Akashagarbha
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Akashagarbha (Skt. Ākāśagarbha; T. nam mkha'i snying po ནམ་མཁའི་སྙིང་པོ་, pron. Namkhé Nyingpo; C. Xukongzang pusa; J. Kokuzo bosatsu 虛空藏菩薩) is a bodhisattva who is associated with the element of space (Skt. ākāśa), as well as wisdom and knowledge.[1] His name is translated as "womb of space," "nucleus of space," "space treasury," etc. He is also sometimes called Gaganagañja, which means "sky-jewel."
His wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself. His wisdom is similar to Mañjuśrī.[1]
In Tibetan Buddhism
In Tibetan Buddhism, Akashagarbha is counted as one of the eight great bodhisattvas. He is the counterpart to Ksitigarbha ("womb of the earth").[2] He is mentioned briefly in the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra. In this context, he is often depicted as blue, yellow or green in colour and holding a sword to cut through the destructive emotions.[1]
In East Asian Buddhism
Kūkai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, met a famous monk who is said to have repeatedly chanted a mantra of Ākāśagarbha as a young Buddhist acolyte. Kūkai took a tutorial with him on Kokuzou-Gumonji (a secret doctorine method, 虚空蔵求聞持法).[3] As he chanted the mantra, he experienced a vision whereby Ākāśagarbha told him to go to Tang China to seek understanding of the Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Sūtra.[4] Later he would go to China to learn Tangmi from Huiguo, and then go on to found the Shingon sect of esoteric Buddhism in Heian Japan.
Sutras
There are several Mahāyāna sūtras in which Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva is a central figure:
- 《大集大虚空藏菩薩所問經》 (Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā T.0404)
- 《虛空藏菩薩經》 (Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra T.405)
- 《佛説虚空藏菩薩神呪經》(Buddha Speaks the Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Dhāraṇī Sūtra T.406)
- 《虛空藏菩薩神呪經》(Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Dhāraṇī Sūtra T.0407)
- 《虛空孕菩薩經》 (Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra T.0408)
- 《觀虚空藏菩薩經 》(The Meditation on Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra T.0409)
- 《虚空藏菩薩能滿諸願最勝心陀羅尼求聞持法》(The Method of the Victorious, Essential Dharāṇi for Having Wishes Heard by the Bodhisattva Space-Store Who Can Fulfill Requests T.1145)
- 《大虚空藏菩薩念誦法》 (The Method of Invoking the Great Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva T.1146)
- 《聖虛空藏菩薩陀羅尼經》 (Dhāraṇī of the Space-Store Bodhisattva T.1147)
- 《佛説虚空藏陀羅尼》 (Buddha Speaks the Ākāśagarbha Dharāṇi T.1148)
- 《五大虚空藏菩薩速疾大神驗祕密式經》(The Five Great Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattvas Sūtra T.1149)
- 《虛空藏菩薩問七佛陀羅尼呪經》(Ārya Saptabuddhaka Sūtra or Dhāraṇī of the Space-Store Bodhisattvaʼs Questions to Seven Buddhas T.1333)
- 《如來方便善巧呪經》 (Incantation of the Tathāgatas' Skillful Means T.1334)
Additionally, he appears briefly in the final chapter of the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra, requesting the Buddha preach on the benefits of praising both the Sūtra and Kṣitigarbha.[5]
Five Great Ākāśagarbhas
The Five Great Ākāśagarbhas are manifestations of the Five Wisdom Buddhas in Esoteric Buddhism. They are said to bring about an increase of benefits such as good health. Within the traditional mandala, they are arranged as follows:[6]
| Name | Direction | Color | Associated Buddha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dharmadhātu Ākāśagarbha (法界虚空蔵) | Center | White | Vairocana |
| Vajradhātu Ākāśagarbha (金剛虚空蔵) | East | Yellow | Akṣobhya |
| Ratnaprabha Ākāśagarbha (宝光虚空蔵) | South | Blue | Ratnasambhava |
| Padma Ākāśagarbha (蓮華虚空蔵) | West | Red | Amitābha |
| Karma Ākāśagarbha (業用虚空蔵) | North | Black | Amoghasiddhi |
Mantras
The mantra of Ākāśagarbha is popularly used by Shingon Buddhists, practitioners of Tangmi, and by artists. It is believed to give rise to wisdom and creativity, and dispel ignorance.
- Chinese: 南無 虚空藏 菩薩 nāmo xūkōngzàng púsà
- Korean: Namu Heogongjang Bosal
- Vietnamese: Nam mô Hư Không Tạng Bồ Tát
- Translation: Homage to Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva
Another mantra also exists for Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva:
- Sanskrit: namo ākāśagarbhaya oṃ ārya kamari mauli svāhā
- Chinese: 南牟，阿迦捨，揭婆耶，唵，阿唎，迦麼唎，慕唎，莎嚩訶！
- Japanese pronunciation: nōbō akyasha kyarabaya om arikya mari bori sowaka
- Translation: In the name of ākāśa-garbhāya Om Flower-Garland Lotus-Crown may it be accomplished
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
Akashagarbha, Rigpa Shedra Wiki
- ↑ Robert E. Buswell Jr., Donald S. Lopez Jr., The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (Princeton: 2014), s.v. Ākāśagarbha
- ↑ Koya-san Fudoin 高野山不動院
- ↑ Abe 2013, p. 74.
- ↑ Śikṣānanda 2003, pp. 89-93.
- ↑ Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Abe, Ryūichi (13 August 2013). The Weaving of Mantra: Kūkai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse. Columbia University Press.
- French, Frank G.; Shih, Tao-tsi; Śikṣānanda (2003). The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows. Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation.
- Thích, Nhất Hạnh (1998). The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering Into Peace, Joy & Liberation : the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and Other Basic Buddhist Teachings. Broadway Books.
- Visser, M. W. de (1931). The Bodhisattva Akasagarbha (Kokuzo) in China and Japan, Amsterdam: The Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences.
Further reading
- Jamgön Mipham, A Garland of Jewels, (trans. by Lama Yeshe Gyamtso), Woodstock: KTD Publications, 2008
External links
Media related to Akasagarbha at Wikimedia Commons- Japanese Buddhist Statuary: Kokuzo
- The Koyasan Shingon-shu Lay Practitioner's Daily Service
- Thubten Zopa Rinpoche advice on the Akashagarbha Mantra
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