Editing Rakshasa (section)

==Buddhism==
Many Rakshasas appear in various Buddhist Scriptures. In Chinese tradition rakshasa are known as ''luosha'' ({{lang|zh-hant|羅刹}}/{{lang|zh-hans|罗刹}}).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary|year=2002|isbn=7-5600-3195-1}}</ref> In Japan, they are known as ''rasetsu'' ({{lang|ja|羅刹}}).

Chapter 26 of the [[Lotus Sutra]] includes a dialogue between the Buddha and a group of rakshasa daughters, who swear to uphold and protect the [[Lotus Sutra]]. They also teach magical [[dhāraṇī]]s to protect followers who also uphold the sutra.<ref>[http://lotus.nichirenshu.org/lotus/sutra/english/watson/lsw_chap26.htm Lotus Sutra, chapter 26, Burton Watson translation] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20030325001524/http://lotus.nichirenshu.org/lotus/sutra/english/watson/lsw_chap26.htm |date=25 March 2003 }}</ref>

Five rakshasha are part of [[Mahakala]]'s retinue. They are Kala and Kali, husband and wife, and their offspring Putra, Bhatri and Bharya.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art|author=John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel|date=2003|publisher=Serindia Publications|isbn=9781932476019|page=335}}</ref>

[[Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra|The Lankavatara Sutra]] mentions the island of [[Sri Lanka]] as land of Rakshasas. Their king is the Rakshasa called Ravana, who invites [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] to Sri Lanka to deliver the sermon in the land. There are other Rakhasas from the land, such as Wibisana, who is believed to be the brother of Ravana in [[Buddhism in Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan Buddhist mythology]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Lankavatara Sutra. A Mahayana Text|url=http://lirs.ru/do/lanka_eng/lanka-nondiacritical.htm|access-date=16 April 2021|website=lirs.ru}}</ref>

In ''The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava, recorded by [[Yeshe Tsogyal]],'' [[Padmasambhava]] receives the [[nickname]] of "Rakshasa" during one of his wrathful conquests to subdue Buddhist [[Heresy|heretics]].

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File:Rasetsuten.jpg|Painting of Rakshasa as one of the [[Twelve Devas]] of the [[Vajrayana]] tradition.<br/>{{small|Japan, [[Heian period]], 1127 CE.}}
File:Painting of Rakshasa with short explanation, Japan, 12th century.jpg|Rakshasa as a single deity, depicted on a page from a folio describing deities from the [[Diamond Realm]] and [[Womb Realm]].<br/>{{small|Japan, Heian period, 12th century.}}
File:Fugen Ten Rasetsunyo (Nara National Museum).jpg|Painting of [[Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)|Samantabhadra]] accompanied by the [[Ten Rākṣasīs]].<br/>{{small|Japan, [[Kamakura period]] (1185-1333).}}
</gallery>