| Samantabhadra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sanskrit | समन्तभद्र Samantabhadra |
| Chinese | 普賢菩薩 普贤菩萨 (Pinyin:Pǔxián Púsà) (Jyutping:pou2 jin4 pou4 saat3) (Southern Min:Phó͘-hiân Phô͘-sat) |
| Japanese | 普賢菩薩 (romaji:Fugen Bosatsu) |
| Khmer | សមន្តភទ្រ (sa-mun-ta-phoat) |
| Korean | 보현보살 (RR:Bohyeon Bosal) |
| Mongolian | үндэсамбуу Самандабадраа Хамгаар Сайн |
| Tagalog | Samantabhadla (Baybayin:ᜐᜋᜈ᜔ᜆᜊᜇ᜔ᜍ) |
| Thai | พระสมันตภัทรโพธิสัตว์ Phra Samantaphat Phothisat |
| Tibetan | ཀུན་ཏུ་བཟང་པོ་ Wylie: kun tu bzang po THL: küntuzangpo |
| Vietnamese | Phổ Hiền Bồ Tát (Chữ Hán:普賢菩薩) |
| Information | |
| Venerated by | Buddhists |
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Samantabhadra (lit. 'Universal Worthy' or'All Good') is a greatbodhisattva inBuddhism associated withpractice andmeditation. Together withShakyamuni Buddha and the bodhisattvaMañjuśrī, he forms the Shakyamuni Triad inMahayanaBuddhism.[citation needed] He is the patron of theLotus Sutra and, according to theAvatamsaka Sutra, made the ten great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva.
InChinese Buddhism, Samantabhadra is known asPuxian and is associated with action, whereas Mañjuśrī is associated withprajñā (transcendent wisdom). As such, his name is often prefixed with the epiphetDaheng (大行;Dàhèng), meaning “He of Great Practice”. In theHuayan tradition, he is regarded together withVairocana Buddha and the bodhisattvaMañjuśrī as one of the “Three Noble Ones of Huayan” (華嚴三聖;Huāyán Sānshèng) due to their preeminence in theAvatamsaka Sutra. In theChinese Pure Land tradition, theChapter of the Practices and Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra from theAvatamsaka Sutra where Samantabhadra expounds on his ten vows is often regarded as one of the “Five Pure Land sutras” that are seen as foundational texts. InJapan, Samantabhadra is known asFugen, and is often venerated inTendai andShingon Buddhism. In theNyingma school ofTibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of theAdi-Buddha, often portrayed in indivisible union (yab-yum) with his consort,Samantabhadrī. In wrathful form he is one of the EightHerukas of the NyingmaMahayoga and he is known asVajramrtra, but this Samantabhadra buddha and Samantabhadra bodhisattva are not the same.
In theLotus Sūtra, Samantabhadra is described at length in the epilogue, called theSamantabhadra Meditation Sutra (Chinese:觀普賢菩薩行法經;pinyin:Guān Pǔxián Púsà Xíngfǎ Jīng), with special detail given to visualization of the bodhisattva, and the virtues of devotion to him.[1]
Samantabhadra is also a key figure in theĀvataṃsaka-sūtra, particularly the last chapter, theGaṇḍavyūha-sūtra. In the climax of theGaṇḍavyūha-sūtra, the studentSudhana meets Samantabhadra Bodhisattva who confirms his awakening. Sudhana then merges into Samantabhadra, and Samantabhadra recites a set of popular verses. These verses are known as theBhadracaripraṇidhāna (Vows of Good Conduct) orĀrya-samantabhadra-caryā-praṇidhāna-rāja (The Royal Vow to follow the Noble Course of Conduct of Samantabhadra).[2] This text which concludes the entireAvatamsaka was very popular in India, East Asia and inHimalayan Buddhism, and it is cited in numerous sources. It was considered to be adhāraṇī and recited individually as a meritorious text.[2]
The core of Samantabhadra's aspirations in theBhadracaripraṇidhāna are the ten great vows of Samantabhadra. The ten great vows of Samantabhadra are the following:[3]
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The ten vows have become a common practice inEast Asian Buddhism, particularly the tenth vow, with many Buddhists traditionally dedicating their merit and good works to all beings during Buddhist liturgies.
Like all important bodhisattvas, several mantras are associated with Samantabhadra. One of these is drawn from a work titledArya-Buddhoshnisha-Cintamani-Mahadharani:[4][5][6]
om̐ samantabhadra sam svāhā
TheSarvadurgatiparishodana tantra contains the following mantra
om̐ samantabhadre hūm̐[7]
Sam is Samantabhadra's seed syllable. TheDharanisamgraha meanwhile contains the followingdharani for Samantabhadra:[8]
om̐ namaḥ samantabhadrāya bodhisattvāya mahāsattvāya || tadyathā || om̐ samantabhadre sarvottama-mahāprāgbhārakalyāṇaṁ samprāpaya hūm̐ phaṭ svāhā ||
Meanwhile theMahavairocana Sutra contains the following mantra:
namaḥ samantabuddhānāṁ saṁ
Unlike his more popular counterpartMañjuśrī, Samantabhadra is only rarely depicted alone and is usually found in a trinity on the right side ofShakyamuni, mounted onSix-tusked White Elephant. In those traditions that accept theAvatamsaka Sutra as their main text (mainly, theHuayan school), Samantabhadra and Manjusri flankVairocana Buddha, the central Buddha of this particular sutra.
Known as Puxian in Chinese, Samantabhadra is sometimes shown inChinese art with feminine characteristics, riding an elephant with six tusks while carrying either a lotus leaf 'parasol' (Sanskrit:chatra),ruyi scepter, or sutra scroll, bearing similar dress and features to some feminine depictions ofGuanyin. It is in this guise that Samantabhadra is revered as the patron bodhisattva of the monasteries associated withMount Emei in western China. Some believe that the white elephant mount of Samantabhadra was the same elephant that appeared toQueen Maya, the mother of the Buddha, to herald his birth.
Mahayana esoteric traditions sometimes treat Samantabhadra as one of the 'Primordial' (Sanskrit:Dharmakaya) Buddhas, but the main primordial Buddha is considered to beVairocana.
InTibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra (Tibetan:Kuntuzangpo) is a name that refers to two different beings:[9]
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{{cite book}}:|editor= has generic name (help)Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra | ||
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