Pilanpo
Painting of rakshasa Pilanpo
Traditional Chinese毗藍婆
Simplified Chinese毗蓝婆
Literal meaningPralambra

Pilanpo (Chinese: 毗蓝婆) is said to be a bodhisattva and the mother of Maori Xingguan in Chinese folk religion.[1][2][3] According to Volume 7 of the Lotus Sūtra, Pilanpo is one of the ten rakshasis who protect the Dharma.[4]

Origin

According to belief, Pilanpo 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).

In Lotus Sūtra

In the Chapter 7, the "Dharani" section in the twenty-sixth chapter of the Lotus Sutra:

At that time, there were ten rakshasis (ogresses) named Lanpo, Pilanpo, Quchi, Huachi, Hechi, Duofa, Wuyaotu, Chienluo, Guoti, and Duoqie. These ten rakshasis, along with the mother of all rakshasas, her son, and their entourage, all came to the Buddha and spoke with one voice: "World-Honored One, we also wish to protect those who read, recite, and uphold the Lotus Sutra. We will remove their misfortunes. If anyone seeks to harm these teachers, we will prevent them from succeeding."

— Lotus Sūtra, Chapter 7

In Journey to the West

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.

On the instructions of Lishan Laomu, Sun Wukong requests help from Pilanpo, who eventually subdues and captures the demon king. Pilanpo 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 Pilanpo, the demon king's radiant golden light is so powerful that even the Buddha could not defeat it. Pilanpo 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, Pilanpo sends him to guard Thousand Flowers Cave.[5]

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, Pilanpo carries the yang energy, similar to Ziyun Mountain in the Cave of Thousand Flowers, and radiates the brilliance of the sun, revealing light.[6]

The Yuan zaju or operatic version text of The Journey to the West styles the Pilanpo as the friend of the Queen Mother of the West, Princess Iron Fan and Lishan Laomu.

References

  1. ↑ "风雨潇潇，鸡鸣胶胶". The Beijing News (in Chinese). 28 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 "西游记里的毗蓝婆竟然来历这么深". Sohu (in Chinese). 3 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "唐僧师徒再遭毒手险丧命 毗蓝婆菩萨救难收妖". 希望之声 (in Chinese (China)). 7 March 2021.
  4. ↑ 《妙法莲华经》卷七陀羅尼品第二十六：“尔时有罗刹女等，一名蓝婆，二名毗蓝婆，三名曲齿，四名华齿，五名黑齿，六名多发，七名无厌足，八名持璎珞，九名睾帝，十名夺一切众生精气，是十罗刹女，与鬼子母、并其子、及眷属，俱诣佛所，同声白佛言：‘世尊，我等亦欲拥护读诵受持法华经者，除其衰患，若有伺求法师短者，令不得便。’”
  5. ↑ "300年不管闲事，毗蓝婆菩萨难怪收走蜈蚣精，您看破碎星是谁？_手机搜狐网". Sohu. 15 June 2019.
  6. ↑ 陳士斌. "第七十三回〈情因舊恨生災毒 心主遭魔幸破光〉". 《西遊真詮》. Retrieved 2022-02-03.

Sources

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