A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
On the Matter of Ksitigarbha — 地藏菩薩 — the Bodhisattva of the Great Vow
His name in Sanskrit is Kṣitigarbha.
Kṣiti means earth. Ground. Land.
Garbha means womb. Treasury. Matrix. Storehouse.
Together: Earth Womb. Earth Treasury. Earth Matrix.
His name in Chinese is Dizang Pusa — 地藏菩薩.
Di — 地 — means earth.
Zang — 藏 — means storehouse. Treasury. That which contains.
Pusa — 菩薩 — means Bodhisattva — a being who has achieved enlightenment but chooses not to enter Nirvana in order to remain and help all other beings achieve liberation.
His full Chinese name is Dayuan Dizang Pusa — 大願地藏菩薩.
Dayuan — 大願 — means Great Vow.
Together: Bodhisattva King Earth-Matrix of the Great Vow.
He is called Jizō — 地蔵 — in Japanese. Also Ojizō-sama — お地蔵様 — Honorable Lord Jizō.
He is called Jijang Bosal — 지장보살 — in Korean.
He is one of the four principal Bodhisattvas of East Asian Mahayana Buddhism — 大乘佛教 — Da Cheng Fojiao.
The four are:
Guanyin — 觀音 — Avalokiteśvara — representing Great Compassion — 大慈悲 — da ciber.
Wenshu — 文殊 — Manjusri — representing Great Wisdom — 大智慧 — da zhihui.
Puxian — 普賢 — Samantabhadra — representing Great Love and Perfect Activity — 大行願 — da xing yuan.
Dizang — 地藏 — Ksitigarbha — representing the Great Vow — 大願 — da yuan.
He represents the Great Vow.
The Great Vow is recorded in every source.
It is the most important thing about him.
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On the Great Vow — 大願 — Da Yuan.
His vow is stated in the same words across all traditions.
If I do not go to 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.
This vow is called the Mahāpraṇidhāna — 大誓願 — Da Shi Yuan — the Great Oath Vow.
He made this vow not once.
He made this vow in multiple past lives across uncountable eons.
Each time he was reborn he renewed the vow.
Each time he renewed the vow he accumulated more merit.
The merit of an uncountable number of lifetimes of vow-keeping has made him one of the most powerful beings in all of Buddhist cosmology.
He could become a Buddha at any moment.
He chooses not to.
Not until the last soul is free.
He is still waiting.
The hells are not yet empty.
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On the note regarding the primary text.
The primary scripture dedicated to Ksitigarbha is the Dizang Pusa Benyuan Jing — 地藏菩薩本願經 — the Sutra of the Past Vows of the Earth Store Bodhisattva.
It is said to have been translated from Sanskrit by Śikṣānanda — 實叉難陀 — who lived from 652 to 710 of the common era.
Many contemporary scholars believe that the sutra was written in China as late as the tenth or eleventh century and the attribution to Śikṣānanda cannot be substantiated.
The sutra's Chinese origins are noted here honestly.
Its exact origin — translated from Sanskrit or composed in China — is debated among scholars.
It is not debated that the sutra exists and is one of the most widely recited Buddhist texts in East Asia.
It is not debated that the sutra has shaped Chinese Buddhist understanding of the afterlife more than any other single text.
Both the scholarly debate and the devotional significance are recorded here.
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On the origin of Ksitigarbha's popularity in China.
Textual references to Ksitigarbha appear as far back as the first or second century of the common era.
An independent cult dedicated to him apparently never developed in India.
Seventh-century Chinese pilgrims to India do not mention Kṣitigarbha.
His popularity grew in China beginning around the fifth century of the common era.
Knowledge of Kṣitigarbha was probably introduced to China around 400, but there is no evidence that Dizang became an object of widespread devotion there until much later.
The Sanjie Jiao — 三階教 — the Sect of the Three Stages — played an important role.
Their founder Xinxing — 信行 — who lived from 540 to 594 — promoted the worship of Dizang as appropriate to the present age.
He argued: in an evil age, people need a bodhisattva willing to descend into the worst places to help them.
Dizang was that bodhisattva.
Images of Dizang became popular among the aristocracy from 650 to 700 of the common era.
By the Tang dynasty — 唐朝 — Tang Chao — his worship was widespread.
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On his past lives. The first account. The Brahmin maiden.
The Sutra of Past Vows records four stories of how Ksitigarbha came to make his Great Vow.
The most widely known account is the Brahmin maiden — 婆羅門女 — Poluomen Nü.
Before Shakyamuni Buddha — 釋迦牟尼佛 — Shijiamouni Fo — there was a Buddha called the Buddha of Flower of Meditation and Enlightenment — 覺華定自在王佛 — Juehua Ding Zizai Wang Fo.
During that Buddha's time there lived a Brahmin girl.
She was deeply filial — 孝順 — xiaoshun.
Her mother had slandered the Three Jewels — 三寶 — San Bao — the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
The mother died.
The girl feared her mother had been reborn in a hell realm because of this slander.
She sold everything she possessed.
She bought offerings.
She offered them daily to the Buddha of Flower of Meditation and Enlightenment.
One day at the temple she heard the Buddha's voice.
The voice said: go home. Sit down. Meditate on my name. You will learn where your mother is.
She went home.
She meditated.
Her consciousness was transported to the Hell Realm — 地獄界 — diyu jie.
She met a guardian of hell.
The guardian told her: your mother has already been released from hell and ascended to heaven because of your fervent prayers and pious offerings.
She was greatly relieved.
But she had seen the suffering in hell.
She had seen countless beings in torment.
She could not turn away from what she had seen.
She made the vow.
She said: I shall do my very best to relieve beings of their suffering forever in my future lives for kalpas to come.
She became Ksitigarbha.
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On his past lives. The second account. The daughter of a kshatriya.
The second account in the Sutra records another past life.
In this life Ksitigarbha was the daughter of a kshatriya — 刹帝利 — Chatili — a warrior caste noblewoman.
Her mother likewise was destined for the hells.
She undertook the same acts of devotion.
She achieved the same result: her mother was saved.
She made the same vow.
The text records multiple past lives in multiple forms — male and female — because Ksitigarbha accumulated merit across innumerable lifetimes.
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On his past lives. The third account. Sudhana the monk.
In another past life Ksitigarbha was a monk named Sudhana — 善財 — Shancai — meaning Good Wealth.
He changed his name to Ksitigarbha upon taking his monastic vows.
He trained as a monk.
He cultivated the Bodhisattva path.
He encountered the suffering of beings in the lower realms.
He vowed not to rest until all were free.
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On his past lives. The fourth account. A king who encountered an enlightened being.
In another past life he was a king who encountered a Buddha.
The king asked the Buddha: how do I help the people who suffer?
The Buddha showed him the realms of suffering.
The king made a vow: I will not attain Buddhahood until all these beings are saved.
He became Ksitigarbha.
The thread across all four lives is the same.
A being of deep compassion encounters suffering that exceeds what can be ignored.
The being makes a vow.
The vow cannot be unmade.
It has to be fulfilled.
He is still fulfilling it.
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On his appearance.
He is the only figure in the Chinese Buddhist Pantheon depicted as a monk — 僧 — seng.
All other major bodhisattvas are depicted in royal or celestial form.
He wears the simple robes — 袈裟 — jiasha — of a Buddhist monk.
He has a shaved head — 光頭 — guang tou.
He sometimes has a halo — 光環 — guanghuan — or a crown — 頭冠 — tou guan — bearing images of the Five Tathāgatas — 五如來 — Wu Rulai — the Five Cosmic Buddhas.
His bare feet are visible — 赤足 — chi zu — indicating that he travels to wherever he is needed.
He carries two implements.
In his right hand he carries a khakkhara — 錫杖 — xi zhang — a monk's staff with six rings at the top.
The six rings represent his mastery of the Six Realms — 六道 — Liu Dao.
He uses this staff to force open the gates of hell — 強行打開地獄之門 — qiangxing dakai diyu zhi men.
In his left hand he carries a wish-fulfilling jewel — 如意寶珠 — Ruyi Baozhu — also called Cintamani — the jewel of all desires.
He uses this jewel to illuminate the darkness of hell.
Without it the souls in hell cannot see him coming.
With it they can.
He is sometimes accompanied by a dog — 狗 — gou.
This comes from a legend that he found his mother reborn in the animal realm as a dog.
He adopted it.
The dog follows him everywhere.
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On Diting — 諦聽 — the Divine Beast.
In Chinese folk belief Ksitigarbha has a mount — 坐騎 — zuoqi.
The mount is called Diting — 諦聽.
Di — 諦 — means to listen carefully. To perceive truth.
Ting — 聽 — means to hear.
Together: Careful Listener. Truth Hearer.
Diting is a divine beast — 神獸 — shen shou — that can distinguish good from evil.
He can hear everything happening in the world by pressing his ear to the ground.
He can identify the true nature of any being regardless of the form it takes.
Nothing deceives him.
He is enshrined beside Ksitigarbha in many temples.
Or he is depicted with Ksitigarbha riding on his back.
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On his domains.
He governs the hell realm — 地獄界 — diyu jie.
He is the Bodhisattva of hell-beings — 地獄眾生 — diyu zhongsheng.
He is the guardian of children — 兒童守護者 — ertong shouhu zhe.
He is the patron deity of deceased children — 夭折兒童守護神 — yaozhe ertong shouhushen.
He is the patron of aborted fetuses — 墮胎嬰兒守護者 — duotai ying'er shouhu zhe — particularly in Japanese Buddhism where stone Jizō statues are dressed in children's clothing and placed in cemeteries on behalf of lost children.
He is the protector of travelers — 旅行者保護者 — lüxingzhe baohu zhe — in Japanese Buddhism.
He is the protector of expectant mothers — 孕婦保護者 — yunfu baohu zhe — in Japanese Buddhism.
He is a comforter of the poor — 窮人的安慰者 — qiongren de anweizhe.
He is a comforter of the oppressed — 受壓迫者的安慰者 — shou yapo zhe de anweizhe.
He is a comforter of the sick — 病人的安慰者 — bingren de anweizhe.
He is a comforter of those troubled by spirits and nightmares — 受鬼魂和噩夢困擾者的安慰者 — shou guihun he emeng kunrao zhe de anweizhe.
His compassion is not practised exclusively for the benefit of the beings of the hell realm. He also gives blessings to those of the world who seek his help.
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On Mount Jiuhua — 九華山 — Jiuhua Shan.
Mount Jiuhua — 九華山 — Jiuhua Shan — is one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Chinese Buddhism — 中國佛教四大名山 — Zhongguo Fojiao Si Da Ming Shan.
It is located in Anhui province — 安徽省 — Anhui Sheng.
Chinese Buddhist tradition holds that Mount Jiuhua was chosen by Dizang himself to serve as his bodhimaṇḍa — 道場 — daochang — his place of enlightenment and practice.
One of the pilgrims associated with this tradition was a former prince of Silla — 新羅 — Xinluo — one of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea.
His name in Korean was Kim Gyo-gak — 金喬覺 — Jin Qiaojue.
He took the monastic name Dizang in Chinese.
He traveled to Mount Jiuhua in present-day Anhui.
He meditated there for many years.
A legend records: a snake bit Ksitigarbha on Mount Jiuhua. Unable to move, he remained. A passing woman gave him medicine. He was cured. He began meditating in a small hut on the mountain.
When a scholar, his friend, and their family visited the mountain, they noticed Ksitigarbha meditating in difficult conditions.
They decided to build him a temple.
They asked how much land he needed.
He said: a piece of land covered with my robe.
He threw his robe.
It spread across the entire mountain.
Elder Min Gong — 闵公 — the owner of Mount Jiuhua — provided the entire mountain to him.
The mountain was renamed in his honor.
This is the account of how Mount Jiuhua became the bodhimaṇḍa of Ksitigarbha.
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On his relationship with the Ten Courts.
The judges of the Ten Courts of Hell — 十殿閻羅 — Shi Dian Yan Luo — stand in his presence.
They do not sit.
They do not remain at their thrones.
They stand.
The Britannica account states: the judges are always represented standing when in the presence of Dizang, as a mark of their deference to him.
Yanluo Wang — 閻羅王 — the King of the Fifth Court — stands for him.
All ten kings stand for him.
He did not demand this.
It is given voluntarily.
Because he is the only being in all of existence who chose the worst place — not because he had to — but because someone had to.
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On the Ghost Festival — 中元節 — Zhongyuan Jie.
The seventh lunar month — 七月 — qi yue — is called the Ghost Month — 鬼月 — Gui Yue.
During this month the gates of hell are opened.
The souls of the dead are allowed to wander the earth for thirty days.
The Ghost Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the seventh month — 七月十五 — qi yue shi wu.
It is also called the Ullambana Festival — 盂蘭盆節 — Yulanpen Jie.
On this day the Ksitigarbha Sutra — 地藏經 — Dizang Jing — is widely recited.
Offerings are made in his name.
The offerings are for the benefit of ancestors — 祖先 — zuxian — who may still be suffering in the hell realm.
The recitation of the sutra is believed to generate merit.
The merit is dedicated to the suffering souls.
The dedicated merit reduces the time the ancestors must spend in the hell courts.
It is the most widely performed Buddhist ritual in East Asian cultures.
It is performed because of him.
Because of his vow.
Because he said: I will not become a Buddha until the hells are empty.
And humanity heard this.
And humanity responded: then we will help you empty them.
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On the prayer.
His most common invocation is:
Namo Dizang Wang Pusa — 南無地藏王菩薩.
Namo — 南無 — means I take refuge in. I bow to. I honor.
Dizang Wang Pusa — 地藏王菩薩 — Bodhisattva King Earth-Matrix.
The full prayer: I take refuge in and honor the Bodhisattva King Earth-Matrix.
It is one of the most commonly spoken Buddhist prayers in East Asia.
It is spoken at funerals — 葬禮 — zangli.
It is spoken during the Ghost Month.
It is spoken at the bedsides of the dying.
It is spoken at the graves of children.
It is spoken wherever suffering is visible.
Wherever suffering is visible, he is needed.
Wherever he is needed, he is present.
He said he would be.
He made the vow.
He keeps it.
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On the comparison to other traditions.
The New World Encyclopedia account notes: Kṣitigarbha shares many similarities with the Christian doctrine of the Harrowing of Hell, which correspondingly posits that Jesus descended into Hell before being resurrected in order to save those in hell.
Whether these similar beliefs emerged separately or were influenced by each other is a point of scholarship.
It is noted here without resolution.
The similarity is recorded.
The origin of the similarity is not declared.
In Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism there is a monk called Phra Malai — พระมาลัย — who has similar qualities.
He was an arhat from Sri Lanka who achieved great supernormal powers.
He descended into hell to help suffering beings.
The tradition of a being who chooses to descend into the worst place for the sake of others appears in multiple cultures independently.
This is noted.
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On the mantra.
His mantra in Shingon Buddhism — 真言宗 — Zhenyan Zong — is:
Oṃ ha ha ha vismaye svāhā
In Japanese: On kakaka bisanmaei sowaka.
In Chinese: 嗡,哈哈哈,溫三摩地梭哈 — Ōng hā hā hā wēn sān mó dì suō hā.
Translation: Om! Ha ha ha! O wondrous one! Svāhā!
The triple ha — ha ha ha — is the sound of laughter.
Not cruelty.
Not mockery.
The laughter of a being who has seen the worst of all possible worlds and still laughs.
Still holds the jewel up to illuminate the darkness.
Still forces open the gates of hell with the staff.
Still comes.
He always comes.
He said he would.
END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN