Manjushri

Manjushri is a bodhisattva who embodies prajna, transcendent wisdom, in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. He is widely revered across East Asian and Tibetan traditions and is often listed among the principal bodhisattvas, alongside Avalokiteshvara, Vajrapani, Maitreya, and Samantabhadra. In various lineages, he is regarded as the personification of insight that illuminates the nature of reality.

Iconography typically shows Manjushri as a youthful figure seated or standing on a lotus. He holds a flaming sword in his right hand, symbolizing the ability to cut through ignorance and illusion. In his left hand he bears a sutra or scriptures, often the Prajnaparamita texts, placed on a lotus or resting on his knee. The sword may be shown drawn, underscoring swift, decisive wisdom, while the sutra represents the wisdom that perceives emptiness.

Origins and associations: Manjushri appears prominently in early Mahayana literature and is closely linked with the Prajnaparamita sutras, which expound the perfection of wisdom. He is invoked as a teacher who clarifies the nature of reality and as a patron of study, learning, and eloquent discourse.

Regional practice: In Chinese Buddhism he is known as Wénshū; in Japanese as Monju. He is venerated as a guardian of scholarship, memory, and debate, with devotional practices that emphasize cultivating wisdom. In Tibetan Buddhism, Manjushri is a widely venerated meditational figure, featured in rituals, liturgies, and meditation texts used to develop discernment and insight.

Overall, Manjushri embodies the transformative power of wisdom, guiding practitioners toward a direct understanding of emptiness and the truth of phenomena.