The Buddha Who Heals
Body and Mind Equally
The Principal Image Carved by Kobo Daishi
The origin of the principal image said to have been carved by Kobo Daishi and the form that has been protected for centuries.
Temple tradition says that in 814, while Kobo Daishi Kukai was practicing in this place, he experienced a vision of Yakushi Nyorai. The principal image of Byodoji was then carved with the reverent method called 'one cut, three bows,' in which each stroke is joined to repeated prostration. Since then, devotion at Byodoji has been handed down with Yakushi Nyorai at its center.
The form preserved today
The present principal image is thought to be a later statue, likely completed in the Muromachi period as a faithful copy of the older image attributed to Kobo Daishi. Its body is made of joined wooden blocks and finished with lacquer and gilding.
Only the medicine jar in the left hand is said to date back more than a thousand years. For that reason, some believe that when the original image was later recarved, the ancient medicine jar alone was preserved from the earlier statue.
Even across long centuries, it has been guarded as an image that still carries the prayer of the founding age.
The Power of Yakushi Nyorai
Yakushi Nyorai has long been revered as a Buddha who stands beside people in the midst of illness and anxiety.
- Healing for pain in the legs and hips
- Relief from eye illness
- Prayer for protection against cancer
- Relief from distress of mind
若諸有情、眾病逼切、無救無歸、無醫無藥、無親無家、貧窮多苦、我之名號、一經其耳、病悉得除、身心安樂。
If beings are pressed by severe illness, with no help, no refuge, no doctor, no medicine, no family, and no home, then once my name enters their ears, every illness will be removed and body and mind will rest in peace.
The vow of Yakushi Nyorai is directed not only toward illness itself, but toward those who suffer with nothing to rely on.
What the hakoguruma tells us
Three hakoguruma are dedicated in the main hall. These old vehicles that carried people who could not walk remain as signs of prayer for recovery and gratitude after healing.
The Five-Colored Rope
The five-colored rope in the temple grounds extends from the hand of the principal image all the way to the temple gate. Even those who find the stone steps difficult can form a bond through touch and prayer by placing a hand on the rope.
The Mantra of Yakushi Nyorai
The mantra is a form of prayer that turns the mind toward Yakushi Nyorai. Whether long or short, it can be chanted slowly and quietly.
おん ころころ せんだり まとうぎ そわか
Oṃ huru huru caṇḍāli mātaṅgi svāhā
のうまく さまんだ ぼだなん ばいせいじゃ くろ ばいちょりや はらばあらんじゃや たたぎゃたや たにゃた おん ばいせいぜい ばいせいぜい ばいせいじゃ さんぼりぎゃてい そわか
Namo bhagavate bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya tadyathā: oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajyasamudgate svāhā
Homage to the Blessed One, Medicine Master, King of Lapis Lazuli Light, the Tathagata, Worthy One, Fully Awakened One. Thus: healing, healing, great healing, arise as healing. Svaha.
When you chant, even once, do so without hurry and with a settled heart.
The Twelve Great Vows
The twelve great vows speak not only to illness, but also to confusion, poverty, and fear.
Illuminating with light
The first vows describe Yakushi Nyorai as a Buddha who illuminates and guides beings through radiant light.
- First Great Vow：To shine light on all beings and bring them to the form of buddhahood.（Universal Illumination）
- Second Great Vow：To guide beings onto the right path through clear and radiant light.（Guidance through Lapis Light）
Healing the body
These vows promise concrete relief for bodily suffering and hardship in daily life.
- Third Great Vow：To remove material poverty.（Giving without exhaustion）
- Sixth Great Vow：This vow is the reason Yakushi Nyorai of Byodoji is especially associated with prayer against cancer, strong legs and hips, and healing of eye disease.（Complete restoration of the faculties）
- Seventh Great Vow：To save those who suffer from disease and lead them into peace.（Removal of illness and peace）
- Eleventh Great Vow：To rescue beings from the suffering of hunger.（Relief from hunger）
- Twelfth Great Vow：To rescue beings from the lack of clothing and basic needs.（Fulfillment of clothing and necessities）
Guiding the heart
These vows extend into confusion of mind and the suffering people experience within society itself.
- Fourth Great Vow：To return those on mistaken paths to the right way.（Establishing beings in the Great Vehicle）
- Fifth Great Vow：To save even those who have broken discipline.（Pure observance of precepts）
- Eighth Great Vow：To help every being walk through life with wholeness and dignity.（Restoring dignity）
- Ninth Great Vow：To guide beings into right vision.（Returning to right understanding）
- Tenth Great Vow：To free beings from disaster and humiliation.（Release from calamity）
Buddhas and deities who guard Yakushi Nyorai
Nikko Bosatsu and Gakko Bosatsu
At the sides of Yakushi Nyorai stand Nikko Henjo Bosatsu and Gakko Henjo Bosatsu, expressing compassion that does not change by day or night.
The Twelve Divine Generals
The Twelve Divine Generals stand around the image as guardian deities who support the vows of Yakushi Nyorai.
Frequently asked questions
In Closing
At the heart of Yakushi Nyorai's vow is the resolve to stand beside suffering without distinction. When you visit, try chanting the mantra even once and place your hands together quietly.
On Korokoro Sendari Matougi Sowaka
Gassho
Read Next
For readers who want the wider background.
History
History of Byodoji Temple
Trace how devotion to Yakushi Nyorai has been handed down through the history of Byodoji.
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Source
Byodoji Temple Origin Record
Read how the beginning of Byodoji and the roots of Yakushi devotion are told in the temple's own origin record.
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Story
A Hakoguruma for a Parent and Child
See how the healing power of Yakushi Nyorai was remembered in modern times through the story of a hakoguruma.
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