The eight celestial dragons are all dependents of the Buddha, who are transformed by the mighty virtue of the Buddha to protect and uphold the Dharma. Many Mahayana scriptures record the Buddha's teachings to bodhisattvas and bhikkhus.
01
Dharma protector, as the name implies, refers to the protection of all sentient beings of Dharma, and its main responsibility is to protect Dharma from the invasion and disturbance of demons.
In the huge Dharma protection team of Buddhism, it is mainly divided into two categories: mundane Dharma guardians and supramundane Dharma guardians. Tianlong Babu is mainly the protector of the world. They are the undisputed main force among Buddhist Dharma protectors.
02
Tianlong is eight types of gods and demons, so they are not human, they are distributed among the four " six paths ", of which the Tianbu and the Dragon are the most blessed, so they are the first, called "Tianlong" Eight". The eight parts of
include: Heaven, Dragon, Yaksha, , Gandharva, Ashura, , Garuda, Kinnara, , and Mahu Luojia. Many Mahayana scriptures record that when the Buddha preached to bodhisattvas and bhikkhus, there were often devas, dragons and eight divisions involved in listening to the teachings and supporting them.
They are the most distinctive gods and demons in Buddhism. Let's get to know these eight types of guardian gods one by one:
○days
The gods refer to the twenty-four heavens of . They practiced all kinds of good deeds during their lifetime and were able to be reborn in the heavenly realms, where they lived happily and lived a long life. In the Xianxia drama, the lifespan of the gods is always tens of thousands of years, which makes people envious. In
" Journey to the West ", the gods of the heavens are also mentioned, such as Jade Emperor and the Four Heavenly Kings.
○Dragon
refers to dragons and dragon kings, they have supernatural powers, they usually live in water, they can make clouds and rain, and they guard underground treasures and treasures. The dragon's task is to guard the heavenly palace.
03
○Yaksha
literally translates as brave, or flying, or walking on the ground, with swift movements and daunting appearance. In Buddhism, there is a story of the Buddha's conversion of the Five Yakshas, and there are also twelve Yaksha (that is, Yaksha) gods who protect the Dharma in the " Medicine Sutra ".
Yaksha's mission is to maintain the world of sentient beings.
○Gandharpo
Gandharpo is the God of Music, also known as the "Scent of the God" and "Sweet Fragrance".
is often in flying posture, playing celestial music in places where Buddhism is prosperous or where eminent monks preach, so that people can listen to the Dharma without being disturbed by the outside world. If the Gandharva smells the fragrance, she will come to protect the dojo.
○Asura
The sentient beings of Asura Dao are often confronted with gods and humans, and they like to fight. They are very suspicious, but they respect the Dharma. Its mission is to uphold the Dharma, and if you are diligent in your studies, you will definitely get the help of Asuras.
○ Garuda
Garuda is Garuda . It has a large body and two wings made of treasures. It makes a sad sound and feeds on dragons and snakes. After taking refuge, it no longer kills and eats dragons and snakes, and becomes a supporter of Buddhism.Guardian God.
○ Jinna Luo
Jinna Luo is also known as "Song God" and "Music Heaven". He has horns on his head and is good at singing and dancing, helping to spread the Buddhadharma. It and Gandharva are both gods of music.
○Mahulaka
Mahulaka is the python god, with a human body and the head of a snake, and he usually walks on his belly. Although Tianlong and Babu are highly regarded as the protectors of Buddhism, they still do not have the perfect enlightenment and deeds like Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. They still have many human-like anger, greed, prejudice, etc. This is the most important feature of the Tianlong Babu gods. .
04
Specific to each Dharma protector, greed, hatred, madness, have their own different manifestations: the gods enjoy great blessings because of their good deeds and virtues. But their jealousy is very strong, and when the blessings are exhausted, they will show the appearance of five declines. At that time, they may have a great hatred and fall into the three evil realms.
The sentient beings in the dragon tribe fall into the animal realm because of their hard-to-break anger and more negative karma. They are easy to get angry, make wind and rain, and bring disasters to the world. There is a saying in Buddhism that "the four sufferings of the dragon". Garuda feeds on dragons, and eventually dies due to dragon poison, resulting in a tragic end.
Yashas are considered ghosts and gods in Buddhism. In their previous lives, they were mostly evil ghosts with many evil deeds, who did too much evil karma, and they were sentient beings in the evil realm.
Asura is full of hatred, has a bad temper, and is constantly at war with the gods. From this, it can be seen that divine power is no match for karma. The role of karma is so powerful that no living being can escape it. Even if the gods in the eight parts of Tianlong have strong supernatural powers, they are no exception.
05
What is worth admiring is that although the Tianlong Babu has many habits, they all vow to protect the Buddhist temples, temples, and all practitioners, so that everyone is free from disasters and misfortunes.
So they deserve respect and admiration. Tianlong Babu is not perfect, and there are still various flaws in it. But because of this, it is easier to be approached and understood. Knowing this, and looking back at Jin Yong 's "Eight Dragons", I feel that the whole novel is filled with Buddhist color.
The novel tells about the feud of the family and the country, the disputes between the rivers and the lakes, and shows the emotions and desires, destiny skills, compassion and courage of different characters. Just like the karma guardians of Longtian, they show their own skills and habits, and overcome difficulties in the six cycles of reincarnation. , towards enlightenment.
The basic starting point of Buddhist thought is the understanding and realization of "suffering". If you want to get rid of suffering, you must constantly cultivate your own mind, abandon evil and promote goodness, increase wisdom, move towards true liberation, and gain inner joy.
This point, whether it is for the protector of the gods, the heroes in the novels, or even every ordinary person, needs to face it bravely and think seriously.
