Back | Home |Next Description Of Form He appears gentle with a shaven head, and is depicted as a sravaka disciple, that is, a monk who has left his home. In his right hand Jizô holds a shakujô stick with six rings and by shaking this he awakens us from our deluded dreams. In his left hand he holds a mani jewel, which signifies that he bestows treasures and wealth on all beings. Purpose and Vow There are very few Buddhist deities which are as popular as Jizô in Japan. Anywhere one travels in Japan, one sees his smiling face on the roadside, at crossroads, on high mountains passes or at the entrance to old graveyards, the six forms of Ksitigarbha (Jizô) are enshrined. The six forms of Jizô are each responsible for the Six Paths of Transmigration : hells, hungry ghosts, beasts, demons, human beings, and heavenly beings. They all vow to save people from sufferings and disasters.The vows and protective amulets of Ksitigarbha (Jizô) Bodhisattva lend power to those who are weak, such as children who are caught between the worlds of life and death, are in dangerous places, or are in desolate spots. In Shingon Buddhism, the Sanskrit letter Ais written above the posthumous Buddhist name on the memorial tablet of an adult who has died, but when young children die, the Sanskrit letter Ka, which stands for Ksitigarbha, is written. This signifies that the powerless child is saved and is enabled to become a buddha. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva does not get angry or give up even though he may be trampled upon and stepped on as if he were the earth. He is a Bodhisattva who has an inexhaustible store of power to nurture and save all beings with a mind of great compassion. Mantra On kakaka bisanmaei sowaka (Jpn.) Om ha-ha-ha vismaye svâhâ (Skt.) Om Oh, Wondrous One svâhâ Back | Home |Next ©1998 Shingon Buddhist International Institute Deity line-art © Dashin Art, Inc. Used with Permission