The Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom
http://blog.hotelbookingpro.com/2008/02/manjusri-gentle-glory-bodhisattva.html
Images of the Bodhisattvas at Hsi Lai Temple
http://www.hsilai.org/english/e_hsilai/temple_history/history_tour_bodhisattva.h...
Image of Manjusri at Buddhanet
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/wenshu.htm
More on Manjusri at Buddhanet
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b_fbodi.htm
Buddhism consistently promotes two virtues: Compassion and Wisdom. Avalokitesvara embodies Great Compassion; the last Bodhisattva on the right, Manjusri (Chinese Wen Shu) represents Great Wisdom.
An oft-told example illustrates the relationship of the two virtues of Wisdom and Compassion. Suppose you are approached by a homeless person asking for a handout. You give him some money-which he promptly spends on alcohol. You have been compassionate, but not wise. So the next time you are approached, you give nothing; now you have been wise, but not compassionate. What is the solution? Buy him some food. This is wise and compassionate. Compassion without wisdom is foolish; wisdom without compassion is harsh. As every good parent knows, the two must be used in balance.
Thus Manjusri maintains the balance of Wisdom amongst the Bodhisattvas. His name means "Gentle Glory," a good description of the main benefit of Wisdom. Often (though not here) shown holding a sword, Manjusri cuts through the ignorance of this world. He is also often shown holding sutra scrolls. Here we see him sitting on a lion; the roar of the lion represents the Buddha's teaching spreading through the world. (The Buddha is sometimes called "The Lion of the Shakyas," as his Shakya clan was associated with lions.)
How did Manjusri come to be associated with Wisdom? Simply, he was the teacher of seven successive Buddhas, the Sakyamuni Buddha being the last. One version of his story says that he himself was a Buddha in the distant past, and came back to teach the others. The Buddha said that in fact hundreds of Buddhas of the past became enlightened through Manjusri's teaching.
Central to his instruction was the idea that everything is "void," or "empty," an idea we will discuss further in a moment. When asked if he followed the Mahayana teachings, he replied, "As I see it, everything is void, so there is no such thing as Buddhist teachings. Then, how can there be any Mahayana teaching for me to follow?"
As radical as his teaching was his behavior. All monks in the Buddha's time were required to gather in monasteries for the rainy season. one year, Manjusri failed to show up. It was later discovered that...
