Bodhisattva

=== Fierce bodhisattvas ===
[[File:Thangka Depicting Vajrabhairava, ca. 1740, Sotheby's.jpg|thumb|Thangka Depicting [[Yamantaka]], a wrathful manifestation of Manjushri in Tibetan Buddhism]]
While bodhisattvas tend to be depicted as conventionally beautiful, there are instances of their manifestation as [[Wrathful deities|fierceful and monstrous looking beings]]. A notable example is [[Guanyin]]'s manifestation as a [[preta]] named "Flaming Face" ([[:zh:面燃大士|面燃大士]]).<ref>{{cite web |author1=Master Yan Shou of Yong Ming Monastery |title=四十四世永明延壽大師 Patriarchs of the Forty-fourth Generation |url=http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/424/vbs424p012.htm |access-date=2019-10-17 |website=Vajra Bodhi Sea}}</ref> This trope is commonly employed among the [[Wisdom King]]s, among whom [[Mahamayuri|Mahāmāyūrī Vidyārājñī]] stands out with a feminine title and benevolent expression. In some depictions, her [[Vahana|mount]] takes on a wrathful appearance. This variation is also found among images of [[Vajrapani]].

In [[Tibetan Buddhism]], fierce manifestations (Tibetan: ''trowo)'' of the major bodhisattvas are quite common and they often act as protector deities.