Nanda Ryu'o


 When entering the Sanjusangendo temple, one of the first statues you see is the guardian statue of Nanda Ryu'o. His Sanskrit name is Nandanaga. Ryuo are dragon kings who have given up the evil ways of dragonhood to be converted to Buddhism, and now use their powers for Buddhist followers’ benefit. They are perceived to be actual dragons, though they are sometimes depicted in human form with dragon symbology or in some kind of hybrid of dragon and human form. Within the Ryu’o are the hachidai ryuo, which are the eight dragon kings who are said to have been present when the Buddha gave his Lotus Sutra, and it was there that the hachidai ryuo converted to buddhism as one of the eight legions. This particular dragon king, Nanda Ryuo, is the highest ranking of the dragon kings. He, along with his younger brother Batsunanda, are associated with winds and rain. Because dragons in both Buddhism and Shintoism are associated with protection, this means that these dragon kings represent protection from those elements. This means that Nanda Ryuo and his brother Batsunanda represent protection from storms, floods, and other natural disasters. The fact that this statue is one of the first you see, with the clear dragon depicted around Nando Ryuo’s shoulders as a reminder of the symbology of protection, shows the attitude of grace and defense this temple is trying to portray. One of the first things you see is a statue meant to protect you from the very present concerns you may have, which will allow you to continue along the path to enlightenment without other things distracting you. This is accompanied by many more guardian statues who are placed right in the front of all the statues. To me, this conveys that protection from the hardships of life is a high priority for these deities, which makes the visitor feel more safe to be able to pursue further goals of enlightenment because they already have that assurance of protection.

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