Bhuta

This term, bhuta (Skt. bhūta; Tib. འབྱུང་པོ།, Wyl. ’byung po) in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or non-human. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of non-human beings, especially when bhutas are mentioned alongside rakshasas, pishachas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of non-humans, bhutas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of non-human beings, bhutas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Shiva (also known by the name Bhuta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhutas are especially prominent in Shaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.

Internal Links

• The Sutra of Great Cool Grove