Wei-To
P'usa
Wei-To
is an important Deva or God in the Chinese Pantheon as his image
is always present in all temples as the 'Entry Guardian'. He
is the General-in-Chief of the thirty-two heavenly generals
who come under the Four Heavenly Kings and has earned such titles
as the 'Protector of the Buddhist Faith', the 'Protector of
Monasteries' and the 'Protector of Dharma Books'. In all temples
where his image is found, he is always placed with his back
to the statue of Maitreya Buddha (Mi-Lo Fwo) so that he faces
the Main or Grand Hall known as the 'Tai Hung Pao Tien' where
the main images of the temple are installed.
According
to the teaching, Wei-To was a son of a heavenly king who was
so virtuous that when Sakyamuni Buddha was entering Nirvana,
he instructed the prince to guard the Buddha Dharma. Thus it
became his duty to protect the members of the Sangha whenever
they are disturbed in their cultivation by the retinue of Mara,
the Tempter. And whenever a conflict arises among religious
Orders, General Wei-to will discharge his duty to help bring
about a peaceful settlement. His Sanskrit name is Skanda.
Quite
often his images are also found in small shrines located at
turning points of roads so as to afford protection against evil.
It is very easy for people to be impressed with his looks, which
has a military bearing. He is always portrayed as a young and
good-looking man clad in full armour and headgear of a general,
standing and leaning upon an impressive looking sword or gnarled
staff with both hands, or he could be holding a sceptre-shaped
defensive weapon.
Just
as Maitreya, who as a Bodhisattva has earned the mark of respect
of a Buddha, Wei-To, though only a Deva or God, is very often
addressed as a Bodhisattva or 'Wei-To P'usa'. This is attributed
to the prediction that he will in the future become the Buddha
Rucika or 'Lou-Chi Fwo' ' the last of the thousand Buddhas in
our world period. Since Vajrapani, a very popular Tibetan Buddhist
Bodhisattva who is the God of Rain, and also known as the Thunderbolt-Bearer,
also shares this prediction, one thus finds Wei-To being referred
to as him. However he has not gained sufficient followers to
become a major Deity in Buddhism. His birthday falls on the
3rd day of the 6th month which is hardly celebrated in a grand
scale.
