In Mahayana Buddhism, Bhaishajyaguru or the Medicine Buddha is popularly known to heal the body and the spirit. His name, therefore, is closely associated with the medicinal and therapeutic aspects of his teachings. In early Buddhist texts, he is invoked as Bhaishajyaraja and Bhaishajyasena; in fact, Bhaishajyaguru’s representation is as old as the representations of the goddess Prajnaparamita, the mother of all Buddhas. A popular figure in early Mahayana Buddhism, Bhaishajyaguru reigns over the Vaidurya Paradise in the east. He has taken the twelve sublime vows or dvadasha maha pranidhanani for the welfare of beings. Other than eradicating calamities and prolonging life as recorded in the Bhaishajyaguru-vaidurya-prabha-raja Sutra, the text is also referred to as the Medicine Buddha Sutra. The earliest manuscript of this sutra was found from the monastic ruins of Gilgit by Sir Aurel Stein in 1931, dated to the 2nd century CE. In the sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha cultivates a belief in Mahayana Buddhism by invoking Bhaishajyaguru’s name, chanting his dharani, and making offerings to him. The cult of Bhaishajyaguru gathered momentum in Central Asia through banners, silk paintings, murals, and manuscripts reaching Far East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is interesting to note that while the itinerant Mahansaghikas were influential in spearheading the cult of Bhaishajyaguru in Central Asia, the Medicine Buddha cult gained less prominence in India. Only in the Western-Himalayan regions from the 10th century CE onwards, one finds murals, bronze sculptures, and thangkas of Bhaishajyaguru from monasteries in Ladakh, Himachal, Tibet, and Nepal.
Shakyamuni Buddha, as per the Pali Buddhist canon, is exalted as the first and foremost healer. In the Tripitaka discourse, Shakyamuni Buddha has iterated the importance of physical wellbeing to free oneself from bodily and karmic taints and reach nirvana. In the Magandiya Sutta of the Sutta Nipata, the Buddha says, health is the highest gain and nirvana is the highest bliss; and of ways, the Eightfold path leads to deathlessness, to security. Buddhism regards illness as the karmic outcome which stems from the unavoidable consequence of actions either in this life or in one’s previous life. Mindfulness is further asserted by the body through charity or dana, cultivating righteous conduct or shila, and meditation or samadhi to strike a holistic balance between mind and body. In case of an illness in the human body, the Buddhists believe the cure is two-fold: practising positive thinking and using medicinal herbs. One widely known Buddhist prayer for its healing effect is ‘bojjhanga paritta’, as mentioned in the Samyutta Nikaya. Paritta signifies ‘protection’, and bojjhanga refers to the seven factors of enlightenment or bodhigyana. The mantra is chanted to ward off illness and to promote healing among individuals. The restitution of physical form from a troubled or diseased state is often cured through spiritual healing by chanting and meditating on specific body parts. The Buddha expected his followers to look after the sick and recommended the contemplation of the seven limbs of enlightenment: mindfulness, investigation of factors, striving, joy, serenity, meditation, and tranquillity to overcome inner poisons of envy, anger, and illusion. For Buddha, liberation is the outcome of healing. Additionally, the Mahasatipatthana Sutta of the Digha Nikaya also stresses mindfulness through the vipassana meditation as the most crucial part for purification and overcoming of sorrow and for realising the goal of nirvana.
In the Mahayana Buddhist canon, the role of Shakyamuni Buddha as the karmic healer is further adapted by the Bodhisattvas, who forsake enlightenment for the wellbeing of those in suffering. The prominent position of karmic and spiritual healing is also shared by Bhaishajyaguru, who resides in the Vaiduryanirbhasa or the Pure Lapis Lazuli paradise in the east. In later Mahayana and Vajrayana texts, the apothecarial qualities of Bhaishajyaguru are merged with the Akshobhya Buddha, one of the transcendental Buddhas or tathagatas of the east residing in the Abhirati Paradise. In the Bhaishajyaguru-vaidurya-prabha-raja Sutra, the Buddha, while travelling to Vaishali, on the request of bodhisattva Manjushri, recites the sutra of the Bhaishajyaguru as the Buddha of crystal radiance which is limitless and unbound. Wanting to relieve beings from suffering and illness, Bhaishajyaguru sits in samadhi to eliminate the suffering of all beings. Upon entering meditative absorption, a great light emanates from the Buddha’s forehead, and he is immersed in the trance to help all sentient beings. According to the three Chinese translations of Bhaishajyaguru-vaidurya-prabha-raja Sutra by Srimitra (317-322 CE), Dharmagupta (616 CE) and Hsuan-Tsang (650 CE), if one recalls the name of Bhaisajyaguru at the moment of death, the eight great bodhisattvas or the ashtamahabodhisattvas come down to take the devotee to his paradise.
To read the full essay click hereIn Mahayana Buddhism, Bhaishajyaguru or the Medicine Buddha is popularly known to heal the body and the spirit. His name, therefore, is closely associated with the medicinal and therapeutic aspects of his teachings. In early Buddhist texts, he is invoked as Bhaishajyaraja and Bhaishajyasena; in fact, Bhaishajyaguru’s representation is as old as the representations of the goddess Prajnaparamita, the mother of all Buddhas. A popular figure in early Mahayana Buddhism, Bhaishajyaguru reigns over the Vaidurya Paradise in the east. He has taken the twelve sublime vows or dvadasha maha pranidhanani for the welfare of beings. Other than eradicating calamities and prolonging life as recorded in the Bhaishajyaguru-vaidurya-prabha-raja Sutra, the text is also referred to as the Medicine Buddha Sutra. The earliest manuscript of this sutra was found from the monastic ruins of Gilgit by Sir Aurel Stein in 1931, dated to the 2nd century CE. In the sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha cultivates a belief in Mahayana Buddhism by invoking Bhaishajyaguru’s name, chanting his dharani, and making offerings to him. The cult of Bhaishajyaguru gathered momentum in Central Asia through banners, silk paintings, murals, and manuscripts reaching Far East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is interesting to note that while the itinerant Mahansaghikas were influential in spearheading the cult of Bhaishajyaguru in Central Asia, the Medicine Buddha cult gained less prominence in India. Only in the Western-Himalayan regions from the 10th century CE onwards, one finds murals, bronze sculptures, and thangkas of Bhaishajyagurufrommonasteries in Ladakh, Himachal, Tibet, and Nepal.
Shakyamuni Buddha, as per the Pali Buddhist canon, is exalted as the first and foremost healer. In the Tripitaka discourse, Shakyamuni Buddha has iterated the importance of physical wellbeing to free oneself from bodily and karmic taints and reach nirvana. In the Magandiya Sutta of the Sutta Nipata, the Buddha says, health is the highest gain and nirvana is the highest bliss; and of ways, the Eightfold path leads to deathlessness, to security. Buddhism regards illness as the karmic outcome which stems from the unavoidable consequence of actions either in this life or in one’s previous life. Mindfulness is further asserted by the body through charity or dana, cultivating righteous conduct or shila, and meditation or samadhi to strike a holistic balance between mind and body. In case of an illness in the human body, the Buddhists believe the cure is two-fold: practising positive thinking and using medicinal herbs. One widely known Buddhist prayer for its healing effect is ‘bojjhanga paritta’, as mentioned in the Samyutta Nikaya. Paritta signifies ‘protection’, and bojjhanga refers to the seven factors of enlightenment or bodhigyana. The mantra is chanted to ward off illness and to promote healing among individuals. The restitution of physical form from a troubled or diseased state is often cured through spiritual healing by chanting and meditating on specific body parts. The Buddha expected his followers to look after the sick and recommended the contemplation of the seven limbs of enlightenment: mindfulness, investigation of factors, striving, joy, serenity, meditation, and tranquillity to overcome inner poisons of envy, anger, and illusion. For Buddha, liberation is the outcome of healing. Additionally, the Mahasatipatthana Sutta of the Digha Nikaya also stresses mindfulness through the vipassana meditation as the most crucial part for purification and overcoming of sorrow and for realising the goal of nirvana.
In the Mahayana Buddhist canon, the role of Shakyamuni Buddha as the karmic healer is further adapted by the Bodhisattvas, who forsake enlightenment for the wellbeing of those in suffering. The prominent position of karmic and spiritual healing is also shared by Bhaishajyaguru, who resides in the Vaiduryanirbhasa or the Pure Lapis Lazuli paradise in the east. In later Mahayana and Vajrayana texts, the apothecarial qualities of Bhaishajyaguru are merged with the Akshobhya Buddha, one of the transcendental Buddhas or tathagatas of the east residing in the Abhirati Paradise. In the Bhaishajyaguru-vaidurya-prabha-raja Sutra, the Buddha, while travelling to Vaishali, on the request of bodhisattva Manjushri, recites the sutra of the Bhaishajyaguru as the Buddha of crystal radiance which is limitless and unbound. Wanting to relieve beings from suffering and illness, Bhaishajyaguru sits in samadhi to eliminate the suffering of all beings. Upon entering meditative absorption, a great light emanates from the Buddha’s forehead, and he is immersed in the trance to help all sentient beings. According to the three Chinese translations of Bhaishajyaguru-vaidurya-prabha-raja Sutra by Srimitra (317-322 CE), Dharmagupta (616 CE) and Hsuan-Tsang (650 CE), if one recalls the name of Bhaisajyaguru at the moment of death, the eight great bodhisattvas or the ashtamahabodhisattvas come down to take the devotee to his paradise.
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