noun
benevolent deities who protect the dharma
Buddhist term referring to protective deities that safeguard the Buddha's teachings and practitioners.
護法善神は仏法を守護するとされる。
The benevolent deities are said to protect the Buddha's teachings.
From 護法 (gohō, 'protection of the dharma') + 善神 (zenjin, 'benevolent deity'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with this meaning.