#manjushri

[ryin-silverfish]

Me, staring at the "Nezha is eternally 12/Nezha is often depicted as a kid so he's just a kid and nothing else" crowd: man, have you heard of Child Manjushri a.k.a. Wenshu Tongzi

(This is totally not an excuse for me to find cool statue pictures and talk iconography)

So, here is Bodhisattva Manjushri in his standard "graceful aristocratic prince" form, riding his azure lion. The statue in the picture doesn't have it, but oftentimes, he'll also be holding a flaming sword that symbolizes wisdom's ability to cut through ignorance and delusions.

This is "Holy Old Monk Manjushri", a variant that I came across a few times while temple-touring, but couldn't find many good online pictures of. It seemed like a thing that was popular around Mt. Wutai, based on the "Buddha-palita met Old Man Manjushri" tale. Sometimes his BFF Samantabhadra is depicted as an old man too, for matching purposes.

And this is Child Manjushri, with his five hair buns, often worshipped in an esoteric context. On Mt. Wutai, there are five major temples atop five peaks, each worshipping a different form of Manjushri, and the "middle peak" temple has a Child Manjushri in their main hall. Like, it's far from the most common variant, but neither is it this super obscure form that no longer enjoys active worship.

Lastly, just for fun: this is Yamantaka, a guardian deity/Wisdom King, who, in Tibetan Buddhism, is believed to be Manjushri's wrathful form.

If you wouldn't call Manjushri "the eternal child Bodhisattva" just because he has a child form, why would you say Nezha is an eternal child when he, too, has both child and adult forms?

Even though Nezha's child form is vastly more popular and well-known than Child Manjushri, I think my point still stands: A deity is capable of having multiple manifestations, of varying ages and appearances, each fulfilling a particular function and niche——none of which is the "One True Form TM", just different clothes they wear based on occasions and audiences.

To stretch the analogy a little, Manjushri's child form is the formal dress he puts on before attending a religious event, while Nezha's child form is the lotus T-shirt he wears a lot while appearing on TV, to the point it becomes his most iconic attire.

This doesn't mean he only has a single shirt, for goodness sake, and using his child form as evidence for the "eternal child" claim is like saying Nezha's only allowed to wear that one shirt and nothing else.

[mahayanapilgrim]

"My friends will become nothing,

My foes will become nothing,

I too will become nothing.

Just like a dream experience,

whatever things I enjoy will not be seen again.

The Buddhas neither wash ill deeds away with water, Nor remove beings suffering with their hands.

Beings are released through the teachings of the truth, the final reality.

Thus by the virtue of all that I have done,

May the pain of all living beings be cleared away."

~ Shantideva

From: «The Way of the Bodhisattva»

[weaverpop]

Hey!

Did you know that in the original story azure was not only known as the “lion-lynx demon” but was also the steed of manjusri?

Also! I heard that in the original Chinese translation he was actually female! Which would kinda make sense since he’s most likely castrated and would’ve lost his mane if he was a guy.

Anyway, how would Li Jing and even azure react to this? Is it cannon within your story?

While that is HILARIOUS to think about, Azure being female would not be canon. The whole castration thing was kinda fixed after the JE died and his magic, well, magically fixed azure.

Also yes! I was aware of the first bit! Manjusri is a very happy grandparent!

[teddycicada]

En la novela, Azure Lion es la mascota del boddishatva Manjushri. Simpre he querido ver un dibujo de ellos juntos. Me pregunto como hubiera sido su dinamica si el hubiera existido en LMK. Ya que el lore de Azure es diferente en LMK

[arjuna-vallabha]

Namasangiti Manjushri, Nepal

[the-monkey-ruler]

I am a little confused. Someone on twt says that the lion that takes the place of King Wuji and the Azure Lion that is with his sworn brothers are two different lions and are not the same, however, some articles say that they are the same.

I’ve seen that as well! I personally never heard of this take before but I asked a friend and they told me that this is a real theory. I'm not sure how popular the two-lion theory is since I've never seen anyone else ever talk about it but I'll explain it here.

Two Lions theory - Wukong didn’t mention anything to Azure Lion when they met in the Camel Ridge arc. He mentioned nothing of their first fight in the Wuji Kingdom and this makes it strange he wouldn’t at least reference this. The master also says nothing of his Lion running away in the few short years that he was the one to release him from the Wuji kingdom. Never referenced in the book and thus it didn't happen.

Same Lion theory - Bodhisattva are only known for having a single beast they ride or their Diting and it would be strange that Manjushri has two of the exact same Lion. While other Bodhisattvas like GuanYin are connected to multiple animals (she has a pet goldfish and her Diting is a wolf) but only Manjushri has the same animal. He is never mentioned on having different animals and thus it is the same animal but he ran away the second time and that is why it wasn't mentioned.

In the most likely case, you have to think of it as a more out-of-story reason as to why there were multiple stories of Manjushri's animal companion in the story and they are both meant to be based on the same animal. Wu Cheng'en didn't write Xiyouji himself, he took what existing stories that were already there and was the man to make it into a single-story compilation. The stories most likely used the same Lion since Manjushri is an old and well-known figure but Wu Cheng'en still added both since it could work. Wu Cheng’en most likely didn’t bother to add any acknowledgment that these were the same beast within the story because it wasn't contradicting anything in the story for having this animal commit two crimes there would be no reason to not add both stories.

That being said I personally believe they are the same Lion even if it was overlooked to acknowledge how the same beast commits two different crimes. I think that plot wise it doesn’t disqualify that this Lion could have done both as unlikely as it is. The first time being out of his master's wish and the second time being of his own volition. I never heard of the Two Lion Theory being a popular thing and not sure if other people even heard about it but maybe @journeytothewestresearch knows something.

[horizon5adventure]

[buddhismnow]

Monju, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, and Lion

Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom known as Monju in Japan, sits on the back of his lion. https://wp.me/pFy3u-8AI

Monju on a LionShūsei Japanese, late 15th century Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom known as Monju in Japan, sits cross-legged on the back of his lion. Monju appears as a youth in flowing robes, his hair worn long and loose; one of his attributes, a scepter, is placed casually on the ground before him. Although it is a decidedly carefree interpretation, the iconography seen here is consistent…

[mahayanapilgrim]

"Normally we operate under the deluded assumption that everything has some sort of true, substantial reality. But when we look more carefully, we find that the phenomenal world is like a rainbow — vivid and colorful, but without any tangible existence.

When a rainbow appears we see many beautiful colors - yet a rainbow is not something we can clothe ourselves with, or wear as an ornament; it simply appears through the conjunction of various conditions. Thoughts arise in the mind in just the same way. They have no tangible reality or intrinsic existence at all. There is therefore no logical reason why thoughts should have so much power over us, nor any reason why we should be enslaved by them."

- Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

[mahayanapilgrim]

Yab-Yum

Yab-yum represents the ideals of tantric sexual practice as a posture for making love. It weaves the transcendent and the immanent together by combining verticality with a deep sense of closeness.

Yab-Yum: Symbol of Divine Union

Yab-Yum is the symbol of divine union. It is the posture in which man and women are united between Heaven and Earth: a classic meditation posture. In many lovemaking postures one of the couple is underneath the other, but in Yab-Yum, both partners are equally upright.

"Yab-Yum" is a Tibetan term meaning "father-mother".

In Tibetan Tantra it is about the union of Compassion and Truth/ Wisdom. In Indian Tantra it is about the masculine as a passive meditator with the feminine as a dancing shakti in his lap... pure awareness meeting pure energy. On a metaphysical level, Yab-Yum represents the union of dualistic forms in order to attain transcendence.

In other words, when we bring apparent opposites together in love we can enter a state beyond normal consciousness: a state of oneness or unity consciousness. A remembrance of who we are beyond name and form...

This is the ultimate goal of Tantra.

[mahayanapilgrim]

Dakini

A beautiful woman may think: "Maybe I am more beautiful than all of them

people around me, and I can charm and fascinate anyone whichever I want." But her beautiful body is actually just blood,

Fat, muscle, lymph, bones and feces, nothing is good or bad interesting! The human body is like a beautiful porcelain vase filled with excrement. Opening it, you will feel nauseous. It is a waste of time to take too much care of this body, feeding it the healthiest plates of food, dressing it in the most fashionable clothes, and trying to make it appear younger than it really is. international. The body has nowhere else to go but to the cemetery, where it is burned, buried, or fed to the birds.

Teachings of Tibetan Buddhism

about the Most Important Things

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche & Padampa Sangye

[mahayanapilgrim]

[mahayanapilgrim]

"The eye organ is what sees forms outside. The eye consciousness is what, on seeing forms, thinks of them as being beautiful or ugly and accordingly clings to them or rejects them. Form is the object of the eye organ to which it appears. If we think of what we see as truly existing, then clinging to beautiful things and aversion to ugly things arise. But if instead we recognize that the object, the sense organ, and the consciousness are all three devoid of true reality and we realize their emptiness, we will recognize the inner consciousness as empty, for it does not dwell outside, inside, or in between."

Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche - Zurchungpa's Testament - on Wisdom - Collected Works, Vol Ill pg 302 - Shambhala

[mahayanapilgrim]

Medicine Buddha

He is thought to ease mental and bodily suffering and lead beings to enlightenment. His duty as a divine healer is symbolized by his customary depiction in a calm blue form, holding a dish of medicine and a myrobalan plant.

[mahayanapilgrim]

White Tara, the female Buddha of longevity.

Tara is a completely enlightened buddha and as a young bodhisattva she promised always to appear in the form of a female bodhisattva and goddess for the benefit of all beings and especially to protect from the eight fears. In this white form she appears specifically for the purpose of bestowing longevity.

[mahayanapilgrim]

In the morning, you should reflect on the difficulty to obtain a precious human birth; in the evening, you should reflect on death and impermanence, and throughout the day, you should reflect on karma, cause and effect, and act according to the 37 Bodhisattva Practices.

Meditate in shorter but more frequent sessions to ensure the good quality of your meditation. It is best to just observe the nature of mind, the ordinary bare mind, and preserve it. When thoughts appear neither reject nor accept them. Do not try to stop thoughts, allow them to arise, but recognize their arising and do not pursue them.

The goal is not to have no thoughts but for thoughts to arise and yet be rendered powerless. You must habituate this. Then later when negative thoughts and emotions arise, you will not fall under their power. The energy of these thoughts may arise but will not affect you in one or the other way.

Sometimes in meditation, there will be a time when there are actually no thoughts. In that instant, you will know that this is the true nature of your mind - the mind that abides like space, vivid and empty, open, not grasping at anything. This alert awareness must be upheld throughout all activities.

So do not try to stop thoughts, just relax into the nature of awareness. Whenever you meditate, our minds will be together. If you understand this you will not feel tired of meditation. - Garchen Rinpoche