‘He who has obtained Great Power’, the name of an important mythical Bodhisattva. He is especially popular in east Asian Buddhism and is believed to open people's eyes to the need to strive for awakening (bodhi). Mahāsthāmaprāpta is mentioned at an early date in Mahāyāna works such as the Lotus Sūtra, and is often paired with Avalokiteśvara and depicted together with the latter flanking Śākyamuni or Amitābha in the form of a trinity. Iconographically, he is white in colour and is depicted holding an unopened lotus bud in his hand; sometimes he is also shown in east Asian art with a pagoda in his hair.
Mahasthamaprapta
| Buddhism Dictionary: Mahāsthāmaprāpta |
| Wikipedia: Mahasthamaprapta |
Mahāsthāmaprāpta or Vajrapani(Ch. 大勢至 Da Shì Zhì, Jp. 勢至 Seishi Vi. Đại Thế Chí Bồ tát, Tib. Thu-ch´en-Thob - equated with Vajrapani) is a bodhisattva that represents the power of wisdom and is often depicted in a trinity with Amitabha and Avalokitesvara, especially in Pure Land Buddhism. In Chinese Buddhism, he is usually portrayed as a woman, with a likeness similar to Guan Yin. He is also one of the Japanese Thirteen Buddhas.
Unlike most bodhisattvas, Mahasthamaprapta is one of the lesser known bodhisattvas, but is nonetheless regarded as powerful. In the Shurangama Sutra, Mahasthamaprapta tells of how he gained enlightenment through the practice of Buddha recitation, or continuous pure mindfulness of the Buddha, to obtain samadhi. In the Contemplation Sutra, Mahasthamaprapta is symbolized by the moon (wisdom) while Avalokitesvara is symbolized by the sun.
In Shingon Buddhism, the mantra used for Seishi in Japanese is:
| “ | On san zan zan saku sowaka | ” |
From the Sanskrit mantra:
| “ | Oṃ sam jam jam sah svāhā | ” |
The translation of this mantra is generally "Om, may defilements be removed, hail".
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 | Buddhism Dictionary. A Dictionary of Buddhism. Copyright © 2003, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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