Acala

Buddha Infobox
name = Ācala


img_size = 200px
img_capt = Acala at Mount Koya, Japan
landscape =
sanskrit_name = Acala
pali_name =
chinese_name = 不動明王
"Budongmingwang"
japanese_name = 不動明王
"Fudō Myōō"
tibetan_name =
korean_name =
thai_name =
vietnamese_name =
veneration = Vajrayana
attributes = Immovable One
shakti =
preceded_by =
succeeded_by = Also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa. In Vajrayana Buddhism, Ācala (alternatively, Achala or Acala in Sanskrit, Fudō Myōō in Japan) is the best known of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. The Sanskrit term"ācala" means "immovable"; Ācala is also the name of the eighth of the ten stages of the path to become a "bodhisattva". His siddham seed-syllabe is Hāṃ.

Ācala is the destroyer of delusion and the protector of Buddhism. His immovability refers to his ability to remain "unmoved" by carnal temptations. Despite his fearsome appearance, his role is to aid all beings by showing them the teachings of the Buddha, leading them into self-control.

He is seen as a protector and aide in attaining goals. Temples dedicated to Ācala perform a periodic fire ritual in devotion to him.

The buddha Akshobhya, whose name also means "the immovable one", is sometimes merged with Ācala. However, Ācala is not a buddha, but one of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm in Vajrayana as found in the Indo-Tibetan tradition, as well as the Japanese Shingon sect of Buddhism. As Fudō myōō, Ācala is considered one of the Thirteen Buddhas in Japan.

External links

* [http://fudosama.blogspot.com Fudo Myo-O, 不動明王 O-Fudo-sama in Japan]
*http://people.brandeis.edu/~eschatt/ImmortalWishes/fudo.html
* [http://www.pantheon.org/articles/f/fudo.html Encyclopedia Mythica Article on Fudo]
* [http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/fudo.html Shingon Buddhist International Institute]