Pilanpo
Vilambā | |
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![]() Painting of rakshasi Vilambā in Xianwu Temple, China | |
Sanskrit | Vilambā |
Chinese | 毗藍 (Pinyin: pílánpó) (Pinyin: lijié) |
Japanese | 毗藍 (romaji: biranba) (romaji: rikechi) |
Korean | 비람파 (RR: birampa) 이결 (RR: igyeol) |
Vietnamese | Tỳ lam bà Li kết |
Information | |
Venerated by | Mahāyāna and Chinese folk religion |
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Vilambā (Chinese: 毗蓝
Origin
[edit]According to belief, Vilambā is a shapeshifter whose true form is a hen. Since hens and peacocks are seen as related through the phoenix (fenghuang), she is considered to be a relative of the bodhisattva and former peacock Mahamayuri, the godmother of the Buddha. Her son Maori Xingguan is a rooster and star deity (
Iconography
[edit]The Ten Rākṣasīs vary in appearance based on locale and textual tradition. One canonical text, the Law of the Ten Rākṣasīs of the Lotus (
According to the Law of the Ten Rākṣasīs of the Lotus, Vilambā has a form like that of a full moon, akin to a dragon king. She is thus inclined toward the great ocean. Her garments are green (
In Lotus Sūtra
[edit]In Chapter 7, the "Dharani" section in the twenty-sixth chapter of the Lotus Sutra:
At that time, there were ten rakshasis named Lambā, Vilambā, Kūṭadantī, Puṣpadantī, Makuṭadantī, Keśinī, Acalā, Mālādhāri, Kuntī, and Sarvasattvojohārī. These ten rakshasis, along with the mother of all rakshasas, her son, and their entourage, all came to the Buddha and spoke with one voice: "World-Honored One, we also wish to protect those who read, recite, and uphold the Lotus Sutra. We will remove their misfortunes. If anyone seeks to harm these teachers, we will prevent them from succeeding."
— Lotus Sūtra, Chapter 7
In Journey to the West
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Fugen_Ten_Rasetsunyo_%28Nara_National_Museum%29.jpg/200px-Fugen_Ten_Rasetsunyo_%28Nara_National_Museum%29.jpg)
In Journey to the West, after Tang Sanzang and his disciples are defeated by the poison tea of the Hundred-Eyed Demon King, who possesses a thousand eyes that radiate brilliant golden light to confuse his enemies and victims, Sun Wukong flees from the demon and encounters Lishan Laomu.[5]
On the instructions of Lishan Laomu, Sun Wukong requests help from Vilambā, who eventually subdues and captures the demon king. Vilambā said that she had been living low-key for over 300 years since she last attended the Yulan Festival. She had kept her name incognito, never went out, and no one knew about her. When she asked Sun Wukong how he knew about her existence, he refused to answer. According to Vilambā, the demon king's radiant golden light is so powerful that even the Buddha could not defeat it. Vilambā uses an embroidery needle to do so, which was not made of iron or steel but was extracted by her son from his own eyes. After the demon king is subdued, Vilambā sends him to guard Thousand Flowers Cave.[6]
In Chapter 73 of the commentary on Journey to the West by Taoist Chen Shibin of the Qing Dynasty, it is explained that Lishan Laomu is familiar with the Hundred-Eyed Demon King, which refers to the pure yin consciousness containing poisonous flames. On the other hand, Vilambā carries the yang energy, similar to Ziyun Mountain in the Cave of Thousand Flowers, and radiates the brilliance of the sun, revealing light.[7]
The Yuan zaju or operatic version text of The Journey to the West styles Vilambā as the friend of the Queen Mother of the West, Princess Iron Fan and Lishan Laomu.
References
[edit]- ^ "风雨潇潇,鸡鸣胶胶". The Beijing News (in Chinese). 28 January 2017.
- ^ a b "
西 游 记里的 毗蓝婆 竟然来 历这么深". Sohu (in Chinese). 3 March 2017. - ^ "
唐 僧 师徒再 遭毒手 险丧命 毗蓝婆 菩萨救 难收妖".希望 之 声 (in Chinese (China)). 7 March 2021. - ^ 《
妙法 莲华经》卷 七 陀羅尼 品 第 二 十 六 :“尔时有 罗刹女 等 ,一 名 蓝婆,二 名 毗蓝婆 ,三 名曲 齿,四 名 华齿,五 名 黑 齿,六 名 多 发,七 名 无厌足 ,八名 持 璎珞,九 名 睾帝,十名夺一切众生精气,是 十 罗刹女 ,与 鬼子 母 、并其子 、及眷属 ,俱诣佛 所 ,同 声 白 佛 言 :‘世尊 ,我 等 亦 欲 拥护读诵受持 法 华经者 ,除 其衰患,若 有 伺求法 师短者 ,令 不 得 便 。’” - ^ "从神话鸡到污化鸡,
中国 鸡是如何 走 向 "下 三 路 "的 ?_洞 见". Phoenix Television (in Chinese). 31 January 2017. - ^ "300
年 不 管 闲事,毗蓝婆 菩萨难怪收 走 蜈蚣 精 ,您看破碎 星 是 谁?_手 机 搜 狐 网". Sohu. 15 June 2019. - ^
陳 士 斌 . "第 七 十 三 回 〈情 因 舊 恨生災 毒 心 主 遭魔幸 破 光 〉". 《西遊 真 詮 》. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
Sources
[edit]- Nikaidō, Yoshihiro (2015). Asian Folk Religion and Cultural Interaction. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN 9783847004851.
西 游 记:李 卓 吾 批评本 (in Chinese).岳 麓 书社. 2006. ISBN 9787806657287.- 评, (
明 )吴承恩 /著 李 卓 吾 (2017).西 游 记 (下 ) (in Chinese).海 乾坤 文化 公司 . - "毗蓝
婆 菩萨和 黎 山 老母 有 什么恩 怨-看 见历史 ". www.kanjianlishi.com. 20 June 2017. - "毗蓝
婆 菩萨有 多 厉害?一绣花针破蜈蚣精金光,连黎山 老母 都 忌 惮她". Beijing Time. 7 July 2018. - "毗蓝
婆 菩萨". ZCOOL.