Kṣitigarbha
Kṣitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb". Kṣitigarbha is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.
Usually depicted as a monk with either a halo or a crown bearing images of the Five Tathāgatas around his shaved head, he carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness.
Overview
Kṣitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas along with Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Avalokiteśvara in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism.At the pre-Tang dynasty grottos in Dunhuang and Longmen, he is depicted in a classical bodhisattva form. After the Tang, he became increasingly depicted as a monk carrying Buddhist prayer beads and a staff.
His full name in Chinese is Dayuan Dizang Pusa, or "Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva of the Great Vow," pronounced Daigan Jizō Bosatsu in Japanese, Jijang Bosal in Korean, Đại Nguyện Địa Tạng Vương Bồ Tát in Vietnamese. This name is a reference to his pledge, as recorded in the sutras, to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds in the era between the parinirvana of the Buddha and the rise of Maitreya. Because of this important role, shrines to Kṣitigarbha often occupy a central role in temples, especially within the memorial halls or mausoleums.
Scriptural sources
As a Brahmin maiden
The story of Kṣitigarbha was first described in the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra, a popular Mahayana sutra. This sutra is said to have been spoken by the Buddha towards the end of his life to the beings of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as a mark of gratitude and remembrance for his beloved mother, Maya. The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra begins, "Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was abiding in Trayastrimsas Heaven in order to expound the Dharma to his mother."The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra was first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese between 695 and 700 CE, during the Tang dynasty, by the Tripiṭaka master Śikṣānanda, a Buddhist monk from Khotan who also provided a new translation of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. However, some scholars have suspected that instead of being translated, this text may have originated in China, since no Sanskrit manuscripts of this text have been found. Part of the reason for suspicion is that the text advocates filial piety, which was stereotypically associated with Chinese culture. It stated that Kṣitigarbha practised filial piety as a mortal, which eventually led to making great vows to save all sentient beings. Since then, other scholars such as Gregory Schopen have pointed out that Indian Buddhism also had traditions of filial piety. Currently there is no definitive evidence indicating either an Indian or Chinese origin for the text.
In the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, the Buddha states that in the distant past eons, Kṣitigarbha was a maiden of the Brahmin caste by the name of Sacred Girl. This maiden was deeply troubled upon the death of her mother, who had often been slanderous towards the Three Jewels.
Iconography
Traditional iconography
In Buddhist iconography, Kṣitigarbha is typically depicted with a shaven head, dressed in a monk's simple robes.In his left hand, Kṣitigarbha holds a tear-shaped jewel or cintamani, which is a wish-granting jewel that symbolizes enlightenment or salvation. In his right hand, he holds a Khakkhara, which is used to alert insects and small animals of his approach so that he will not accidentally harm them as well as to open the gates of Hell. This staff is traditionally carried by Buddhist monks. Like other bodhisattvas, Kṣitigarbha usually is seen standing on a lotus base, symbolizing his release from rebirth. Kṣitigarbha's face and head are also idealised, featuring the third eye, elongated ears and the other standard attributes of a buddha. He is frequently shown wearing a plain monk’s robe and standing on a lotus base, reflecting purity and spiritual liberation.
In the Chinese tradition, Kṣitigarbha is often depicted wearing a Five Buddha crown, which is a crown that bears the images of the Five Tathāgatas. His image is similar to that of the fictional character Tang Sanzang from the classical novel Journey to the West, so observers sometimes mistake Kṣitigarbha for the latter. In China, Kṣitigarbha is also sometimes accompanied by a dog. This is in reference to a legend that he found his mother reborn in the animal realm as a dog named Diting, which the Bodhisattva adopted to serve as his steed and guard.
In Japan, Kṣitigarbha's statues are often adorned with bibs, kerchiefs or kasa hat on his head, and sometimes dressed with a haori. Tōsen-ji in Katsushika, Tokyo, contains the "Bound Kṣitigarbha" of Ōoka Tadasuke fame, dating from the Edo period. When petitions are requested before Kṣitigarbha, the petitioner ties a rope about the statue. When the wish is granted, the petitioner unties the rope. At the new year, the ropes of the ungranted wishes are cut by the temple priest.
File:Kṣitigarbha as Lord of the Six Ways.jpg|thumb|right|Painting of Kṣitigarbha as the Lord of the Six Ways from Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.
Kṣitigarbha as Lord of the Six Ways
Another category of iconographic depiction is Kṣitigarbha as the Lord of the Six Ways, an allegorical representation of the Six Paths of Rebirth of the Desire realm. The Six Paths are often depicted as six rays or beams radiating from the bodhisattva and accompanied by figurative representations of the Six Paths. Many of these depictions in China can be found in Shaanxi province, perhaps a result of Sanjiejiao teachings in the area.A Japanese variation of this depiction is the Six Kṣitigarbhas, six full sculptural manifestations of the bodhisattva. An example of this can be found in Konjikidō, the ‘Hall of Gold,’ in the Chūson-ji temple.
In Buddhist traditions
Indian and Tibetan traditions
In the early Indian and Indo-Tibetan traditions, Kṣitigarbha is counted among the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, together with Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara, Vajrapāṇi, Samantabhadra, Ākāśagarbha, Maitreya and Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambin.The cult of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas originated in India during the early development of Mahāyāna Buddhism and became especially popular in Central Asia and Tibet. One of the earliest surviving sources to describe their rituals and iconography is the Aṣṭamaṇḍalaka-sūtra, translated into Chinese by the esoteric master Amoghavajra. The Eight Bodhisattvas, each associated with one of the eight directions, were venerated both for spiritual blessings and for protection against disease, famine, and war. Beyond painted thangkas, images of the eight Bodhisattvas are also found on the walls of several Tibetan monasteries such as Iwang, Samding, Dolma, and Lakhang, attesting to the widespread popularity of their cult.
In the Nyingma tradition, particularly in the Longchen Nyingtik lineage, the Eight Great Bodhisattvas appear together around Śākyamuni Buddha in the Refuge Field. This arrangement visually expresses their role as manifestations of enlightened compassion and as peaceful counterparts to the Eight Herukas of the Mahāyoga system.
In the Nyingma Mahāyoga system of Tibet, each of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas is considered to have a wrathful counterpart among the Eight Herukas, the central meditational deities of the Eight Heruka mandalas. These Herukas represent the dynamic, transformative aspects of the same enlightened principles embodied in the peaceful Bodhisattvas of the Mahāyāna.
Kṣitigarbha appears as Lokastotrapūjā-nātha, one of the Eight Great Herukas — specifically the deity of ‘Mundane or Worldly Praises’.
This wrathful Kṣitigarbha is depicted dark blue in colour, with a fierce expression, adorned with bone ornaments, and surrounded by flames of pristine awareness. the right face yellow, the left purple. six arms, four legs, and two wings. holds a vajra and a skull bowl.
He embodies the dynamic, protective energy of the awakened Earth and is invoked to pacify the disturbances of the subterranean and earthly spirits.
According to Rob Mayer, the Nyingma tradition classifies Lokastotrapūjānātha as one of the Eight Great Herukas.
Although its name literally means “Worldly Offerings and Praises”, it is not considered a mundane spirit, but an enlightened manifestation of Heruka that subdues worldly forces.
Mayer, citing Rang ’byung pad ma snying thig by Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoche, clarifies that these “Three Mundane Deities” are regarded as transcendent aspects of enlightenment, equal in status to the “Five Wisdom Deities”.
Unlike the later East Asian representations of Kṣitigarbha as a monk with a pilgrim’s staff, in the Indo-Tibetan context he appears as a young Indian prince, richly adorned with the silks, jewels, and long hair characteristic of the sambhogakāya bodhisattvas.
In Tibetan iconography he is usually white in color, sometimes described as green-blue in tantric sources such as The Great Chariot. He is portrayed as peaceful, smiling, and compassionate, with one face and two hands:
- The right hand holds a young sprout at the level of the heart, symbolizing growth and renewal;
- The left hand holds an upturned bell, resting at the hip, symbolizing the sound of the Dharma and the wisdom of emptiness.
Kṣitigarbha is also mentioned in several ritual texts associated with Prithvī Devī, the Earth goddess, invoked for agricultural prosperity and the protection of crops. In those texts he appears only as a companion deity, representing the male or awakened aspect of the Earth principle.
In these practices, the goddess is described as yellow in colour, with her upper body bare, holding a jewel and a vase; while Kṣitigarbha is depicted as white, dressed in bodhisattva attire, holding a sprout in the right hand and a bell in the left, seated in a half-lotus posture.
In the Mandala of the Forty-Two Peaceful Deities described in the Bardo Thödol, Kṣitigarbha is depicted seated to the right of Vajrasattva-Akṣobhya, in the eastern direction, associated with the vajra family, the water element, and the mirror-like wisdom. In this mandalic context, his color corresponds to the blue or white hue of the vajra family, depending on the lineage and interpretive system
Because there are few Tibetan tantric texts or sādhana cycles devoted specifically to him, Kṣitigarbha does not have a fixed iconography in Tibetan art. His depictions may vary between white, green-blue, or jewel-blue, reflecting both symbolic and regional interpretations.