Millions of years ago, there was a wise teacher named Amala-Surya-Tathagata. The king who rules the kingdom had a daughter named Da Hui. One day, Princess Da Hui knelt before Amalas-Surya-Tathagata and asked him to transform her into a man, so that she could attain Bodhisattva status.
The master replied, “As long as you aspire to be the mind of supreme benevolence and achieve wholesome merits, you can become a man.”
Hearing this, Da Hui instantly turned into a man. Thus he renounced the world and began his practice. After a long time, it became Bodhisattva Manjusri.
Who is Manjusri?
Gautama Buddha had two close assistants: Samanthabhadra on his right and Manjusri on his left. Manjusri had attained Buddhahood many times. Today he bears the title of “Spiritual Buddha who cares joyfully about jewels”, and in the future (which will be thousands of years to come) he will be the “Universally revealed Buddha”. In the Lotus Sutra it was stated that Manjusri had trained and disciplined many Bodhisattvas. The introductory chapter of the Lotus Sutra stated that Gautama Buddha was a disciple of Manjusri before living the life in which he became Buddha.
Manjusri – meaning “Soft and sweet glory” He is the most popular Buddha who embodies transcendental wisdom (the full Sanskrit name is Manjusrikumara). Known as the royal prince of the Buddha kingdom, he appears in various guises to free beings from their suffering. Theravada Buddhism portrays Manjusri as a young man seated on a pale blue lotus holding a sun and moon disk. The discs signify that He is supported by blissful wisdom and loving compassion. He has a double-edged sword that cuts ignorance in His right hand and the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in His heart in the left. Its golden yellow image symbolizes wisdom and knowledge. Manjusri is adorned with 6 types of ornaments (necklaces, anklets, etc.) that represent his fulfillment of the Six perfections – Generosity, Morality, Patience, Joyful Energy, Meditation and Wisdom.
Manjusri is often depicted sitting on a green lion. This indicates that the wild mind, as wild as the king of the jungle, can only be calmed by meditation. In fact, his wisdom has inspired many monks, practitioners, and laypeople to overcome all obstacles to achieve peace of mind. Some devotees consider him the god of science and believe that when he preaches the Law, every demon is conquered and every bit of evil that could deceive humanity is dispersed.
To serve Manjusri are the Five messengers and the Eight young. Each of them carries a page that sings their praises and virtues. In fact, for Mahayana Buddhists, Manjusri is relied upon to overcome ignorance and attain supreme wisdom to benefit all beings.
Research and excavations in various parts of India and China showed that there were not many followers of Manjusri before the 7th century. The figures and texts recorded more of Gautama Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, who is believed to be the next Buddha to descend to Earth (again, after thousands of years). The famous Hsuan Tsang (7th century) during his travels noticed many images and carvings of Gautama and Maitreya Buddha. The only reference to Manjusri was a single shrine dedicated to Him at Manthuraa. This lack of details about Manjusri is possibly due to the fact that such figures were not symbolically distinguished much at the time. Hsuan Tsang also recorded more popular Buddhas and investigated only famous legends. However, at the end of the 8th century, a healthy cult of Manjusri existed in China, thanks to a mountain called Wu Tai Shan on which Manjusri is said to have appeared before common beings.
The mountain of the five terraces (Wu Tai Shan)
In Shanxi province in China (near the borders of Hebei), there is a magnificent mountain known as ‘Wu Tai Shan’. This great and majestic mountain with 5 flat-topped peaks (which bears the name of Montaña de las Cinco Terrazas) rises some 3000 m above sea level. Today it is a popular pilgrimage and tourist spot with a thriving and flourishing Buddhist center.
Wu Tai Shan is considered the earthly abode of Manjusri since the 5th century. This is because there are written reports and texts of His presence on the mountain, appearing to many monks and travelers. So widespread were the stories of its apparitions that by the middle of the Tang Dynasty, it became an international pilgrimage center. During the Qing Dynasty, the famous Kangxi Emperor was a frequent visitor to the mountain.
Manjusri He appeared to various people in some forms: in the form of a child, a beggar, an old man, a bright cloud, or a bright light. The earliest known story of His appearance was that of an Indian monk, Buddhapalita, who made a trip to Wu Tai Shan in 676 CE in hopes of seeing Manjusri. Upon reaching the mountain, Buddhapalita fell on the ground and prayed to Manjusri. When he got back to his feet, he saw an old man approaching him. The old man asked if Buddhapalita had brought some scripture that can help alleviate the evil committed by Buddhists in China. He had not, and the old man told him that in order to see Manjusri, he had to return to India and retrieve the scriptures. Happy with gratitude, Buddhapalita bowed his head in respect and when he looked up, the old man had vanished. When he made his second trip to Wu Tai Shan with the scriptures (689 CE), Manjusri revealed himself to him again and showed him the mountain with its secrets.
Since then, Manjusri appeared on many pilgrimages, such as Tao-I, who related his experience to Emperor Hsuan Tsung. The emperor was impressed and amazed by the story that he financed the initial construction of the Golden Pavilion Monastery in the mountain. The monastery was completed in the late 8th century thanks to the efforts of an Indian monk, Amoghavajra, who received further funding from Emperor Tai Tsung. A Japanese monk named Ennin stayed for more than 2 months in Wu Tai Shan in 840 CE and recorded his wonderful experiences with the Manjusri manifestations.
In new texts discovered a few years later, it is claimed that the Buddha had predicted that Manjusri, the God of wisdom would reside in Wu Tai Shan. It is also believed to have appeared during a dark age of Buddhism, where ignorance was prevalent, thus causing endless suffering and misguided Dharma propaganda. Therefore, by revealing Himself, Manjusri rescued Buddhism from its decline with His Special Teaching deemed appropriate for the circumstances at that time.
Manjusri will become the teacher of Maitreya Buddha in the future. Maitreya is scheduled to become the fifth Buddha to descend to Earth in this kalpa.
Praise to Manjusri
“Wonderful Auspicious” is packed with great goodness.
Mother of the Enlightened One throughout the Three Periods of time.
His wisdom is beyond measure.
His left hand brandishes a sharp sword that cuts through all afflictions.
And his right hand holds the blue lotus that reflects the mark of His virtues,
A peacock and a lion – spirit act as his carriage.
Poisonous dragons and ferocious beasts are subdued and become pure and cold.
Pure youth with the five bows: this is a provisional manifestation.
Originally, He is the Happy Treasure of the Thus Come One.
Tribute to Manjusri Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom, who dwells in the Golden World of Pure Cool Mountain “.
Manjusri is known as ‘Wen Pu’sa’ in Chinese and ‘Monju’ in Japan. The mantra to sing to him is “Om Arapachana Dhih”.
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This article was written by FengShuiTimes.com editor Suan Tew and was reprinted by Dragon-Gate.com with permission.