Temple record
Read the Byodoji origin record
The temple origin story, the old name Nikkoin, and the place of Yakushi devotion become easier to connect.
Principal Image of Byodoji Temple, Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple No. 22
Yakushi Nyorai is not only a Buddha who cures illness
The scripture on Yakushi Nyorai describes a Buddha who heals not only sickness, but also isolation, poverty, fear, and the loss of direction in life. At Byodoji, those vows remain visible through the principal image, the box-cart story, five-colored cords, and daily prayer.
On Byodoji Online, it helps to begin with Yakushi Nyorai as the principal image of this temple, then move into the broader meaning of the vows.
The vows living at Byodoji
How the vows take shape at Byodoji Temple
Temple stories, ritual objects, and prayer practices show that Yakushi devotion at Byodoji is not abstract doctrine but a living pattern of support.
Byodoji has long been known for prayers for healing and strong legs, but beneath those famous benefits lies a deeper hope: that weakened people may stand again and continue their path.
The box-cart story makes this visible. A person who cannot walk is carried forward because another person shares the burden. It is a concrete image of compassion becoming action.
The five-colored cords and charms beloved at Byodoji resonate with ritual instructions about five-colored thread and forty-nine lamps in Yakushi practice.
This means Yakushi faith at Byodoji is not only about wishing for recovery. It is about walking, supporting, connecting, and recovering together.
Miracle story
See prayer as shared burden in the box-cart story
This story shows how Yakushi compassion appears as actual support for a weakened person.
Present practice
Daily liturgy and goma keep the vow alive now
Watching present-day prayer shows that Yakushi devotion at Byodoji is not only a past legend.
First step
What kind of Buddha is Yakushi Nyorai?
The image of medicine matters, but the sutra shows more than a divine doctor. Yakushi Nyorai is a Buddha of light who restores a person’s life as a whole.
身如琉璃。内外明徹。
The name Yakushi points to medicine and healing, but in Buddhism illness is not limited to the body. Ignorance, fear, attachment, loneliness, poverty, and a distorted way of living are also forms of affliction.
Because of that, Yakushi Nyorai’s saving power is not a one-time cure. It is a vow to untangle the chain of suffering and make it possible for a person to stand again and move toward awakening.
The sutra says that the Buddha’s light makes inside and outside equally clear. That light is not only comfort. It is the clarity that keeps a person from losing sight of what is wrong and where to go next.
Byodoji honors Yakushi Nyorai as its principal Buddha because this is a Buddha who supports recovery of body, mind, and livelihood together.
The core
What do the Twelve Great Vows try to restore?
The vows are not a scattered list of blessings. They move from light and direction, to relief of fear and suffering, to restored livelihood and dignity.
Read together, the vows first illuminate, then redirect, then relieve pain and fear, and finally restore the conditions of life and dignity.
Some expressions belong to an older social world. Today they should be read in terms of freeing people from disadvantage and keeping the path to awakening open to everyone.
Vows of light and direction
The first, second, fourth, fifth, and ninth vows guide people back into clarity and right practice.
Vows 1 and 2
He illumines the world and reveals a purified Buddha-body. Rescue begins by making reality visible.
Vows 4 and 5
Those who enter mistaken paths are guided back to the bodhisattva path. Yakushi heals a life’s direction, not only its symptoms.
Vow 9
Those pulled into false views are returned to right understanding. This is also a restoration of judgment.
Vows for suffering and fear
The sixth, seventh, and tenth vows address weakness, fear, punishment, and life without support.
Vow 6
Those with bodily or sensory afflictions are brought toward wholeness.
Vow 7
Those without medical care or support hear the Buddha’s name and find peace in body and mind. This is one root of healing prayer at Byodoji.
Vow 10
Those trapped in punishment and harsh conditions are released. The vows include social suffering.
Vows for livelihood and dignity
The third, eighth, eleventh, and twelfth vows refuse to ignore hunger, lack of clothing, and conditions that strip dignity away.
Vows 3, 11, and 12
Food, clothing, and needed resources are part of the field of compassion.
Vow 8
The wording reflects an older social world. Today it should be read as a vow to free people from disadvantage and not deny them access to the path.
Those around the Buddha
What do Nikko, Gakko, and the Twelve Generals mean?
Yakushi devotion includes two great bodhisattvas of light and the Twelve Generals of protection. Together they show that healing is surrounded by illumination and guardianship.
Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu symbolize the Buddha’s light across day and night. Wisdom is not a momentary flash but a light that stays with ordinary life.
The Twelve Generals vow to protect the teaching and those who uphold it. That is one reason Yakushi devotion often includes strong imagery of concrete protection.
When worshipping Yakushi Nyorai at Byodoji, it helps to receive not only the principal image but the wider world of light and guardians that surrounds it.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Read next
These pages deepen Yakushi devotion through temple history and lived prayer.
Temple tradition
Byodoji Temple Origin Record
Follow the founding tradition, the Lotus Pine, and the old name Nikkoin to understand the background of Yakushi devotion.
Read
History
History of Byodoji Temple
See how Byodoji has been transmitted as Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple No. 22 across the centuries.
Read
Miracle story
The Box-Cart Story
A story that makes visible what it means to carry someone together in prayer.
Read