Twenty-Four Protective Deities

Statue of the Twenty-Four Devas (二十四諸天 Èrshísì Zhūtiān) in Lingyin Temple (靈隱寺 Língyǐnsì); Hangzhou, China
Statue of the Twenty-Four Devas (二十四諸天 Èrshísì Zhūtiān) in Lingyin Temple (靈隱寺 Língyǐnsì); Hangzhou, China

The Twenty-Four Protective Deities or the Twenty-Four Devas (Chinese: 二十四諸天; pinyin: Èrshísì Zhūtiān), sometimes reduced to the Twenty Protective Deities or the Twenty Devas (Chinese: 二十諸天; pinyin: Èrshí Zhūtiān), are a group of dharmapalas in Chinese Buddhism who are venerated as defenders of the Buddhist dharma.[1][2][3] The group consists of devas, naga kings, vajra-holders and other beings, mostly borrowed from Hinduism with some borrowed from Taoism.

  1. ^ 佛教二十四诸天. 中国佛教文化网. 2010-09-01. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  2. ^ "详解佛教中的二十四诸天". 腾讯. 2013-08-21. Archived from the original on 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  3. ^ Lewis Hodous; William Edward Soothill (2004). A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms: with Sanskrit and English equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali index. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 0-203-64186-8. OCLC 275253538.