Bhaiá¹£ajyarÃÂja (Skt.: à ¤Âà ¥Âà ¤·à ¤Âà ¥Âà ¤¯à ¤°à ¤¾à ¤Â; Traditional Chinese: èÂ¥çÂÂ; Simplified Chinese: è¯çÂÂ; pinyin: Yào Wáng; Japanese: 荠Yakuà Â; Korean: ì½ìÂÂë³´ì´; Vietnamese: Dðợc Vðáng Bá» Tát), commonly known as the Medicine King Bodhisattva, is a prominent bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with healing and medicine. He is one of the Twenty-Five Great Bodhisattvas, and in the future is destined to become the buddha TathÃÂgata Pure-Eye (æ·¨ç¼å¦Âä¾Â). His younger brother is Medicine Superior Bodhisattva (èÂ¥ä¸Âè©è©), later known as TathÃÂgata Pure-Treasury (æ·¨èÂÂå¦Âä¾Â).
Medicine King is best known from the Lotus Sutra, where he appears in Chapter 23 ("The Bodhisattva Bhaiá¹£ajyarÃÂja"), as well as in the Sà «tra on Visualizing the Bodhisattvas Bhaiá¹£ajyarÃÂja and Bhaiá¹£ajyasamudgata ().
He is often depicted alongside his brother as an attendant of Bhaiá¹£ajyaguru (the Medicine Buddha), and in some traditions is equated with Sà «ryaprabha and Candraprabha. In other contexts, the pair serve as attendants of à ÂÃÂkyamuni or AmitÃÂbha, symbolizing the unity of the Buddhasâ virtues. His birthday is celebrated on the 28th day of the 4th lunar month.
In Chapter 23 of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha recounts Medicine KingâÂÂs former life as the bodhisattva "One-Who-Delights-All-Beings-to-See." He practiced severe austerities for 12,000 years, attained the samÃÂdhi of manifesting all bodily forms, and then burned his body as the highest offering to a buddha for 1,200 years. Later reborn in a royal family, he built 84,000 stupas after that buddhaâÂÂs passing and again offered his own body by burning his arms for 72,000 years. This story emphasizes self-sacrifice and the supreme act of devotion.
In Chapter 27 of the Lotus Sutra, another narrative identifies Medicine King and Medicine Superior as the two sons, Pure-Eye and Pure-Treasury, of King Wonderful-Adornment and Queen Pure-Virtue. Through their efforts, they converted their father to the Dharma while receiving the teaching of the buddha Cloud-Thunder-Sound-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom.
Another origin story relates that in the distant past, during the age of semblance dharma following the nirvana of Radiant-Lapis TathÃÂgata, a layman named Starlight offered Himalayan medicines to the monk Sun-Treasury and vowed to free beings from disease. His brother Lightning Bright also made offerings and aspired to Buddhahood. The assembly praised them as Medicine King and Medicine Superior, names they carried across kalpas until their vows were fulfilled, with Medicine King destined to become TathÃÂgata Pure-Eye and Medicine Superior to become TathÃÂgata Pure-Treasury.
Medicine King Bodhisattva is usually depicted wearing a jeweled crown, the left hand at the waist in a fist, and the right hand raised at the chest holding a medicinal plant. His samaya attribute is a medicinal herb or a lotus flower.
Texts describe his body as twelve yojanas in height, radiant with purple-gold light, possessing the thirty-two marks and eighty secondary features of a Buddha. From the crown protuberance arise fourteen jewels, each with fourteen facets and flowers, reflecting Buddhas of the ten directions. From the white tuft between his brows shines a crystal light, and jewels rain from the tips of his fingers.
In the Medicine Master Sutra, Medicine King is one of the eight great bodhisattvas in the retinue of Bhaiá¹£ajyaguru.
In Chinese Buddhism, legendary physicians such as Shennong, Qibo, Bian Que, Dong Feng, Hua Tuo, Sun Simiao, and Wu Tao have been identified as incarnations of Medicine King Bodhisattva. Some regional temples thus enshrine him in the form of a middle-aged man wearing Hanfu.