 Kṣitigarbha,
known by the Japanese name Jizō (地蔵) or the Mandarin Chinese
name Dizang (地藏 Dìzàng) Vietnamese name Địa Tạng -
A popular Mahayana Buddhist Bodhisattva, usually depicted as
a Buddhist monk in the orient. The name Jizō or Dizang may
be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth
Matrix", or "Earth Womb." It is derived from shortening of
Chinese script reading of Sanskrit word ksiti (earth; 大地)
and garbha (womb, matrix; 蔵).
Kṣitigarbha is often referred to, because of his vow not to
achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied, as the
bodhisattva of the hell beings. His famous vow recited by
many Buddhists is "Not until the hells are emptied will I
become a Buddha; Not until all beings are saved will I
certify to Bodhi."
Usually depicted as a monk with a nimbus around his shaved
head, he carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and
a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness.
Kṣitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas in
Oriental Mahayana Buddhism. The others are Samantabhadra,
Manjusri, and Avalokitesvara.
At the pre-Tang Dynasty grottos in Dunhuang and Longmen, he
is depicted in classical bodhisattva shape. After the Tang
Dynasty, he became increasingly depicted as a monk, carrying
rosaries and a staff.
His full name in Chinese script is (traditional Chinese:
大願地藏菩薩; simplified Chinese: 大願地藏菩萨; pinyin: Dàyuàn Dìzàng
Púsà), or the Bodhisattva King Dizang of the Great Vow,
pronounced as Dayuan Dizang Pusa in Beijin Mandarin dialect,
Daigan Zizo Bosatu in Japanese.
This is a reference to his pledge, as recorded in the
sutras, to take responsibility for the instruction of all
beings in six worlds, in the era between the death of
Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya Buddha. Because of
this important role, shrines to Kṣitigarbha often occupy a
central role in any Oriental Mahayana temples.
 In
Japan, Kṣitigarbha, known as Jizō, or Ojizō-sama as he is
respectfully known, is one of the most loved of all Japanese
divinities. His statues are a common sight, especially by
roadsides and in graveyards. Traditionally, he is seen as
the guardian of children, particularly children who died
before their parents. Since the 1980s, the tendency
developed in which he was worshipped as the guardian of the
souls of mizuko, the souls of stillborn, miscarried or
aborted fetuses. In Japanese mythology, it is said that the
souls of children who die before their parents are unable to
cross the mythical Sanzu River on their way to the afterlife
because they have not had the chance to accumulate enough
good deeds and because they have made the parents suffer. It
is believed that Jizō saves these souls from having to pile
stones eternally on the bank of the river as penance, by
hiding them from demons in his robe, and letting them hear
mantras.
Jizō statues are usually accompanied by a little pile of
stones and pebbles, put there by people in the hope that it
would shorten the time children have to suffer in the
underworld (the act is derived from the tradition of
building stupas as an act of merit-making) . The statues can
sometimes be seen wearing tiny children's clothing or bibs,
or with toys, put there by grieving parents to help their
lost ones and hoping that Jizō would specially protect them.
Sometimes the offerings are put there by parents to thank
Jizō for saving their children from a serious illness.
Jizō's features are also commonly made more babylike in
order to resemble the children he protects.
As he is seen as the savior of souls who have to suffer in
the underworld, his statues are common in cemeteries. He is
also believed to be the protective deity of travellers, and
roadside statues of Jizō are a common sight in Japan.
Firefighters are also believed to be under the protection of
Jizō.
The story of Kṣitigarbha is described in the Sutra of The
Great Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, one of the most
popular Mahayana Buddhist sutras. This sutra is said to have
been spoken by the Buddha towards the end of his life to the
beings of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as a mark of gratitude and
remembrance for his beloved mother, Māyādevī. It stated that
Kṣitigarbha practiced filial piety as a mortal, which
eventually led to making great vows to save all sentient
beings.
Information source: “Ksitigarbha.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 10 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 12 Feb. 2008 <Ksitigarbha>.
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