In some interpretations,[who?] she is also equated with Ākāśagarbha, the bodhisattva associated with the great element (mahābhūta) of space (ākāśa).[citation needed]
According to the canonical text Sutra of the Secret Samaya of the Lotus Samadhi (妙法蓮華三昧秘密三摩耶經), Vilambā's true form is Anantacāritra Bodhisattva (無邊行菩薩), one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Alternatively, the Japanese esoteric commentary Hokkekyō jurin shūyōshō (法華經鷲林拾葉鈔) identifies Vilambā as a dual manifestation of Saṃkusumitarāja Buddha (華開敷佛) and Bhaiṣajyarāja, the Medicine King Bodhisattva.
Iconography
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.
On the Dizang Temple Sutra Pillar[zh] from the Dali Kingdom period in Kunming, Yunnan, Vilambā and her sister Nīlambā are carved beneath Vaiśravaṇa, the Heavenly King of the North. The pillar's inscriptions also identify her as an Earth Spirit.
In Lotus Sūtra
In Chapter 7, the "Dharani" section in the twenty-sixth chapter of the Lotus Sutra:
At that time, there were ten rakshasis named Lambā, Vilambā, Kūṭadantī, Puṣpadantī, Makuṭadantī, Keśinī, Acalā, Mālādhāri, Kuntī, and Sarvasattvojohārī. 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."
In the Ming dynasty novel Journey to the West, the Buddhist rākṣasī Vilambā is elevated to the status of a bodhisattva. However, there are no prior textual records explaining how she became the mother of the solar rooster deity, and the literary origins of this relationship remain unknown. In the novel, after Tang Sanzang and his disciples are defeated by the poison tea of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, 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 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.
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 Lord, 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.
In classical Chinese commentary on Journey to the West, especially Chen Shibin's Qing dynasty text Xiyou Zhenquan (西游真诠), Vilambā represents pure Yang energy and is associated with the metal element. Because she is the mother of the rooster star deity (昴日星官), her power is connected with the rising sun and strong yang force. In the commentary, this power is described as the natural opposite of the Centipede Demon's poisonous yin energy.
In the Qing dynasty commentary Xiyou Yuanzhi (西游原旨), by the Daoist scholar Liu Yiming, writing under the name Wuyuanzi, interpreted Vilambā's name and her 300 years of isolation as a symbol of the “Compassionate Heart of a Sage” (圣人之婆心). He argued that her refusal to leave the mountain showed that a true sage helps the world through selfless compassion without seeking fame, recognition, or worshippers. Liu also interpreted her magical embroidery needle as the "Heart of a Newborn Child" (赤子之心).
References
↑"风雨潇潇，鸡鸣胶胶". The Beijing News (in Chinese). 28 January 2017.
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