客), are listed as lineage masters. In fact, the Qing scholar Ling Tingkan (1757–1809) "dismissed the manual's author as an 'ignorant village master'."

Iconography

Tibetan depiction of the wrathful Vajrapani

Just as Buddhaghosa associated Vajrapani with the Hindu God Indra, his first representations in India were identified with the thunder Deity. As Buddhism expanded in Central Asia, and fused with Hellenistic Influences into Greco-Buddhism, the Greek hero Hercules was adopted to represent Vajrapani. He was then typically depicted as a hairy, muscular athlete, wielding a short "diamond" club.

In Japan, Vajrapani is known as Shukongōshin (執金剛神, "Diamond rod-wielding God"), and has been the inspiration for the Niō (仁王, lit. Benevolent kings), the wrath-filled and muscular guardian God of The Buddha, standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples under the appearance of frightening wrestler-like statues. He is also associated with Fudo-Myo, an incarnation of Acala and the prayer Mantra for Fudo Myo references him as the powerful wielder of the Vajra.

Some suggest that the War Deity Kartikeya, who bears the title Skanda is also a manifestation of Vajrapani, who bears some resemblance to Skanda because they both wield vajras as Weapons and are portrayed with flaming halos. He is also connected through Vajrapani through a theory to his connection to Greco-Buddhism, as Wei Tuo's image is reminiscent of the Heracles depiction of Vajrapani.

Vajrapani mantra

Om Vajrapani Hum

Vajrapani doesn’t, to many newcomers to Buddhism, look very Buddhist at all. He is a Bodhisattva who represents the energy of the enlightened mind, and his mantra also symbolizes that quality.

Vajrapani is pictured dancing wildly within a halo of flames, which represent transformation.

He holds a vajra (thunderbolt) in his right hand, which emphasizes the power to cut through the darkness of delusion. Vajrapani looks wrathful, but as a representation of the enlightened mind, he’s completely free from hatred.

Vajrapani’s mantra is simply his name, which means "wielder of the thunderbolt", framed between the mystical syllables Om and Hūm. This mantra helps us to gain access to the irrepressible energy that Vajrapani symbolizes. A familiarity with Vajrapani does, of course, help here, although the sound of the mantra is itself rather energetic.

Pronunciation notes:

a is pronounced as u in cut ā is like a in father j is hard, like j in judge uu is long, like oo in book m in hum is pronounced ng, as in long The Bodhisattva Vajrapāni (alternative spelling: Vajrapani)

Vajrapani is a member, along with Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri, of the trinity of Bodhisattvas known as the Three Family Protectors. The Buddha family of which Vajrapani is the protector is the Vajra (thunderbolt) family, which includes Akshobya (the lord of the Vajra family) and Yamantaka.

Vajrapani (Holder of the Thunderbolt) represents the energy of the enlightened mind, and energy that breaks through delusion. He dances wildly within a halo of flames, which represent the transformative power of Awakening. He holds a vajra (thunderbolt) in his right hand, which emphasizes the power to cut through the darkness of delusion.

Non-Buddhists (and Theravadin Buddhists) seeing Vajrapani for the first time may wonder how such a wrathful-looking figure could possibly fit with the peaceful associations they have with the Buddhist tradition, although such figures are actually very common in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.

Of course it’s not really possible adequately to represent the qualities of Enlightenment in any image, and so even the peaceful forms of Buddhas and bodhisattvas are to some extent misleading.

Enlightened beings do not, in reality, sit around all day on lotuses smiling serenely. The Buddha himself was fearlessly active in engaging with the other religious figures and philosophers of his day. His fearless approach to life is perhaps characterized mostly clearly by his encounter with Angulimala, who was an infamous bandit who killed his victims and added a finger from each to the garland he wore around his neck (his name means "Garland of Fingers"). Although warned to stay away from this dangerous figure, the Buddha insisted on going into the forest to confront Angulimala, who converted to Buddhism, became a monk, and eventually became Enlightened.

Therefore, it’s just as appropriate to represent an Enlightened being as dancing wildly, naked and fearless.

Another way of looking at the apparent fierceness of Vajrapani and other "wrathful" figures is to consider what a Buddha looks like from the point of view of that part of ourselves that doesn’t want to change. We may, at some level, want to meditate, to live ethically, and so on, but other parts of us are profoundly threatened by the possibility of change.

Our habits can form a kind of "sub-personality" that can try to hijack our lives. After all, habits of denial, craving, and aversion face extinction if we continue to practice the path of mindfulness and compassion, so it’s not surprising that they sometimes put up a protest. From the point of view of those powerful and yet primitive parts of ourselves, Enlightenment, rather than looking attractive, seems to be threatening and demonic.

Because of this dual nature, Vajrapani has his peaceful forms as well, and early depictions of him, while muscular and athletic, are nothing like the wild figure depicted above.

Vajrapani’s origins

Vajrapani has his origins in the Pali canon, as a Yaksha, or nature spirit. In this story, in the Digha Nikaya, a Brahmin (priestly) youth named Ambattha, is first of all rude to the Buddha, believing him to be of a lower social caste, and then refuses to answer a question the Buddha — who is unfailingly polite in the encounter — puts to him about his ancestry.

After Ambattha refuses to answer the question twice, the Buddha reminds him that there is a traditional belief that if you refuse to answer the question of an enlightened one three times, your head will split in seven pieces. Of course this never happens, but "Vajirapani" (the Pali form of his name) appears, ready to make good on the ancient prophecy. Ambattha is of course terrified and promptly answers the Buddha’s question.

Vajrapani also has his mythic roots in Indra, the Indian thunder god. He’s thus connected to Zeus and Jupiter, who, along with Indra, are all variants of the same thunderbolt-wielding sky-deity. ("Dyaus" is Sanskrit for "sky," and Indra is also known as "Indra Dyaus." "Zeus" is the Greek form of Dyaus. Jupiter is "Dyaus-piter" or "sky father.")

The earliest depictions of Vajrapani, as we noted above, are not particularly wrathful. In this image, from the second century, both the Buddha (seated) and Vajrapani (standing) are sculpted in classic Greek style. Vajrapani here is shown as a powerful muscular figure protecting the Buddha, and his iconography is essentially that of Herakles (Hercules). The characteristics he shares with the later form are the vajra (thunderbolt), his powerful frame, and his semi-nakedness, which is typical of a Greek athlete.

In later forms, as Vajrapani becomes more other-worldly, he is shown as being dark blue in color. He perhaps borrows this color from Akshobhya, the head of the Vajra Family. But this is also the color of a thunder cloud.

He represents the power, energy, and fearlessness of the Buddhas. He stands in (or rather is caught in) the warrior pose that will be familiar to those who practice Hatha Yoga. In his outstretched right hand he wields a vajra, and his left hand holds a lasso with which to bind demons.

Vajrapani wears a loin-cloth around his hips. The cloth is made from the skin of a tiger. He is adorned with the five-pointed Bodhisattva crown, but the crown bears five skulls. He has necklace hanging to his belly, but he also has a snake around his neck. Snakes and dragons are associated with clouds and rain, fitting in with Vajrapani’s origins as a god of thunder.

Vajrapani has a bulging third eye in the center of his forehead. Just as Ambattha’s hairs stood on end when he encountered Vajirapani, so the bodhisattva’s hair flies wildly in the air.

Although Vajrapani and other similar figures are often described as "wrathful" it’s important to realize that they do not represent ordinary anger, but simply the power and fearlessness of the awakened mind. There is no place in Buddhist practice for "righteous anger," and despite his appearance Vajrapani is a profoundly compassionate figure.

Vajrapani (Chana Dorje>phyag.na rdo.rje) is royal blue or blue-black, and, in peaceful form, balances the dorje upon his palm or wrathful, wields a vajra (dorje) in warning as if to throw it.  In another wrathful form, he also holds a noose or fetter.  In very wrathful form, he is winged.

Vajrapani (Chin: Jin Gang Shou; Jap: Kongo Shu) means "Lightning Hand," an epithet pointing to his identity with India's thunderbolt-wielding king of gods, Indra, also called Shakra (Pali: Sakka.) This identity is borne out by his other Buddhist epithets, i.e. Vasava, Devinda, Maghava, Sahasranetra (Pali: Sahasranetta,) though in his role as a Dharma-protector, the ancient title Purindara meaning "town-wrecker" became Purinda or "town-keeper" ( R. Bannerjee.)

Indra rules the lower five of six Kama-deva-lokas and his abode is in the heaven called Trayastrimsa (Pali: Tavatimsa.) His consort is Suja, his chariot and/or his palace is called Vijayanta (Victorious,) and his driver is called Matali. His mount is the elephant, Airavata (Pali: Eravana.)

Vajrapani is associated with Buddha Shakyamuni and mentioned, usually by one of his other names, as the attendant who accompanied Him wherever he went. In accounts of the Buddha's life, his presence is evoked by means of the phrase, Mighty as an Elephant or Mahasthamaprapta (Tib. Thuchenthop -- Great Strength as Elephant.) This epithet is especially used when he is shown standing beside Amitayus (the Long-life buddha-form of Amitabha,) along with Chenrezi. In images, he is usually depicted on the left while Chenrezig is on the right of Amitayus. (In Vietnamese, Avalokitesvara is called Quan The Am Bo Tat or Quan Am, and Mahasthanaprapta is called Dai The Chi Bo Tat.)

Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta was the member of the Noble Sangha who stopped a rolling boulder aimed at the Buddha while he was teaching on Emptiness at Rajgriha (Vulture's Peak.) He therefore embodies "skillful means" or insightful technique.

Vajrapani also represents righteous wrath, an association derived from an account where, when someone behaved insolently to Buddha Shakyamuni, refusing to answer his question, he instantly appeared above his head ready to let loose a thunderbolt.

It is said that when the Tathagata subdued the gigantic naga of Udyana, he charged Vajrapani to guard the other serpents who had surrendered seeking refuge from the attack of Garuda. He is also the enemy of the titans/demons who possessed the supreme poison halahala.

Vajrapani in his peaceful form also makes an appearance in Dewachen aspiration prayers associated with the Buddha Amitabha.

In "The Wishing Prayer of Dewachen, the Pure Realm of Great Bliss" composed by Raga Asye we find the following reference:

When at dusk the sun of the Dharma is setting, the very next morning Chenrezi will be a perfect Buddha. He will be the "King whose light rays manifest the accumulated Splendour of all Noble Ones". When this happens, may I see his face, make offerings and listen to the noble Dharma. During the sixty-six trillion million aeons that he will live, may I continuously be his servant, worship him, and uphold the noble Dharma without ever forgetting to remember his words. After he has passed into nirvana, his teaching will remain for three times six hundred billion million aeons – may I uphold the Dharma during all this time and never be separated from Vajrapani.

When Vajrapani becomes the Buddha "Completely reliable Tathagata King of abundant jewel-like qualities" with a life span and teaching just as those of Chenrezi, may we continuously be the servants of this Buddha as well, present our offerings and uphold all the noble Dharma.

When my life is over, may I instantly obtain unsurpassable perfect Buddhahood in this or one of the other pure realms. Having obtained perfect Buddhahood, may all beings – just as with Amitayus – be ripened and liberated by simply hearing my name, and may there arise, through countless emanations that guide sentient beings and through other means, spontaneously and without effort a limitless benefit for beings

Source

Wikipedia:Vajrapani