Garuḍa
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garuḍa (P. garuḍa/garuḷa; T. khyung; C. jialoulou 迦樓羅) is a mythical bird-like being. It is one of the eight classes of non-human beings (aṣṭasenā) that attended the Buddha's teaching.[1]
The garuḍas exist in rivalry with the nāgas (serpent-like beings), whom they prey upon.[2]
The Rangjung Yeshe wiki states:
- In Buddhist mythology, the garuḍa-s (Pāli: garuḷā) are a race of enormous predatory birds of great intelligence and social organization. Another name for the garuḍa is suparṇa (Pāli: supaṇṇa), meaning "well-winged" or "having good wings."
- Garuḍa is occasionally depicted as the vehicle of Amoghasiddhi, one of the five Dhyani or "self-born" Buddhas [and lord of the Karma Family]. The term 'Garuḍa' is sometimes even used as an epithet for the Buddha himself.
- Like the nāgas, garuḍas combine the characteristics of animals and divine beings, and so they are considered to be among the lowest devas or gods in Buddhism.[2]
Notes
- ↑ Robert E. Buswell Jr., Donald S. Lopez Jr., The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (Princeton: 2014), s.v. garuḍa
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
khyung, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
