Nyorai
Encyclopedia
The Japanese word is the translation of the Sanskrit
and Pali
word Tathagata
, the term the historical Buddha
used most often to refer to himself. Among his Japanese honorific
s, it is the one expressing the highest degree of respect. Although originally applied only to Buddha himself, with the advent of Mahayana Buddhism Tathāgata (and therefore Nyorai) came to be used for all those who have achieved enlightenment
, entities which occupy the highest of the four ranks of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon
. Their rank is accordingly called the .
, and teach others how to do the same.
In translating Tathāgata as Nyorai, however, the interpretation made of the two components was slightly different. The first half was assumed to mean "reality as it is", and was translated with the kanji
, which means roughly "as it is". The second (āgata) was assumed to be simply the past tense of the verb "to come", and translated literally . The Japanese word's meaning is therefore "he who came from tathata
(the ultimate nature of all things)" to lead human beings to salvation.
. In this case, the term means "he who has gone to tathata" through meditation and satori
.
which, like him, were men who had achieved enlightenment. Although strictly speaking buddhas are not gods, they are represented as if they were.
Very numerous, buddhas in Japan they are called Nyorai and they occupy the top of the four ranks of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon, called , literally "Nyorai category". The Nyorai-bu is followed in order by the Bosatsu-bu (bodhisattva
), Myōō-bu (Wisdom Kings), and ten-bu (Deva
). The most important Nyorai of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon (apart from the historical Buddha, Shaka Nyorai) are Amida Nyorai (Amitābha
), Dainichi (or Birushanabutsu) Nyorai (Vairocana
), and Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru
). Other common Nyorai are Ashuku Nyorai (Akshobhya
), Fukūjōju Nyorai (Amoghasiddhi
), Hōshō Nyorai (Ratnasambhava
), Miroku Nyorai (Maitreya
), and Tahō Nyorai (Prabhutaratna
). Although this category includes only Indian deities, because of the honji suijaku
theory some were believed to have ties with Japanese kami. Amaterasu for example was considered another appearance of Dainichi Nyorai.
Statues of Shaka Nyorai can show him sitting, standing or lying down (entering nirvana
).
The others can be standing or sitting. With the exception of Yakushi Nyorai, all statues are empty-handed and their fingers make a mudra
. To the contrary, Yakushi Nyorai's right hand always holds some object, either a sphere or a small jar, while the other makes a mudra
. Dainichi Nyorai's hands make a characteristic mudra (the fingers of his left hand hold his right hand's index, see photo). Excepted Dainichi Nyorai, who is represented with some body ornamentation like a bodhisattva, all statues wear just a simple robe without body ornamentation, signs of priesthood. This is because they represent someone who has reached enlightenment. The robe can cover one or both shoulders. The head has a round protuberance on top with the hair divided in tight curls. Both features are exclusive characteristics of this rank, but the curls can be missing.
The progressive idealization of the Buddhas brought to the attribution of non-human or superhuman characteristics. Consequently, a Nyorai's body must have 32 primary characteristics, among them webbed fingers, very long arms, long earlobes and a 3 meter aura, plus 80 minor ones. For practical reasons, only some, for example long earlobes, are actually present in any given statue.
The is a group of five important Nyorai, usually composed of Dainichi Nyorai, Amida Nyorai, Ashuku Nyorai, Hōshō Nyorai, and Fukūjōju Nyorai. They appear often, both as a group of statues and as painted figures in mandala
s. Each Nyorai has a fixed position oriented in the cardinal direction he is traditionally associated with. Several different groupings of the Go-Dai-Nyorai are in use, but in all of them Dainichi Nyorai is in the center. The following is one of the most common.
Sometimes a group consists of a single Nyorai flanked by minor figures like bosatsu or myōō. For example, in the , shown in the photo at the top of the page, Yakushi Nyorai is flanked by Nikkō Bosatsu
and Gakkō Bosatsu, two deities one rank below him.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
word Tathagata
Tathagata
Tathāgata in Pali and Sanskrit) is the name the Buddha of the scriptures uses when referring to himself. The term means, paradoxically, both one who has thus gone and one who has thus come . Hence, the Tathagata is beyond all coming and going – beyond all transitory phenomena...
, the term the historical Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
used most often to refer to himself. Among his Japanese honorific
Honorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
s, it is the one expressing the highest degree of respect. Although originally applied only to Buddha himself, with the advent of Mahayana Buddhism Tathāgata (and therefore Nyorai) came to be used for all those who have achieved enlightenment
Enlightenment (spiritual)
Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...
, entities which occupy the highest of the four ranks of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon
Japanese Buddhist pantheon
The Japanese Buddhist Pantheon designates the multitude of various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and lesser deities and eminent religious masters in Buddhism...
. Their rank is accordingly called the .
Etymology
The Buddhist honorific Nyorai is the Japanese translation of Tathāgata, a Sanskrit and Pali compound word whose exact meaning is uncertain. It was widely used in Indian religions other than Brahmanism as a term of respect for religious figures of exceptional stature, but it ended up being used only by Buddhism. Sanskrit grammar offers two possibilities for breaking up the compound: either tathā (thusly) and āgata (come) or tathā (thusly) and gata (gone), and Buddhist commentaries offer as many as eight different interpretations of its meaning. The most widely accepted is “one who has thus (tathā) gone (gata)” or “one who has thus (tathā) come (āgata)”, signifying that Buddha himself was no more than one in a long series of persons in the past and future to achieve enlightenmentEnlightenment (spiritual)
Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...
, and teach others how to do the same.
In translating Tathāgata as Nyorai, however, the interpretation made of the two components was slightly different. The first half was assumed to mean "reality as it is", and was translated with the kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
, which means roughly "as it is". The second (āgata) was assumed to be simply the past tense of the verb "to come", and translated literally . The Japanese word's meaning is therefore "he who came from tathata
Tathata
Tathata is variously translated as "thusness" or "suchness". It is a central concept in Buddhism, and is of particular significance in Zen Buddhism...
(the ultimate nature of all things)" to lead human beings to salvation.
Alternative translations
Nyorai is not the only existing Japanese translation of tathāgata, as another was created based on a different interpretation of the original Indian term. If the compound word is interpreted as composed by tathā, meaning "as it is", and gata, meaning "gone", the translation is , an interpretation adopted by other strands of Buddhism, for example Tibetan BuddhismTibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. In this case, the term means "he who has gone to tathata" through meditation and satori
Satori
is a Japanese Buddhist term for enlightenment that literally means "understanding". In the Zen Buddhist tradition, satori refers to a flash of sudden awareness, or individual enlightenment, and is considered a "first step" or embarkation toward nirvana....
.
Important Nyorai
In Japanese the historical Buddha is called . Originally the honorific Tathāgata was used exclusively for Buddha himself however, with the advent of Mahayana Buddhism, it came to be applied to entities called buddhasBuddhahood
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
which, like him, were men who had achieved enlightenment. Although strictly speaking buddhas are not gods, they are represented as if they were.
Very numerous, buddhas in Japan they are called Nyorai and they occupy the top of the four ranks of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon, called , literally "Nyorai category". The Nyorai-bu is followed in order by the Bosatsu-bu (bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
), Myōō-bu (Wisdom Kings), and ten-bu (Deva
Deva (Buddhism)
A deva in Buddhism is one of many different types of non-human beings who share the characteristics of being more powerful, longer-lived, and, in general, living more contentedly than the average human being....
). The most important Nyorai of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon (apart from the historical Buddha, Shaka Nyorai) are Amida Nyorai (Amitābha
Amitabha
Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...
), Dainichi (or Birushanabutsu) Nyorai (Vairocana
Vairocana
Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
), and Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru , formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja , is the buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings.-Origin:...
). Other common Nyorai are Ashuku Nyorai (Akshobhya
Akshobhya
In Vajrayana Buddhism, Akṣobhya is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality...
), Fukūjōju Nyorai (Amoghasiddhi
Amoghasiddhi
Amoghasiddhi is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism. he is associated with the accomplishment of the Buddhist path and of the destruction of the poison of envy. His name means He Whose Accomplishment Is Not In Vain. His Shakti/consort is Tara, meaning Noble...
), Hōshō Nyorai (Ratnasambhava
Ratnasambhava
Ratnasambhava is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas of Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. Ratnasambhava's mandalas and mantras focus on developing equanimity and equality and, in Vajrayana buddhist thought is associated with the attempt to destroy greed and pride. His consort is Lochana and his mount is a...
), Miroku Nyorai (Maitreya
Maitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
), and Tahō Nyorai (Prabhutaratna
Prabhutaratna
Prabhūtaratna , also known as Abundant Treasures, is the Buddha whom Shakyamuni is closely associated with in the Threefold Lotus Sutra, namely in the Lotus Sutra itself and the Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra.- In the Lotus Sutra :In...
). Although this category includes only Indian deities, because of the honji suijaku
Honji suijaku
The term in Japanese religious terminology refers to a theory widely accepted until the Meiji period according to which Indian Buddhist deities choose to appear in Japan as native kami in order to more easily convert and save the Japanese...
theory some were believed to have ties with Japanese kami. Amaterasu for example was considered another appearance of Dainichi Nyorai.
Nyorai iconography in Japan
Statues and portraits of a Nyorai are common in Japan, and a characteristic iconography makes them easy to recognize. Distinguishing one Nyorai from the other is however difficult, as most are externally almost identical, and differ just in details.Statues of Shaka Nyorai can show him sitting, standing or lying down (entering nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
).
The others can be standing or sitting. With the exception of Yakushi Nyorai, all statues are empty-handed and their fingers make a mudra
Mudra
A mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...
. To the contrary, Yakushi Nyorai's right hand always holds some object, either a sphere or a small jar, while the other makes a mudra
Mudra
A mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...
. Dainichi Nyorai's hands make a characteristic mudra (the fingers of his left hand hold his right hand's index, see photo). Excepted Dainichi Nyorai, who is represented with some body ornamentation like a bodhisattva, all statues wear just a simple robe without body ornamentation, signs of priesthood. This is because they represent someone who has reached enlightenment. The robe can cover one or both shoulders. The head has a round protuberance on top with the hair divided in tight curls. Both features are exclusive characteristics of this rank, but the curls can be missing.
The progressive idealization of the Buddhas brought to the attribution of non-human or superhuman characteristics. Consequently, a Nyorai's body must have 32 primary characteristics, among them webbed fingers, very long arms, long earlobes and a 3 meter aura, plus 80 minor ones. For practical reasons, only some, for example long earlobes, are actually present in any given statue.
Groups of statues
Sometimes Nyorai statues can form a group, as in the case of the . Amida represents the past, Shaka the present, and Miroku the future.The is a group of five important Nyorai, usually composed of Dainichi Nyorai, Amida Nyorai, Ashuku Nyorai, Hōshō Nyorai, and Fukūjōju Nyorai. They appear often, both as a group of statues and as painted figures in mandala
Mandala
Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...
s. Each Nyorai has a fixed position oriented in the cardinal direction he is traditionally associated with. Several different groupings of the Go-Dai-Nyorai are in use, but in all of them Dainichi Nyorai is in the center. The following is one of the most common.
| Fukūjōju Nyorai (north) |
||
| Amida Nyorai (west) |
Dainichi Nyorai (principal deity) |
Ashuku Nyorai (east) |
| Hōshō Nyorai (south) |
Sometimes a group consists of a single Nyorai flanked by minor figures like bosatsu or myōō. For example, in the , shown in the photo at the top of the page, Yakushi Nyorai is flanked by Nikkō Bosatsu
Nikko bosatsu
Suryaprabha Bodhisattva, or Nikkō Bosatsu in Japanese, is a bodhisattva whose specialty is sunlight and good health. Nikkō is often seen with Gakkō Bosatsu , as the two siblings serve Yakushi or the Medicine Buddha...
and Gakkō Bosatsu, two deities one rank below him.