Manjushree Park Gufa Chobhar, Nepal

Mañjuśrī ( Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a '' bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta (),Keown, Damien (editor) with Hodge, Stephen; Jones, Charles; Tinti, Paola (2003). ''A Dictionary of Buddhism.'' Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p.172. literally "Mañjuśrī, Still a Youth" or, less literally, "Prince Mañjuśrī". Another name of Mañjuśrī is Mañjughoṣa.

It is claimed that Nurhaci, the founder of what would become the Qing dynasty of China, named his tribe Man (满) after Manjushri.

In Mahāyāna Buddhism

Scholars have identified Mañjuśrī as the oldest and most significant bodhisattva in Mahāyāna literature. Mañjuśrī is first referred to in early Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Prajñāpāramitā ''sūtra''s and through this association, very early in the tradition he came to symbolize the embodiment of ''prajñā'' (transcendent wisdom). The '' Lotus Sutra'' assigns him a pure land called ''Vimala'', which according to the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'' is located in the East. His pure land is predicted to be one of the two best pure lands in all of existence in all the past, present, and future. When he attains Buddhahood his name will be Universal Sight. In the ''Lotus Sūtra'', Mañjuśrī also leads the Nagaraja's daughter to enlightenment. He also figures in the '' Vimalakīrti Sūtra'' in a debate with Vimalakīrti where he is presented as an Arhat who represents the wisdom of the Theravada tradition.

An example of a wisdom teaching of Mañjuśrī can be found in the ''Saptaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra'' ( Taishō Tripiṭaka 232). This ''sūtra'' contains a dialogue between Mañjuśrī and the Buddha on the One Samādhi (Skt. ''Ekavyūha Samādhi''). Sheng-yen renders the following teaching of Mañjuśrī, for entering ''samādhi'' naturally through transcendent wisdom:

Vajrayāna Buddhism

Within Vajrayāna Buddhism, Mañjuśrī is a meditational deity and considered a fully enlightened Buddha. In Shingon Buddhism, he is one of the Thirteen Buddhas to whom disciples devote themselves. He figures extensively in many esoteric texts such as the '' Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa'' and the ''Mañjuśrīnāmasamgīti''. His consort in some traditions is Saraswati.

The ''Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa'', which later came to classified under Kriyātantra, states that ''mantra''s taught in the Śaiva, Garuḍa, and Vaiṣṇava ''tantra''s will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by Mañjuśrī.

Iconography

Mañjuśrī is depicted as a male bodhisattva wielding a flaming sword in his right hand, representing the realization of transcendent wisdom which cuts down ignorance and duality. The scripture supported by the padma (lotus) held in his left hand is a ''Prajñāpāramitā sūtra'', representing his attainment of ultimate realization from the blossoming of wisdom. Mañjuśrī is often depicted as riding on a blue lion or sitting on the skin of a lion. This represents the use of wisdom to tame the mind, which is compared to riding or subduing a ferocious lion.

In Chinese and Japanese Buddhist art, Mañjuśrī's sword is sometimes replaced with a '' ruyi'' scepter, especially in representations of his ''Vimalakirti Sutra'' discussion with the layman Vimalakirti. According to Berthold Laufer, the first Chinese representation of a ''ruyi'' was in an 8th-century Mañjuśrī painting by Wu Daozi