116 CHAPTER FIVEWhen represented in art, Bhai~ajyaguru sits in the lotus position; his body
is either gold or the blue color oflapis lazuli, emanating blue rays, with his left
hand on his lap holding a lapis bowl of medicine, and his right hand upheld,
holding a medicinal plant. He benefits worshipers particularly in this world.
In addition to bestowing great longevity, wealth, and position, he was also
able to help kings avert disasters. The recitation of his mantra (incantation)
could confer many benefits. His cult was important in east Asia as missionaries
spread his promises of health, longevity, prosperity, and protection of the state.
In Japan he was regarded as particularly important in averting national disas-
ters, such as droughts and epidemics, and was even called upon to help turn
back the Mongol invasions.
The cult of Bhai~ajyaguru represents the culmination of a long-term de-
velopment in the Buddhist tradition. As we have noticed throughout this
book, the theme of healing has been central to Buddhism from the earliest of
times. The Buddha is the supreme physician; the Dharma is his means of heal-
ing; the Sangha, his attendants. However, the only true health recognized by
the Buddha in the early Sutras was the spiritual health of nirval).a (M. 75). His
monks were instructed to learn medicine so that they could treat one another's
illnesses, but were forbidden to act as doctors to the laity as this would distract
them from their pursuit of true health. The Vinaya records an incident in
which a nun known to be an excellent healer was practicing medicine, an ac-
tion that prompted the Buddha to forbid making one's livelihood in this man-
ner. Nevertheless, the Vinaya itself, in its discussion of allowable medicines,
acted somewhat as a materia medica that monks memorized and took with them
as they spread Buddhism to lands where medicine was less advanced than in
India. Evidence abounds reve~ing that monks of all schools have used their
medical knowledge as an aid in spreading the teaching, but it was not until the
Mahayana texts that they were actively encouraged to do so. Because of the
Mahayanist belief that nirval).a is immanent in sarp.sara, the boundary line be-
tween physical and spiritual health was blurred. Bodhisattvas, as physicians,
were instructed to treat both corporeal and spiritual aspects of disease as part
of the perfection of giving, under the rationale that disease can be an obstacle
to spiritual progress.
By the beginning of the Common Era, monastic centers not only pro-
vided medical help for sick monastics and lay devotees, but also taught medi-
cine along with other arts and sciences. In the seventh century c. E. the Chinese
pilgrim Hsiian Tsang noticed that medicine was included in the curriculum
of the monastic universities (see Section 6.2), and by the fourteenth century
the Tibetan historian Buton noted its transmission to Tibetan monasteries,
where it was flourishing under Bhai~ajyaguru's patronage.