Who are the Four Heavenly Kings? 四大天王

Some of you may have seen these four heavenly kings, Si Da Tian Wang or Sei Dai Tin Wang. No, not these ones. Oi, did you just Google the words and took the first results? Okay, these ones. These fierce-looking beings are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil. They command the realm to protect the Buddha's teachings. The four heavenly kings are armed with a sword, a dragon, umbrella, and a pipa. Okay, there's more to this than meets the eye. Now, before we begin, please smash that like button for the YouTube algorithm. It really helps more people see this video. This is the king of the Eastern Kingdoms, Dong Fang Chi Guo Tian Wang. Dong Fang Chi Guo Tin Wang. He is white. No, not like Caucasians. He's just white. He's holding a pipa. Pipa is a traditional Chinese four-stringed instrument. Now, I thought everything that these guardians hold would be weapons, especially with their fierce faces. But the pipa actually symbolizes harmony, as Chi Guo Tian Wang's music can calm people's hearts and clean people's minds. Maybe that's why he's called Chi Guo Tian Wang, because Chi Guo means maintaining a country. This is the king of the Southern Kingdoms, Nan Fang Zhen Zhang Tian Wang. He is cyan. What is cyan anyway? His weapon of choice is a sword. Now we're talking. It protects the Buddha's teachings from being violated, but this sword doesn't attack people or slay. It cuts off all worldly troubles and brings wisdom. I'm starting to think that things that they're holding are not weapons. Zhen Zhang Tian Wang represents growth and wisdom. Well, I guess that makes sense, because Zhen Zhang means growth. This is the king of the Western Kingdoms, Xi Fang Gua Mu Tian Wang. He has a third eye on his forehead, which distinguishes him from the other kings. I guess that explains why he's called Gua Mu Tian Wang in Chinese. Gua Mu means wide eye or one who sees broadly. This third eye is not an ordinary eye. You can think of it as a magic crystal ball. He can see everything in the world at once. Gua Mu Tian Wang is red. He has a dragon wrapped around his right hand. I know it sometimes looks like a snake or a rope, but it's just a chibi form of a dragon. The dragon means a lot in Chinese culture, and if you want to know more about these magnificent beasts, check out our video explaining the difference between Chinese dragons and Western dragons. I put it in the description below. Gua Mu Tian Wang's shape-shifting dragon-snake rope represents the changes in the world. In his other hand, he holds a precious bead, which represents firmness in one's heart. So you've got to be steadfast in your righteous belief, regardless of what happens in the world. And this is the king of the Northern Kingdoms, Bei Fang Duo Wen Tian Wang, Bak Fang Duo Man Tian Wang. Duo Wen means know a lot. He's the most knowledgeable among the four kings. Duo Wen Tian Wang is known for his virtues and giving blessings to people. The northern king is green, yellow, green, yellow. Okay, so according to literature, he is green, but most drawings and statues of him are yellow. Hmm, maybe because the colors faded. Duo Wen Tian Wang is known for holding an umbrella. This is not a typical umbrella for rain, or I guess sun for the Asian ladies. It's more for protection, protecting people from worldly filthy stuff so they can keep a pure heart. Sometimes he also holds a silver mouse in his left hand. This is not just any mouse. Duo Wen's mouse can eject germs from its mouth. It is said to represent generosity in opposition to greed. Sometimes he holds a pagoda. The pagoda in Buddhism has different meanings. One of them is to crush evil spirits. The four heavenly kings always appear together in temples and even in TV shows and books. But did you know there were once nemesis? Story time! A long, long, long, long, long time ago, there were two dragons named Wei and Wei Qing. They were being chased by two giant birds. Oh, come on, a dragon is scared of a bird? Okay, these were ginormous birds. Its wingspan is 90,000 li. Li is a Chinese measurement and it's around 500 meters, so 45,000 meters. Uh-oh! That's way bigger than the rock. No, not that one, this one. They're the scary giant birds in One Thousand and One Nights that can pick up an elephant with its claws. So the Chinese giant birds are called da peng niao, dai pang niu, and they eat dragons. The two that's chasing them are named Miao Ying and Xiao Ying. Wonderful sound and small sound? Can't these mighty birds get a more mighty name? Anywho, the two dragons, Wei and Wei Qing, are so scared they can only hide in the deep sea. One day, the two dragons saw Buddha Amitabha teaching by the seaside. They were so intrigued by the Buddha's teachings that they became his disciples. And through Buddha's cultivation, they became stronger, so they were no longer afraid of the da peng niaus. They started to come out of the sea and live a carefree life. Miao Ying and Xiao Ying noticed that the dragons were just hanging about freely, so they flew over. Mm, a light snack. But they couldn't even get close. The birds were shocked. They asked, you used to run away as soon as you saw us and even hid at the bottom of the sea. Why aren't you afraid of us now? What's even stranger is that we can't hurt you anymore. What's going on? The two dragons said smugly, we are now disciples of Buddha Amitabha. Since we strictly follow his teachings, we've become powerful, so we're no longer afraid of you. Da Peng Niao asked, oh, who's Buddha Amitabha? Why is he so mighty? The two dragons described how extraordinary Buddha Amitabha is, and that made the two birds become the Buddha's disciples as well. From then on, they're no longer enemies, but became like brothers. Buddha Amitabha told them that Buddha Shakyamuni would appear in the future. So the four of them made a pact to help Shakyamuni protect the earth. The two dragons became the eastern and southern kings, and the two birds became the western and northern kings. I hope you find the meanings and story behind the four heavenly kings interesting. If you like this video, check out this playlist right here where I dig into more fascinating ancient Chinese culture. And if you haven't already, please hit that subscribe button and the notification bell so you see more of these videos. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you later.