Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
Great Vow Bodhisattva
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is often referred to, because of his vow to not achieve Buddhahood until "all the Hells are empty", as the Bodhisattva of the Hell beings. But his vow actually encompasses all sentient beings, being similar to that of Living Buddha Lien-shen, who vows to reveal all the secrets of even the hidden teachings, in order to save sentient beings, even if he has to suffer retribution, even the pulverization of his bones and flesh.
Story of Earth Store Bodhisattva
Earth Store Bodhisattva is known as Ti Tsang (or Di Zang) Bodhisattva in China, Ksitigarbha in Sanskrit, and Jizo Bosatsu in Japan.
The name of this Bodhisattva means "the one who encompasses the earth". Earth means stillness, hardness, stability, vastness and versatility. It represents our mind which creates all dharma and accommodates all matters. It is the foundation on which everything grows, including the Buddhist Way. Store means deepness, profundity and subtleness. It represents the immeasurable treasures.
According to Earth Store Sutra, Earth Store Bodhisattva was appointed by Shakyamuni to be the headmaster of Buddhism on Earth during the period from the Nirvana of Shakyamuni to the advent of Maitreya, the next Buddha born on Earth. He is also said to be an incarnation of Enma (or Yama), the king of the Hell. In broader sense, he is the master of the Six Paths (i.e. Hell, Ghost, Animal, Man, Asura and Deva). Thus, he is described as occupying a position between deva/men and the hell for saving all beings from suffering. Undoubtedly, his status is well-respected by all Buddhas and other beings in the Ten Dharma Realms including human beings.
Earth Store Bodhisattva, one of the Four Great Bodhisattva in Buddhism, is the Bodhisattva with the greatest vow. His vow is:
Great Vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
If the Hell is not empty
I will not attain Buddhahood
As the Hell is the lowest in the Ten Dharma Realms, the vow implies that Earth Store Bodhisattva will be the last one to become Buddha amongst all.
Earth Store Bodhisattva is so compassionate that he renounces the states of Buddha, in order to rescue the beings from suffering and help them to attain enlightenment.
Earth Store Sutra describes the past life of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Before being a Bodhisattva, he was a young Indian girl of the Brahmin caste. Because her mother was impious, she was tortured and suffered in hell after she died. The young girl was terrified, thus made a great vow to save all beings from such torments.
As Earth Store Sutra was sermoned by Shakyamuni to his mother in Prayastrimsat, (not on Earth!) this Sutra is also known as the Sutra of filialipiety. If morality is the first step in cultivating Buddhist Way, filialipiety is the first step in morality. That is why this Sutra is so important for all Buddhist beginners.
The Earth Store Sutra also reveals the virtues and merits of Earth Store Bodhisattva and the method to cultivate the Buddhist Way. Therefore, the Sutra is one of the most popular sutras in Buddhism. People read and recite it as their daily practice in the cultivation of the Buddhist Way.
Like other Bodhisattva, Earth Store Bodhisattva is represented by many images and symbols, such as Six Ti-Tsang, Six Messengers, Yen Ming Ti-Tsang, etc. He always holds a pilgrim staff and a cintamani (a disc of sun) surrounded by the ten kings of hell. It indicates that "He who delivers from the torments of hell."
Taoism adopts quite a number of Buddhist deities, including bodhisattvas. One best example of Buddhism-Taoism “confusion” is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (地藏王菩薩) known also as Fengdu da-di (酆都大地) or Great Emperor of Fengdu, who presides over the Hades. He is also known as Yanlo-wang (閻羅王), the king of Hell. Fengdu, incidentally, is a county in the province of Sichuan (四川), where a shockingly devastating earthquake hit on May 12, killing at least 50,000 people
Buddhists believe Hell is one of the six destinations in the reincarnation. Souls are punished in Hell for the wrongs people did in their previous reincarnations. Ksitigarbha vowed that as long as there was still one soul in Hell, he would not become a Buddha. As there are always souls being punished, he has never attained buddhahood. He is most commonly depicted as a monk with a five-sided crown, holding a lotus flower in his left hand and a mudra (gesture) of courage or a Buddhist staff in his right hand.
Ksitigarbha differed from other bodhisattvas in that he was never an enlightened Buddha in any of his previous incarnations. Maitreya, for instance, is a Buddha who stays in Tushita heaven awaiting a rebirth on earth to become the next Buddha after Gautama Siddhartha or the Tathargata (如來佛). In one of his incarnation, Ksitigarbha was a woman. When she made an offering to an arhat (羅漢) or one who can achieve nirvana anytime, the latter asked her if she had any wish. She said she would like to know where her deceased mother had gone. The arhat went into meditation. While in trance, the arhat sought and found her mother was in Hell, where her soul was being punished.
When he came out of the meditation, the old monk asked the woman why her mother should be suffering in Hell. “Mother loved to eat turtles, especially baby turtles,” she replied. Then the old man told her to recite the name of Amitarbha (阿彌陀佛) or Namo Omituofo, which means “Hail, Amitarbha.” The arhat also drew a picture of Amitarbha for her to worship. She did what she was told. Then she had a dream. Amitarbha Buddha appeared in her dream and told her that her mother would be reborn in her own household.
The mother was reborn as a baby to a housemaid of the woman. The baby girl began to speak when it was only three days old. The baby told the woman she was indeed her mother in the previous life. “Thanks to your constant prayer,” the baby said, “I was able to leave Hell and was reborn in your household.” ‘But I can only live thirteen years,” the baby went on, “and I would go back to Hell.” That is the mother’s karma. She had not been punished enough for the wrongs she had done. The woman was very sad. She was sorry for her mother’s karma. Then she vowed to do what she could to help all sentient beings cease to suffer.
Earth Store Bodhisattva is also well known in Japan, Korea and other countries. In Japan, he is the guardian of travellers by land, and he helps the women in labour. He also performs the role of a prolonger of life and guardian of safety of children. In Korea, he is also highly reputable as the object of worship.
