Deities and Faith
What do Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas beside Medicine Buddha represent?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva support Medicine Buddha on either side. Their names suggest sunlight and moonlight, both conveying the meaning of shining upon living beings.
Thinking in terms of daytime and nighttime makes this easier to understand: the hope is that living beings receive protection both day and night. This is how I understand their caring virtues through their names, rather than merely memorizing who stands on which side.
In drawing close to Medicine Buddha, we can also understand his aspirations through these names. When discussing Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas protecting those who practice Medicine Buddha's true Dharma, the hope is that while reciting, people also come to know and learn from this aspiration and virtue, rather than stop at knowing the names.