Wisdom King

A wisdom king (Sanskrit: विद्याराज; IAST: vidyārāja, Chinese: 明王; pinyin: Míngwáng; Japanese pronunciation: Myōō) is a type of wrathful deity in East Asian Buddhism.

Whereas the Sanskrit name is translated literally as "wisdom / knowledge king(s)," the term vidyā in Vajrayana Buddhism is also specifically used to denote mantras;^[1] the term may thus also be rendered "mantra king(s)."^[2]^[3] Vidyā is translated in Chinese with the character 明 (lit. "bright, radiant", figuratively "knowledge(able), wisdom, wise"), leading to a wide array of alternative translations such as "bright king(s)" or "radiant king(s)". A similar category of fierce deities known as herukas are found in Tibetan Buddhism.

The female counterparts of wisdom kings are known as wisdom queens (Sanskrit (IAST): vidyārājñī, Chinese: 明妃, Míngfēi, Japanese: Myōhi).

^ Toganoo, Shozui Makoto (1971). "The Symbol-System of Shingon Buddhism (1)". Journal of Esoteric Buddhism – Mikkyō Bunka: 91, 86.
^ Haneda (2018), pp. 25–27.
^ Mack (2006), p. 298.

[1] Toganoo, Shozui Makoto (1971). "The Symbol-System of Shingon Buddhism (1)". Journal of Esoteric Buddhism – Mikkyō Bunka: 91, 86.

[FOOTNOTEHaneda201825–27-2] Haneda (2018), pp. 25–27.

[FOOTNOTEMack2006298-3] Mack (2006), p. 298.

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