Wenshu - San Diego, CA
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Metro2
N 32° 43.922 W 117° 09.026
11S E 485904 N 3621590
Wenshu, also known as Manjusri is a meditational deity.
Waymark Code: WMN80Q
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 01/16/2015
Views: 2
This sculpture is in the San Diego Museum of Art.
The museum placard accompanying this work informs us that it is a marble piece from 11th century China. The figure rides a lion.
Wikipdia (
visit link) adds:
"Mañjusri ... is a bodhisattva associated with transcendent wisdom (Skt. prajña) in Mahayana Buddhism. In Esoteric Buddhism he is also taken as a meditational deity. The Sanskrit name Mañjusri can be translated as "Gentle Glory", "Soft Glory" (Powers 1995), "Wondrous Auspiciousness" (Geibel 2001), and so forth. Mañjusri is also known by the fuller Sanskrit name of Mañjusrikumarabhuta., literally "Mañjusri, Still a Youth" or less literally "Prince Mañjusri"...
Scholars have identified Mañjusri as the oldest and most significant bodhisattva in Mahayana literature. Mañjusri is first referred to in early Mahayana texts such as the Prajñaparamita sutras and through this association very early in the tradition he came to symbolize the embodiment of prajña (transcendent wisdom). The Lotus Sutra assigns him a pure land called Vimala, which according to the Avata?saka Sutra is located in the East. His pure land is predicted to be one of the two best pure lands in all of existence in all the past, present and future. When he attains buddhahood his name will be Universal Sight. In the Lotus Sutra, Mañjusri also leads the Naga King's daughter to enlightenment. He also figures in the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra in a debate with Vimalakirti Bodhisattva.
An example of a wisdom teaching of Mañjusri Bodhisattva can be found in the Saptasatika Prajñaparamita Sutra (Taisho Tripi?aka 232). This sutra contains a dialogue between Mañjusri and the Buddha on the One Practice Samadhi (Skt. Ekavyuha Samadhi). Master Sheng-yen renders the following teaching of Mañjusri, for entering samadhi naturally through transcendent wisdom:
Contemplate the five skandhas as originally empty and quiescent, non-arising, non-perishing, equal, without differentiation. Constantly thus practicing, day or night, whether sitting, walking, standing or lying down, finally one reaches an inconceivable state without any obstruction or form. This is the Samadhi of One Act..."