Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)

Samantabhadra () is a great bodhisattva in Buddhism associated with practice and meditation. Together with Shakyamuni Buddha and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, he forms the Shakyamuni Triad in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the patron of the '' Lotus Sutra'' and, according to the '' Avatamsaka Sutra'', made the ten great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva. In Chinese Buddhism, Samantabhadra is known as Puxian and is associated with action, whereas Mañjuśrī is associated with '' prajñā'' (transcendent wisdom). In Japan, this bodhisattva is known as Fugen, and is often venerated in Tendai and Shingon Buddhism.

In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of the Adi-Buddha, often portrayed in indivisible union ('' yab-yum'') with his consort, Samantabhadrī. In wrathful form he is one of the Eight Herukas of the Nyingma Mahayoga and he is known as Vajramrtra, But this Samantabhadra buddha and Samantabhadra bodhisattva are not the same.

In Mahayana sutras

In the ''Lotus Sūtra'', Samantabhadra is described at length in the epilogue, called the '' Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra'' (), with special detail given to visualization of the bodhisattva, and the virtues of devotion to him.

Samantabhadra is also a key figure in the '' Āvataṃsaka-sūtra'', particularly the last chapter, the '' Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra''. In the climax of the ''Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra'', the student Sudhana meets Samantabhadra Bodhisattva who confirms his awakening. Sudhana then merges into Samantabhadra, and Samantabhadra recites a set of popular verses. These verses are known as the ''Bhadracaripraṇidhāna'' (''Vows of Good Conduct'') or ''Ārya-samantabhadra-caryā-praṇidhāna-rāja'' (''The Royal Vow to follow the Noble Course of Conduct of Samantabhadra'').Osto, Douglas.
A New Translation of the Sanskrit "Bhadracarī" with Introduction and Notes.
' New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies 12, 2 (December 2010). This text which concludes the entire ''Avatamsaka'' was very popular in India, East Asia and in Himalayan Buddhism, and it is cited in numerous sources. It was considered to be a ''dhāraṇī'' and recited individually as a meritorious text.

Ten great vows

The core of Samantabhadra's aspirations in the ''Bhadracaripraṇidhāna'' are the ten great vows of Samantabhadra. The ten great vows of Samantabhadra are the following:

# to pay homage to all the buddhas;
# to glorify the qualities of all the tathāgatas;
# to make ample offerings to all the buddhas;
# to confess and repent of all one's misdeeds;
# to rejoice in the merits of others;
# to always request the preaching of the dharma;
# to entreat enlightened beings to remain in the world;
# to always study the teachings of the buddha;
# to always respond to sentient beings according to their various needs;
# to dedicate all merits to sentient beings that they may achieve buddhahood.

The ten vows have become a common practice in East Asian Buddhism, particularly the tenth vow, with many Buddhists traditionally dedicating their merit and good works to all beings during Buddhist liturgies.

Mantras and dharani

Like all important bodhisattvas, several mantras are associated with Samantabhadra. One of these is drawn from a work titled ''Arya-Buddhoshnisha-Cintamani-Mahadharani'':

om̐ samantabhadra sam svāhā

The ''Sarvadurgatiparishodana tantra'' contains the following mantra

om̐ samantabhadre hūm̐

''Sam'' is Samantabhadra's seed syllable.

The '' Dharanisamgraha'' meanwhile contains the following dharani for Samantabhadra:

om̐ namaḥ samantabhadrāya bodhisattvāya mahāsattvāya , , tadyathā , , om̐ samantabhadre sarvottama-mahāprāgbhārakalyāṇaṁ samprāpaya hūm̐ phaṭ svāhā , ,

Meanwhile the '' Mahavairocana Sutra'' contains the following mantra:

namaḥ samantabuddhānāṁ saṁ

In East Asian Buddhism

Unlike his more popular counterpart Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra is only rarely depicted alone and is usually found in a trinity on the right side of Shakyamuni, mounted on Six-tusked White Elephant. In those traditions that accept the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'' as their main text (mainly, the Huayan school), Samantabhadra and Manjusri flank Vairocana Buddha, the central Buddha of this particular sutra.

Known as Puxian in Chinese, Samantabhadra is sometimes shown in Chinese art with feminine characteristics, riding an elephant with six tusks while carrying either a lotus leaf 'parasol' (Sanskrit: '' chatra''), ''ruyi'' scepter, or sutra scroll, bearing similar dress and features to some feminine depictions of Guanyin. It is in this guise that Samantabhadra is revered as the patron bodhisattva of the monasteries associated with Mount Emei in western China. Some believe that the white elephant mount of Samantabhadra was the same elephant that appeared to Queen Maya, the mother of the Buddha, to herald his birth.

Mahayana esoteric traditions sometimes treat Samantabhadra as one of the 'Primordial' (Sanskrit: Dharmakaya) Buddhas, but the main primordial Buddha is considered to be Vairocana.

Tibetan Buddhism

In Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra (Tibetan: ''Kuntuzangpo'') is a name that refers to two different beings:

* The Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, one of the eight main bodhisattva attendants of Shakyamuni Buddha, i.e. one of the "eight close sons."
* The Primordial Buddha ( Adi-Buddha) Samantabhadra (known as Vajradhara in the Sarma traditions). Samantabhadra Buddha appears in the ''Kunjed Gyalpo'' Tantra, as the "All-Creating King", the "embodiment" (Sanskrit: '' kaya'') or "field" ('' kṣetra'') of "timeless awareness, gnosis" (Sanskrit: '' jñāna''). This Buddha is ultimate reality, which according to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is "the unity of awareness and emptiness, the unity of appearances and emptiness, the nature of mind, natural clarity with unceasing compassion." This Buddha appears in various Nyingma sources, like ''The Mirror of the Mind of Samantabhadra'', one of the Seventeen Tantras of Dzogchen.Rigpa Shedra (October, 2009). ''Seventeen Tantras.'' Source

(accessed: Monday April 5, 2010)

Notes

References and further reading

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External links

Samantabhadra DevotionsSamantabhadra: Internet Resources on the Bodhisattva Universal WorthyAspiration of Samantabhadra

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Bodhisattvas

Chinese gods