Normal size Handmade Thanka of Manjushri (འཇམ་དཔལ་དབྱངས་)

Mañjuśrī is a bodhisattva associated with prajñā (insight) in Mahayana Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is also a yidam. His name means “Gentle Glory”（Chinese：妙吉祥, 妙乐） in Sanskrit.[1] Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta,[2] literally “Mañjuśrī, Still a Youth” or, less literally, “Prince Mañjuśrī”. Other deity name of Mañjuśrī is Manjughosha.

Scholars have identified Mañjuśrī as the oldest and most significant bodhisattva in Mahāyāna literature. Mañjuśrī is first referred to in early Mahayana sutras such as the Prajnaparamita sutras and through this association, very early in the tradition he came to symbolize the embodiment of prajñā(transcendent wisdom). The Lotus Sutraassigns him a pure land called Vimala, which according to the Avatamsaka Sutra is located in the East. His pure land is predicted to be one of the two best pure lands in all of existence in all the past, present, and future. When he attains buddhahood his name will be Universal Sight. In the Lotus Sūtra, Mañjuśrī also leads the Nagaraja’s daughter to enlightenment. He also figures in the Vimalakirti Sutra in a debate with Vimalakirtiwhere he is presented as an Arhat who represents the wisdom of the Hinayana. An example of a wisdom teaching of Mañjuśrī can be found in the Saptaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Taishō Tripiṭaka 232).This sūtra contains a dialogue between Mañjuśrī and the Buddha on the One Samadhi(Skt. Ekavyūha Samādhi). Sheng-yen renders the following teaching of Mañjuśrī, for entering samādhi naturally through transcendent wisdom: