Kishitigarbha saves (beings from hell)

Kṣitigarbha is in Sanskrit क्षितिगर्भ, Chinese 地藏, pinyin Dìzàng, Japanese 地蔵, rōmaji Jizō, Korean 지장 (地藏), romaja Jijang, Vietnamese Địa Tạng (地藏), Standard Tibetan ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ་, Wylie sa yi snying po.

This name translates as "Earth Treasury," "Earth Store," "Earth Matrix," or "Earth Womb."

He is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism (rather than the Theravada of South and Southeast Asia) and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk.

• Four heroic incarnations of KSITIGARBHA, the "Earth Store" Bodhisattva — unfailing, tireless compassion (Buddha Weekly)

Overview

Kwan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kṣitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas along with Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Avalokiteśvara (transformed into Kwan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion) in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism.

At the pre-Tang dynasty grottos in Dunhuang and Longmen, this figure is depicted in classical bodhisattva form. After the Tang, he became increasingly depicted as a monk, carrying Buddhist meditation prayer beads and a staff.

Goddess of Compassion

Kṣitigarbha is famous and revered for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds [a Mahayana condensation of the 31 Planes of Existence the historical Buddha outlines] between the final nirvana of the Buddha Gautama and the eventual rise of Maitreya Buddha.

Moreover, he made a vow refrain from achieving supreme buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.

Usually depicted as a monk with a halo around his shaved head, he carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness.

The Ksistigarbha Bodhisattva Mantra

• CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit