Medicine Buddha

藥師佛

The blue Buddha of healing, holding the myrobalan fruit and a bowl of nectar

Medicine Buddha is the Buddha of healing, known as Yàoshī Fó (藥師佛) in Chinese, Yakushi Nyorai in Japanese and Sangyé Menla in Tibetan. Devotees believe that as a bodhisattva he made twelve great vows to ease suffering of body and mind, and that he now presides over the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli Light.

People turn to him for health of body and mind, long life and relief from calamity. Tibetan doctors have traditionally kept his image as the source of their medical knowledge. Xuanzang translated his sutra into Chinese, and in Japan the temple of Yakushi-ji in Nara, begun in 680 by Emperor Temmu, enshrined its Yakushi Nyorai in 697. His birthday is kept in the ninth lunar month.

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Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo), ca. 1319. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Arthur M. Sackler, in honor of his parents, Isaac and Sophie Sackler, 1965 (CC0)

How to recognise Medicine Buddha

Lapis-blue bodyLook for a deep blue body like the lapis lazuli of his pure land, though some images show him green, white or yellow, and East Asian images are often gold.
Buddha's hair and marksTight indigo curls, a rounded topknot (ushnisha) and a curl (urna) between the brows mark him as a Buddha, and he wears no crown or jewellery.
Myrobalan fruitHis right hand rests at the knee, palm open in the giving gesture (varada), holding the plum-like myrobalan, the medicinal fruit that is his own attribute.
Bowl of healing nectarHis left hand lies palm up in his lap holding an alms bowl of healing nectar, though Japanese images often show a medicine jar instead, and older ones such as those at Yakushi-ji show none.
Monk's robesHe wears the plain robes of a monk, often red-saffron and gold, sometimes embroidered, with the right shoulder sometimes bare.
Lotus throne and haloHe sits cross-legged in vajra posture on a lotus throne, with a halo, sometimes flame-edged, behind his head and occasionally a parasol above.
Sun and Moon attendantsTwo bodhisattvas may flank him: Suryaprabha (Nikkō), red or gold with a sun disc, and Candraprabha (Gakkō), white with a moon disc, as in the bronze Yakushi Triad at Yakushi-ji.

Names and titles

Master of HealingThe meaning of Bhaiṣajyaguru, 'Medicine Master' or 'Medicine Guru'
King of Lapis Lazuli LightHis full title, 'Medicine Guru, King of Lapis Lazuli Light', from the deep blue of his body
Lord of the Twelve Great VowsAs a bodhisattva he made twelve vows to relieve beings' suffering
Great Medicine King BuddhaAnother Chinese title, Dà Yī Wáng Fó
Light of the Eastern Pure LandHe is the Buddha of the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli in the east

Feast days

Medicine Buddha's Birthday (藥師佛誕)8 November 2026

The birthday of the Medicine Buddha, Bhaiṣajyaguru, kept in Chinese-calendar Buddhism. Devotees honor him as the Buddha of healing and master of the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli Light. This is the same celebration as the next entry.
How it's celebrated. Temples hold Medicine Buddha services, where devotees chant the sutra and his name, bow, make offerings and light lamps. Hong Kong's Bodhi Society keeps a day-long Medicine Buddha Repentance, and Fo Guang Shan's Dallas temple holds a repentance service. Communities differ on the date: some keep the 30th and others the 29th.
Sources: Fo Guang Shan Dallas: Medicine Buddha Dharma Service · Houston Buddhism: 藥師法會 · Hong Kong Bodhi Society: 藥師如來聖誕法會