Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism in China (1)Wutaishan:Great Wisdom Bodhisattva (2)Ermeishan:Great Conduct Bodhisattva (3)Jiuhuashan:Great Resolution Bodhisattva (4)PutuoShan:Great Compassion Bodhisattva :> BUDDHISM and THE FOUR MOUNTAINS <: >> There are more than 200 mountains in China, which have associations with Buddhism. Among them are the famous Buddhism's Four Mountain Sanctuaries. They are the domains of Buddhism's four most venerated Bodhisattvas. >> Mount Wutai of Shansi Province is the domain of Manjusri, or the Universial Great Wisdom Bodhisattva. Mount Emei of Sichuan Province is the domain of Samantabhadra, or Bodhisattva of Universal Benevolence (Universal Worthy Great Conduct Bodhisattva). Mount Putuo of Zhejiang Province is the domain of Avalokitesvara or Guan Shr Yin Great Compassion Bodhisattva (Goddess of Mercy). Mount Jiuhua of Anhui Province is the domain of Ksitigarbha or Earth Treasury King Great Vow Bodhisattva (Guardian of the Earth). >> We mortal beings have not yet achieved any of such enlightenments. Those who have achieved the first is an Arhat. Those who have achieved the first two is a Bodhisattva. When all three have been attained, the being becomes a Buddha. >> So a Bodhisattva is in fact a Buddha-to-be. It is a Bodhisattva's task to help the Buddha deliver all mortal beings from the Sea of Misery to the Land of Ultimate Bliss by indoctrinating them with Buddhist philosophy. >> To us, the mortal beings, the Buddha seems omnipotent and untouchable. On the other hand, the Bodhisattvas appear to be sincere, pragmatic and approachable. So, in the course of the spread of Buddhism in China, worships of the Bodhisattvas gradually emerged. Specifically, according to Buddhist legends, these four Bodhisattvas descended upon this mundane world with the task of delivering the multitude to another world. They established themselves in these mountains (their relative domains) to preach their doctrines, thus helping establish the position of the four mountains as the Buddhist sanctuaries in China. >> These four Buddhist mountain sanctuaries are endowed with a venerated history of Buddhist cultural legacy, with treasures of Buddhist art and cultural relics. Here, one can always hear the Buddhist music and incantations and smell the burning incense. The noble images of the mountains soaring over the mortal world and into the blue sky act as symbols of the Buddhist belief in rebirth and introvert meditation. The clean and profound environment of the mountains is an expression of the Buddhist outlook of simple life, and the solitude of the mountain sanctuaries symbolises the Buddhist philosophy. ___________WUTAISHAN___________ >> This mountain chain is located in the north-east Shansi Province, covering a circumference of more than 250 km. It is a massif with a southwest-northeast axis, separated from the Heng Shan (mountains) to the northwest by the valley of the Hu-to Ho (river), which curves around its southern flank to flow into the North China Plain in Hopeh Province. >> Mount Wutai (means Five Terraces) is a cluster of five flat-topped peaks : >>> the Wanhai Peak (the Eastern Terrace), >>> the Guayue Peak (the Western Terrace), >>> the Jingxiu Peak (the Southern Terrace), >>> the Yedou Peak (the Northern Terrace), >>> the Guayue Peak (the Central Terrace). >> The highest of the five is the Yedou Peak (Northern Terrace) standing @ 10033Ft (3058m) above sea level with the top crest measures 26.7 square-metres in area. >> Mount Wutai is often known as the roof of North China. Because of its high altitude, low temperature and snowfalls in summer, the Yedou Peak is known as the Mountain of Coolness. In side this ring of five peaks stands Taihui Town, which is the centre of a cluster of Buddhist monasteries and one of the Buddhist meccas for the Chinese Buddhists. In Wutai, the rising peaks and the plunging ravines look boundless, with the tall pines standing aloft among the mountain streams, the grass tapestry embroidered with blooming flowers, and in this backdrop of the nature, the maintain is intertwined with ancient chambers, halls, kiosks and pagodas. >> According to the Buddhavatamsaka-mahavaipulya Sutra, "To the northeast there is the Mountain Coolness, where Bodhisattvas often takes up residence. The current occupant of this abode is a Bodhisattva by the name of Manjusri, who lives there with 10,000 family members." Following the legend, Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, is often seen sitting at the left side of Sakyamuni, wearing his hair in five coils on his head to symbolise wisdom, holding a sword in his hand as a symbol of sharp-mindedness and riding a lion that means ferociousness. He is usually considered the foremost of the four major Bodhisattvas. It is said that after the Buddha achieved nirvana, Manjusri moved to live in the Zhenrong Monastery Temple (or the Manjusri Temple) on Mount Wutai of all the Four Buddhist Mountain sanctuaries, Mount Wutai was the earliest to be opened up with the largest number of temples and the most respected of all bodhimandalas in China. >> The first temple in Mount Wutai, the Lingjiu Temple (known as Xiantong Temple nowadays) was built during the 58-76 AD reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). More temples were built since then and at the zenith during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the mountain was covered by 100 temples inhabited by 10,000 monks. After the Yuan Dynasty (1368-1644) Tibetan Lamaism found its way into Mount Wutai, turning it into a sanctuary where orthodox Buddhism mingled with the Gelug Sect of Lamaism. >> Nowadays, more than 40 temples remain intact, such as the Nanchan, Foguang, Xiantong, Tayuan, Pusading, Luohou, Yuanzhao, Shuxiang, Bishan, Dailuo, Nanshan, Jinge and Shenhai temples. All these structures figure prominently in the history of Chinese and world architecture. The main hall of the Nanchan Temple and the East Hall of the Foguang Temple are fine examples of Tang wood structures. The main hall of the Yanqing Temple and the Manjusri Hall of the Yanshan Temple are examples from the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). The Mahavira Hall of the Yanshan Temple is from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). The Manjusri Hall of the Nanshan Temple and the Great Buddha Hall of the YuanZhao Temple are from the Ming Dynasty. Pusading, Luohou and Dailuoding temples are from the Qing Dynasty, and the Zunsheng Temple and Shifang Hall are from the Republican years (1911-1949). Such religious establishments, built in different ages, range from the simplistic to the magnificent, from imposing-looking structures to elaborately ornamented carvings and certainly constitute a vertical historical record of ancient Chinese wood architecture. Apart from the wood structures, the brick-and-masonry structures also variegate in forms, ranging from soaring pagodas, majestic halls to screen walls, archways and finely crafted balustrades and stairways. The four walls of the Beamless Hall (Hall of Infinite Longevity of the Xiantong Temple are all fashioned out of gray brick and its roof built by piling up square pieces of timber (a rare example of architecture in China without a single beam, pillar and Portico (Beamless). The stone archway of the Longquan Temple is a precious combination of finely crafted stone carvings with ingenuously designed and solidly constructed masonry. The stone bridges of the Longquan and Tailu Temples contain well-conceived structures and state-of-the-art stone carvings. The screen walls of the Puhua and Sunsheng Temples are marked for their sedate forms and flowing chisel work. >> There are also magnificient pagodas, such as the double-layered hexagonal Zushi (Guru) Pagoda fromm the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) in the Fogguang Temple. The pagoda dedicated to Monks Jietuo and Zhiyuan is from the Song Dynasty. The Venuvanavihara pagoda and the pagoda dedicated to Monk Jinggong are from the Song and Jin Dynasties. The pagoda in honour of Imperial Tutor Zhenjue and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Grottoes are from the Yuan Dynasty. The Great White Pagoda and the stupa for the hair of Manjusri in Tayuan Temple are from the Ming Dynasty. The Octagonal Pagoda of the Lingfeng Temple and the Brick Pagoda of the Luohou Temple are from the Qing Dynasty. The Pagoda dedicated to Master Puji of the Longquan Temple is from the Republican years. >> Besides architecture, Mount Wutai is also full of painted sculptures, murals and carvings. For instance, the fifty Tang-dynasty painted sculptures in the Nanchan and Foguang temples are famous for the well-proportioned configurations, plump facial forms and fluent lines and are considered as the only consummate examples of temple sculptures outside Dunhuang Grottoes. The sculptures of the 500 arhats in the Manjusri Chamber of the Shuxiang Temple is a good example of clay sculpture. The 17.7 metre tall statue of Avalokitesvara with a thousand hands in the Guanyin Pavilion of the Jinge Temple is the tallest of all statues at Mount Wutai. It is originally casted in bronze and wrapped up in a layer of clay before being plated with gold during Qing Dynasty. The murals on the walls of the Eastern Hall of the Foguang Temple cover 12 square metres and are from the Tang Dynasty. Those in Yanshan Temple are from the Jin Dynasty. In Nanshan Temple, there is the best collection of stone carvings, with a total of 1160 pieces.
Source: [Four Sacred Mountains in China] from “Buddhist Encyclopedia”
曼殊室利 or 曼殊尸利 Mañjuśrī, v. 文殊, and the 曼殊室利經. Manjusri Mantra
(1) OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHIH (2) Om WAGI SHORI MUM
文殊 (文殊師利) Mañjuśrī 滿殊尸利 -later 曼殊室利. 文殊 is also used for Mañjunātha, Mañjudeva, Mañjughoṣa, Mañjuṣvara, et al. T., hjamdpal; J., Monju. Origin unknown; presumably, like most Buddhas and bodhisattvas, an idealization of a particular quality, in his case of Wisdom. Mañju is beautiful, Śrī; good fortune, virtue, majesty, lord, an epithet of a god. Six definitions are obtained from various scriptures: 妙首 (or 頭 ) wonderful or beautiful) head; 普首 universal head; 濡首 glossy head (probably a transliteration); 敬首 revered head; 妙德 wonderful virtue (or power); 妙吉祥 wonderfully auspicious; the last is a later translation in the 西域記. As guardian of wisdom 智慧 he is often placed on Śākyamuni's left, with 普顯 on the right as guardian of law 理, the latter holding the Law, the former the wisdom or exposition of it; formerly they held the reverse positions. He is often represented with five curls or waves to his hair indicating the 五智 q. v. or the five peaks; his hand holds the sword of wisdom and he sits on a lion emblematic of its stern majesty: but he has other forms. He is represented as a youth, i. e. eternal youth. His present abode is given as east of the universe, known as 淸涼山 clear and cool mountain, or a region 寶住 precious abode, or Abode of Treasures, or 寶氏 from which he derives one of his titles, 寶相如來. One of his dhāraṇīs prophesies China as his post-nirvāṇa realm. In past incarnations he is described as being the parent of many Buddhas and as having assisted the Buddha into existence; his title was 龍種上佛 the supreme Buddha of the nāgas, also 大身佛 or 神仙佛; now his title is 歡喜藏摩尼寶精佛 The spiritual Buddha who joyfully cares for the jewel: and his future title is to be 普現佛 Buddha universally revealed. In the 序品 Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra he is also described as the ninth predecessor or Buddha-ancestor of Śākyamuni. He is looked on as the chief of the Bodhisattvas and represents them, as the chief disciple of the Buddha, or as his son 法王子. Hīnayāna counts Śāriputra as the wisest of the disciples, Mahāyāna gives Mañjuśrī the chief place, hence he is also styled 覺母 mother, or begetter of understanding. He is shown riding on either a lion or a peacock, or sitting on a white lotus; often he holds a book, emblem of wisdom, or a blue lotus; in certain rooms of a monastery he is shown as a monk; and he appears in military array as defender of the faith. His signs, magic words, and so on, are found in various sutras. His most famous centre in China is Wu-tai shan in Shansi. where he is the object of pilgrimages, especially of Mongols. The legends about him are many. He takes the place in Buddhism of Viśvakarman as Vulcan, or architect, of the universe. He is one of the eight Dhyāni-bodhisattvas, and sometimes has the image of Akṣobhya in his crown. He was mentioned in China as early as the fourth century and in the Lotus Sutra he frequently appears, especially as the converter of the daughter of the Dragon-king of the Ocean. He has five messengers 五使者 and eight youths 八童子 attending on him. His hall in the Garbhadhātu maṇḍala is the seventh, in which his group numbers twenty-five. His position is northeast. There are numerous sutras and other works with his name as title, eg. 文殊師利問菩提經 Gayaśīrṣa sūtra, tr. by Kumārajīva 384-417: and its 論 or .Tīkā of Vasubandhu, tr. by Bodhiruci 535. see list in B. N. 曼荼羅 曼怛羅; 曼特羅; 曼陀羅; 曼拏羅; 蔓陀囉; 滿荼邏 mandala, a circle, globe, wheel ring; "any circular figure or diagram" (M.W.); a magic circle; a plot or place of enlightenment; a round or square altar on which buddhas and bodhisattvas are placed; a group of such, especially the garbhadhātu and vajradhātu groups of the Shingon sect; these were arranged by Kōbō Daishi to express the mystic doctrine of the two dhātu by way of illustration, the garbhadhātu representing the 理 and the 因 principle and cause, the vajradhātu the 智 and the 果 intelligence (or reason) and the effect, i.e. the fundamental realm of being, and mind as inherent in it; v. 胎 and 金剛. The two realms are fundamentally one, as are the absolute and phenomenal, e.g. water and wave. >> There are many kinds of maṇḍalas, e.g. the group of the Lotus Sutra; of the 觀經; of the nine luminaries; of the Buddha's entering into nirvana, etc. The real purpose of a mandala is to gather the spiritual powers together, in order to promote the operation of the dharma or law. The term is commonly applied to a magic circle, subdivided into circles or squares in which are painted Buddhist divinities and symbols. Maṇḍalas also reveal the direct retribution of each of the ten worlds of beings (purgatory, pretas, animals, asuras, men, devas, the heavens of form, formless heavens, bodhisattvas, and buddhas). Each world has its mandala which represents the originating principle that brings it to completion. The mandala of the tenth world indicates the fulfilment and completion of the nine worlds.
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Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism in China
(1)Wutaishan:Great Wisdom Bodhisattva
(2)Ermeishan:Great Conduct Bodhisattva
(3)Jiuhuashan:Great Resolution Bodhisattva
(4)PutuoShan:Great Compassion Bodhisattva
:> BUDDHISM and THE FOUR MOUNTAINS <:
>> There are more than 200 mountains in China, which have associations with Buddhism. Among them are the famous Buddhism's Four Mountain Sanctuaries. They are the domains of Buddhism's four most venerated Bodhisattvas.
>> Mount Wutai of Shansi Province is the domain of Manjusri, or the Universial Great Wisdom Bodhisattva. Mount Emei of Sichuan Province is the domain of Samantabhadra, or Bodhisattva of Universal Benevolence (Universal Worthy Great Conduct Bodhisattva). Mount Putuo of Zhejiang Province is the domain of Avalokitesvara or Guan Shr Yin Great Compassion Bodhisattva (Goddess of Mercy). Mount Jiuhua of Anhui Province is the domain of Ksitigarbha or Earth Treasury King Great Vow Bodhisattva (Guardian of the Earth).
>> We mortal beings have not yet achieved any of such enlightenments. Those who have achieved the first is an Arhat. Those who have achieved the first two is a Bodhisattva. When all three have been attained, the being becomes a Buddha.
>> So a Bodhisattva is in fact a Buddha-to-be. It is a Bodhisattva's task to help the Buddha deliver all mortal beings from the Sea of Misery to the Land of Ultimate Bliss by indoctrinating them with Buddhist philosophy.
>> To us, the mortal beings, the Buddha seems omnipotent and untouchable. On the other hand, the Bodhisattvas appear to be sincere, pragmatic and approachable. So, in the course of the spread of Buddhism in China, worships of the Bodhisattvas gradually emerged. Specifically, according to Buddhist legends, these four Bodhisattvas descended upon this mundane world with the task of delivering the multitude to another world. They established themselves in these mountains (their relative domains) to preach their doctrines, thus helping establish the position of the four mountains as the Buddhist sanctuaries in China.
>> These four Buddhist mountain sanctuaries are endowed with a venerated history of Buddhist cultural legacy, with treasures of Buddhist art and cultural relics. Here, one can always hear the Buddhist music and incantations and smell the burning incense. The noble images of the mountains soaring over the mortal world and into the blue sky act as symbols of the Buddhist belief in rebirth and introvert meditation. The clean and profound environment of the mountains is an expression of the Buddhist outlook of simple life, and the solitude of the mountain sanctuaries symbolises the Buddhist philosophy.
___________WUTAISHAN___________
>> This mountain chain is located in the north-east Shansi Province, covering a circumference of more than 250 km. It is a massif with a southwest-northeast axis, separated from the Heng Shan (mountains) to the northwest by the valley of the Hu-to Ho (river), which curves around its southern flank to flow into the North China Plain in Hopeh Province.
>> Mount Wutai (means Five Terraces) is a cluster of five flat-topped peaks :
>>> the Wanhai Peak (the Eastern Terrace),
>>> the Guayue Peak (the Western Terrace),
>>> the Jingxiu Peak (the Southern Terrace),
>>> the Yedou Peak (the Northern Terrace),
>>> the Guayue Peak (the Central Terrace).
>> The highest of the five is the Yedou Peak (Northern Terrace) standing @ 10033Ft (3058m) above sea level with the top crest measures 26.7 square-metres in area.
>> Mount Wutai is often known as the roof of North China. Because of its high altitude, low temperature and snowfalls in summer, the Yedou Peak is known as the Mountain of Coolness. In side this ring of five peaks stands Taihui Town, which is the centre of a cluster of Buddhist monasteries and one of the Buddhist meccas for the Chinese Buddhists. In Wutai, the rising peaks and the plunging ravines look boundless, with the tall pines standing aloft among the mountain streams, the grass tapestry embroidered with blooming flowers, and in this backdrop of the nature, the maintain is intertwined with ancient chambers, halls, kiosks and pagodas.
>> According to the Buddhavatamsaka-mahavaipulya Sutra, "To the northeast there is the Mountain Coolness, where Bodhisattvas often takes up residence. The current occupant of this abode is a Bodhisattva by the name of Manjusri, who lives there with 10,000 family members." Following the legend, Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, is often seen sitting at the left side of Sakyamuni, wearing his hair in five coils on his head to symbolise wisdom, holding a sword in his hand as a symbol of sharp-mindedness and riding a lion that means ferociousness. He is usually considered the foremost of the four major Bodhisattvas. It is said that after the Buddha achieved nirvana, Manjusri moved to live in the Zhenrong Monastery Temple (or the Manjusri Temple) on Mount Wutai of all the Four Buddhist Mountain sanctuaries, Mount Wutai was the earliest to be opened up with the largest number of temples and the most respected of all bodhimandalas in China.
>> The first temple in Mount Wutai, the Lingjiu Temple (known as Xiantong Temple nowadays) was built during the 58-76 AD reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). More temples were built since then and at the zenith during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the mountain was covered by 100 temples inhabited by 10,000 monks. After the Yuan Dynasty (1368-1644) Tibetan Lamaism found its way into Mount Wutai, turning it into a sanctuary where orthodox Buddhism mingled with the Gelug Sect of Lamaism.
>> Nowadays, more than 40 temples remain intact, such as the Nanchan, Foguang, Xiantong, Tayuan, Pusading, Luohou, Yuanzhao, Shuxiang, Bishan, Dailuo, Nanshan, Jinge and Shenhai temples. All these structures figure prominently in the history of Chinese and world architecture. The main hall of the Nanchan Temple and the East Hall of the Foguang Temple are fine examples of Tang wood structures. The main hall of the Yanqing Temple and the Manjusri Hall of the Yanshan Temple are examples from the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). The Mahavira Hall of the Yanshan Temple is from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). The Manjusri Hall of the Nanshan Temple and the Great Buddha Hall of the YuanZhao Temple are from the Ming Dynasty. Pusading, Luohou and Dailuoding temples are from the Qing Dynasty, and the Zunsheng Temple and Shifang Hall are from the Republican years (1911-1949). Such religious establishments, built in different ages, range from the simplistic to the magnificent, from imposing-looking structures to elaborately ornamented carvings and certainly constitute a vertical historical record of ancient Chinese wood architecture. Apart from the wood structures, the brick-and-masonry structures also variegate in forms, ranging from soaring pagodas, majestic halls to screen walls, archways and finely crafted balustrades and stairways. The four walls of the Beamless Hall (Hall of Infinite Longevity of the Xiantong Temple are all fashioned out of gray brick and its roof built by piling up square pieces of timber (a rare example of architecture in China without a single beam, pillar and Portico (Beamless). The stone archway of the Longquan Temple is a precious combination of finely crafted stone carvings with ingenuously designed and solidly constructed masonry. The stone bridges of the Longquan and Tailu Temples contain well-conceived structures and state-of-the-art stone carvings. The screen walls of the Puhua and Sunsheng Temples are marked for their sedate forms and flowing chisel work.
>> There are also magnificient pagodas, such as the double-layered hexagonal Zushi (Guru) Pagoda fromm the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) in the Fogguang Temple. The pagoda dedicated to Monks Jietuo and Zhiyuan is from the Song Dynasty. The Venuvanavihara pagoda and the pagoda dedicated to Monk Jinggong are from the Song and Jin Dynasties. The pagoda in honour of Imperial Tutor Zhenjue and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Grottoes are from the Yuan Dynasty. The Great White Pagoda and the stupa for the hair of Manjusri in Tayuan Temple are from the Ming Dynasty. The Octagonal Pagoda of the Lingfeng Temple and the Brick Pagoda of the Luohou Temple are from the Qing Dynasty. The Pagoda dedicated to Master Puji of the Longquan Temple is from the Republican years.
>> Besides architecture, Mount Wutai is also full of painted sculptures, murals and carvings. For instance, the fifty Tang-dynasty painted sculptures in the Nanchan and Foguang temples are famous for the well-proportioned configurations, plump facial forms and fluent lines and are considered as the only consummate examples of temple sculptures outside Dunhuang Grottoes. The sculptures of the 500 arhats in the Manjusri Chamber of the Shuxiang Temple is a good example of clay sculpture. The 17.7 metre tall statue of Avalokitesvara with a thousand hands in the Guanyin Pavilion of the Jinge Temple is the tallest of all statues at Mount Wutai. It is originally casted in bronze and wrapped up in a layer of clay before being plated with gold during Qing Dynasty. The murals on the walls of the Eastern Hall of the Foguang Temple cover 12 square metres and are from the Tang Dynasty. Those in Yanshan Temple are from the Jin Dynasty. In Nanshan Temple, there is the best collection of stone carvings, with a total of 1160 pieces.
Source: [Four Sacred Mountains in China]
from “Buddhist Encyclopedia”
曼殊室利
or 曼殊尸利 Mañjuśrī,
v. 文殊, and the 曼殊室利經.
Manjusri Mantra
(1) OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHIH
(2) Om WAGI SHORI MUM
文殊 (文殊師利) Mañjuśrī 滿殊尸利 -later 曼殊室利. 文殊 is also used for Mañjunātha, Mañjudeva, Mañjughoṣa, Mañjuṣvara, et al. T., hjamdpal; J., Monju. Origin unknown; presumably, like most Buddhas and bodhisattvas, an idealization of a particular quality, in his case of Wisdom. Mañju is beautiful, Śrī; good fortune, virtue, majesty, lord, an epithet of a god. Six definitions are obtained from various scriptures: 妙首 (or 頭 ) wonderful or beautiful) head; 普首 universal head; 濡首 glossy head (probably a transliteration); 敬首 revered head; 妙德 wonderful virtue (or power); 妙吉祥 wonderfully auspicious; the last is a later translation in the 西域記. As guardian of wisdom 智慧 he is often placed on Śākyamuni's left, with 普顯 on the right as guardian of law 理, the latter holding the Law, the former the wisdom or exposition of it; formerly they held the reverse positions. He is often represented with five curls or waves to his hair indicating the 五智 q. v. or the five peaks; his hand holds the sword of wisdom and he sits on a lion emblematic of its stern majesty: but he has other forms. He is represented as a youth, i. e. eternal youth. His present abode is given as east of the universe, known as 淸涼山 clear and cool mountain, or a region 寶住 precious abode, or Abode of Treasures, or 寶氏 from which he derives one of his titles, 寶相如來. One of his dhāraṇīs prophesies China as his post-nirvāṇa realm. In past incarnations he is described as being the parent of many Buddhas and as having assisted the Buddha into existence; his title was 龍種上佛 the supreme Buddha of the nāgas, also 大身佛 or 神仙佛; now his title is 歡喜藏摩尼寶精佛 The spiritual Buddha who joyfully cares for the jewel: and his future title is to be 普現佛 Buddha universally revealed. In the 序品 Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra he is also described as the ninth predecessor or Buddha-ancestor of Śākyamuni. He is looked on as the chief of the Bodhisattvas and represents them, as the chief disciple of the Buddha, or as his son 法王子. Hīnayāna counts Śāriputra as the wisest of the disciples, Mahāyāna gives Mañjuśrī the chief place, hence he is also styled 覺母 mother, or begetter of understanding. He is shown riding on either a lion or a peacock, or sitting on a white lotus; often he holds a book, emblem of wisdom, or a blue lotus; in certain rooms of a monastery he is shown as a monk; and he appears in military array as defender of the faith. His signs, magic words, and so on, are found in various sutras. His most famous centre in China is Wu-tai shan in Shansi. where he is the object of pilgrimages, especially of Mongols. The legends about him are many. He takes the place in Buddhism of Viśvakarman as Vulcan, or architect, of the universe.
He is one of the eight Dhyāni-bodhisattvas, and sometimes has the image of Akṣobhya in his crown. He was mentioned in China as early as the fourth century and in the Lotus Sutra he frequently appears, especially as the converter of the daughter of the Dragon-king of the Ocean. He has five messengers 五使者 and eight youths 八童子 attending on him. His hall in the Garbhadhātu maṇḍala is the seventh, in which his group numbers twenty-five. His position is northeast. There are numerous sutras and other works with his name as title, eg. 文殊師利問菩提經 Gayaśīrṣa sūtra, tr. by Kumārajīva 384-417: and its 論 or .Tīkā of Vasubandhu, tr. by Bodhiruci 535. see list in B. N.
曼荼羅 曼怛羅; 曼特羅; 曼陀羅; 曼拏羅; 蔓陀囉; 滿荼邏 mandala, a circle, globe, wheel ring; "any circular figure or diagram" (M.W.); a magic circle; a plot or place of enlightenment; a round or square altar on which buddhas and bodhisattvas are placed; a group of such, especially the garbhadhātu and vajradhātu groups of the Shingon sect; these were arranged by Kōbō Daishi to express the mystic doctrine of the two dhātu by way of illustration, the garbhadhātu representing the 理 and the 因 principle and cause, the vajradhātu the 智 and the 果 intelligence (or reason) and the effect, i.e. the fundamental realm of being, and mind as inherent in it; v. 胎 and 金剛. The two realms are fundamentally one, as are the absolute and phenomenal, e.g. water and wave.
>> There are many kinds of maṇḍalas, e.g. the group of the Lotus Sutra; of the 觀經; of the nine luminaries; of the Buddha's entering into nirvana, etc. The real purpose of a mandala is to gather the spiritual powers together, in order to promote the operation of the dharma or law. The term is commonly applied to a magic circle, subdivided into circles or squares in which are painted Buddhist divinities and symbols. Maṇḍalas also reveal the direct retribution of each of the ten worlds of beings (purgatory, pretas, animals, asuras, men, devas, the heavens of form, formless heavens, bodhisattvas, and buddhas). Each world has its mandala which represents the originating principle that brings it to completion. The mandala of the tenth world indicates the fulfilment and completion of the nine worlds.
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