Bishamon

Even the most basic traits of Benzaiten are removed once Bishamonten awakens. Bishamonten has purple eyes and her hair remains long and is of different shades of green. It is kept in a ponytail, her fringe is normally seen above her eyes and her bangs are thick and caress her face. Her attire is a white bodysuit that is open in the middle, exposing her stomach and underside of her breasts.

One of the daughters of Fujiwara Kamatari went to China to become a concubine of the T'ang emperor Tai-tsung. Once there, she sent back three tiny but precious jewels for her brother's use in work on Nara's Kōfukuji. Unfortunately the boat sank near Shido Bay and the three jewels were stolen by the Dragon King.

Many of the mantras are embedded in the various chants done in the Korean tradition. The one you mentioned is included in the Morning Bell Chant They in turn, come from the Chinese tradition, so presumably one could research their origin that way. I have seen some of these mantra's in various sutra's and shastra's, but I am definitely no scholar when it comes to that stuff.

Use this next day wisely and keep in mind that it isn't the last day of your pilgrimage, just another day on the henro trail of life. In commemoration of his trip to China, he enshrined his Shakujō at this temple. A Shakujō is a walking stick with large metal rings attached to the top of the handle in order to make rattling sounds. Likewise, it is now customary for all pilgrims to leave their walking stick here after they complete their pilgrimage. The temple was founded by Gyōgi Bosatsu in 738 (although Starr says that it was Shōtoku Taishi). Kōbō Daishi came her later and, in keeping a vow he made before leaving for China, performed a Goma ritual for the first seven nights in January and distributed amulets to the assembled people.

This, strangely enough, reminds me of contemporary football teams – either high school or college – praying for divine intervention. The winning side convinces itself that it has been shown celestial favoritism. The detail shown below is from a Meiji period painting of Bishamon. It was purchased by Patdem and posted by him at commons.wikimedia.org. Let’s start with this gorgeous Edo period, polychromed, wooden sculpture of Bishamon standing on top of a blue demon.

Therefore, ever since it was built, this bell can be heard from further away than any other bell. As the name implies, this temple used to be the biggest on Shikoku Island. Legend states that it was spared the ravages of Chōsokabe's armies when they were driven away by a huge swarm of bees that live at the temple. Temple 69 has several National Treasures, including an icon of Buddha entering Nirvana (Shaka-nehan-zō), Fudō Myōō, and painted scrolls of the temple's legend of Kotobiki Hachiman.

One who is all knowing, one who hears everything in the kingdom, one who is always listening, completely versed in Buddha's teachings. Said to be the most powerful of the four Shitennō, with the other three serving as his vassals. Also the most popular and widely known of the four in Japan.

Therein, Jikokuten and Bishamonten pledge on behalf of all four to protect those who embrace the Lotus Sutra. Oldest extant statue of Tamonten is part of a set of four Shitennō statues possessed by Hōryūji Temple 法隆寺 in Nara that dates to the 毘沙門天 mid-7th Century. The skillful means provided by the puja, empowerment, and practice of the Dzambhalas work best with the right intention of developing bodhicitta to reach enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. All Dzambhalas are said to be the wealth giving form of Avalokitesvara, this means they originally emanated from Avalokitesvara or the Compassionate Buddha. Of interest here are the numerous crutches left by people who been miraculously cured during their pilgrimage.

Cernunnos represented the bounty of the forest in a time when tribes exchanged food for goods and services. Nang Kwak is often depicted in a traditional red Thai-style dress with a gold crown atop her head. Specifically, she is believed to attract customers to a business.