Who is truly your guardian deity?
Buddha Connection Little Knowledge: What is a “guardian deity” (本命佛, literally “birth year Buddha”)? For a long time, there has been a misconception that men should wear Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) and women should wear Buddha. In fact, the Dharma has no fixed form; Buddha and Bodhisattvas inherently have no gender distinction, so how could they be distinguished by men’s and women’s accessories? Moreover, “Guanyin” is the name of a Bodhisattva, while “Buddha” represents a state of spiritual attainment. From a Buddhist perspective, they should not be simply distinguished in this way. The proper method of connection to “Buddha Connection” should correspond to one’s birth date. The Buddha that one is destined to connect with on the day of their birth is called the “birth year Buddha,” which is the guardian deity people have worshipped for a thousand years. The “birth year Buddha” is the Buddha or Bodhisattva whose energy field is closest and most responsive to those of the twelve zodiac signs. People with different zodiac signs have different birth year Buddhas. As long as you sincerely worship the image of the birth year Buddha, the birth year Buddha will always accompany you, helping you to turn misfortune into a blessing, significantly improving your career, wealth, love life, studies, and health, helping you to achieve success in officialdom or business, and leading you onto a bright path in life.
For those born in the Year of the Rat, their birth year Buddha is the Thousand-Handed Guanyin.
The Thousand-Handed Guanyin, also known as the Thousand-Eyed Guanyin, is one of the four major Bodhisattvas in Chinese folk beliefs. The Thousand-Handed Guanyin serves on the left side of Amitabha Buddha and is collectively known as the “Western Three Saints” together with Amitabha Buddha and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva (who serves on the right side of Amitabha Buddha). The “thousand hands” symbolize boundless and immense compassion, while the “thousand eyes” represent complete and unobstructed wisdom.
For those born in the Year of the Ox and Tiger, their birth year Buddha is Akasagarbha Bodhisattva.
Akasagarbha Bodhisattva, also known as Treasury Vajra, serves as the chief attendant of all Buddhas in the past, present, and future. His virtues are vast and fill the universe, his wisdom is boundless and hard to comprehend, his patience is as solid as Vajra, and his diligence is as swift as a gust of wind. He possesses all Samadhis.
For those born in the Year of the Rabbit, their birth year Buddha is Manjushri Bodhisattva.
Manjushri Bodhisattva, the chief disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni and his left attendant, together with Buddha Shakyamuni and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, are collectively known as the “Huayan Three Saints.” Manjushri Bodhisattva represents wisdom, holding a Vajra sword in his right hand (symbolizing the sharpness of wisdom) that can cut through all demons and eliminate all troubles, while in his left hand he holds a blue lotus flower, atop which sits the precious Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, symbolizing supreme wisdom. His mount is a lion, representing the might of wisdom.
For those born in the Year of the Dragon and Snake, their birth year Buddha is Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva assists Buddha Shakyamuni in spreading the Buddhist teachings and is regarded as the prince of the Dharma underneath all Buddhas. He, along with Buddha Shakyamuni and Manjushri Bodhisattva, is collectively known as the “Huayan Three Saints.” Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is also known as the King of Great Vows. The “Lotus Sutra” points out that Samantabhadra Bodhisattva possesses incredible power to prolong life and benefit longevity.
For those born in the Year of the Horse, their birth year Buddha is Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.
Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva serves on the right side of Amitabha Buddha, also known as the Bodhisattva of Great Diligence. Together with Amitabha Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva (who serves on the left side of Amitabha Buddha), they are collectively known as the “Western Three Saints.” Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva represents the light of wisdom that illuminates all, helping beings to avoid the three evil realms (hell, hungry ghosts, and animals) and attain supreme strength.
For those born in the Year of the Goat and Monkey, their birth year Buddha is Vairocana Buddha.
Vairocana Buddha is the supreme deity of the Esoteric Buddhism, regarded as the highest deity in Esoteric Buddhist rituals. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Esoteric Buddhism are considered to originate from Vairocana Buddha. Vairocana Buddha sits in the central position in both the Diamond Realm and the Womb Realm mandalas. Vairocana Buddha, also known as the “Great Sun Buddha,” symbolizes the elimination of all darkness and the illumination of all beings in the universe, nourishing all living beings. The light of the Great Sun is neither created nor destroyed, eternal and imperishable, just as the true nature of all sentient beings.
For those born in the Year of the Rooster, their birth year Buddha is Amitabha Buddha.
Amitabha Buddha is the main Buddha of the Pure Land school, and he presides over the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. The “Infinite Life Sutra” and the “Amitabha Sutra” both expound the grandeur of the Western Paradise and the profound virtues of Amitabha Buddha. Amitabha Buddha, also known as Amitayus, symbolizes boundless light and boundless life. His vows are as vast as the ocean, and his merit and wisdom are immeasurable. The power of his vows can lead all sentient beings to rebirth in the Pure Land.
For those born in the Year of the Dog and Pig, their birth year Buddha is Medicine Buddha.
Medicine Buddha, also known as Bhaisajyaguru, is revered in Mahayana Buddhism as the king of medicine, capable of curing all diseases, prolonging life, and increasing good fortune and wisdom. The “Medicine Buddha Sutra” expounds the twelve great vows of Medicine Buddha, illustrating his great compassion and great vow to save all sentient beings. Medicine Buddha holds a medicine bowl in his left hand, symbolizing the elimination of the illness of ignorance and delusion. In his right hand, he holds a medicine branch, symbolizing the medicine that cures the illnesses of the sentient beings in the three realms.
For those born in the Year of the Rat, your birth year Buddha is the Thousand-Handed Guanyin.
By worshipping and reciting the name of Thousand-Handed Guanyin with sincerity and reverence, you can gain protection and blessings, enabling you to turn danger into safety, eliminate disasters and illnesses, enhance wisdom, and improve relationships and careers.
