| Vilambā | |
| Sanskrit Name: | Vilambā |
| Chinese Name: | 毗藍婆 (Pinyin: pílánpó) 離結 (Pinyin: lijié) |
| Japanese Name: | 毗藍婆 (romaji: biranba) 離結 (romaji: rikechi) |
| Korean Name: | 비람파 (RR: birampa) 이결 (RR: igyeol) |
| Vietnamese Name: | Tỳ lam bà Li kết |
| Veneration: | Mahāyāna and Chinese folk religion
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Vilambā is a bodhisattva and rakshasi in Mahayana Buddhism and the mother of Maori Xingguan in Chinese folk religion.[1] [2] [3] According to Volume 7 of the Lotus Sūtra, Vilambā is one of the Ten Rākṣasīs who protect the Dharma.[4]
According to belief, Vilambā is a shapeshifter whose true form is a hen. Since hens and peacocks are seen as related through the phoenix (fenghuang), she is considered to be a relative of the bodhisattva and former peacock Mahamayuri, the godmother of the Buddha. Her son Maori Xingguan is a rooster and star deity (昴日星官, the Sun Rooster of Hairy Head).[2] She is sometimes equated with Ākāśagarbha, a bodhisattva of the great element (mahābhūta) of space (ākāśa).
The Ten Rākṣasīs vary in appearance based on locale and textual tradition. One canonical text, the Law of the Ten Rākṣasīs of the Lotus (法華十羅剎法; pinyin: fǎhuá shíluóshā fǎ; Japanese: hokke-jūrasetunyo-hō) stands out with its description of the physical features of the goddesses. Alternative forms tend to stem from Japanese Buddhist art manuals or local traditions throughout Asia.
According to the Law of the Ten Rākṣasīs of the Lotus, Vilambā has a form like that of a full moon, akin to a dragon king. She is thus inclined toward the great ocean. Her garments are green (碧緑) and her face is white. She stands before a mirror. She controls the wind and clouds with her right hand and holds a mala in her left hand. Alternatively, she holds a pair of cymbals.
In Chapter 7, the "Dharani" section in the twenty-sixth chapter of the Lotus Sutra:
In Journey to the West, after Tang Sanzang and his disciples are defeated by the poison tea of the Hundred-Eyed Demon King, who possesses a thousand eyes that radiate brilliant golden light to confuse his enemies and victims, Sun Wukong flees from the demon and encounters Lishan Laomu.[5]
On the instructions of Lishan Laomu, Sun Wukong requests help from Vilambā, who eventually subdues and captures the demon king. Vilambā said that she had been living low-key for over 300 years since she last attended the Yulan Festival. She had kept her name incognito, never went out, and no one knew about her. When she asked Sun Wukong how he knew about her existence, he refused to answer. According to Vilambā, the demon king's radiant golden light is so powerful that even the Buddha could not defeat it. Vilambā uses an embroidery needle to do so, which was not made of iron or steel but was extracted by her son from his own eyes. After the demon king is subdued, Vilambā sends him to guard Thousand Flowers Cave.[6]
In Chapter 73 of the commentary on Journey to the West by Taoist Chen Shibin of the Qing Dynasty, it is explained that Lishan Laomu is familiar with the Hundred-Eyed Demon King, which refers to the pure yin consciousness containing poisonous flames. On the other hand, Vilambā carries the yang energy, similar to Ziyun Mountain in the Cave of Thousand Flowers, and radiates the brilliance of the sun, revealing light.[7]
The Yuan zaju or operatic version text of The Journey to the West styles Vilambā as the friend of the Queen Mother of the West, Princess Iron Fan and Lishan Laomu.