While having my favourite drink of smoothies at Macdonalds, Lotus CC’s face was superimposed by a Heavenly King and gradually the body unveiled showing a sword in hand.
I straight away said Si Da Tian Wang 四大天王, the Four Heavenly King upon sighting the face, before the body unveils. Don’t ask me how I knew though.
I did research and found that Lotus CC exhibited the Southern Heavenly King, Maharaja Virudhaka!
Enjoy the following: -
The Four Great Heavenly Kings live on the first level of the Six Desirous Heavens, which is located halfway up Mount Sumeru, and is situated near the human realm. The tip of the mountain is the home of Taishaku (Indra).
The Four Great Heavenly Kings abide respectively on the four sides of the mountain. Their Dharma implements suppress demons and eliminate evil influences.
Wind, Harmony, Rain, and Prosperity are four divine attributes characterizing the Heavenly Kings.
“Wind” refers to the blade of the precious sword which is used to protect all sentient beings;
“Harmony” refers to the stringed instrumentplayed to benefit the world;
“Rain” refers to the umbrella, employed to subjugate demons;
“Prosperity” is the dragon, which uses its heavenly sight to observe and safeguard the human realm.
The Heavenly Kings are:
Dai Bishamon Tenno or Tamon Tenno (Sanskrit Vaisravana, “Son of Visravas,” the Famous or Renowned), is #4 on the Gohonzon Diagram. He is lord of the north, the best known and most venerated of the Heavenly Kings. He is said to have practiced austerities for a thousand years and been rewarded with great wealth. He is also called Kuvera, the “God of Wealth.” In his palace in the Himalayas, he is attended by Yaksas (guardians of the earth’s treasures) and Kinnaras (horse-headed celestial musicians — similar to Greek centaurs). Statues often show Dai Bishamon Tenno with a sword, trident, or banner (representing his triumphs) in his right hand and a vessel or stupa containing treasure in his left. Sometimes he is shown holding a mongoose, representing his victory over the Nagas.
Dai Jikoku Tenno (Sanskrit Dhritirastra, literally “Guardian of the Nation”), is #13 on theGohonzon Diagram. He is lord of the east, the king of the Gandharvas, celestial musicians, and feeders on fragrance. He is often depicted holding a sword and/or a stringed musical instrument (representing the Gandharvas).
Dai Zojo Tenno(Sanskrit Virudhaka, literally “Sprouting Growth”), is #27 on the Gohonzon Diagram. He is lord of the south, the king of the Kumbhandas (demons shaped like gourds, or with a scrotum like one, and who drain the vitality of men). He is often depicted holding a sword and trampling a demon. His helmet is often shown as being made from the skin of elephant’s head.
Dai Komoku Tenno (Sanskrit Virupaksa, literally “Ugly Eyes,” “Deformed Eyes,” or “The Evil-Eye”), is #33 on the Gohonzon Diagram. He is lord of the west, the king of the Nagas (Serpents or Dragons). He is also called “Wide Eyed” or “Three Eyed.” He personifies the awareness of evil. He is often depicted holding a jewel in the form of a reliquery in his right hand (representing his remembrance) and a serpent in his left (representing the power of the serpent).
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Source: Wikipedia – Four Heavenly King
In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over onecardinal direction of the world.
The Four Heavenly Kings are said to currently live in the Cāturmahārājika heaven (PāliCātummahārājika, “Of the Four Great Kings”) on the lower slopes of Mount Sumeru, which is the lowest of the six worlds of the devas of the Kāmadhātu. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil, each able to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect theDharma.
Further associations between the four directions and elements, seasons, planets, animals, internal organs, etc. can be found at Five elements (Chinese philosophy). Note, however, that the colors assigned to the Four Heavenly Kings represent an independent tradition and do not correspond to the traditional Chinese association of colors and directions.
All four serve Śakra, the lord of the devas of Trāyastriṃśa. On the 8th, 14th and 15th days of each lunar month, the Four Heavenly Kings either send out messengers or go themselves to see how virtue and morality are faring in the world of men. Then they report upon the state of affairs to the assembly of the Trāyastriṃśa devas.
On the orders of Śakra, the four kings and their retinues stand guard to protect Trāyastriṃśa from another attack by the Asuras, which once threatened to destroy the kingdom of the devas. They are also vowed to protect the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Buddha’s followers from danger.
According to Vasubandhu, devas born in the Cāturmahārājika heaven are 1/4 of a krośa in height (about 750 feet tall). They also have a five-hundred year lifespan, of which each day is equivalent to 50 years in our world; thus their total lifespan amounts to about nine million years (other sources say 90,000 years).
In Chinese they are known collectively as “Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn” (風調雨順 / 风调雨顺), which translates into “Good Climate”. This mnemonic reminds one of the symbols the Heavenly Kings carry. For instance, “Fēng” sounds like the Chinese word for “edge” (鋒 / 锋), hence the corresponding symbol is a sword. “Tiáo” sounds like “Tune”, hence the corresponding symbol is a musical instrument. “Yǔ” means “rain”, hence the corresponding symbol is an umbrella. “Shùn” refers to the symbol of a crimson dragon (赤龍 / 赤龙).
These symbols also link the deities to their followers; for instance, the nāgas, magical creatures who can change form between human and serpent, are led by Virūpākṣa, represented by a snake; thegandharvas are celestial musicians, led by Dhṛtarāṣṭra, represented with a lute. The umbrella was a symbol of regal sovereignty in ancient India, and the sword is a symbol of martial prowess. Vaiśravaṇa’s mongoose, which ejects jewels from its mouth, is said to represent generosity in opposition to greed.
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Heavenly Kings
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Amituofo
Pure Karma
Lama Lotuschef
True Buddha School
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