Crystal Buddha, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Let Virtue Fill the Land

The Collection: Ksitigarbha Buddha 

Design Description:

Ksitigarbha is one of the four main bodhisattvas in Chinese Buddhism, along with Guanyin, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra, and represents filial piety and the power of a vow. The Sutra of the Past Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva tells the story of how, over the course of successive lifetimes in the distant past, Ksitigarbha rescued his mother from hell, eventually making his famous vow, “Not until the hells are emptied will I become a buddha; not until all beings are saved will I attain enlightenment.” Ksitigarbha (Earth-store) embodies the strength of the earth and the prosperity brought about by the discovery of hidden treasure. Thus Ksitigarbha is described as “Peaceful and unstirred, like the great earth; entered into profound concentration, like a hidden treasure.” Deep in contemplation, Ksitigarbha is seated in the half-lotus meditation posture on a diting, a mythical creature gazing straight ahead, ears erect, listening to the sounds of all living beings on behalf of his master. The image is backed by both a halo and a nimbus. In his hand is a pewter staff topped with metal rings, one of the 18 traditional requisites of a Buddhist monk in China. While most of the sculptures produced by LIULI are transparent glass, as an expression of solemnity and purity, this image of Ksitigarbha is in a deep walnut color, highlighting his connection with the earth. In contrast to the other bodhisattvas, Ksitigarbha is portrayed as a shaven-headed monk, due to his association with a prince from the Kingdom of Silla (57 BCE–935 CE, now South Korea) who became a monk, went to China, and practiced asceticism for 75 years before finally passing away at the age of 99 on Jiuhua Shan in Anhui province, the sacred mountain of Ksitigarbha and one of the four principle Buddhist sacred mountains in China. It’s widely believed that this monk was a manifestation of Ksitigarbha.

此作品為地藏王菩薩。地藏菩薩與觀音菩薩、文殊菩薩、普賢菩薩並列是佛教四大菩薩之一。地藏普薩代表「大願」、「大孝」，因為在《地藏王菩薩本願經》中記載，地藏王菩薩在過去不同世中，曾經好幾次去救自己在地獄中受苦的母親，並發下「地獄未空，誓不成佛；眾生度盡，方證菩提。」的大願，也因此被普遍尊稱為「大願地藏王菩薩」。 地藏二字寓意深遠：「安忍不動，如大地；靜慮深密，如祕藏」。地：大地，能承載包容世間一切萬物；藏：寶藏、財富，能救度貧苦眾生。此作品，地藏王菩薩以禪定的姿勢，安忍堅定的神態，坐在神獸——「諦聽」之上，諦聽眼光直視前方，似千里眼與順風耳，代地藏菩薩聽遍萬物之音，傳遞大善之念，願讓善滿人間；背景圓弧的造型，代表佛光；右手持錫仗，屬於佛教法器，為比丘必帶十八物之一，也稱聲杖。其坐姿為半跏跌坐，又稱菩薩坐，有吉祥之意。在琉璃工房，一般是用白色透明的琉璃製作菩薩像，以表清靜莊嚴， 但藝術家克意用茶色（近深棕色）來表現大地般的顏色，也更貼切了地藏二字的涵義。地薩王菩薩一般都是以比丘相（出家人）示現，原因是因為相傳在唐朝，佛教盛行的時代，在新羅國（現今韓國），有位名叫金喬覺的王子，為了探究人生宇宙的真理，來到中國學習佛教正法，他苦修75年，最後以99歲的高齡圓寂涅磐於中國山西省的九華山，這座山也就成為中國佛教四大名山之一。世人皆認為這位比丘就是地藏王菩薩的化身，也因此後人就從此多以這一世菩薩以比丘相的法相，來禮敬供奉。

* Note: As the art pieces are individually hand-made, the color and dimensions will vary slightly.