| Ākāśagarbha | |
|---|---|
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) Painting of Ākāśagarbha,Japan, 13th century | |
| Sanskrit | आकाशगर्भ Ākāśagarbha गगनगञ्ज Gaganagañja |
| Chinese | (Traditional) 虛空藏菩薩 (Simplified) 虚空藏菩萨 (Pinyin:Xūkōngzàng Púsà) |
| Japanese | 虚空蔵菩薩 (romaji:Kokūzō Bosatsu) |
| Khmer | អាកាសគភ៌ (aa-kas-sak-koa) |
| Korean | 허공장보살 (RR:Heogongjang Bosal) |
| Tagalog | Akasagarbha |
| Thai | พระอากาศครรภโพธิสัตว์ |
| Tibetan | ནམ་མཁའི་སྙིང་པོ་ Wylie:nam mkha'i snying po THL: Namkhé Nyingpo |
| Vietnamese | Hư Không Tạng Bồ Tát |
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| Venerated by | Mahāyāna,Vajrayāna |
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Ākāśagarbha (Chinese:虛空藏菩薩; pinyin:Xūkōngzàng Púsà; Japanese pronunciation:Kokūzō Bosatsu; Korean:허공장보살; romaja:Heogongjang Bosal; Vietnamese:Hư Không Tạng Bồ Tát,Standard Tibetan:Namkha'i Nyingpo) is abodhisattva inChinese,Japanese andKorean Buddhism who is associated with the great element (mahābhūta) of space (ākāśa).
Ākāśagarbha is regarded as one of the eight great bodhisattvas. His name can be translated as "boundless space treasury" or "void store" as his wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself. He is sometimes known as the twin brother of the "earth store" bodhisattvaKṣitigarbha, and is even briefly mentioned in theKṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra.
Associated with the qualities of Gautama Buddha, he is able to purify transgressions.
Kūkai, the founder ofShingon Buddhism, met a famous monk who is said to have repeatedly chanted amantra of Ākāśagarbha as a young Buddhist acolyte. Kūkai took a tutorial with him on Kokuzou-Gumonji (a secret doctrine method, 虚空蔵求聞持法). As he chanted the mantra, he experienced a vision whereby Ākāśagarbha told him to go toTang China to seek understanding of theMahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Sūtra.[1] Later he would go to China to learnTangmi fromHuiguo, and then go on to found the Shingon tradition of esoteric Buddhism inHeian Japan.
There are severalMahāyāna sūtras in which Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva is a central figure:
Additionally, he appears briefly in the final chapter of theKṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra, requestingthe Buddha preach on the benefits of praising both the Sūtra and Kṣitigarbha.[2]
TheFive Great Ākāśagarbhas are manifestation of theFive Wisdom Buddhas. They are said to bring about an increase of benefits such as good health. Within the traditional mandala, they are arranged as follows:
| Name | Direction | Color | Associated Buddha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dharmadhātu Ākāśagarbha (法界虚空蔵) | Center | White | Vairocana |
| Vajradhātu Ākāśagarbha (金剛虚空蔵) | East | Blue | Akṣobhya |
| Ratnaprabha Ākāśagarbha (宝光虚空蔵) | South | Yellow | Ratnasambhava |
| Padma Ākāśagarbha (蓮華虚空蔵) | West | Red | Amitābha |
| Karma Ākāśagarbha (業用虚空蔵) | North | Black | Amoghasiddhi |
Themantra of Ākāśagarbha is believed to give rise to wisdom and creativity, and dispel ignorance.
The "morning star mantra" is a common mantra practiced inShingon Buddhism. It is most often used as part of the Gumonjihō rite that is said to improve one's memory of the teachings and is derived from a sutra calledKokūzō Bosatsu nō man shogan saishō shin darani gumonji hō 虛空藏菩薩能滿諸願最勝心陀羅尼求聞持法 (Taishō Canon #1145). This mantra is:[3][4][5][6]
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