Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

 

 

Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, revered among Chinese and Japanese Buddhists as Ti Tsang P’usa, stands as a revered figure embodying profound compassion and wisdom. Known by the epithet "Earth Treasury" or "Earth Store," Ksitigarbha embodies a vow of immense magnitude—to aid and liberate all sentient beings.

Manifested as a Buddhist monk, clad in simple robes and wielding a staff, Ksitigarbha's Great Vow resonates deeply: "If I do not go to the hell to help the suffering beings there, who else will go? ... if the hells are not empty I will not become a Buddha. Only when all living beings have been saved, will I attain Bodhi."

Central to Ksitigarbha's mission is the commitment to guide beings through the six realms, spanning the interregnum between the departure of Lord Buddha and the advent of the future Buddha, Maitreya. This bodhisattva's solemn pledge includes a refusal to attain Buddhahood until all beings find release from suffering in the hells, ensuring the complete evacuation of these realms of anguish.

Within Mahayana Buddhism, Ksitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas, alongside Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara, and Manjushri. Known in full as Dayuan Dizang Pusa, or "Bodhisattva King Earth-Matrix of the Great Vow," Ksitigarbha's divine presence represents an unwavering commitment to the liberation and well-being of all sentient beings.