Who is Manjushri Bodhisattva?
Who exactly is “Manjushri Bodhisattva?”
“Manjushri,” newly translated as “Manjushri,” means “Wonderful Auspiciousness.” Therefore, “Manjushri Bodhisattva” is the Bodhisattva of Wonderful Auspiciousness. In Buddhist scriptures, he is often referred to as “the Wonderful Auspicious Mother of the Three Worlds.” Sometimes, scriptures also call him “Manjushri Dharma Prince” or “Manjushri Child.”
“Bodhisattva” (Bodhisattva) means “sentient being of enlightenment.” The Bodhisattva’s heart is set on “benefiting all sentient beings and diligently seeking the right enlightenment of Buddhahood,” hence the name “sentient being of enlightenment.”
The vows of Manjushri Bodhisattva are inconceivable:
The Great Treasure Accumulation Sutra, Manjushri’s Prediction Meeting states, “Then Manjushri said to the Buddha: From the past hundreds of billions of nayutas of asamkhya kalpas, I have made such a vow: ‘With my unobstructed heavenly eye, I see all the Tathagatas in the immeasurable Buddha lands of the ten directions. If it is not that I encourage them to resolve on the Bodhi mind and teach them to practice generosity, uphold precepts, endure, be diligent, practice meditation and wisdom, and even attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, then I shall never attain Bodhi. I must fulfill this vow before I attain supreme enlightenment.'”
The Great and Vast Buddha Flower Garland Sutra records that Maitreya Bodhisattva once told Sudhana, “Manjushri Child, his practice is vast, his vows are boundless, and the merit of all Bodhisattvas born from him is ceaseless. Good man! Manjushri is always the mother of immeasurable hundreds of billions of nayutas of Buddhas, always the teacher of immeasurable hundreds of billions of nayutas of Bodhisattvas, teaching and maturing all sentient beings. His name is universally known throughout the ten directions. He is always a Dharma teacher in all Buddha assemblies, praised by all Tathagatas. He dwells in profound wisdom, able to truly see all dharmas, penetrate all realms of liberation, and ultimately perfect all practices of Samantabhadra.”
In the Buddha Speaks the Bowl-Releasing Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha also said, “My attainment of Buddhahood today is all due to the grace of Manjushri. Countless Buddhas in the past were all disciples of Manjushri. Those who will come in the future will also be due to his majestic power. It is like how children in the world have parents. Manjushri is like the parent in the path of Buddhahood.”
What is Manjushri Bodhisattva’s True Identity?
Manjushri is a Bodhisattva, so how can he be the mother of countless Buddhas?
Have you not heard that the Shurangama Samadhi Sutra says: in the distant past, immeasurable and inconceivable asamkhya kalpas ago, in a place far away to the south of this world, across a thousand Buddha lands, there was a country named Equality. The Buddha there was named Dragon Seed Supreme Tathagata. He lived for four million and forty thousand years and transformed countless beings. This Dragon Seed Supreme Buddha of the Equality world is the Dharma Prince Manjushri. It turns out that Manjushri Bodhisattva is the incarnation of the Dragon Seed Supreme Buddha!
The Angulimaliya Sutra also says that to the north, forty-two Ganges river sands away, there is a land called Constant Joy. The Buddha there is named Joyful Treasure Accumulation Tathagata. Manjushri is that Buddha.
In terms of the nature of Dharma, there is no difference between Buddhas and sentient beings. The manifestation as a Bodhisattva or as a Buddha is all for the purpose of teaching sentient beings, appearing according to their roots. Just as in this Saha world, Shakyamuni manifested as a Buddha, so Manjushri Bodhisattva manifested as a Bodhisattva to support Shakyamuni’s work of spreading the Dharma. It is not that after attaining Buddhahood, one will regress to being a Bodhisattva.
Why is Manjushri Bodhisattva the Mother of All Buddhas?
Because Manjushri Bodhisattva represents “Prajna Wisdom,” just as Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva represents “Compassion,” Samantabhadra Bodhisattva represents “Practice,” and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva represents “Vows.”
The wisdom represented by Manjushri Bodhisattva is Prajna as described in the sutras. The Great Prajna Sutra often says, “The profound Prajnaparamita can give birth to all Buddhas, is the mother of all Buddhas, and can reveal to all Buddhas the true nature of the world.”
Manjushri Bodhisattva is also known as the “Teacher of the Seven Buddhas,” because the seven Buddhas closest to our time in this Saha world, such as Shakyamuni Buddha, all followed Manjushri Bodhisattva to awaken the Bodhi mind.
What is Prajna Wisdom?
The Prajna wisdom represented by Manjushri Bodhisattva is not the petty cleverness of worldly people, nor is it the IQ or EQ that people generally understand. It is the wisdom that can awaken to the true nature of the world!
The “wisdom” spoken of in Buddhism is the wisdom of decision, which can clearly understand all kinds of phenomena. “Insight” is the wisdom of discernment that can thoroughly understand the principle of the emptiness of all dharmas!
This wisdom can guide us in practicing generosity, upholding precepts, enduring, being diligent, and meditating, ultimately reaching the other shore of liberation and overcoming all suffering!
As the Heart Sutra says, Bodhisattvas, through Prajnaparamita, have no obstruction in their minds. Buddhas, through Prajnaparamita, achieve perfect and complete enlightenment. Each of us needs to open our wisdom and connect with Manjushri Bodhisattva!
Why Does Manjushri Bodhisattva Hold a Sword and Ride a Blue Lion?
Both the sword and the blue lion symbolize the fierce and sharp wisdom of Manjushri Bodhisattva!
The wisdom sword cuts off all afflictions. It is the decision of wisdom. The lion is the king of beasts, symbolizing the “lion’s roar, fearless speech. When all beasts hear it, they lose their courage. The fragrant elephant runs away, losing its majesty. The dragons and gods listen quietly and are filled with joy.” Under the lion’s roar of the true Dharma, all the evil views of heretics are destroyed, and the true Dharma is widely propagated, thus freeing sentient beings from afflictions and filling them with joy.
In some depictions, Manjushri Bodhisattva holds a scepter, symbolizing the achievement of wisdom. In others, he holds a lotus flower, with the Prajna scriptures in the stamen, symbolizing the contemplation of wisdom. There are also depictions of Manjushri Bodhisattva riding a peacock, symbolizing the unobstructed freedom of wisdom!
Why is Manjushri Bodhisattva’s Bodhimanda at Mount Wutai?
In the Great and Vast Buddha Flower Garland Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha said, “In the northeast, there is a place called Mount Qingliang. From ancient times, many Bodhisattvas have dwelled there. Now there is a Bodhisattva named Manjushri, with his retinue of ten thousand Bodhisattvas. He constantly dwells there and expounds the Dharma.”
The Manjushri Bodhisattva Treasury Dharani Sutra also says, “After my Nirvana, in the northeast of this Jambudvipa, there is a country called Great China. In the middle of this country, there is a mountain called Five Peaks. Manjushri Child travels and resides there, teaching the Dharma to all sentient beings.”
Both of these sutras mention that in the northeast of India, in the country of Great China, there is a mountain called Five Peaks/Mount Qingliang. Manjushri Bodhisattva resides on this mountain, teaching the Dharma to the masses.
During the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, the two eminent monks Kasyapa Matanga and Dharmaratna came to China carrying scriptures on white horses. Buddhism officially entered China. Upon their first meeting, Emperor Ming asked, “Are there any sages residing in this land?” The two monks replied, “There is Mount Wutai in this land, where the great Bodhisattva Manjushri resides.”
Later, more and more eminent monks built temples on Mount Wutai to cultivate and propagate the Dharma. Mount Wutai became one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, a sacred place for Manjushri Bodhisattva in the hearts of the people!
Is Manjushri Bodhisattva Always at Mount Wutai?
Manjushri Bodhisattva is a manifestation of the Buddha, able to manifest in countless forms in countless Buddha lands. Sometimes he manifests as a child, sometimes as a small boy, playing in the streets. Sometimes he manifests as a poor person, sometimes as an old man, walking in the markets, begging for alms. These are all skillful means of Manjushri Bodhisattva to transform sentient beings, to arouse their faith in the Three Jewels, to fulfill all their wishes with a single donation, and to teach them the Dharma of Prajna.
In Chinese history, it is widely accepted that the founder of the Huayan School, Dushun, as well as Hanshan and Master Tsongkhapa were all manifestations of Manjushri Bodhisattva.
Why Does Manjushri Bodhisattva Always Appear with Samantabhadra Bodhisattva?
In many Buddhist statues, Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva are on the left and right sides of Vairocana Buddha, together known as the “Three Sages of Huayan.” Manjushri Bodhisattva represents “wisdom,” while Samantabhadra Bodhisattva represents “vows and practice.” The combination of wisdom and practice symbolizes that cultivating the path of Buddhahood requires both the awakening of wisdom and the implementation of it in action, to awaken to life and dedicate oneself to it.
What is Manjushri Bodhisattva’s Path of Cultivation?
There are many scriptures about Manjushri Bodhisattva, and these are all paths of cultivation of Manjushri Bodhisattva. In China, the most influential are the Manjushri Bodhisattva Speaks the Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Flower Garland Sutra’s Pure Conduct Chapter.
The Manjushri Bodhisattva Speaks the Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra is where Manjushri Bodhisattva explains the wisdom of dependent origination and emptiness at the Prajna assembly. Based on the “Samadhi of One Practice” meditation method in this sutra, the fourth patriarch of the Chinese Chan School, Daoxin, cultivated and propagated the Dharma, widely opening the door of Chan.
The Flower Garland Sutra’s Pure Conduct Chapter is the Dharma of cultivation in life that Manjushri Bodhisattva taught to monks and lay practitioners. There are a total of 141 verses, such as “When a Bodhisattva is at home, he should wish that sentient beings understand the emptiness of the nature of home and avoid its oppression.” and “If one obtains the five desires, one should wish that sentient beings remove the arrows of desire and ultimately attain peace and stability.”
What is the Significance of Manjushri’s Wisdom for Modern People?
Modern people generally face the problems of rampant materialism and emptiness. Manjushri’s wisdom is the wisdom of the perfect fusion of emptiness and existence. Using one’s mind well and treating all things well is the best medicine to cure this problem of the times.
As the Lotus Sutra says, “The root of all suffering is desire.” Learning the Prajna wisdom taught by Manjushri Bodhisattva can establish right views, avoid the vicious cycle of “trying to get rid of suffering through suffering,” awaken to the true meaning of “emptiness,” and “see through, let go, and be free.” This is truly an awakened life and a dedicated life, and it is a truly happy and peaceful life.
When we learn from the Pure Conduct Chapter the wisdom of living in the present moment and using our minds well, we bring the focus of our lives back from the chaotic external world to our own minds and find the joy of the mind. “Using the Dharma for self-entertainment” and continuously expanding our minds is the best way to live a fulfilling and peaceful life.
Letting go of attachment to self and taking on the responsibility for all sentient beings is the wisdom code of Manjushri Bodhisattva, and it is also the best secret to physical and mental peace, and to the increase of both blessings and wisdom! content_copy download Use code with caution.
English 
简体中文