Kuṇḍali

This article is about a wrathful deity or dharmapala in East Asian Esoteric Buddhism. For the Indian term for horoscope or birth chart, see Kundali (astrology).

Amṛtakuṇḍalin
Ming dynasty (1368-1644) shuilu ritual painting of Kundali (Juntuli Mingwang), one out of a set depicting the Ten Wisdom Kings, from Baoning Temple in Shanxi, China
Sanskrit	अमृतकुण्डलिन् (Amṛtakuṇḍalin) अमृतकुण्डलि (Amṛtakuṇḍali) कुण्डलि (Kuṇḍali)
Chinese	(Traditional) 軍荼利明王 (Simplified) 军荼利明王 (Pinyin: Jūntúlì Míngwáng)
Japanese	軍荼利明王 (Gundari Myōō) 甘露軍荼利明王 (Kanro Gundari Myōō) 軍荼利夜叉明王 (Gundari Yasha Myōō) 大咲明王 (Taishō Myōō) 吉利吉利明王 (Kirikiri Myōō)
Korean	군다리명왕 (Gundali Myeongwang)
Information
Venerated by	Vajrayana Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Shugendō
Attributes	vajra, axe, wheel, trident, snake
Buddhism portal

Kundali (Sanskrit: कुण्डलि; IAST: Kuṇḍali) or Amritakundalin (अमृतकुण्डलिन्, Amṛtakuṇḍalin), also known in Chinese as Juntuli Mingwang (simplified Chinese: 军荼利明王; traditional Chinese: 軍荼利明王; pinyin: Jūntúlì Míngwáng) and in Japanese as Gundari Myōō (軍荼利明王), is a wrathful deity and dharmapala (protector of the Dharma) in East Asian Esoteric Buddhism.

In Buddhist thought, Amritakundalin is seen as the dispenser of Amrita, the celestial nectar of immortality. When classified among the Five Wisdom Kings (vidyārāja), fierce incarnations or emissaries of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, he is considered to be the manifestation of Ratnasambhava, one of the five buddhas who is associated with the southern direction. When classified among the Eight Wisdom Kings, he is considered to be the manifestation of the bodhisattva Akashagarbha and is associated with the north-west direction. When classified among the Ten Wisdom Kings, he is considered to be the manifestation of Amitabha, another of the Five Wisdom Buddhas.

Worship

Bīja and mantra

huṃ (हुं), Kundali's seed syllable in Siddham script

The bīja or seed syllable used to represent Kundali is huṃ (Devanagari: हुं; Chinese and Japanese: 吽; pinyin: hōng; rōmaji: un), written in Siddham script.

Kundali's mantra is as follows:

Oṃ amṛte hūṃ phaṭ traditional Chinese: 唵 婀密哩帝 吽 頗吒; pinyin: Ǎn ēmìlīdì hōng pōzhā; Japanese: おん あみりてい うん はった; rōmaji: On amiritei un hatta

See also

• Wisdom King
  • Acala
  • Trailokyavijaya
  • Yamantaka
  • Vajrayakṣa
  • Hayagriva
  • Mahamayuri
• Ratnasambhava
• Kangiten
• Kundalini

References

Works cited

• Frédéric, Louis (2002) [originally published in 1996]. "Gundari Myō-ō". Japan Encyclopedia. Translated by Rothe, Kathe. Harvard University Press.
• Hackin, Joseph (1932). Asiatic Mythology: A Detailed Description and Explanation of the Mythologies of Asia. London: George G. Harrap & Co.
• Kodama, Giryū (2009). In to bonji goriyaku kudoku jiten: sei naru shōchō ni hyōsareta shoson no sugata to hotoke no oshie 印と梵字ご利益・功徳事典: 聖なる象徴に表された諸尊の姿と仏の教え. Gakken Publishing. ISBN 978-4-0540-4187-5.