Home > Dharmapala
: This article is about the Buddhist concept; see Anagarika Dharmapala for the Sri Lankan monk.
In Vajrayana Buddhism, a dharmapāla ( Tibetan drag-gshed) is a type of wrathful deity. The name means "defender of the Dharma" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapalas are also known as the Defenders of the Law or the Protectors of the Law in English.
Dharmapalas are essentially Hindu gods or Devas, generally believed to be introduced into Tibetan Buddhism by Padmasambhava in the 8th century. In Buddhist iconography, they are invariably depicted as fearsome beings with many heads, hands or feet; blue, black or red skin; and a fierce expression with protruding fangs. Though dharmapalas have a terrifying appearance, they are all bodhisattvas - embodiments of compassion that act in an extremely wrathful way for the sake of sentient beings.
In Tibet, the Eight Dharmapalas are:
- Mahakala
- Yama
- Yamantaka
- Hayagriva
- KuberaIn Hinduism, Kubera (also Kuvera is the god of wealth and the lord of Uttaradisha. He is also known as Dhanapati the lord of riches. He is one of the Ashta-Dikpalas, representing the north. Kubera has been adopted into the Buddhist pantheon as a lokapala
- Palden Lhamo
- Changpa
- Begtse
In Japan, the dharmapala Yamantaka (Daiitoku) is classified as a Wisdom KingIn Vajrayana Buddhism, a Wisdom King ( Skt. vidyarja Jp. myo-o is the third type of deity after Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The Sanskit name literally "king of knowledge", while the Chinese characters mean "bright king", leading to wide array of alternative. Some other dharmapalas, notably Mahakala (Daikoku), belong to the fourth hierarchy of deities ( tenbu ).
Related deities
In Tibetan Buddhism, there are two other classes of Defenders known as lokapalaIn Hinduism and Buddhism, the lokapala ( Skt. world protector") were the Guardians of the four directions and were usually placed in pairs at the entrance to tombs. As Guardians they could call upon the spirits of the next world to help them protect the t and ksetrapala . There is also a group of wrathful deities known as heruka , which are very similar in appearance, but are not bodhisattvas.
Buddhist mythology
