Saturday 6 November 2021

Manjushri

This is Manjushri, a bodhisattva associated with prajñā (wisdom)...He is the oldest and most significant bodhisattva in Mahāyāna literature, first mentioned in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, which were composed somewhere on the Indian subcontinent between 100 BC and AD 600...


He is siting on a blue lion (symbol of wild mind tamed by wisdom), with his feet resting on a lotus flower (symbol of infinite wisdom). He is holding another lotus flower (more infinite wisdom) with Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom) sūtra placed on top of it, while wielding a Flaming Vajra Sword (sword of wisdom) in his right hand...

Soooo...All very very Buddhist...And very wise...By pure coincidence though, all these Manjushri attributes are also calendar markers pointing at the same, very very important part of the climatic year in India: Jul/Aug...

Leo, an ancient animal calendar marker which marks Jul/Aug, the beginning of the main mating season of the Eurasian lions...



Leo, Jul/Aug, is also peak of the monsoon season...


This is why the "Sword of wisdom" has flaming blade = the hottest time of the year and vajra, thunderbolt handle, the wettest, rainiest time of the year...


This is also why Manjushri sits on a blue lion: lion = maximum sun's heat, blue = monsoon, water

Leo, the peak of the monsoon season, is also the peak flowering season of the lotus flowers...

Pure coincidence, I am sure, and has nothing to do with the definition of the Bodhisattva (awakening-being) from Prajnaparamita

"Bodhisattva, the one who trains in all phenomena without obstruction, and also knows all phenomena as they really are"...

The one who can see all things (I presume including symbols) as they are (literally), unobscured by religion...Funny that 🙂...

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