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{{Short description|Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism}}
{{About|the Medicine Buddha|the Medicine King Bodhisattva|Bhaishajyaraja}} 
{{Infobox Buddha 
| name = Bhaiṣajyaguru
| img = "Paradise of Bhaisajyaguru" Buddha wall mural in the Met museum.JPG
| img_size = 
| img_capt = [[Yuan dynasty]] mural of [[Paradise of Bhaisajyaguru|Bhaiṣajyaguru's eastern pure land]]
| landscape = 
| sanskrit_name = भैषज्यगुरु <br/>Bhaiṣajyaguru<br/>भैषज्यगुरुवैडूर्यप्रभराज<br/>Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūryaprabharāja
| pali_name = 
| burmese_name = ဘဲရှဇျဂုရုဝဲဍူရ်္ယာပြဘာရာဇာ
| chinese_name = 藥師佛<br/>([[Pinyin]]: ''Yàoshīfó'')<br/>藥師如來<br/>([[Pinyin]]: ''Yàoshī Rúlái'')
| japanese_name = {{ruby-ja|薬師如来|やくしにょらい}}<br/>([[romaji]]: ''Yakushi Nyorai'')<br/>{{ruby-ja|薬師瑠璃光如来|やくしるりこうにょらい}}<br/>([[romaji]]: ''Yakushirurikō Nyorai'')
| tibetan_name = <big><big>སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ་</big></big><br><small text>Wylie: sangs rgyas sman bla<br>THL: Sangyé Menla</small text>
| korean_name = 약사여래<br/>([[Revised Romanization of Korean|RR]]: ''Yagsa Yeorae'')<br/>약사유리광여래<br/>([[Revised Romanization of Korean|RR]]: ''Yagsayurigwang Yeorae'')
| russian_name = Будда Медицины
| thai_name = พระไภษัชยคุรุไวฑูรยประภาตถาคต<br/>''Phra Phaisatchaya Khuru Waidun Prapha Tathakhot''
| khmer_name =  ភៃសជ្យគុរុ<br/>(phei-sach-kuru)
| mongolian_name = Оточ Манла
| vietnamese_name = Dược Sư Phật<br/>Dược Sư Lưu Ly Quang Vương Phật<br/>Dược Sư Lưu Ly Quang Vương Như Lai<br/>Đại Y Vương Phật<br/>Tiêu Tai Diên Thọ Dược Sư Phật
| veneration = [[Mahayana]], [[Vajrayana]]
| attributes = Healing
| shakti = 
| preceded_by = 
| succeeded_by = 
}}

'''Bhaiṣajyaguru''' ({{langx|sa|भैषज्यगुरु}}, {{lang-zh|t={{linktext|藥師佛}}}}, {{langx|ja|薬師仏}}, {{langx|ko|약사불}}, {{langx|vi|Dược Sư Phật}}, {{langx|bo|སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ}}), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally '''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja''' ("Medicine Master and King of [[lapis lazuli|Lapis Lazuli]] Light"; {{lang-zh|t=藥師琉璃光(王)如來}}, {{langx|ja|薬師瑠璃光如来}}, {{langx|ko|약사유리광여래}}, {{langx|vi|Dược Sư Lưu Ly Quang Vương Như Lai}}), is the [[Buddhahood|Buddha]] of healing and medicine in [[Mahayana|Mahāyāna Buddhism]]. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering (Pali/Sanskrit: [[dukkha]]/[[duḥkha]]) using the medicine of his teachings.

The image of Bhaiṣajyaguru is usually expressed with a canonical Buddha-like form holding a [[gallipot]] and, in some versions, possessing blue or deep green skin.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-16 |title=Amoghasiddhi |url=https://buddhism.redzambala.com/buddhism/buddha-aspects/amoghasiddhi.html |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Amoghasiddhi {{!}} Buddhism & Healing |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-28 |title=Amoghasiddhi Essence of Lifeforce: Modern, Success-Oriented and Profound Practices of the Karma Buddha Family - Buddha Weekly: Buddhist Practices, Mindfulness, Meditation |url=https://buddhaweekly.com/amoghasiddhi-essence-of-lifeforce-modern-success-oriented-and-profound-practices-of-the-karma-buddha-family/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |language=en-US}}</ref> Though also considered to be a guardian of the East, in most cases, [[Akshobhya]] is given that role. As an exceptional case, the [[honzon]] of [[Mount Kōya]]'s [[Kongōbu-ji|Kongōbu Temple]] was changed from Akshobhya to Bhaiṣajyaguru.<ref>[http://www.reihokan.or.jp/bunkazai/nenpyo/kondo-s.html Koya-san and Cultural assets.] Retrieved 5 October 2015.</ref>

==Origin==
Bhaiṣajyaguru is described in the eponymous ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'', commonly called the ''Medicine Buddha Sutra'', as a [[bodhisattva]] who made twelve (12) great vows. His name is generally translated as "Medicine Guru, King of Lapis Lazuli Light". "Vaiḍūrya" is a [[Gemstone|precious stone]] which most translators have rendered as [[lapis lazuli]]. Librarian [[Marianne Winder]] has proposed that "vaiḍūrya" originally meant [[beryl]];<ref>{{cite book |last=Winder |first=Marianne |chapter=Vaiḍūrya |editor1-last=Meulenbeld |editor1-first=Jan |editor2-last=Wujastyk |editor2-first=D. |title=Studies on Indian Medical History |pages=85–94 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=2001 |chapter-url=https://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/bot/pdf/bot_1990_01-03_04.pdf |via=himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk (original 1990 paper)}}</ref> however, pure beryl is colorless, while its blue variant, [[aquamarine (gem)|aquamarine]], is described as a 'precious blue-green color-of-sea-water stone'<ref name=Mindat819>{{cite web |url=http://www.mindat.org/min-819.html |title= resultBeryl |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026035730/http://www.mindat.org/min-819.html |archive-date=2007-10-26 |df=dmy-all |website=mindat.org}}</ref> rather than the usual dark blue attributed to Bhaiṣajyaguru. While there is a dark blue variety of aquamarine called maxixe (pronounced mah-she-she), it is a [[New World]] gemstone — found primarily at the Maxixe Mine in the Piauí Valley near [[Itinga]], [[Minas Gerais]], Brazil — and was not known before 1917.<ref>{{cite web |first=John J. |last=Bradshaw |url=https://www.gemguide.com/maxixe-beryl/ |title= Maxixe Beryl |date=September 1, 2018 |website=Gemworld |access-date=2023-08-04}}</ref>{{efn|{{harvp|Watkins|2002|p=21}}: "Gemstones appearing the same shade of blue may look blue due to very different structural features. For instance, [...] the blueness of lapis lazuli results from vibrational energy; the blueness of Maxixe-type beryl results from a radiation-induced [[Color center (crystallography)|color center]]"}}{{efn|Beryl is also a known carcinogen with [[Acute beryllium poisoning|acute toxic effects]] leading to the uncurable condition known as [[berylliosis]] when inhaled.<ref>{{cite web |title=Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 32, Beryllium and Beryllium compounds |url=http://www.inchem.org/documents/cicads/cicads/cicad32.htm | access-date=2019-07-16 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>}}

On achieving [[Buddhahood]], Bhaiṣajyaguru became the Buddha of the eastern [[pure land]] of Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa "Pure Lapis Lazuli".<ref>{{cite book|last=Birnbaum|first=Raoul|title=The Healing Buddha|year=2003|pages=64}}</ref>  There, he is attended to by two [[bodhisattva]]s symbolizing the light of the sun and the light of the moon respectively:<ref>Oriental Medicine: an illustrated guide to the Asian arts of Healing</ref>

* [[Suryaprabha|Sūryaprabha]] ({{zh|t=日光遍照菩薩|p=rìguāng biànzhào púsà}})
* [[Candraprabha]] ({{zh|t=月光遍照菩薩|p=yuèguāng biànzhào púsà|links=no}})

The Tang Chinese Buddhist monk [[Xuanzang]] visited a [[Mahāsāṃghika]] monastery at [[Bamiyan]], [[Afghanistan]], in the 7th century CE, and the site of this monastery has been rediscovered by archaeologists.<ref name="Schøyen Collection: Buddhism">{{cite web|url=http://www.schoyencollection.com/buddhism.html|title=Schøyen Collection: Buddhism|access-date=23 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610164637/http://www.schoyencollection.com/buddhism.html|archive-date=10 June 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Birch bark manuscript|Birchbark manuscript]] fragments from several Mahāyāna sūtras have been discovered at the site, including the ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaidūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'' (MS 2385).<ref name="Schøyen Collection: Buddhism"/>

A Sanskrit manuscript of the ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'' was among the texts attesting to the popularity of Bhaiṣajyaguru in the ancient northwest Indian kingdom of [[Gandhara|Gandhāra]].<ref name="Bakshi, S.R. 1998. p. 194">Bakshi, S.R. ''Kashmir: History and People.'' 1998. p. 194</ref> The manuscripts in this find are dated before the 7th century, and are written in the upright [[Gupta script]].<ref name="Bakshi, S.R. 1998. p. 194"/>

== His twelve vows ==
The twelve vows of Medicine Buddha upon attaining [[Enlightenment in Buddhism|Enlightenment]], according to the Medicine Buddha Sutra are:<ref name='sutra'>{{cite web| url = http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/medbudsutra.pdf| title = Sutra of the Medicine Buddha |publisher=International Buddhist Monastic Institute | access-date = 2007-04-15| author= Ven. Hsuan Jung |year=2001| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070404140301/http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/medbudsutra.pdf| archive-date= 4 April 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

# I vow that my body shall shine as beams of brilliant light on this infinite and boundless world, showering on all beings, getting rid of their ignorance and worries with my teachings. May all beings be like me, with a perfect status and character, upright mind and soul, and finally attaining enlightenment like the Buddha.
# I vow that my body be like crystal, pure and flawless, radiating rays of splendid light to every corner, brightening up and enlightening all beings with wisdom. With the blessings of compassion, may all beings strengthen their spiritual power and physical energy, so that they could fulfill their dreams on the right track.
# I vow that I shall grant by means of boundless wisdom, all beings with the inexhaustible things that they require, and relieving them from all pains and guilt resulting from materialistic desires. Although clothing, food, accommodation and transport are essentials, it should be utilized wisely as well. Besides self-consumption, the remaining should be generously shared with the community so that all could live harmoniously together.
# I vow to lead those who have gone astray back to the path of righteousness. Let them be corrected and returned to the Buddha way for enlightenment.
# I vow that I shall enable all sentient beings to observe precepts for spiritual purity and moral conduct. Should there be any relapse or violation, they shall be guided by repentance. Provided they sincerely regret their wrong-doings, and vow for a change with constant prayers and strong faith in the Buddha, they could receive the rays of forgiveness, recover their lost moral and purity.
# I vow that all beings who are physically disabled or sick in all aspects be blessed with good health, both physically and mentally. All who pay homage to Buddha faithfully will be blessed.
# I vow to relieve all pain and poverty of the very sick and poor. The sick be cured, the helpless be helped, the poor be assisted.
# I vow to help women who are undergoing sufferings and tortures and seeking for transformation into men. By hearing my name, paying homage and praying, their wishes would be granted and ultimately attain Buddhahood.
# I vow to free all beings from evil thought and its control. I shall lead them onto the path of light through inculcating them with righteousness and honour so that they will walk the Buddha way.
# I vow to save prisoners who have genuinely repented and victims of natural disasters. My supreme powers will bless those who are sincere and be freed from sufferings.
# I vow to save those who suffer from starvation and those who committed a crime to obtain food. If they hear my name and faithfully cherish it, I shall lead them to the advantages of [[Dharma]] and favour them with the best food that they may eventually lead a tranquil and happy life.
# I vow to save those who suffer from poverty, tormented by mosquitoes and wasps day and night. If they come across my name, cherish it with sincerity and practice dharma to strengthen their merits, they will be able to achieve their wishes.

<gallery widths="160" heights="200">
File:Triad of Yakushi Nyorai.JPG|[[Yakushi-ji]], 8th century, Japan
File:Eastern Golden Hall Kofukuji Yakushi.JPG|[[Kōfuku-ji]], 15th century, Japan
File:Tượng Phật Dược Sư trong một ngôi chùa miền Bắc Việt Nam.jpg|Bhaiṣajyaguru statue in a temple in Northern Vietnam, 19th century
</gallery>

==Iconography==
Bhaiṣajyaguru is typically depicted seated, wearing the three robes of a Buddhist monk, holding a lapis-colored jar of medicine nectar in his left hand and the right hand resting on his right knee, holding the stem of the Aruna fruit or [[Terminalia chebula|Myrobalan]] between thumb and forefinger.  In the sutra, he is also described by his aura of lapis lazuli-colored light. In Chinese depictions, he is sometimes holding a [[pagoda]], symbolising the ten thousand Buddhas of the three periods of time. He is also depicted standing on a [[Northern Wei]] stele from approximately 500 CE now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accompanied by his two attendants, Suryaprabha and Chandraprabha. Within the halo are depicted the ''Seven Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddhas'' and seven [[apsara]]s.<ref>S. C. Bosch Reitz, "Trinity of the Buddha of Healing", ''Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin'', Vol 19, No. 4 (Apr., 1924), pp. 86-91.</ref>

==Local forms and practices==
===China===
[[File:崇福寺大雄宝殿药师佛.jpg|thumb|[[Ming dynasty]] (1368 - 1644) statue of Yaoshi Fo at Chongfu Temple<sup>[[:zh:崇福寺_(朔州)|[zh]]]</sup> in [[Shanxi]], [[China]]]]
The practice of [[Veneration#Buddhism|veneration]] of Yaoshi Fo (藥師佛), or Yaoshi Rulai (藥師如來), is popular in China as he is depicted as one of the most prominent Buddhas, among others such as [[Gautama Buddha|Śākyamuni]] and [[Amitābha]]. He can also be viewed as the healing attribute of Śākyamuni, as he is often called the "Medicine King" in sūtras. There are two popular Chinese translations of this sūtras: one by Xuanzang<ref>Hsing Yun,"Sutra of the Medicine Buddha with an Introduction, Comments, and Prayers", Buddha's Light Publishing, 2005, Revised Edition, {{ISBN|1-932293-06-X}}</ref> and the other by [[I Ching (monk)|Yijing]] both translated in the [[Tang dynasty]]. The [[Taisho Tripitaka]] and [[Qianlong Emperor|Qianlong]] Tripitaka ({{zh|t=乾隆大藏經}}) each contain four translations of the sutra:<ref>Hsing Yun 2005, p 42</ref>

# By [[Po-Srimitra|Srimitra]] in the fourth century CE (Taisho: vol. 21, no. 1331; Qianlong: no. 163).
# By Dharmagupta in 615 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 449; Qianlong: no. 166)
# By [[Xuanzang]] in 650 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 450; Qianlong: no. 167)
# By [[Yijing (monk)|Yijing]] in 707 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 451; Qianlong: no. 168)

[[Image:Pure Land of Bhaisajyaguru, Yuan Dynasty.JPG|thumb|right|''The Pure Land of Bhaisajyaguru'', a wall mural made circa 1319 CE, [[Yuan dynasty]]]]

These four versions have different titles:

#Srimitra: ''The Sutra on Abhiṣeka that Removes Sins and Liberates from Saṃsāra Taught by the Buddha''<ref>{{Cite web |title=T21n1331_012 佛說灌頂經 第12卷 |url=https://tripitaka.cbeta.org/T21n1331_012 |website=CBETA}}</ref> {{zh|t=佛說灌頂拔除過罪生死得度經}}
# Dharmagupta: ''Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha''<ref>{{cite web |author=Dharmagupta |title=Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha |url=http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T14/0449_001.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603184419/http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T14/0449_001.htm |archive-date=2012-06-03 |publisher=CBETA}}</ref><br />{{zh|t=藥師如來本願經}}
# Xuanzang: ''Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance''<ref>{{cite book |author=Xuanzang |title=Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance |url=http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T14/0450_001.htm |publisher=CBETA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017175039/http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T14/0450_001.htm |archive-date=2014-10-17}}.</ref><br />{{zh|t=藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經}}[[Sanskrit]]: ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra''
# Yijing: ''Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance and Seven Past Buddhas''<ref>{{cite web |author=Yijing |title=Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance and Seven Past Buddhas |url=http://www.cbeta.org/result/T14/T14n0451.htm |publisher=CBETA}}</ref><br />{{zh|t=藥師琉璃光七佛本願功德經}} (no. 168, two scrolls) [[Sanskrit]]: ''Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistara''
[[File:Bhaisajyaguru Lingyin Temple.jpeg|thumb|Statue of Yaoshi Fo, flanked by his attendants [[Sūryaprabha|Riguang Pusa]] and [[Candraprabha|Yueguang Pusa]] at [[Lingyin Temple]] in [[Hangzhou]], [[China]]]]


The version translated by Yijing includes not only the vows of Yaoshi but also the vows of six other Buddhas.<ref>Chen Li Quan and Zhu Mo. "Sutra of the Medicine Buddha", 1997, Classic Chinese Buddhist Texts in Plain Language, Buddha's Light Publishing, Taiwan (in Chinese). 藥師經/陳利權,竺摩釋譯 佛光,《中國佛教經典寶藏精選白話版》, {{ISBN|9781932293067}}, p 101)</ref>

In contemperory Chinese Buddhist practice, the ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'' (the text which forms the basis of Xuanzang's translation), in which Yaoshi and his twelve vows are described in great detail, is a sūtra that is commonly recited in Chinese temples.<ref>Minh Thành and P. D. Leigh, trans., ''Sutra of the Medicine Buddha, Taisho XIV, 450'', translated and annotated under the guidance of Hsuan Jung (Taipei: International Buddhist Monastic Institute, 2001). https://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/medbudsutra.pdf</ref> The mantra of Yaoshi, the ''Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūrya Prabhasa Tathāgatā Abhisecani Dhāraṇī'' (藥師灌頂真言 ''Yàoshī Guàndǐng Zhēnyán''), is counted as one of the [[Ten Small Mantras]] commonly recited in daily morning and evening liturgical services at Chinese Buddhist monasteries. The canonical source for this mantra is the ''Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistara'' (the text which forms the basis of Yijing's translation). In the sūtra, which describes the great vows of Yaoshi as well as those of six other Buddhas, Yaoshi is described as having entered into a state of [[Samādhi (Buddhism)|samadhi]] called "Eliminating All the Suffering and Afflictions of Sentient Beings" (滅除一切眾生苦惱). From this samadhi state, he radiated light from his [[uṣṇīṣa]] and spoke the mantra:<ref name="sutra" /><ref>《藥師琉璃光七佛本願功德經》卷2：(CBETA 2025.R1, T14, no. 451). https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/T0451_002</ref>

'''[[Sanskrit]]'''

* [[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|Romanization]]: ''Namo bhagavate bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūryaprabharājāya  tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya tadyathā: oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā.''<ref name=":0" />

[[Chinese language|'''Chinese''']]

* [[Chinese characters|Hanzi]]: 南無薄伽伐帝。鞞殺社。窶嚕薜琉璃。 鉢喇婆。喝囉闍也。怛他揭多也。阿囉喝帝。三藐三勃陀耶。怛姪他。唵。鞞殺逝。鞞殺逝。鞞薩社。三沒揭帝。莎訶。
* [[Pinyin]]: ''Námó bóqiéfádì, píshāshè, jùlū bìliúlí, bōlǎpó, hèlàshéyě, dátuōjiēduōyē, ēlàhèdì, sānmiǎosānbótuóyē, dázhítuō, ān, píshāshì, píshāshì, píshāshè, sānmòjiēdì, suōhē.''

[[English language|'''English''']]

* Translation: Give Praise to Honorable Medicine-teacher lapis-light-king, the Exalted One, The perfected disciple, Perfectly Self-Awakened One! Like this: "Auspicious one! on medicine, on medicine, the medicine appears, so be it!"

The last line of the mantra is also sometimes used as a shortened version of Yaoshi's mantra. Some benefits the sūtra ascribes to chanting the mantra include the elimination of pain and illness, the attainment of one's desires as well as longevity. In addition, much like the [[nianfo]] path of Amitabha, the name of Yaoshi is also recited for the benefit of being reborn in the Eastern Pure Lands, though this is deemphasized in favor of Yaoshi's role for the living.{{cn|date=September 2023}}

===Japan===
[[File:Yakushi Nyorai Kondo Horyuji.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Hōryū-ji]], 7th century, Japan]]

Starting in the 7th century in [[Japan]], Yakushi was prayed to in the place of [[Ashuku]] (Akshobhya).  Some of Yakushi's role has been taken over by [[Jizō]] (Ksitigarbha), but Yakushi is still invoked in the traditional memorial services for the dead.

Older temples, those mostly found in the [[Tendai]] and [[Shingon]] sects, especially those around [[Kyoto]], [[Nara, Nara|Nara]] and the [[Kinki]] region often have Yakushi as the center of devotion, unlike later Buddhist sects which focus on [[Amitabha]] Buddha or [[Kannon]] Bodhisattva almost exclusively.  Often, when Yakushi is the center of devotion in a Buddhist temple, he is flanked by the {{nihongo|[[Twelve Heavenly Generals]]|十二神将|Jūni-shinshō}}, who were twelve [[yaksha]] generals who had been converted through hearing the ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'':

{{quote|Wherever this sutra circulates or wherever there are sentient beings who hold fast to the name of the Medicine Buddha [Yakushi Buddha] and respectfully make offerings to him, whether in villages, towns, kingdoms or in the wilderness, we [the Twelve Generals] will all protect them.  We will release them from all suffering and calamities and see to it that all their wishes are fulfilled.<ref name="sutra"/>}}

===Tibet===
[[File:Anonymous - Painted Banner (Thangka) with the Medicine Buddha (Bhaishajyaguru) - 1996.29 - Art Institute of Chicago.jpg|thumb|upright|Painted [[thangka]] with Bhaishajyaguru, c. between 1201 and 1400]]

The practice of Medicine Buddha ('''''Sangye Menla''''' in {{bo|t=སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ།|w=sangs rgyas sman bla|s=sang-gyé men-la}}) is not only a very powerful method for healing and increasing healing powers both for oneself and others, but also for overcoming the inner sickness of attachment, hatred, and ignorance, thus to [[meditate]] on the Medicine Buddha can help decrease physical and mental illness and suffering.{{cn|date=September 2023}}

The Medicine Buddha mantra is held to be extremely powerful for healing of physical illnesses and purification of negative [[karma]]. In Tibetan, Mahābhaiṣajya is changed to ''maha bekʰandze radza'' (མ་ཧཱ་བྷཻ་ཥ་ཛྱེ་རཱ་ཛ་) in the mantra, while 'rāja' (radza) means "king" in Sanskrit. In modern Tibetan language, 'ṣa' (ཥ) is pronounced as 'kʰa' (ཁ), and 'ja' in Sanskrit, as in the cases of 'jye' & 'jya', is historically written with the Tibetan script 'dza' (ཛ). Along with other pronunciation changes, the short mantra is recited as:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://landofmedicinebuddha.org/about-medicine-buddha/meaning-of-mantra-and-praise/|title=Meaning of the Praise and Mantra of Medicine Buddha|author=[[Lama Zopa Rinpoche]]|date=July 28, 2001|access-date=March 20, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://insighttimer.com/katrinayang/guided-meditations/buddhist-mantra-for-healing-tayata-om|title=Buddhist Mantra For Healing- Tayata Om|author=Katrina Yang|access-date=Mar 20, 2022}}</ref>

{{quote|<poem>ཏདྱ་ཐཱ། ཨོཾ་བྷཻ་ཥ་ཛྱེ་བྷཻ་ཥ་ཛྱེ་མ་ཧཱ་བྷཻ་ཥ་ཛྱེ་རཱ་ཛ་ས་མུདྒ་ཏེ་སྭཱ་ཧཱ།</poem>}}
{{quote|<poem>([[Romanization]]) Teyatʰa: oṃ bekʰandze bekʰandze maha bekʰandze radza samudgate soha.</poem>}}

One form of practice based on the Medicine Buddha is done when one is stricken by disease. The patient is to recite the long Medicine Buddha mantra 108 times over a glass of water. The water is now believed to be blessed by the power of the mantra and the blessing of the Medicine Buddha himself, and the patient is to drink the water. This practice is then repeated each day until the illness is cured.{{cn|date=September 2023}}

=== Thailand ===
[[File:Phra Kring 2395 - 2411.png|alt=Phra Kring 2395 - 2411|thumb|Phra Kring 2395 - 2411]]
The ''Phra Kring'' is a metallic statuette in the image of a meditating Buddha, which is only made in Thailand. The Phra Kring is essentially a [[Mahayana]]-style Buddha image, despite the fact that Thailand adheres to [[Theravada]] Buddhism, which traditionally only reveres the 28 earthly buddhas and arahants. The beliefs about the powers of the Phra Kring, are that the Phra Kring is the image of [[Bhaisajyaguru|Pra Pai Sachaya Kuru]] (พระไภษัชยคุรุ Bhaisajyaguru] the medicine Buddha. The image is normally in the posture of sitting and holding an alms bowl or a guava, gourd or a vajra. 

This was a fully enlightened Buddha, who has the miracle that he who hears his name in passing, or see his image, will be healed, and live a long healthy and prosperous life with wealthy standing. Of all the other Buddhist countries who revere it, only Thailand makes its amulet. The Phra Kring in most cases (except in the odd example where Muan Sarn powders prevent the sound), will have a rattling bead inside it. The reason for this rattle sound, made by a sacred bead of Chanuan Muan Sarn or other relic, is that it is the name of the medicine Buddha resounding, as you pass along your way, healing and blessing you with safety, health, prosperity, metta for auspicious friendly loving kindness. Some Phra Kring however do not make a sound that is audible to humans, but still have a piece of Chanuan within, which emits the name of the medicine Buddha silently, only audible on the spiritual plane.

== See also ==
* [[Index of Buddhism-related articles]]
* [[Secular Buddhism]]
* [[Statue of Yakushi Nyorai (Jingo-ji)]]

==References==
=== Explanatory notes===
{{Notelist|2}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{Cite book |last=Watkins |first=M. |year=2002 |title=Rediscovering Colors: A Study in Pollyanna Realism |place=Dordrecht, Netherlands |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1402007378}}

==External links==
{{External media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage=[[File:Pure Land of Bhaisajyaguru, detail 4, Yuan Dynasty.JPG|210px]] | video1 = [http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/buddha-of-medicine-bhaishajyaguru-yaoshi-fo.html Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo)], [[Smarthistory]]}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160305024817/http://www.fpmt-osel.org/gallery/medicine.htm Image of Medicine Buddha]
* [https://chungtai.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Sutra-9-The-Sutra-On-The-Original-Vows-And-Merits-Of-The-Medicine-Master-Lapis-Lazuli-Light-Tathagata.pdf The Sutra on the Original Vows and Merits of the Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata (藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經)]: English Translation by the Chung Tai Translation Committee

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[[Category:Exorcism in Buddhism]]
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