Editing Hariti (section)

== Mahayana Buddhism ==
According to a similar [[Mahayana]] tale, Hārītī was originally a [[rakshasa|rākṣasī]] of [[Rajgir]] at the same time that [[Gautama Buddha]] lived there. She had hundreds of [[yaksha]] children of her own, whom she loved and doted upon, but to feed them, she abducted and killed the children of other humans. The bereaved mothers of her victims pleaded to the Buddha to save them. So, the Buddha invited the youngest of Hariti's sons, Piṅgala (in a variant version, the youngest daughter), to Rajgir, and asked him to hide under the Budhha's rice bowl. After having desperately searched for her missing son throughout the universe, Hārītī finally appealed to the Buddha for help. 
[[File:Kamakura Kishimojin.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Kishimojin as a demon mistress with infant. 12th–13th century, [[Kamakura period]]. [[Daigo-ji]], Kyoto, Japan.]]
The Buddha pointed out that she was suffering because she lost one of her hundreds of children, and then asked if she could imagine the suffering of parents whose only child had been devoured. Hārītī pondered, and then replied with deep contrition that their suffering must be many times greater than hers. She then vowed to protect all children, and instead of children's flesh, she would only eat pomegranates. Henceforth, Hārītī became the protector of all children and women in childbirth. The Buddha then revealed her son hiding under his rice bowl. Feeling very grateful through this compassionate exchange with the Buddha, Hārītī achieved [[bodhi]] and [[mettā]], which enabled her to withstand black magic, evil powers, and gave her the facility to cure the sick.<!-- Coulter, Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities is not generally a good source. Its good enough for the myth. --><ref>{{citation|last1=Coulter|first1=Charles Russell|last2=Turner|first2=Patricia|chapter=Kishimojin|title=Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson|year=2000|isbn=0-7864-0317-9|page=272}}.</ref><ref name="Schumacher" />

In the Japanese version of the tale, Kishimojin enlisted the aid of the {{nihongo|[[Ten Rākṣasīs|Ten Rākṣasī Women]]|十羅刹女|jūrasetsunyo}} to abduct and murder the children of other families. In some variants of the myth, the Ten Rākṣasī Women are themselves daughters (or daughters' daughters) of Kishimojin.<ref name="Chitkara">{{citation|editor-last=Chitkara|editor-first=M. G.|chapter=Jurasetsu|title=Encyclopaedia of Buddhism|series=Glossary of Buddhism Terms, vol. XXI|year=2005|location=New Delhi|publisher=APH Publishing|isbn=81-7648-184-X|page=218}}.</ref> When Kishimojin accepted the Buddha's teachings, the Ten Demon Daughters did likewise.<ref name="Schumacher" />

In Japanese tradition, Kishimojin becomes an aspect of [[Guanyin|Kannon]], the goddess of mercy, bearing the epithets {{nihongo|"Bringer of Happiness"|歓喜母}} and {{nihongo|"Giver of Children and Easy Delivery"|子安鬼子母神}}.

In [[Nichiren Buddhism]], Hārītī is referred to as "the Mother of Devil Children," in the 26th chapter<!-- "26th chapter" says onmarkproductions.com, but that chapter does not seem to refer to Hariti--> of the [https://nichiren.info/buddhism/lotussutra/text/chap26.html Lotus Sutra]. In [[Shingon Buddhism]], she is named {{nihongo|Karitei|訶利帝}} or {{nihongo|Karitei-mo|訶梨帝母}}. Her iconography is based mostly on the {{nihongo||大薬叉女歓喜母并愛子成就法|Dai Yakusha Nyo Kangimo Narahini Aishi Jōjuhō}}.<ref name="Schumacher">{{citation|last=Schumacher|first=Mark|year=1995|chapter=Kariteimo|title=A-Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Statuary|publisher=onmarkproductions.com|chapter-url=http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kariteimo.html}}.</ref>

In Chinese Buddhism, Hārītī is also known as Hēlìdì (訶利帝) or Hēlìdìmǔ (訶梨帝母). She is one of the [[Twenty-Four Protective Deities|Twenty-Four Protective Devas]] (二十四諸天 Èrshísì zhūtiān), a group of [[Dharmapala|Dharmapalas]] who are venerated as protectors of Buddhists and the Dharma.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/275253538|title=A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms : with Sanskrit and English equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali index|date=2004|publisher=RoutledgeCurzon|others=Lewis Hodous, William Edward Soothill|isbn=0-203-64186-8|location=London|oclc=275253538}}</ref> Statues of this group (and Hārītī) are often enshrined within the [[Mahavira Hall]] in Chinese temples and monasteries.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-03-04|title=佛教二十四诸天_中国佛教文化网|url=http://wh.zgfj.cn/ChangShi/2010-09-01/4595.html|access-date=2021-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090051/http://wh.zgfj.cn/ChangShi/2010-09-01/4595.html|archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref>