Yi Xing
Vināyaka first appears in Buddhist texts as a kind of malevolent entity, the causer and the symbolic representation of obstacles or impediments. A note in the "Mahāmāyurī Vidyārājñī Sūtra" (大孔雀咒王經, pinyin: "Dàkǒngquè zhòuwáng jīng"; Japanese: "Daikujaku juō kyō") by the Tang period monk Yijing for instance defines Vināyaka as an "obstructive deity" (障礙神, pinyin: "zhàng'àishén"; Japanese: "shōgeshin") and notes his widespread worship in the west (i.e. India). The "Mahāvairocana Tantra" (also known as the "Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra") meanwhile refers to demonic beings such as vināyakas and rākṣasas being dispersed through the power of mantra. The monk Yi Xing, in his commentary on this text (大日經疏, "Dàrì jīng shū"; Japanese: "Dainichi kyō shō"), describes vināyakas as hindrances produced from a deluded mind (從妄想心生).