Бұддалық қорғаушы құдайлар

Guardian gods of Buddhism

A dharmapāla (, , , pinyin: dámó bōluó, hùfǎ shén, hùfǎ guǐshén, zhūtiān guǐshén, hùfǎ lóngtiān, zhūtiān shànshén, 達磨波羅, 護法善神, 護法神, 諸天善神, 諸天鬼神, 諸天善神諸大眷屬, kana: だるまは ら, ごほう ぜんしん, ごほうしん, しょ てんぜんしん, しょ てん きじん, しょ てん ぜんしん しょだい, rōmaji: darumahara, gohō zenshin, gohōshin, shoten zenshin, shoten kijin, shoten zenshin shodaiken, ) is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "dharma protector" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapālas are also known as the Defenders of the Justice (Dharma), or the Guardians of the Law. There are two kinds of dharmapala, Worldly Guardians (lokapala) and Wisdom Protectors (jnanapala). Only Wisdom Protectors are enlightened beings.

A protector of Buddhist dharma is called a dharmapala. They are typically wrathful deities, depicted with terrifying iconography in the Mahayana and tantric traditions of Buddhism. In Vajrayana iconography and thangka depictions, dharmapala are fearsome beings, often with many heads, many hands, or many feet. Dharmapala often have blue, black, or red skin, and a fierce expression with protruding fangs. Although dharmapala have a terrifying appearance, they only act in a wrathful way for the benefit of sentient beings. The devotional worship of dharmapālas in the Tibetan tradition is traceable to early 8th century.

In Chinese Buddhism, the Twenty Four Protective Deities or the Twenty Four Devas (Chinese: 二十四諸天; pinyin: Èrshísì Zhūtiān) are a group of gods who are venerated as dharmapālas. In addition, Wisdom Kings such as Acala, Ucchusma, Mahamayuri, and Hayagriva are venerated as dharmapālas as well.

In Japanese Shingon Buddhism, a descendant of Tangmi, or Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, dharmapālas such as Acala and Yamantaka are classified as Wisdom Kings. Other dharmapālas, notably Mahakala, belong to the Deva realm, the fourth and lowest class in the hierarchy of honorable beings.

In Tibetan Buddhism, there are two other classes of defender, the lokapālas and Kshetrapala Papiya. Guan Yu and Hachiman are also known as defenders.