What do the four bodhisattvas of Buddhism bless?

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-03-02

The four bodhisattvas refer to Manjushri Bodhisattva, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Puxian Bodhisattva, and Jizo Bodhisattva.

Manjushri

Manjushri, also known as Manjushri, is one of the four great bodhisattvas of Buddhism, known for his theories of "prajna emptiness" and "prajna convenience".

Manjushri is called maňju rī in Sanskrit, which means "wonderful virtue" and "wonderful auspiciousness", etc., and the new translation is "Manjushri". As the left attendant of Shakyamuni Buddha, he specializes in wisdom, and is called the right attendant of the "reason" of the Bodhisattva. Virujana Nyorai, Manjushri and Puxian Bodhisattva are honored as the "Three Sages of Huayan". According to legend, Manjushri said that the ashram was in Wutai Mountain, Shanxi.

The image of Manjushri Bodhisattva is usually represented as a knot with five hairheads to represent the five wisdoms of the Great Sun, with a sword in his hand to indicate wisdom as a sword, and a lion to represent the majesty of wisdom. In addition, Manjushri Bodhisattva will also have different "manifestations" of different images in order to correspond to the different causes of sentient beings, such as one-character Manjushri, five-character Manjushri, six-character Manjushri, eight-character Manjushri, one-haired Manjusri, five-haired Manjusri, eight-haired Manjusri, child Manjusri, etc., among which the five-character five-haired Manjushri is the most common.

The Manjushri Bodhisattva in the Chinese Manjushri Temple mainly blesses people to gain wisdom and academic achievements, helps people overcome difficulties, and improves their academic performance. In addition, Manjushri also blesses people with peace and health, protects them from disasters and diseases, and helps people to achieve inner peace and tranquility. In faith, Manjushri is also often prayed to be the first god to protect the peace of the family and the happiness of the members.

Guanyin Bodhisattva

Guanyin Bodhisattva, also known as Guanyin Bodhisattva, Guanyin Bodhisattva, etc., is a symbol of compassion and wisdom in Buddhism, and has an extremely important position in both Mahayana Buddhism and the common people.

Guanyin Bodhisattva is one of the three saints of the West, and is also the left attendant of Amitabha Buddha, one of the "Three Sages of the West". Amitabha Buddha, Dashi Zhi Bodhisattva and Guanyin Bodhisattva are collectively known as the Three Sages of the West, among which Amitabha Buddha is the Buddha who expresses freedom and immeasurable light, Guanyin Bodhisattva is the Bodhisattva who expresses great compassion, and Dashi Zhi Bodhisattva expresses joyful giving.

In Buddhism, Guanyin Bodhisattva is entrusted with the sacred duty of relieving suffering, being able to seek out the voice of suffering and help sentient beings to liberate from suffering. There are various images of Guanyin Bodhisattva, including the 33 Guanyin, etc., and each image has its own special meaning and symbolic meaning. In China, the belief in Guanyin Bodhisattva is very extensive, and many places have special Guanyin temples or Guanyin halls dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva.

In addition, Guanyin Bodhisattva is also seen as an incarnation of women, known as "Female Appearance Guanyin" or "Female Guanyin", an image that is especially popular in China. The image of the female goddess of mercy is usually represented as holding a pure bottle and a willow branch, implying purity and compassion for all beings. In faith, one can pray to Guanyin for various wishes such as health, peace, wealth, and family harmony.

Puxian Bodhisattva

Puxian Bodhisattva, Sanskrit name samantabhadra, transliterated as three manta badhara, also known as Panji Bodhisattva, is one of the four great bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism, and symbolizes wisdom and virtue, corresponding to the Manjushri Bodhisattva, and is the left and right side of Shakyamuni Buddha.

The Bodhisattva symbolizes virtue and virtue, representing the virtue and virtue of all Buddhas, and the wisdom and virtue of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Fuxian Bodhisattva guides the line with wisdom, proves wisdom with practice, goes hand in hand with interpretation, and completes the wish of the Buddha seeker, so it is also called "Daxing Fuxian Bodhisattva". The mount of the Bodhisattva is a six-tusked white elephant, which means that he is willing to do great things and complete his merits. The dojo of Fuxian Bodhisattva is in Mount Emei.

According to the description of the Huayan Sutra, the Bodhisattva has the incredible power of prolonging life, and can praise the endless merits of the Buddhas, cultivate supreme offerings, can do the vast Buddha deeds, can live boundless affection, and its wisdom is high, and the depth of the wish is only known by the Buddha. In addition, Fuxian Bodhisattva also made ten vows, saying that he would do his best to achieve the Buddha's path to all sentient beings.

Puxian Bodhisattva occupies an important position in the Buddhist faith, and is known as the "Three Sages of Huayan" along with Manjushri and Virujana Nyorai. The belief and practice of Puxian Bodhisattva have played an important role in the development and promotion of Mahayana Buddhism.

Jizo Bodhisattva

Jizo Bodhisattva, Sanskrit name k itigarbha, transliterated as beggar fork bottom barberry woman, in the "Jizo Ten Wheel Sutra", is respected as "patience and immobility like the earth, meditation is as deep as a secret treasure", hence the name. It is also known as the "Jizo King Bodhisattva". He is one of the four great bodhisattvas of Buddhism, and is highly respected by believers along with Guanyin, Manjushri, and Puxian.

According to Buddhist scriptures, Jizo Bodhisattva has rescued his mother who was suffering in hell several times in his past lives, and has been vowing to save all sentient beings who have suffered from sins and sufferings, especially those in hell, since a long time ago, so he is revered as "King Jizo Bodhisattva". His main deeds include the Buddha-free era after the extinction of Buddha Shakyamuni and before the enlightenment of Maitreya Buddha, when he vowed to save all sentient beings from the six realms and save all suffering, and then wish to become a Buddha.

Jizo Bodhisattva's Yinghua Dojo is in Jiuhua Mountain, Anhui Province. It is said that the monk who came to China in the Tang Dynasty to seek Dharma was considered to be the incarnation of the Bodhisattva, and Jiuhua Mountain, where he was located, became one of the four famous mountains of Chinese Buddhism. For thousands of years, the incense of Jiuhua Mountain has been flourishing, and many believers have come to pray for the blessing of Jizo Bodhisattva.

The image of Jizo Bodhisattva is usually depicted as a bald head or a crown of Vilu on his head, wearing a robe, holding a wishful jewel in his left hand, a tin staff in his right hand, or sitting on a lotus seat. His image represents the virtue of "great filial piety" and "great wish", and is deeply revered and believed by Buddhist believers.

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