Soon, however, the cruel king found them and killed them both. The two escaped Miao Shan's father, and the general-suitor helped build Miao Shan a temple and a kingdom of her own. However, Wei Tuo was inspired by Miao Shan's kindness so he decided to stay faithful and devoted to Miao Shan, even if she wasn't his wife. He loved Miao Shan but realized he could not possibly be a proper partner to her, since she was a pure person. When the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was reincarnated as the princess Miao Shan, Skanda (known as Wei Tuo in this story) was one of her cruel father's generals. Others point out that Skanda might also be a manifestation of Vajrapani, a bodhisattva who bears some relations to Skanda because they both wield vajras as weapons, are portrayed with flaming halos, and are both heavenly protectors of Buddhism.Īlthough Skanda is only a deva, he is very often addressed as a bodhisattva. Some suggest that Skanda may have come from Hinduism as the war deity Kartikeya (Murugan), who bears the title Skanda. Skanda is described as a young man fully clad in the armor and headgear of a Chinese general, and is usually leaning on a vajra staff. However, the existence of illustrated Skanda images predating the Ming Dynasty set his origins back to an earlier period in the development of Chinese Buddhism. Some have proposed that Skanda's features were adapted from a Chinese deity who appeared in the Chinese classical Ming novel Fengshen Yanyi. Stories vary on how Skanda was accepted into the traditional Chinese Buddhist pantheon. Origins Stone statue of Weituo in mountain pattern armour, Ming dynasty, 1527 Skanda's vow of protecting the faith and Dharma was proven when he managed to defeat the evil demons and returned the relics. A few days after the Buddha's passing and cremation, evil demons stole his relics. It was his duty to protect members of the sangha when they are disturbed by Mara, the tempter, and also to resolve conflicts amongst members of the sangha. When the Buddha entered nirvana, the Buddha instructed Skanda to guard the Dharma. In Chinese sutras, his image is found at the end of the sutra, a reminder of his vow to protect and preserve the teachings.Īccording to legends, Skanda was the son of a virtuous king who had complete faith in Buddha's teachings. In others, he is on the far right of the main shrine with weapon in hand, whereas on the left is his counterpart, Sangharama (personified as the historical general Guan Yu). In Chinese temples, Skanda faces the statue of the Buddha in the main shrine, traditionally unarmed and with his hands in anjali. He is also sometimes called in the Chinese tradition "Hufa Weituo Zuntian Pusa", meaning "Honored Dharma Protector Skanda Bodhisattva", because he is one of the twenty-four celestial guardian deities mentioned in the Golden Light Sutra. Skanda (Chinese:塞建陀, 室建陀), also known as Wei Tuo ( Chinese: 韋馱) and Idaten ( Japanese: 韋駄天), is a Mahayana bodhisattva regarded as a devoted guardian of Buddhist monasteries who protects the teachings of Buddhism.
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