Ti
Tsang P'usa: Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
Ti
Tsang P'usa is an extremely popular Bodhisattva among the Chinese
and Japanese Buddhists. 'Ti Tsang', meaning 'Earth-Store' is
a direct translation of the Bodhisattva's name KSITIGARBHA in
Sanskrit. Among the countless Bodhisattvas in the universe,
he and three others have firmly captured the hearts of the Mahayanists.
These four main P'usas or Bodhisattvas are depicted in the Chinese
Buddhist Pantheon and they represent four basic great qualities:
KUAN
SHIH YIN as Great Compassion;
WEN SHU as Great Wisdom;
PU HSIEN as Great Love and Perfect Activity;
TI TSANG as Great Vow to help and to deliver all beings.
His
greatest compassionate Vow being: "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."
The
Sutra of the PAST VOWS OF THE EARTH STORE BODHISATTYA, one of
the most popular Chinese Buddhist Sutras, tells of the great
filial piety, which the Bodhisattva practised that led to his
illimitable vows to save all living beings. This Sutra was spoken
by the Buddha towards the end of his life to the beings of the
Trayastrimsa Heaven as a mark of gratitude and remembrance for
his beloved mother.
In
this Sutra the Buddha revealed that in the distant past aeons,
Ti Tsang P'usa, then a Brahman maiden by the name of 'Sacred
Girl', was deeply troubled when her mother died, as she had
often been slanderous towards the Three Jewels: the Buddha,
Dharma and Sangha.
To
save her from the great tortures of hell, the young girl sold
whatever she had and used the money to buy offerings which she
offered daily to the Buddha of her time, known as The Buddha
of Flower of Meditation and Enlightenment. She made fervent
prayers that her mother be spared of the pains of hell and requested
the Buddha for help.
One
day at the temple, while she was thus pleading for help, she
heard the voice of the Buddha advising her to go home immediately
and there to sit down and practise meditation on His name if
she wanted to know where her mother was. She did as she was
told and while doing so, her consciousness was transported to
the Hell Realm where she met a hell-guardian who informed her
that through her fervent prayers and pious offerings, her mother
had accumulated much merits and therefore shel had already been
released from hell and ascended to heaven. She was greatly relieved
and should have been extremely happy, but the sights of the
great sufferings in Hell that she had witnessed so touched her
tender heart that she made an immediate vow: "I shall do
my very best to relieve beings of their sufferings forever in
my future lives of kalpas to come".
The
young maiden has since then become an accomplished Bodhisattva
through her great acts of merits and is now known as Ti Tsang
P'usa.
Ti
Tsang P'usa has often been mistaken by uninformed Buddhists
to be Mogallana who was a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha, because
he too had a similar experience of descending to the Hell Realm
to seek and save his mother. The stories may sound similar but
they happened at different times and adopted quite different
methods to save their mothers.
Many
others also tend to mistake Ti Tsang as Hsuan Tsang, the famous
Tripitaka master of the Tang Dynasty who made the harzadous
journey to the West to seek the Buddhist scriptures. This is
mainly due to the Sangha robe and the five-leave crown which
both are seen to wear.
Ti
Tsang P'usa is again taken by many to be "Yen-Lo-Wang"
or Yama, the "Over-Lord of Hell." It must be mentioned
that Ti Tsang is a Bodhisattva and not a mere King of the Fifth
Hell. He does not judge the dead but seeks to save them from
their suffering.
Description
of Ti Tsang P'usa
Ti
Tsang may be represented in sitting or standing posture. He
always has a kind and benevolent look and carries either, or
both, his symbols of the Cintamani or "Wish-fulfilling
Jewel' and the "Ringed-Staff", which is also called
the Khakkhara. This ringed staff is often carried by Buddhist
monks in their travels so that the sounds caused by the jingling
rings can warn small animals and insects of their approach lest
they be trod upon and killed. It is also sometimes called the
alarm-staff.
In
the much treasured picture of Ti Tsang P'usa, which is found
in many Buddhist homes and temples, he is seen seated upon a
lotus throne. His hands holds the precious flaming pearl which
has vast magical powers beyond description. He wears the robe
of a Northern Buddhist monk and on his head is the "five-leave
crown, where the representation of a Dhyani-Buddha can be seen
on each of the leaves.
Whenever
you have the urge to pray to this Bodhisattva for any help,
look at this picture intently for a few seconds as you silently
recite, "NAMO TI TSANG WANG PUSA, NAMO TI TSANG WANG PUSA"
before closing your eyes to visualise him. Ti Tsang P'usa is
very responsive to sincere prayers of faith and he may yet grant
you your wish, if it is not too unselfish or unreasonable. All
may pray to him with this simple invocation and, who knows,
your past karmic links with him may yet make you into another
ardent Ti Tsang devotee again in this lifetime.
The
standing posture of Ti Tsang is particularly popular in Japan
where he is known as Jizo Bosatsu. It represents the readiness
of Jizo to respond immediately to the calls of help made by
those who have faith in his saving powers. Standing upon a lotus,
he holds his precious flaming jewel with his left hand while
the ringed staff is held with the right, ever ready to force
open the gates of Hell with the staff and to dispel the darkness
of the infernal realm with his luminous gem.
Ti
Tsang is at times depicted accompanied by a dog, which also
has a significant meaning. On the death of his mother, the Bodhisattva,
not as "Sacred Girl', hastened into the underworld with
the view of comforting her and to seek favourable treatment
for her. However, he could not find her but later discovered
that she had already taken rebirth as a female dog. Upon his
return to earth Ti Tsang soon traced and adopted the animal,
which then became his companion on his pilgrimages.
Another
popular depiction of him is in this standing or 'activity-form'
which has his left hand holding an alms bowl against his navel,
while his right hand forms the mudra (hand-sign) of "giving
consolation and peace to all living beings".
Ti
Tsang P'usa has many emanations and he has manifested in countless
forms to save beings at different times and places. In the Chinese
Buddhist Pantheon his is the only figure in the form of a monk.
This is to indicate that Mahayana Buddhism is suitable for both
the monks and the laity.
Ti
Tsang's 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 and he is a comforter of
the poor, oppressed, sick, hungry, and those who are troubled
by spirits and nightmares. Those who have firm faith in him
can easily receive his protection. With faith one needs to recite
any of these simple prayers:
"NAMO
TI TSANG WANG P'USA' or
"NAMO KSITIGARBHA BODHISATTVA YA".
Images
of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are recognised by the symbols
that they are associated with. Each of these symbols has a particular
meaning which most people are unaware of. For example, the KHAKKHARA,
or Ringed Staff, which Ti Tsang holds, is not only meant to
warn small and crawling creatures of his approach so as to avoid
stepping on them but also to inform people of his presence through
the jingling caused by the rings. Often a travelling monk on
a pilgrimage has to stop at homes to seek alms and since he
does not wish to speak unnecessarily, he usually announces his
arrival by shaking his sounding staff.
The
Khakkhara is often a wooden staff capped with metal loops or
crotchets and rings, which are four, six or twelve in number.
The Four-ringed staff is carried by a monk who has perceived
the Four Noble Truths of Suffering, the Cause of Suffering,
the Cessation of Suffering, and the Path leading to the Cessation
of Suffering. The Six-ringed staff belongs to a Bodhisattva
who is constantly practising the Six Paramitas, while the Twelve-ringed
staff is held by a Pratyeka Buddha who has realised the Twelve-fold
Links of Causation.
As
a result of Ti Tsang P'usa having made this promise to Sakyamuni
Buddha: "I will fulfil your instructions to continue to
relieve beings from their states of suffering and lead them
to Salvation. I shall strive to work hard until the next Buddha,
Maitreya Buddha, comes to the world ". He is also adored
as the "Master of the Six Worlds of Desire," thus
there are depictions of him being surrounded by a Bodhisattva,
an Asura, a Man, an Animal (horse or ox), a Preta, and a Demon
holding a pitchfork, which symbolises the six different forms
he assumes in the six realms to save the beings there.
In
the closing chapter of the Ti Tsang Sutra, Sakyamuni Buddha
gave this advice for the benefit of all human beings:
"Listen
to me carefully and I shall tell you in detail. If virtuous
ones of the future see the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's image,
hear the Ksitigarbha Sutra, chant this Sutra, make offerings
to Ksitigrabha, pay homage to him, they will receive these benefits:
1.
They will be protected by devas and dragons.
2. Their ability to do good will be increased.
3. Opportunities for doing good will increase.
4. They will strive to attain Buddhahood.
5. They will enjoy sufficiency of food and clothing.
6. They will be free from diseases.
7. Floods and fire will not affect them.
8. Robbers will not trouble them.
9. They will be respected and admired by people.
10. Spirits and devas will protect and assist them.
11. Females shall be reborn as males.
12. The females will become daughters of noble and exalted
families.
13. They will be reborn with good complexion.
14. They will be reborn in the heavens for many lives.
15. They will be reborn as kings or rulers of countries.
16. They will have wisdom to recollect their past lives.
17. They will be successful in all their aspirations.
18. They will enjoy happy family relationships.
19. Disasters will not affect them.
20. Their bad karma will be removed.
21. Wherever they go, they are safe.
22. They shall always have peaceful dreams.
23. Their deceased relatives shall be free from sufferings.
24. They will be reborn with happiness.
25. They will be praised by divine beings.
26. They will be intelligent and skilful.
27. They will have compassion for others.
28. They will finally attain Buddhahood.
The
birthday of Ti Tsang P'usa falls on the 30th day of the 7th
moon of the Chinese lunar calendar. All over the world Buddhist
temples offer prayers to Ti Tsang P'usa during the 7th lunar
month for the benefit of the dead.
Ti
Tsang's popularity among the Chinese and Japanese Buddhists
is second only to Kuan Shih Yin P'usa as he takes upon himself
the fearful and difficult task of bringing relief and consolation
to the suffering beings of hell.
