Clarity

Purpose III of nine

Study and clear mind

Manjushri holds a sword in the right hand and a text resting on a lotus at the left shoulder, and the pairing carries the whole idea: the blade cuts what is unclear, the book is what remains once it has. Clarity here means discernment rather than cleverness, and it is always painted as something worked for.

What the sword is for

Manjushri holds a flaming sword in the right hand, and it is raised, never lowered. It is not turned against an enemy: in every commentary the blade cuts confusion and nothing else. On the left shoulder, resting on a lotus, is the Prajnaparamita — the text on the perfection of wisdom. The pairing carries the whole idea in two objects: the blade removes what is unclear, the book is what is still standing once it has.

Discernment, not cleverness

The purpose is about seeing a thing as it is, which is slower and less flattering than being quick. Manjushri is painted young — sixteen, by convention — and that is deliberate: clarity is held to be available early, and is not a reward for age. Sarasvati appears in this purpose holding a vina rather than a sword, which is the same idea approached through language and music instead of through the blade.

Three from this purpose

文殊菩萨 · SP-033 Gau Box Catalogue preview

虚空藏菩萨 · JPTK-047 Thangka Painting Catalogue preview

文殊剑 · SP-061 Pendant Catalogue preview

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When it is commissioned

Before an examination, at the start of a degree or an apprenticeship, and for people whose work is thinking. Manjushri is also the figure traditionally associated with translators — which, given that this tradition reached Tibet through eight centuries of translation work, is not a modern association.

Given before examinations, at the start of a course of study, and to anyone whose work is thinking.

The figures · 4 figures

Manjushri文殊菩萨

Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom

He is shown as a youth, usually orange or white, seated cross-legged on a lotus and wearing the silks and jewellery of a bodhisattva. The raised right hand holds a flaming sword. The left holds the stem of a blue utpala lotus, and on the flower rests a book — the Perfection of Wisdom.

He is traditionally associated with study, memory and clear thinking, and is customarily given to students, to people sitting examinations, and to anyone beginning a long course of learning.

See Manjushri pieces

Akashagarbha虚空藏菩萨

Akashagarbha, the bodhisattva whose name means womb of space

One of the eight great bodhisattvas, he is painted as a princely figure seated on a lotus, in silks, a five-leaf crown and jewellery. He is usually shown with a wish-fulfilling jewel, set on a lotus at the shoulder or held in the hand; some traditions give him a sword instead. Body colour is not uniform across traditions, so the jewel is what identifies him.

In the tradition he is associated with space, with wisdom and with memory, and he is invoked in confession practice for the repair of broken vows. He is customarily paired with Kshitigarbha, whose name means womb of earth.

See Akashagarbha pieces

Manjushri Sword文殊剑

The flaming sword of wisdom carried by Manjushri

The sword is a straight, double-edged blade with flames along the upper edge and at the tip. Manjushri holds it raised in the right hand, above the head, while a book, the Perfection of Wisdom, rests on a lotus at his left shoulder. Other figures carry a flaming sword as well, but that pairing of raised sword and book is what marks Manjushri.

In the tradition the sword stands for the discernment that cuts through confusion. Manjushri is customarily invoked at the beginning of study, and the sword is his emblem in that role.

See Manjushri Sword pieces

Sarasvati妙音天女

Sarasvati, the goddess of music, learning and speech

She is painted white and youthful, seated on a lotus with a moon disc behind her. Her two hands hold a stringed instrument — a vina, or its Tibetan relative the piwang — held across the body and played. She wears the silks and jewellery of a bodhisattva rather than monastic robes. Some forms give her more arms, adding a book and a lotus.

In the tradition she is invoked by students, writers, musicians and translators before study or performance, and her image is customarily given at the start of an education or a long piece of work.

See Sarasvati pieces

In the collection