God of obstacles, bliss, protection, wealth, and success
Vinayaka painting from Nepal
Affiliation
Deva Vairochana Buddha Eleven-Headed Avalokiteshvara Amritakundalin Sanbō Kōjin
Weapon
axe, trident
Gender
Male
Personal information
Parents
Maheshvara (father)
Uma (mother)
Equivalents
Hinduism equivalent
Ganesha
Vināyaka (IAST; Jp. Binayaka, 毘那夜迦), Vighnāntaka, or Gaṇapati (Jp: Ganabachi, 誐那鉢底; Tibetan: tshogs bdag) is a Buddhist deity venerated in various traditions of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the Buddhist equivalent of the Hindu god Ganesha. In Tibetan Buddhism he is also known as the Red Lord of Hosts (Tibetan: tsog gi dag po, mar po).[1] In Japanese Buddhism he is also known as Kangiten (Japanese: 歓喜天, "god of bliss";[2] Sanskrit (IAST): Nandikeśvara) or Shōten (聖天, lit. "sacred god"[3] or "noble god"[4]).[3][5][6][7]
The Buddhist Vināyaka is considered a protector from evil, a remover of obstacles (physical and mental) especially invoked at the beginning of an undertaking, a general benefactor, wealth deity, and a deity of joy and pleasure.[8][9][10][11][12] Although Vināyaka and the Hindu Ganesha share a common origin and a number of traits, there are also some marked differences between the two. For example, the Buddhist deity is commonly understood to be an emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) or of the Buddha Vairocana.
Vināyaka is depicted in numerous forms depending on the tradition. In Indo-Tibetan Buddhism he is depicted with a big belly and may be white, red or yellow, and have four or more arms that carry various weapons and implements. He is often accompanied by a rat. In Japan, a popular depiction is a male-female couple (both with elephant heads) standing in an embrace in an iconographic depiction known as the "Dual Kangiten" (双身歓喜天, Sōshin Kangiten) or the "Embracing Kangiten."
Ganesh is also a popular deity in Thailand, revered by Thai Buddhists and Thai Hindus alike.
^"Ganapati (Indian God & Buddhist Deity) – Red (4 hands) (Himalayan Art)". www.himalayanart.org. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
^Buhnemann (2006), pp. 19–20.
^ abHanan (2003), pp. 245–6.
^Krishan (1999), p. 163.
^Frédéric (2002), p. 470.
^"歡喜天 (Gaṇeśa)". Digital Dictionary of Buddhism. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
^Pandey, Rajyashree (22 February 2007). "Performing the body in medieval Japanese narratives: Izumi Shikibu in Shasekishū". Japan Forum. 19 (1): 119. doi:10.1080/09555800601127361. S2CID 143714073.
^Bangdel, Dina; Huntington, John C. (2003). The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, pp. 493–496. Serindia Publications, Inc.
^Wayman, Alex (2006). Chanting the Names of Manjushri. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers: p. 76. ISBN 8120816536
^Wilkinson, Christopher. "The Tantric Ganesa: Text Preserved in the Tibetan Canon." in Brown, Robert L. (editor) (1991) Studies of an Asian God, pp. 235–274. State University of New Ytrrk Pre'ss,Albany
^Nagar 1992, p. 185–186.
^Acri, Andrea (2016). Esoteric Buddhism in Mediaeval Maritime Asia: Networks of Masters, Texts, Icons, p. 337. ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
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