📚 Manjushri

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Manjushri (文殊師利 / འཇམ་དཔལ་དབྱངས།)

Bodhisattva of Transcendent Wisdom

Manjushri (Sanskrit: "Gentle Glory") embodies the prajna (transcendent wisdom) of all Buddhas. He wields the flaming sword of discriminating awareness that cuts through ignorance, delusion, and dualistic thinking, revealing the empty nature of all phenomena. He is the patron of scholars, teachers, and all who seek understanding of ultimate truth.

Attributes & Symbols

Sanskrit Names
Manjushri, Manjughosha (Sweet Voice), Vadisimha (Lion of Speech)
Tibetan Name
Jampal Yang (འཇམ་དཔལ་དབྱངས།) - "Gentle Splendor, Melodious Voice"
Chinese Name
Wenshu Shili (文殊師利) - "Gentle Teacher"
Primary Quality
Prajna (Transcendent Wisdom), Discriminating Awareness, Insight into Emptiness
Primary Symbols
Flaming Sword of Wisdom (right hand), Prajnaparamita Sutra on lotus (left hand)
Sacred Animal
lion (representing fearlessness and the lion's roar of Dharma)
Sacred Mantra
Om A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhih (ॐ अ र प च न धीः)
Colors
Golden-orange (wisdom), Yellow (learning), sometimes Blue or White
Buddha Family
vairochana's family (Tathagata Kula)
Sacred Mountain
mount_wutai (Wu Tai Shan, China)

Iconography and Forms

Standard Form

Manjushri is typically depicted as a youthful prince (kumara) of sixteen years, representing the eternal freshness of wisdom. He sits in the vajrasana (lotus posture) or in lalitasana (royal ease), adorned with the ornaments of a bodhisattva: crown, earrings, necklaces, armlets, and flowing silk garments.

The Flaming Sword

His right hand holds the flaming sword of discriminating wisdom (prajna khadga) raised high. This is not a weapon of violence but the sharp insight that:

The Prajnaparamita Sutra

His left hand holds a stem of an utpala lotus (blue lotus) which supports the Prajnaparamita Sutra ("Perfection of Wisdom" text). This represents:

The Lion Mount

Manjushri rides or sits upon a lion, sometimes shown with a white or golden mane. The lion symbolizes:

Multi-Armed Forms

In tantric depictions, Manjushri appears with multiple forms:

📚 Primary Sources: Manjushri in Buddhist Texts

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Vimalakirti Sutra

Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra:Chapter 3:The Disciples' Reluctance
"The Buddha said to Manjushri: 'You go to Vimalakirti to inquire about his illness.' Manjushri replied: 'World-Honored One, it is difficult to match him in discussion. He has penetrated deeply into the reality of all dharmas. He is skilled in explaining the essential meaning. His eloquence is unhindered. His wisdom is boundless. All the paths of the bodhisattvas are known to him.' Despite this, Manjushri accepted the Buddha's request, showing his fearless wisdom."
Source: Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, c. 1st-2nd century CE
Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra:Chapter 9:The Dharma Door of Non-Duality
"Each bodhisattva explained the entrance to the dharma door of non-duality. Finally, they asked Manjushri. Manjushri said: 'Good sirs, all your explanations are excellent. Yet in my opinion, all dharmas have no speech, no description, no demonstration, and no cognition. They transcend all questions and answers. That is the entrance to non-duality.' Then Manjushri asked Vimalakirti: 'We have all given our explanations. Now you must explain the entrance to non-duality.' Vimalakirti remained silent. Manjushri exclaimed: 'Excellent! Excellent! No words, no speech—that is truly the entrance to non-duality!'"
Source: Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, Chapter 9, demonstrating wisdom beyond concepts

Lotus Sutra

Lotus Sutra:Chapter 12:Devadatta:Verses 15-20
"At that time, Manjushri was sitting on a thousand-petaled lotus flower as large as a carriage wheel, surrounded by his retinue of bodhisattvas. He had come from the palace of Sagara the Dragon King, where he had been expounding the Lotus Sutra. He reported: 'In the ocean I constantly expounded only the Lotus Sutra.' The bodhisattva Wisdom Accumulated asked: 'This sutra is extremely profound, subtle, and wonderful, a treasure among sutras, a rarity in the world. Are there any beings who, by earnestly and diligently practicing this sutra, were able to quickly attain Buddhahood?' Manjushri replied: 'There is the daughter of the Dragon King Sagara, only eight years old, yet her wisdom is keen and her faculties sharp. She understands all beings' acts and karmic roots. She has attained dharanis, all the treasure stores taught by Buddhas of the infinite past. She has deeply entered meditation and comprehended all dharmas. In the space of an instant, she brought forth the Bodhi mind and attained non-retrogression.'"
Source: Saddharma Pundarika Sutra (Lotus Sutra), Chapter 12, c. 1st century CE

Prajnaparamita Sutras

Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita:Chapter 1:Verses 12-15
"Manjushri said to the Buddha: 'World-Honored One, what is the bodhisattva's perfection of wisdom?' The Buddha replied: 'Manjushri, when a bodhisattva courses in perfect wisdom, he does not see form as form, nor does he see feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness. He does not see birth or death, purity or impurity, increase or decrease. Why? Because all dharmas are empty of own-nature. Having no own-nature, they have no arising or ceasing.' Manjushri said: 'World-Honored One, if all dharmas have no own-nature and no arising or ceasing, how do bodhisattvas practice?' The Buddha said: 'They practice by not practicing. They perfect wisdom by perfecting nothing.'"
Source: Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines), c. 1st century BCE

Manjushri Sutras

Manjushri Mulakalpa:Chapter 1:Origin of Manjushri
"In ancient times, Manjushri was a fully enlightened Buddha named Lampadhara Tathagata in a pure land to the east. Out of great compassion, he voluntarily relinquished his Buddha status to become a bodhisattva, taking a subordinate position to better serve sentient beings by appearing as a student asking questions of other Buddhas, thereby making the Dharma accessible to those who cannot understand direct teachings. Thus, though he is presented as a disciple, his wisdom actually equals or surpasses that of the teaching Buddhas."
Source: Manjushri Mulakalpa, c. 7th-8th century CE
Manjushrinama Samgiti:Verses 1-5
"Homage to Manjushri, the youthful! Holder of the sword of wisdom that cuts through the darkness of delusion! Bearer of the scripture of transcendent wisdom on a lotus! Though but sixteen years in appearance, ancient in realization! Lion's roar that awakens beings from ignorance! Lamp illuminating the dharmadatu! All Buddhas' father, mother of all bodhisattvas! The very embodiment of prajna itself!"
Source: Manjushrinama Samgiti (Chanting the Names of Manjushri), tantric text, c. 7th century CE

Tibetan Sources

Jamyang Shepa:Gateway to Knowledge:Book 1
"Manjushri is the embodiment of the wisdom of all Buddhas of past, present, and future. Without wisdom, compassion becomes mere sentimentality and method becomes blind action. It is Manjushri's discriminating awareness that allows the bodhisattva to know which beings need which teachings, when to be gentle and when to be fierce, when to speak and when to remain silent. The sword cuts conceptual proliferation, but the text offers guidance—together they represent wisdom that both negates false views and affirms the path to enlightenment."
Source: Gateway to Knowledge (mKhas 'jug) by Jamyang Shepa, Tibet, 18th century CE

Chinese Sources

Avatamsaka Sutra:Chapter 39:Entry into the Dharma Realm
"At that time, the youth Sudhana, having received Manjushri's instruction, journeyed south seeking spiritual teachers. Manjushri had told him: 'Do not think I am your only teacher. Seek out all who embody virtue, learn from bodhisattvas in all walks of life—monks, nuns, laypeople, merchants, children, gods, and even courtesans and night goddesses—for wisdom appears in countless forms to teach beings according to their capacities.' This demonstrates Manjushri's wisdom: the wise teacher knows he must send the student forth rather than creating dependency."
Source: Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra), Chapter 39, c. 2nd-4th century CE

The Nature of Manjushri's Wisdom

Prajna: More Than Knowledge

Manjushri embodies prajna, which is not ordinary knowledge or intelligence but transcendent wisdom— the direct, non-conceptual insight into the ultimate nature of reality. This wisdom includes:

The Sword and the Book: Two Aspects

Manjushri's two symbols represent the two aspects of prajna:

Together they embody the Buddhist Middle Way: neither nihilistic denial of all meaning nor eternalistic grasping at inherent existence, but the wisdom that sees emptiness and compassion as inseparable.

Sacred Mantra and Practices

The Wisdom Mantra

Om A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhih (ॐ अ र प च न धीः)

Each syllable represents one of the perfections and purifies obstacles to wisdom:

Meditation Practices

Devotional Practices

Related Figures

Complementary Bodhisattvas
Avalokiteshvara (compassion paired with Manjushri's wisdom)
Power Complement
vajrapani (power/method, forming the trinity of wisdom-compassion-power)
Wrathful Form
Yamantaka (Slayer of Death, wrathful wisdom destroying ego)
Historical Emanations
Nagarjuna, Tsongkhapa, Shantideva

Story Themes

Related Content

Cross-Cultural Parallels

  • Saraswati - Hindu goddess of wisdom and learning
  • Athena - Greek goddess of wisdom
  • Thoth - Egyptian god of knowledge and writing

Related Archetypes

See Also

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