Mahāsthāmaprāpta is a Bodhisattva Mahāsattva who represents the power of wisdom. His name literally means "arrival of the great strength".
Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, along with Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Avalokiteśvara, Ākāśagarbha, Kṣitigarbha, Maitreya and Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin.
In Chinese Buddhism, Mahasthamaprapta is sometimes portrayed as a woman, Dashizhi, with a likeness similar to Avalokiteśvara (known as Guanyin in China). He is also one of the Thirteen Buddhas in the Japanese school of Shingon Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is equated with Vajrapani, who is one of his incarnations and was known as the Protector of Gautama Buddha.
Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the oldest bodhisattvas and is regarded as powerful, especially in the Pure Land school, where he takes an important role in the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra. He is often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), especially in Pure Land Buddhism.
China
In Chinese Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is known as Dashizhi (Chinese: 大勢至, "Arrival of Great Strength"), and is especially associated with the Pure Land tradition as one of Amitabha's assistant Bodhisattvas. Shi Yinguang (), the Thirteenth Patriarch of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism, was widely considered to be a manifestation of Dashizhi based on the accounts of two people: <br />
1. Yang Xinfeng (), a student who had never heard of either Dashizhi or Yinguang <br />
2. Benkong (), a former Christian who later converted to Buddhism and became a bhikkhunī<br />
Both of these figures had independent dreams regarding the situation.
Japan
In Japanese Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is known as Daiseishi (Japanese: 大勢至, "Arrival of Great Strength") and is associated with the temple guardians Kongō Rikishi. Daiseishi is one of 25 bodhisattvas who descend from heaven (raigō) with Amitabha to welcome dying souls into Sukhavati. [[Raigō of Amida and Twenty-five Attendants, a silk scroll from the 14th century which depicts raigō. Daiseishi can be seen amongst the 25 bodhisattvas accompanying Amitabha.|left|200px|thumb]] Daiseishi is also the guardian of those born in the Year of the Horse.
Daiseishi is one of the Thirteen Buddhas and oversees the ceremony held on the first year anniversary of a person's death.
In the sutras
Mahāsthāmaprāpta is mentioned in several major Mahayana and East Asian Buddhist sutras.
In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Mahāsthāmaprāpta tells of how he gained enlightenment through the practice of nianfo, or continuous pure mindfulness of Amitābha, to obtain samādhi.
In the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is symbolized by the moon while Avalokiteśvara is represented by the sun.
Mantra
- Sanskrit: Namaḥ samantabuddhānāṃ, jaṃ jaṃ saḥ svāhā
- Chinese: Ǎn sàn rán rán suōpóhē (唵・散・髯・髯・娑婆訶)
- Japanese:
- Shingon Buddhism: On san zan saku sowaka (オン・サン・ザン・サク・ソワカ)
- Tendai Buddhism: On sanzen zensaku sowaka (オン・サンゼン・ゼンサク・ソワカ)
- English: Om may defilements be removed svâhâ
References
Bibliography
- Getty, Alice (1914). The gods of northern Buddhism, their history, iconography, and progressive evolution through the northern Buddhist countries, Oxford: The Clarendon press, p. 100.