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Vilambā () is a and in Mahayana Buddhism and the mother of in Chinese folk religion. According to Volume 7 of the Lotus Sūtra, Vilambā is one of the Ten Rākṣasīs who protect the .《妙法莲华经》卷七陀羅尼品第二十六:“尔时有罗刹女等,一名蓝婆,二名毗蓝婆,三名曲齿,四名华齿,五名黑齿,六名多发,七名无厌足,八名持璎珞,九名睾帝,十名夺一切众生精气,是十罗刹女,与鬼子母、并其子、及眷属,俱诣佛所,同声白佛言:‘世尊,我等亦欲拥护读诵受持法华经者,除其衰患,若有伺求法师短者,令不得便。’”


Origin
According to traditional belief, Vilambā is a shapeshifting deity whose true form is that of a . In Chinese cosmology, hens and are symbolically linked through their association with the mythological phoenix (fenghuang), leading to her being regarded as a relative of the bodhisattva —the divine peacock and godmother of the . Vilambā's son, Maori Xingguan (昴日星官), is a rooster-shaped star deity known as the "Sun Rooster" of the Hairy Head constellation. In some interpretations, she is also equated with Ākāśagarbha, the bodhisattva associated with the great element (mahābhūta) of space (ākāśa).


Iconography
The Ten Rākṣasīs vary in appearance based on locale and textual tradition. One canonical text, the Law of the Ten Rākṣasīs of the Lotus (法華十羅剎法; : fǎhuá shíluóshā fǎ; Japanese: hokke-jūrasetunyo-hō) stands out with its description of the physical features of the goddesses. Alternative forms tend to stem from Japanese Buddhist art manuals or local traditions throughout Asia.

According to the Law of the Ten Rākṣasīs of the Lotus, Vilambā has a form like that of a full moon, akin to a . She is thus inclined toward the great ocean. Her garments are green (碧緑) and her face is white. She stands before a mirror. She controls the wind and clouds with her right hand and holds a mala in her left hand. Alternatively, she holds a pair of cymbals.


In Lotus Sūtra
In Chapter 7, the "Dharani" section in the twenty-sixth chapter of the Lotus Sutra:


In Journey to the West
In Journey to the West, after and his disciples are defeated by the poison tea of the Hundred-Eyed Demon King, who possesses a thousand eyes that radiate brilliant golden light to confuse his enemies and victims, Sun Wukong flees from the demon and encounters .

On the instructions of Lishan Laomu, requests help from Vilambā, who eventually subdues and captures the demon king. Vilambā said that she had been living low-key for over 300 years since she last attended the . She had kept her name incognito, never went out, and no one knew about her. When she asked Sun Wukong how he knew about her existence, he refused to answer. According to Vilambā, the demon king's radiant golden light is so powerful that even the could not defeat it. Vilambā uses an embroidery needle to do so, which was not made of iron or steel but was extracted by her son from his own eyes. After the demon king is subdued, Vilambā sends him to guard Thousand Flowers Cave.

In Chapter 73 of the commentary on Journey to the West by Taoist Chen Shibin of the , it is explained that Lishan Laomu is familiar with the Hundred-Eyed Demon King, which refers to the pure yin consciousness containing poisonous flames. On the other hand, Vilambā carries the yang energy, similar to Ziyun Mountain in the Cave of Thousand Flowers, and radiates the brilliance of the sun, revealing light.

The or operatic version text of The Journey to the West styles Vilambā as the friend of the Queen Mother of the West, Princess Iron Fan and Lishan Laomu.


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