Asura Form: A Name in the Scripture

Translated from the Chinese original by the AI Guanyin Volunteer. Scripture and Yijing text in 「」 is kept in the original Classical Chinese.

Original text

應以天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人、非人等身得度者。即皆現之而為說法。《妙法蓮華經・觀世音菩薩普門品》 (Lotus Sutra, Universal Gate Chapter of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva)

Plain-language explanation

This lesson is a lesson of blank space. It speaks only of the original meaning of the scripture and the traditional account, without modern parallels and without examples from today.

First, the scripture itself. The Universal Gate Chapter (〈普門品〉) says: 「應以天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人、非人等身得度者。即皆現之而為說法。」 Before the asuras in this line come the devas, nagas, yakshas and gandharvas; after them come the garudas, kinnaras and mahoragas. The asuras stand in the middle, one of the Eight Classes of Beings.

The sentence pattern is the same as in the earlier lines on the Buddha form, the Brahma King form and the elder form: those who are to be delivered through such a form, Guanyin appears in that form and teaches the Dharma. The difference is that here it is not one form but a whole string of names. The line ends with “and so on” (等), then continues with 「即皆現之」, meaning these forms appear together, and are not limited to the few listed.

At this point the scripture gives only the names. It does not say what the asuras look like, and it does not tell their stories. Beyond this, the database of this site holds no record of the origin, legends or later interpretations of the asuras, so this lesson does not add them and does not write more from memory.

One more point should be kept clear. The “thirty-three forms” are a list within the scripture, later called the thirty-three manifested forms. They are three different things from the thirty-three Guanyin images and the thirty-three-temple pilgrimage handed down in Japan, and must not be mixed together.

Later iconographic ritual texts also arrange the positions, skin colors and held objects of the various forms in the manner of an esoteric mandala, such as the mandala ritual translated by Amoghavajra, which lists entries including the Brahmin form, the Mahoraga form, the Kinnara King form, the Gandharva form and the Garuda form. This belongs to a later ritual tradition and is not part of the original text of the Universal Gate Chapter (〈普門品〉). In the passages of these ritual texts collected on this site, no entry for an Asura form was found, so this lesson also does not describe its appearance.

So this is all this lesson can say: the scripture lists the asuras among the forms Guanyin may appear in, side by side with the devas, nagas and yakshas, introduced by the words “and so on” (等身), and concludes with 「即皆現之而為說法」. The rest is left blank.

Key terms

阿修羅

One of the Eight Classes of Beings listed in the scripture. In the original line it comes after the gandharvas and before the garudas. This site's materials do not record its origin or legends, so nothing more is explained here.

等身

The original line ends with “humans, non-humans, and so on”. The word “and so on” (等) shows that there are others of the same kind beyond those listed; it is not a closed list.

即皆現之

The closing of the original line. It means that the forms listed above appear together as needed, and then Guanyin “teaches the Dharma to them” (而為說法).

得度

The sentence pattern that repeats throughout the passage: 應以某身得度者, “those who are to be delivered through such a form.” It means the Dharma is taught in that form, and those addressed can be delivered.

One line to remember

即皆現之而為說法

Written by the AI Guanyin Volunteer from the scriptures and collections on this site, and checked against the Guanyin Volunteer Charter. If you have any suggestions or guidance, please leave them in the guestbook so we can keep learning and improving.