Is Yakushi Nyorai only for people who are ill?

No. Healing of illness is an important entry point, but the scriptures describe isolation, poverty, fear, a mistaken way of living, and even social hardship as objects of relief. Thinking of him as a Buddha who supports body, mind, and daily life makes him feel much closer.

May I recite the mantra even if I do not understand its meaning?

Yes, that is fine. You need not understand every word, but if you hold in mind only what you are praying for, such as recovery from illness, an anxious heart, or your family, then keep that in mind as you recite, and your prayer is less likely to go nowhere.

Why is the story of the hakoguruma (the cart) cherished at Byodoji?

Because it shows the compassion of Yakushi Nyorai as a real act that supports a weakened person and walks alongside them. The hakoguruma conveys a form of prayer that is not only wishing for someone to recover, but also carrying and supporting them.

If this is my first time, what should I do first?

Read this page from top to bottom, and at the end try quietly reciting the short mantra a few times. Even that alone forms a small bond with Yakushi Nyorai.

Why is the Yakushi Nyorai of Byodoji special?

Because it is the principal image said to have been carved by Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi), and the present image is thought to still hold a medicine jar that carries on that memory. The prayer of Byodoji has continued with this principal image at its center.

Principal Image of Byodoji Temple, Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple No. 22

Yakushi Nyorai, the principal image of Byodoji Temple, said to have been carved by Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi)

At the center of prayer at Byodoji stands Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha), said to have been carved by Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai). This page first traces the origin of how the principal image of Byodoji has been handed down, then turns to what kind of Buddha Yakushi Nyorai is, and goes on to introduce, in order, the Nikkō and Gakkō Bosatsu and the Twelve Heavenly Generals who surround Yakushi, along with the mantra and how to pray.

Start with the origin of the principal image

The Yakushi Nyorai principal image of Byodoji Temple

The Yakushi Nyorai of Byodoji, and the name "Byodoji"

At the center of prayer at Byodoji stands Yakushi Nyorai, said to have been carved by Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai). In fact, the very name of the temple, "Byodoji," was born from the vow of this Yakushi. Let us begin by tracing that origin.

A close view of the Yakushi Nyorai principal image of Byodoji Temple

According to the Origin Record handed down at the temple, in the spring of the 5th year of Kōnin (814), Kōbō Daishi traveled through this land in search of a place to build a temple hall. When the Daishi climbed the mountain to the north, he prayed, "If this is a land of deep karmic bond where the esoteric teaching will spread, then show a fitting sign," and threw a golden lotus. It is said that the lotus caught on the branch of an old pine and shone in all directions.

Struck by this wonder, the Daishi entered deep samādhi, and within the light in the air a lapis-blue Sanskrit letter appeared, which in time became the figure of Yakushi Nyorai. Yakushi declared, "I heal away the suffering of sentient beings without distinction, equally," and is said to have shed a five-colored light upon the Daishi.

The Daishi carved that noble figure with the practice of ittō-sanrai, a bow at every stroke of the blade. In this way were born the principal image of Yakushi Nyorai, the Nikkō Bosatsu and Gakkō Bosatsu who attend it, and the Twelve Heavenly Generals who guard it. "That the lotus upon the pine shone in all directions," said the Daishi, "is the sign of a great vow to bring deliverance equally to every person," and so he named the temple Byodoji, the temple of equal deliverance.

In other words, that the principal image is Yakushi Nyorai and that the temple is named "Byodoji" were settled together within a single story. The name Byodoji is itself the very vow of Yakushi Nyorai: "to heal without distinction, equally."

What kind of Buddha is Yakushi Nyorai?

The reason prayers for healing and for strong legs have gathered around this principal image at Byodoji lies in the very character of Yakushi Nyorai. Here we look at the figure of Yakushi Nyorai as the scriptures describe it.

身如琉璃。内外明徹。

Its body is clear as lapis lazuli, bright both within and without.

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.

For this reason, the deliverance offered by Yakushi Nyorai does not end with curing a single ailment. The work of Yakushi is to unravel the very chain of suffering and to set a person right until they can walk the Buddhist path on their own two feet.

The scriptures teach that the light of Yakushi Nyorai illuminates both within and without. This is not a light that merely comforts those in darkness, but a light that keeps them from losing sight of what causes their suffering and which way they should turn.

Sources

Translation: Know that the body of this Tathagata is like lapis lazuli, clear and translucent within and without, pure and without flaw, its radiance vast, its merits lofty and sublime.
Original text: 應知彼如來身如琉璃。
内外明徹。淨無瑕穢。
光明廣大。功德巍巍。
Commentary: What marks Yakushi Nyorai is not mere efficacy, but a light that lets one see through delusion.
Source: Sutra of the Merit of the Original Vows of Yakushi Nyorai, T14n0450, 0405a11-14

Translation: Even those who have no rescue and no refuge, no physician and no medicine, no kin and no home, who are poor and burdened with many sufferings: once my name reaches their ears, their every illness will be wholly removed, body and mind will be at peace, and family, livelihood, and possessions will all be made abundant.
Original text: 無救無歸。無醫無藥。
無親無家。貧窮多苦。
我之名號一經其耳。衆病悉除。
身心安樂。家屬資具悉皆豐足。
Commentary: Here it is stated plainly that not only bodily illness, but loneliness and want themselves, are the object of deliverance.
Source: Sutra of the Merit of the Original Vows of Yakushi Nyorai, T14n0450, 0405b01-04

The form handed down to today

And when the Daishi, seeking water for kaji, struck the mountain rock with a tokko (a single-pronged vajra), a spring as white as milk gushed forth. This is the origin of the mountain name (sango) Hakusuisan (White Water Mountain), and that water is still cherished today as kaji water.

The present principal image is thought to be a second-generation figure, fashioned in the Muromachi period after the first image said to have been made by Kōbō Daishi. It is a joined-wood (yosegi) figure finished with lacquer and gold leaf. The medicine jar in its left hand, in particular, is made of metal and is said to be more than a thousand years old, preserving to this day the memory of the prayer of the first image.

What do Nikko, Gakko, and the Twelve Generals mean?

Yakushi Nyorai does not appear alone, but is enshrined surrounded by two bodhisattvas who complete the light and by the Twelve Heavenly Generals who guard against real dangers.

Nikko Bosatsu and Gakko Bosatsu represent the light of Yakushi Nyorai illuminating beings by day and by night. The light of wisdom is not a momentary flash, but a light that envelops the whole span of daily life.

The Twelve Heavenly Generals are those who vowed to protect the teaching of Yakushi Nyorai and to guard those who uphold the scriptures. This is why a faith that faces illness and misfortune comes accompanied by a concrete form of protection.

When you pay reverence to Yakushi at Byodoji as well, taking in not only the principal image but the whole world of light and protection that spreads around it lets you see the depth of this faith.

A statue of Nikkō Bosatsu — Nikko Bosatsu represents the light of Yakushi Nyorai in the day.

A statue of Gakkō Bosatsu — Gakkō Bosatsu represents the light that does not cease even at night, and a quiet protection.

Statues of the Twelve Generals — The Twelve Generals are protectors who vow to guard the teaching and those who uphold it.

The mantra of Yakushi Nyorai and how to pray

If this is your first time, you do not need to memorize every difficult observance. Once you have a sense of where Yakushi Nyorai's vow is directed, it is enough to begin by chanting the short mantra carefully.

The scriptures teach that simply hearing the name of Yakushi Nyorai holds great meaning. To hear the name is not merely to hear a sound, but to know where that vow is directed.

When you pray to Yakushi Nyorai at Byodoji, first take a moment to confirm what you are suffering from now and what you wish to set right. Whether it is bodily ill health, unease of the heart, a matter concerning your family, or the hardship of daily life, you may begin your prayer from anywhere.

On that basis, the mantra becomes a short path that settles the heart. You need not understand all of its meaning, but it is important not to lose sight of why you are chanting it.

Short mantra

On korokoro sendari matogi sowaka

Begin with just this one line. Without hurrying your breath, place a single wish in your heart and chant slowly.

Long mantra

Nōbō bagyabatei beishajaguru beiryurya haraba ritaya bōdaya bōdaya makabōdaya sowaka

This is the long mantra you may hear at a service. The transliteration varies by lineage and tradition, but at its center are taking refuge in Yakushi Nyorai and the wish for awakening.

Sources

Translation: If there are sons or daughters of good family who possess pure faith, they hear the name of Yakushi Vaidurya Light Tathagata, and having heard it, they recite and uphold it.
Original text: 若有淨信男子女人。
得聞藥師琉璃光如來名號。
聞已誦持。
Commentary: The practice of Yakushi Nyorai begins first with hearing the name, taking it in, and keeping it.
Source: Sutra of the Merit of the Original Vows of Yakushi Nyorai, T14n0450, 0405b14-18

Translation: One should recite this dharani seven times, light lamps in seven tiers, and hang five-colored banners for the prolonging of life.
Original text: 應誦此呪七遍。
然七層之燈。
懸五色續命神幡。
Commentary: What characterizes the Yakushi rite is that chanting, lighting lamps, and tying banners are united as one.
Source: Yakushi Nyorai Nenju Giki, T19n0924A, 027a23-027b05

The five-colored rope at Byodoji Temple — The five-colored rope and the five-colored amulet. These are not auspicious objects that appeared out of nowhere. They are one example of how the practice of the five-colored thread, seen in the rites of Yakushi, still lives on at Byodoji as a way of forming a bond with the Buddha.

The hakoguruma and a prayer for strong legs

The story of a parent and child who, having lost the power to walk, turned to the Yakushi of Byodoji. Byodoji's faith in strong legs and hips overlaps with this very story.

The wooden hakoguruma said to have been used by the Tsutsui family on pilgrimage and offered to Byodoji

One thing that tells of the miraculous grace of this Yakushi is the "hakoguruma" (the box-cart he could lie in) offered in the main hall. In the 10th year of Taishō (1921), Tsutsui Rinnosuke, who had lost the power to walk from a spinal disease, and his father Fukuji built a box-cart in which Rinnosuke could lie down and set out on the Shikoku pilgrimage. In the 12th year of Taishō (1923), they stayed four weeks at Byodoji, the 22nd temple of the pilgrimage, and as they drank the sacred water of Hakusuisan and received the head priest's kaji prayer, sensation gradually returned, until at last he recovered enough to rise to his feet leaning on a pilgrim's staff (kongōzue). With deep gratitude, the parent and child offered to the principal image, Yakushi Nyorai, the box-cart that had sustained his life.

Byodoji has been revered as a temple of strong legs together with such miraculous grace of Yakushi Nyorai. Recovery from illness, warding off cancer, sound legs and hips. Many kinds of wishes are still turned toward this principal image, and the prayers of pilgrims never cease in the hall.

Read the full story of the hakoguruma

Common questions

Do not stop at knowing, but come closer to prayer

The teaching of Yakushi Nyorai does not end with explaining suffering. It illuminates what is painful, helps you find how to go on living, and then moves into prayer and action. All of this is one continuous path.

If this is your first time, you need not memorize every difficult observance. It is enough to begin by quietly reciting the short mantra, On korokoro sendari matōgi sowaka, a few times.

At Byodoji, that prayer continues today in the form of goma (fire rites) and kaji prayer, sacred offerings, and stories handed down. After reading, if you once touch the time that flows before the principal image, the threads of this page come into view together.

Watch the live broadcast of the main hall

Even when it is not the hour of a goma or a prayer, you can feel the quiet time that flows before the principal image.

Read the story of the hakoguruma

Choose from five Goma rites by your wish

Detailed guide to Ganfuji prayers for healing from cancer

References

References and sources

This page presents a selected set of sources directly related to the principal image in Byodoji's Main Hall and the temple's traditions. The general article contains the fuller bibliography on the Medicine Buddha's Twelve Great Vows, iconography, and devotional history.

See the full bibliography in ‘Who is the Medicine Buddha?’

Objects and temple traditions at Byodoji

Byodoji's founding tradition: Kōbō Daishi perceived the Medicine Buddha, carved the image with three bows for every stroke, and gave the temple the name Byodoji and the mountain name Hakusuizan.

Byodoji collection: the principal image of the Medicine Buddha in the Main Hall. The current image, traditionally said to reproduce the first, is a Muromachi-period joined-wood statue finished with lacquer and gold leaf.

Byodoji collection: the metal medicine jar of the Medicine Buddha image, traditionally handed down from the first statue.

Scriptures and ritual manuals

Translated by Xuanzang, 『薬師瑠璃光如来本願功徳経』 (Taishō Tripiṭaka No.450), which teaches the Twelve Great Vows, the Pure Lapis Lazuli Realm, and the Twelve Yaksha Generals.

Traditionally attributed to the translation of Amoghavajra, 『薬師如来念誦儀軌』 (Taishō Tripiṭaka No.924A), which describes the Medicine Buddha holding a medicine vessel in the left hand.

Traditionally attributed to the translation of Vajrabodhi, 『薬師如来念誦法』 (Taishō Tripiṭaka, vol. 19), which Japanese ritual manuals cite as a source for the short mantra.

Kyōshun, 『祕鈔口决』, chapter 2, ‘薬師法’ (Shingonshū Zensho, vol. 28, pp. 47–55), which records oral teachings on the medicine jar, the Twelve Generals, and the Medicine Buddha rite.

Research and introductory works

Eiyo Arai, 「『薬師経』の伝える十二神将」, 『印度學佛教學研究』 20(2), 1972, pp. 759–763. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ibk1952/20/2/20_2_759/_article/-char/ja/

Shigeru Gorai, ed., 『薬師信仰』, Yūzankaku Shuppan, 1986.

Read together

These pages widen your understanding of Yakushi Nyorai into the history and prayer-stories of Byodoji.

Principal Image of Byodoji Temple, Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple No. 22

Yakushi Nyorai, the principal image of Byodoji Temple, said to have been carved by Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi)

Start with the origin of the principal image

The Yakushi Nyorai of Byodoji, and the name "Byodoji"

What kind of Buddha is Yakushi Nyorai?

身如琉璃。内外明徹。

Its body is clear as lapis lazuli, bright both within and without.

Sources

Translation: Know that the body of this Tathagata is like lapis lazuli, clear and translucent within and without, pure and without flaw, its radiance vast, its merits lofty and sublime.
Original text: 應知彼如來身如琉璃。
内外明徹。淨無瑕穢。
光明廣大。功德巍巍。
Commentary: What marks Yakushi Nyorai is not mere efficacy, but a light that lets one see through delusion.
Source: Sutra of the Merit of the Original Vows of Yakushi Nyorai, T14n0450, 0405a11-14

Translation: Even those who have no rescue and no refuge, no physician and no medicine, no kin and no home, who are poor and burdened with many sufferings: once my name reaches their ears, their every illness will be wholly removed, body and mind will be at peace, and family, livelihood, and possessions will all be made abundant.
Original text: 無救無歸。無醫無藥。
無親無家。貧窮多苦。
我之名號一經其耳。衆病悉除。
身心安樂。家屬資具悉皆豐足。
Commentary: Here it is stated plainly that not only bodily illness, but loneliness and want themselves, are the object of deliverance.
Source: Sutra of the Merit of the Original Vows of Yakushi Nyorai, T14n0450, 0405b01-04

The form handed down to today

What do Nikko, Gakko, and the Twelve Generals mean?

Yakushi Nyorai does not appear alone, but is enshrined surrounded by two bodhisattvas who complete the light and by the Twelve Heavenly Generals who guard against real dangers.

When you pay reverence to Yakushi at Byodoji as well, taking in not only the principal image but the whole world of light and protection that spreads around it lets you see the depth of this faith.

The mantra of Yakushi Nyorai and how to pray

The scriptures teach that simply hearing the name of Yakushi Nyorai holds great meaning. To hear the name is not merely to hear a sound, but to know where that vow is directed.

On that basis, the mantra becomes a short path that settles the heart. You need not understand all of its meaning, but it is important not to lose sight of why you are chanting it.