(Vairotchana), the highest of the Threefold Embodiments, Kuan Yin,
the Goddess of Mercy, Ti-tsang Wang, the God of Hades, Wei-t'o
(Vihârapâla), the Dêva protector of the Law of Buddha and Buddhist
temples, the Four Diamond Kings of Heaven, and Bodhidharma, the first
of the six Patriarchs of Eastern or Chinese Buddhism.


Diamond Kings of Heaven

On the right and left sides of the entrance hall of Buddhist temples,
two on each side, are the gigantic figures of the four great _Ssu Ta
Chin-kang_ or _T'ien-wang_, the Diamond Kings of Heaven, protectors
or governors of the continents lying in the direction of the four
cardinal points from Mount Sumêru, the centre of the world. They are
four brothers named respectively Mo-li Ch'ing (Pure), or Tsêng Chang,
Mo-li Hung (Vast), or Kuang Mu, Mo-li Hai (Sea), or To Wên, and Mo-li
Shou (Age), or Ch'ih Kuo. The _Chin kuang ming_ states that they bestow
all kinds of happiness on those who honour the Three Treasures, Buddha,
the Law, and the Priesthood. Kings and nations who neglect the Law
lose their protection. They are described and represented as follows:

Mo-li Ch'ing, the eldest, is twenty-four feet in height, with a beard
the hairs of which are like copper wire. He carries a magnificent
jade ring and a spear, and always fights on foot. He has also a magic
sword, 'Blue Cloud,' on the blade of which are engraved the characters
_Ti, Shui, Huo, Fêng_ (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind). When brandished,
it causes a black wind, which produces tens of thousands of spears,
which pierce the bodies of men and turn them to dust. The wind is
followed by a fire, which fills the air with tens of thousands of
golden fiery serpents. A thick smoke also rises out of the ground,