Ākāśagarbha (, Standard Tibetan: Namkha'i Nyingpo) is a bodhisattva in Chinese Buddhism, Japanese and Korean Buddhism who is associated with the great element ( mahābhūta) of space (Akasha).
Overview
Ākāśagarbha is regarded as one of the eight great bodhisattvas. His name can be translated as "boundless space treasury" or "void store" as his wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself. He is sometimes known as the twin brother of the "earth store" bodhisattva
Ksitigarbha, and is even briefly mentioned in the
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra.
Associated with the qualities of Gautama Buddha, he is able to purify transgressions.
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 doctrine method, 虚空蔵求聞持法). As he chanted the mantra, he experienced a vision whereby Ākāśagarbha told him to go to Tang dynasty to seek understanding of the Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Sūtra. 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 period.
Sutras
There are several Mahāyāna sūtras in which Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva is a central figure:
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《虛空藏菩薩經》 ( Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra T.405)
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《佛説虚空藏菩薩神呪經》( Buddha Speaks the Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Dhāraṇī Sūtra T.406)
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《虛空藏菩薩神呪經》( Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Dhāraṇī Sūtra T.0407)
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《虛空孕菩薩經》 ( Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra T.0408)
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《觀虚空藏菩薩經 》( The Meditation on Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra T.0409)
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《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)
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《大虚空藏菩薩念誦法》 ( The Method of Invoking the Great Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva T.1146)
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《聖虛空藏菩薩陀羅尼經》 ( Dhāraṇī of the Space-Store Bodhisattva T.1147)
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《佛説虚空藏陀羅尼》 ( Buddha Speaks the Ākāśagarbha Dharāṇi T.1148)
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《五大虚空藏菩薩速疾大神驗祕密式經》( The Five Great Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattvas Sūtra T.1149)
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《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)
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《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 Gautama Buddha preach on the benefits of praising both the Sūtra and Kṣitigarbha.
Five Great Ākāśagarbhas
The
Five Great Ākāśagarbhas are manifestation of the
Five Tathagatas. They are said to bring about an increase of benefits such as good health. Within the traditional mandala, they are arranged as follows: in Chinatown, Singapore]]
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| Dharmadhātu Ākāśagarbha (法界虚空蔵) | Center | White | Vairocana |
| Vajradhātu Ākāśagarbha (金剛虚空蔵) | East | Blue | Akshobhya |
| Ratnaprabha Ākāśagarbha (宝光虚空蔵) | South | Yellow | 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 believed to give rise to wisdom and creativity, and dispel ignorance., Japan. 9th century]]
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Traditional Chinese: 南無 虚空藏 菩薩
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Chinese (Pinyin):
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Japanese (Rōmaji):
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Korean:
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Vietnamese: Nam mô Hư Không Tạng Bồ Tát
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Translation: Homage to Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva
The "morning star mantra" is a common mantra practiced in
Shingon Buddhism. It is most often used as part of the Gumonjihō rite that is said to improve one's memory of the teachings and is derived from a sutra called
Kokūzō Bosatsu nō man shogan saishō shin darani gumonji hō 虛空藏菩薩能滿諸願最勝心陀羅尼求聞持法 (Taishō Canon #1145). This mantra is:
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Sanskrit:
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Traditional Chinese: 南無，阿迦捨，揭婆耶，唵，阿唎，迦麼唎，慕唎，莎嚩訶
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Chinese (Pinyin):
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Japanese (Rōmaji):
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Translation: Homage to Ākāśagarbha, Om - Crown of the Noble Enemy of Kama - svāhā
Sources
Further reading
External links
