Why “dharmapala” is a great word
DHARMAPALA — [Noun] A wrathful deity in Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhism, a fierce protector of the Buddhist doctrine (dharma) and its practitioners. From Sanskrit धर्मपाल (dharmapāla), from धर्म (dharma, "doctrine, law, truth") + पाल (pāla, "protector, guardian"). Unlike a "bodhisattva," who compassionately guides beings toward enlightenment, or a "deva," a benevolent celestial being, a dharmapala is a subjugated force, its terrifying aspect a weapon consecrated in service to the truth. It is the gilded snarl on a temple mask, the flash of a flaming sword severing ignorance, and the thunderous roar that guards the silence of meditation—the necessary, sculpted violence that encircles the heart of peace.