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(Sanskrit: "Vajra in () hand") is one of the earliest-appearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapāni is also known as '. The ''Golden Light Sutra'' titles him "great general of the yakshas". Vajrapāni is extensively represented in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha. Each of them symbolizes one of the Buddha's virtues: Mañjuśrī manifests all the Buddhas' wisdom, Avalokiteśvara manifests all the Buddhas' compassion and Vajrapāni manifests all the Buddhas' power as well as the power of all five tathāgatas. Vajrapāni is one of the earliest Dharmapalas and the only Buddhist deity to be mentioned in the Pāli Canon as well as worshiped in the Shaolin Monastery, in Tibetan Buddhism and in Pure Land Buddhism (where he is known as Mahasthamaprapta and forms a triad with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara). Manifestations of Vajrapāni can also be found in many Buddhist temples in Japan as Dharma protectors called Nio. Vajrapāni is also associated with Acala, who is venerated as ''Fudo-Myō'' in Japan, where he is serenaded as the holder of the vajra. ==Iconography== Vajrapāni's image contains several key elements: * Vajrapāni's expression is wrathful, often symbolized as a yaksha, to generate "fear in the individual to loosen up his dogmatism" * Vajrapāni's taut posture is the active warrior pose (''pratyālīḍha''), based on an archer's stance * His loin cloth is made up of the skin of a tiger, whose head can be seen on his left knee * His outstretched right hand brandishes a vajra, "symbolizing analytical knowledge (''jñanavajra'') that disintegrates the grasping of consciousness * His left hand deftly holds a lasso, with which he binds demons * Around his neck is a serpent necklace * Although he wears a skull crown in a few depictions, in most depictions he wears a five-pointed bodhisattva crown to depict the power of the five tathāgathas * He has a third eye 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vajrapani」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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