Mahasthamaprapta


Mahāsthāmaprāpta is a Bodhisattva Mahāsattva who represents the power of wisdom. His name literally means "arrival of the great strength".
Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, along with Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Avalokiteśvara, Ākāśagarbha, Kṣitigarbha, Maitreya and Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin.
In Chinese Buddhism, Mahasthamaprapta is sometimes portrayed as a woman, Dashizhi, with a likeness similar to Avalokiteśvara. He is also one of the Thirteen Buddhas in the Japanese school of Shingon Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is equated with Vajrapani, who is one of his incarnations and was known as the Protector of Gautama Buddha.
Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the oldest bodhisattvas and is regarded as powerful, especially in the Pure Land school, where he takes an important role in the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra. He is often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, especially in Pure Land Buddhism.

China

In Chinese Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is known as Dashizhi, and is especially associated with the Pure Land tradition as one of Amitabha's assistant Bodhisattvas. Shi Yinguang, the Thirteenth Patriarch of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism, was widely considered to be a manifestation of Dashizhi based on the accounts of two people:

1. Yang Xinfeng, a student who had never heard of either Dashizhi or Yinguang

2. Benkong, a former Christian who later converted to Buddhism and became a bhikkhunī

Both of these figures had independent dreams regarding the situation.

Japan

In Japanese Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is known as Daiseishi and is associated with the temple guardians Kongō Rikishi. Daiseishi is one of 25 bodhisattvas who descend from heaven with Amitabha to welcome dying souls into Sukhavati. Daiseishi is also the guardian of those born in the Year of the Horse.
Daiseishi is one of the Thirteen Buddhas and oversees the ceremony held on the first year anniversary of a person's death.
It is theorised that Honen was an incarnation of Daiseishi. Honen was known as Seishimaru during his childhood, and was also known as "Hōnen-bō, foremost in wisdom".
After his death, one of his pupils, Shinran, composed the "Hymn of Great Seishi Bodhisattva" and at the end stated, "Great Seishi Bodhisattva is the original form of Genkū Shōnin."

In the sutras

Mahāsthāmaprāpta is mentioned in several major Mahayana and East Asian Buddhist sutras.
In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Mahāsthāmaprāpta tells of how he gained enlightenment through the practice of nianfo, or continuous pure mindfulness of Amitābha, to obtain samādhi.
In the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is symbolized by the moon while Avalokiteśvara is represented by the sun.
In the Introductory chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is present among the 80,000 bodhisattva mahāsattvas who assemble on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa to hear the Shakyamuni Buddha's preaching of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra. The Buddha also addresses Mahāsthāmaprāpta in chapter 20 of the Lotus Sutra to tell of the Buddha's past life as the Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta, a monk who was abused and reviled by arrogant monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen when he paid them respect by saying they would all become Buddhas. The Buddha explains to Mahāsthāmaprāpta how these arrogant people were punished, but are now bodhisattvas present in the assembly on the path to Enlightenment.
The Buddha then praises the great strength of the Lotus Sutra:

Mantra