BODHISATTVA MANJUSHRI
Manjushrî was a disciple of Shakyamuni of whom he is, with Samantabhadra, one of the acolytes in the groups of images called in Japan Shaka Sanzon, "the three venerable ones of Shakyamuni".
It is “He whose beauty is charming”, the Bodhisattva “of marvelous virtue and gentle majesty”. Important in Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism.
He is invoked for, among other things, success in studies. It represents wisdom, intelligence and the power of the spirit. “Her worship confers Divine Wisdom, Dharma mastery, faithful memory, mental perfection, eloquence. He would have delayed his accession to the state of Buddha indefinitely, moved by an infinite compassion which pushed him to remain in this world until there was not a single being left to bring on the path of enlightenment. supreme.
He is the protector of people born under the sign of the hare/rabbit.
The two main emblems of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, are the flaming sword and the sutra of perfection, in his left hand, near the heart. The flaming sword represents Manjushri's penetrating intelligence, which cuts through all illusions, revealing the empty nature of everything. The sword represents above all wisdom, the discernment that tears the veils of ignorance. Manjushrî would have been the initiator and master of the Buddhas of past ages.
It should also be that of the Buddha of the future, Maitreya. "Manjushrî is the father and mother of the Bodhisattvas, and he is their spiritual friend." The Buddha Himself describes Manjushrî and praises him in the Manjushrîparinirvâna-sûtra. This Bodhisattva was therefore very often represented, both in India and in Tibet, in China and in Japan, as well as in Nepal, of which he was, according to tradition, the founder who came from China.
His images only appear late in Central Asia and on some Chinese stelae, associated with Vimalakîrti (Japanese Yuima Koji) in the 6th century. According to Nepalese legend, Majushri opened up the Kathmandu Valley by carving a breach in the mountains encircling the valley with his flaming sword. The lake occupying the latter was thus able to be emptied through the chobar gorges, which bear the mark of this blow.
The best known Mañjuśrī Mantra is Om Ah Ra Pa Tcha Na Dhih, The seed syllables Dhih and Mum are associated with Manjushri. To have a good memory or to develop one's intelligence one often addresses oneself to the bodhisattva of great wisdom, and the recitation of the mantra is very practiced in China.
Long version: Namah samanta buddhānām. He he Kumāraka vimukti pathasthita smara smara pratijñā svāhā.
His cult in China developed from the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 — 589) on Mount Wutai (五台山/五臺山, wǔtáishān, "Mountain of Five Terraces"). Wutai Shan is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China. It culminates at 3,058 m at Yedou Peak. It is located on the territory of the city-prefecture of Xinzhou, in the province of Shanxi, just a few tens of kilometers south of one of the five sacred mountains of China: Mount Heng and less than 300 km from Beijing. . It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on June 26, 2009.
Bodhisattva Manjushri's mantra is:
Oṃ A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhiḥ
The syllables between Om and the final Dhih are the first syllables of a syllabary called arapacana because it begins with the syllables A, RA, P, A CA and NA. (A syllabary is like an alphabet, but made up of syllables).
This syllabary is found in a number of Buddhist texts, including some Perfection of Wisdom (prajñaparamita) texts. Many of the texts in which A RA PA CA NA (and the rest of the syllabary) appear are unrelated to Manjushri, but according to Dr. Conze (in the introduction to The Great Sutra on Perfect Wisdom ) "in later literature, c is always connected with the Bodhisattva Manjushri.
The individual syllables A RA PA CA and NA have no conceptual meaning, although they are considered to have symbolic links with various spiritual qualities.
Here is the diagram presented in the Great Sutra of Perfect Wisdom (adapted from Conze):
Here is the diagram presented in the Great Sutra of Perfect Wisdom (adapted from Conze):
Led to the idea that the essence of all things is unproduced.
RA leads to the idea that all things are pure and undefiled.
The AP leads to the idea that all dharmas have been "expounded in the ultimate sense".
CA leads to the idea that the arising and the ceasing of things cannot be apprehended because in reality there is neither arising nor ceasing.
NA leads to the idea that although the names of things change, the nature of the things behind their names cannot be won or lost.
These are all important concepts in the Perfection of Wisdom, although to say they are concepts is a bit limiting - in reality, they are attempts to describe the indescribable nature of reality.
Dhī ḥ is defined as meaning:
thought, (especially) religious thought, reflection, meditation, devotion, prayer; understanding, intelligence, wisdom