Benzaiten (shinjitai: 弁才天 or 弁財天; kyūjitai: 辯才天, 辨才天, or 辨財天, lit. "goddess of eloquence", Benten, Chinese: 辯才天, Biancaitian), is an East Asian Buddhist goddess (technically a Dharmapala, "Dharma protector") who originated mainly from the Hindu Indian Saraswati, goddess of speech, the arts, and learning. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the sixth through eighth centuries, mainly via Classical Chinese translations of the Golden Light Sutra (Sanskrit: Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra), which has a section devoted to her.[1] Benzaiten was also adopted into Shinto religion, and there are several Shinto shrines dedicated to her.
While Benzaiten retains many of the Indic attributes of Saraswati (as patron of music, the arts, eloquence, knowledge), she also has many unique aspects, roles and functions which never applied to the Indian goddess. As such, Benzaiten is now also associated with dragons, snakes, local Japanese deities, wealth, fortune, protection from disease and danger, and the protection of the state.
^Ludvik, Catherine (2007). Sarasvatī: Riverine Goddess of Knowledge. From the Manuscript-carrying Vīṇā-player to the Weapon-wielding Defender of the Dharma. Brill. pp. 1–3.
Benzaiten (shinjitai: 弁才天 or 弁財天; kyūjitai: 辯才天, 辨才天, or 辨財天, lit. "goddess of eloquence", Benten, Chinese: 辯才天, Biancaitian), is an East Asian Buddhist...
Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine (銭洗弁財天宇賀福神社, Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Jinja), popularly known as Zeniarai Benten, is a Shinto shrine in Kamakura, Kanagawa...
gods of fortune from religions popular in Japan: from Mahayana Buddhism (Benzaiten, Bishamonten, Daikokuten) which came to Japan from China but originated...
The Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten (日本三大弁天) are a group of Japanese shrines dedicated to the worship of the goddess Benzaiten. During the Meiji Era separation...
three most famous Benzaiten Temples in Japan, along with Enoshima Benzaiten (Kanagawa) and Chikubujima Benzaiten (Shiga). The Benzaiten is opened to the...
Ugajin was syncretically fused with Buddhist goddess Benzaiten, which became known as Uga Benzaiten or Uga Benten. The goddess sometimes carries on her...
("Chinjusha"), and in that case a torii marks the shrine's entrance. Benzaiten is a syncretic goddess derived from the Indian divinity Sarasvati, who...
In Buddhism, she is venerated in many forms, including the East Asian Benzaiten (辯才天, "Eloquence Talent Deity"). Saraswati, is a Sanskrit fusion word...
Japanese examples derive from Buddhist importations of Indian dragon myths. Benzaiten, the Japanese form of Saraswati, supposedly killed a five-headed dragon...
world. The unnamed five-headed dragon subdued by the Buddhist goddess Benzaiten at Enoshima in Japan in A.D. 552 The unnamed dragon defeated by Saint...
the island and adjacent coastline are the hub of a local resort area. Benzaiten, the goddess of music and entertainment, is enshrined on the island. The...
behind three scales, which became his family crest. Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten Ono, S.; Woodard, W.P.; Sakamoto, S. (2004). Shinto the Kami Way. Tuttle...
Hanako-san. In Inokashira Park, Tokyo, there is a shrine to the goddess Benzaiten, as well as Inokashira Pond, a lake where visitors can rent rowing boats...
form of Saraswati and goddess of wisdom A'as, god of wisdom Kamrusepa Benzaiten, a Japanese form of Saraswati, goddess of everything that flows: water...
other South Asian, East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. For example, Benzaiten is a Japanese name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati, and the ancient Siddhaṃ...
recovering. During this time, Madeno Hamanosuke goes to Mt. Kinki to pray to Benzaiten, a god related to snakes, for the safety of his lord. He is answered by...
nearby lake. Aware of their suffering, on May 31, 552 AD, the Goddess Benzaiten caused the island of Enoshima to arise from the bottom of the bay to serve...
be seen within the park. The park contains a small temple dedicated to Benzaiten. The park has a petting zoo and a small aquarium, and is a place where...
temples are in the area, including the Bentendo temple dedicated to goddess Benzaiten, on an island in Shinobazu Pond. The Kan'ei-ji, a major temple of the...
worshiped in Japan which have long been forgotten in India. Saraswati (Benzaiten) is arguably the most revered deity in Japan after the Buddha. She forms...
when he achieved bodhi, and is frequently represented as a giant cobra. Benzaiten 弁才天 is the Japanese name of the goddess Saraswati, who killed a 3-headed...
the Hidden Village of Kamakura. It is located very near the Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine. Tradition holds that Sasuke Inari Shrine was created by...
contemporary pop and rock songs, and Osamu Kitajima's progressive rock album Benzaiten (1974). The mid-1970s saw the rise of electronic art music musicians such...
Views of Japan Tourism in Japan Twenty-Two Shrines Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten Hiroshima to Honolulu Friendship Torii (Itsukushima replica) Nussbaum...
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