Every Shinto shrine is supposed to be dedicated to a particular kami, or deity. So, when I made my kamidana—my personal household shrine—I did a little research to figure out which kami was right for me.
If you don’t have an ancestral kami to work with, you’re supposed to choose one who is linked to your profession or something you care about, like your homeland. For example, a lot of Shinto followers worship Inari, who was originally the god of rice and agriculture, but has taken on the role of being a protector of business and industry. (Apparently, even the gods have to keep up with improvements in technology.)
It didn’t take long for me to choose Benzaiten (who is sometimes also called Benten). Just to give you an idea of what she looks like, here’s a picture (see below). And don’t make fun—I drew it myself, and as we all know by now, I’m no artist.
As you can see in the picture, Benzaiten is often portrayed holding a lute or a biwa (a Japanese mandolin). She is supposed to be a beautiful woman who, some say, can take on the form of a serpent. Sometimes, she is depicted with a torii—the gateway to a Shinto shrine—on top of her head, like a little crown.
One of the most popular Shinto deities, Benzaiten is the goddess of all things that flow: music, art, words, knowledge, and, of course, water. Because I’m a writer and I’m always trying to expand my knowledge, I thought Benzaiten was the perfect choice for my kamidana. Besides, as you can tell from the picture above, I can certainly use a little work in the art department, so maybe Benzaiten can help me out there, too.
There’s another reason why Benzaiten is a good goddess for my Shinto shrine. She’s the Japanese version of the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, who was one of my patron deities back in January when I was working on paganism. So there’s a nice bit of continuity there.
The Japanese began to worship Benzaiten during the 6th to 8th centuries, after reading about her (as the Indian goddess Sarasvati) in Chinese translations of a piece of literature called the Sutra of Golden Light.
Once she became a Shinto kami, Benzaiten was associated with water and snakes. Most of her shrines are found near water or even on islands, smack dab in the middle of water.
As one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan (and the only female deity among them), Benzaiten is believed to bring good fortune—increasing the “flow” of her followers’ money. (Man, I really hope she can help me out with that!)
In some places, such as the Zeniari Benten Shrine in Kamakura City, people wash their money in the waters at the shrine, hoping the goddess Benzaiten will make it reproduce and flow more freely.
Huh. I wonder if that would work for me. With my luck, I’d probably just destroy the little bit of cash I have left. Somehow, I doubt a few wet $20 bills will do much to improve my fortune. But still, it might be worth a try.
This is Lorr's friend again (finally on my Google account from home) Some more good stuff on Benzaiten:
ReplyDeleteShe is closely linked to serpents and dragons, especially white ones. Many times when she is depicted she is surrounded by one of the aforementioned creatures. Benzaiten is often portrayed as a beautiful woman, riding a dragon while playing on a stringed instrument. Sometimes when she is seen with a white serpent, it has the head of an old man usually called Hakuja or Ugajin. Seeing a white snake is still considered lucky in Japan today. There are some legends where Benten turns into a snake Herself.
There are numerous legends linking her to Japan’s islands including one where she saved the children of a particular island (Enoshima Island, the village of Koshigoe to be specific) from being eaten by a dragon. She descended upon the island in a fantastic display of her powers. The dragon was captivated and fell in love with her, but Benzaiten was not that easy to get. Entering its cave, she subdued with her gift of words and charmed him with her beauty and refinement. She promised to marry him but only if the dragon promised to give up its child devouring ways. Smitten, he agreed and she kept up her end of the bargain and no more children had to be eaten alive again.
An interesting aside to this, is that in Her temple in Enoshima you also get a version of Benzaiten setting aside womanly charms and eloquence and going a bit more direct. One of Her depictions has Her in a warrior stance, brandishing a sword with two Deva kings flanking her on either side. There’s also a legend linked to Sarisvati where She fights an enormous snake/ dragon/ naga with a sacred sword and kicks its butt.
And more:
ReplyDeleteEventually she became liked with love and the arts. She always seemed to have this association in India where she is the mother of 16 children each one representing a different skill or form of artistry (not unlike the muses). There was a time when it was popular to depict her in the nude, though I have been unable to confirm if this is due to her link with love. In any case, her link to the arts and beauty, as well as her ability to tame dragons with her womanliness make her a natural to be a patron of geishas, the apex of artistic skill and controlled sensuality (not necessarily sexuality per say – however there is an intriguing picture here http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/benzaiten.shtml where Benzaiten at the opening of a cave that looks suspiciously like a vagina). Interestingly, she has been described as the quintessential mother which confused me when I first started reading up on Her given her sensual/ sexual aspect until I realized it’s mostly in the West that we divorce the act that made the kids from the kids themselves. The Japanese (and most Pagans) seem to cheerfully acknowledge that sex is part and parcel of motherhood.
Sort of related to her aspect of luck is the story of the blind accupuncturist Waichi Sugiyama. He was a ne’er-do-well. There were not a lot of careers open to the blind and his skills at acupuncture weren’t very good. Discouraged, he went to Benzaiten’s temple at Enoshima, which was supposed to give people luck and grant their wishes. On his way back, he tripped and got a pine needle stuck into his leg. Annoyed, he pulled it out, only to realize that it had been guided to his leg through the center of a hollow bamboo reed. Inspired he developed the kudabari , a hollow tube used to guide needles in the appropriate spot in the appropriate depth, which is now a standard instrument in acupuncture.
Like any good love goddesss, she loved to match-make. There is a very cute story where she got involved in the love life of a young scholar named Hanagaki Baishu. He had gone to a festival to celebrate the rebuilding of a temple. As he wandered about the grounds he looked for a spring to drink from. Instead he found a small pond with a small pretty temple dedicated to Benzaiten. Then the wind blew a paper to his feet. On it was a beautiful love poem done in exquisite calligraphy signed by a woman. Bashu took the poem home and read it over and over again. He eventually fell in love with the author of the poem and resolved to marry none but her.
ReplyDeleteBashu went back to Bezaiten’s temple and prayed to the goddess to help him find the woman he fell in love with. He kept his vigil there 7 days and 7 nights, never ceasing his prayer. At the end of the 7th night he heard a voice calling to come in to the temple grounds. An old man dressed in black ceremonial robes came in. He knelt before the temple and a bamboo curtain parted to reveal a handsome boy. He addressed the old man. “We have taken pity on this young love-struck man. That is why we have called you – to see if you can help these young people be together.” The old man made some motions, waving his hand as if to summon someone. A young girl entered with her fan half hiding her face. The boy spoke to Bashu. “We know that you have suffered and are sincere in your prayer. Here is the woman you love.” Then everything disappeared.
Bashu thanked Bentzaiten and started off for home. On the street outside the temple was the woman he had seen. When she spoke Bashu fell in love all over again. Upon reaching his house she said “Benzaiten has made me your wife” and they walked into the house together. It was a very happy marriage. As Baishu got to know her he found out he loved her even more. He didn’t know a thing about her family, but he reflected that since the goddess herself made the match, he didn’t need to question it. There was one thing he found odd though; none of the neighbors seemed to notice she was there.
One day he was called away on business in another town. As he was walking along a servant started wildly waving at him from one of the private houses. Puzzled by this strange behaviour Bashu walked up to him. The servant bowed and said that his master was very anxious to speak with him. Now quite surprised Bashu followed him. The master of the house was overjoyed to see him. “I apologize for the unusual manner of introduction but I believe that I am acting as the goddess Benzaiten has asked me to. You see, I have a daughter and want to find a good match for her. I prayed to Benzaiten, sending copies of my daughter’s poems to each one of the goddess’ temples in Kyoto. In a dream, she appeared, saying she had found the perfect match for my daughter. She described the man in such minute detail that I am sure it must be you.” Bashu was very bewildered and was about to tell the man he was already married when he brought his daughter out. It was his wife…but for one difference. He realized that the reason his neighbors could not see her was that it was her soul that had been with him. Now here she was in the flesh. And so he was married twice, once in the spirit and once in the flesh to the woman he loved
Yeah, I'm sort of a big fan :)
Wow! That's impressive! You could turn that story into a novel--I'd publish that for sure! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm really liking Benzaiten. I may have to stick with her even after this year is over.
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