（译文请往下滑）

This beautiful Standing Manjushri is located at the Manjushree Park at Chobhar, Kirtipur Municipality in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is believed to be the exact spot where Manjushri had cut Chobhar Hill and drained the water from an ancient lake in order to form Kathmandu Valley, thus making it habitable for human settlement.

Click to enlarge

The local communities in Chobhar, led by the Jalbinayak Community Forest Users Group, have commissioned and installed this 33-feet-tall statue of the colossal Manjushri at Manjushree Park to preserve Chobhar’s cultural and spiritual significance and promote its heritage as a tourist attraction.

The construction of the Manjushri statue started in 2012 and was inaugurated in June 2019. It is to-date the tallest Standing Manjushri statue in the world. According to Mr. Chandra Shyam Dangol, the Nepalese sculptor, the statue is made of 12 huge, black stones from Kharpa in Pharping. The main structure is made of five huge stones with a total weight of 20-30 tons. Since Kathmandu is earthquake-prone, thick iron rods were inserted from the base at each side of the statue.

How to Get There?

Chobhar is 7km (4.3mi) southwest from Kathmandu. If you travel by car, it will take about an hour to reach the destination from Kathmandu. If you decide to take public transportation, you can catch a bus from Ratna Park directly to Chobhar (Manjushree Park). Alternatively, you can also reach Chobhar by taking a bus from Balkhu.

Location map of Chobhar (click to enlarge)

Opening Hours

7am – 6pm daily

Entrance Fee to Manjushree Park

• NPR20 (USD0.20) for Nepalese
• NPR50 (USD0.45) for SAARC (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) nationalities
• NPR100 (USD0.90) for other nationalities

Entrance to Manjushree Park

The Significance of Manjushri in Nepal

The legend of Kathmandu Valley is closely related to Manjushri. It is said that the Kathmandu Valley used to be a big lake inhabited by great and powerful nagas (serpentine beings). Manjushri came to Kathmandu Valley from China and saw a beautiful radiant lotus flower blossoming in the middle of the lake. This beautiful lotus was proclaimed to be Swayambhu (self-created) by the gods. Manjushri wanted people to have access to Swayambhu and worship there, so he took his sword and cut a gorge at Chobhar to drain the water in the lake. The bottom of the lake became Kathmandu Valley and the spot where the lotus flower was, is now the site of the famous Swayambhunath Stupa.

Chobhar Gorge

Although this may sound like a folklore, interestingly geologists confirm that Kathmandu Valley was a lake in the past and that Swayambhu and its elevated land used to be an island. Geologists suggest that it was a series of land erosion that caused the lake to drain. There is also a possibility that the erosion was caused by an earthquake.

Swayambhunath Stupa

Who is Manjushri?

Manjushri is one of the most important Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. His name, in Sanskrit, means “Gentle Glory”. He is also called Manjushrikumarabhuta, meaning “Manjushri, the youthful one”, and sometimes referred to as Manjughosha, meaning “Gentle Speech”. As the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri bestows wisdom and clarity of mind on practitioners who rely on him and help them to gain the highest realisation of the Buddha’s teachings.

Manjushri is, in fact, a fully enlightened Buddha but he chose to remain a Bodhisattva. He vowed to remain as a Bodhisattva when he achieved enlightenment, with the motivation to release all sentient beings from suffering.

The earliest Buddhist scriptural reference of Manjushri is in the Prajnaparamita Sutra. According to the Lotus Sutra, Manjushri has been attribute to a pure land called Vimala located in the east.

In the Avatamsaka Sutra, it is said that the earthly abode of Manjushri is at Mount Wutai, in Shanxi Province in northern China. Mount Wutai is a very popular and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage destination with more than 200 temples built on these mountains. Since the 7^th Century, pilgrims from India and other Asian countries have made their pilgrimage to Mount Wutai. There are many accounts of Manjushri appearing on Mount Wutai in various forms. Sometimes he appears as an ordinary person, a beggar, a monk, and sometimes in unusual manifestation as a five-coloured cloud.

Click to enlarge

Iconography of Manjushri

Manjushri is usually depicted as a 16 year-old youth, seated with his legs crossed. His right hand holds a flaming sword, which represents the cutting of ignorance and ego in order to gain transcendent wisdom. In the Chinese and Japanese depiction of Manjushri, the flaming sword is sometimes replaced with a ruyi sceptre. In his left hand, is the Prajnaparamita Sutra (Perfection of Wisdom Sutra) supported by a lotus, representing his realisation of the ultimate transcendental truth.

When Manjushri is depicted in the standing position, he is portrayed as an important figure and student of the Buddha from the Mahayana Sutra literature. When Bodhisattvas are shown at the left and right side of the statues of Buddha, they are often depicted in the standing position as well.

Mantra

The mantra of Manjushri is “OM AH RA BA TSA NA DHI”.

The meaning of each syllable is as below:

• OM is the essence of the five wisdoms, but it can also reflect the awareness of the universe. It is used at the start of many mantras and should be considered to mean “My mind and heart are open to the truth that follows.”
• AH is the ideal and the essence of nature is unproduced.
• RA is the ideal and that all things are free from defilements.
• BA leads to the ideal, that all Dharmas have been “expounded in the supreme sense.”
• TSA is the ideal, that the arising and cessation of things cannot be wholly understood because, in reality, there is no arising and cessation to start with.
• NA is representative of the nature that while the names for things may change but its true nature remains unchanged.
• DHI is the Manjushri’s seed syllable. It represents the perfect wisdom.

By chanting the Manjushri mantra we will gain wisdom, improved memory, improved skills in debating and writing, and clarity of mind to name a few.

More Pictures and Video of the Standing Manjushri

The Standing Manjushuri in Nepal

点击放大

这尊美丽的站立文殊位于尼泊尔加德满都吉蒂普尔地区乔巴山的文殊公园。传说文殊菩萨把乔巴巴山劈开，将一古湖的水排干，让加德满都谷地成为适合人类居住的地方。

卓巴当地的社区组织在加毕那雅森林社区组的带领下建造了这尊33尺（10米）高的巨型文殊以保存卓巴的文化和意义并将此文化遗产推广成旅游景点。

这尊庄严的文殊菩萨像于2012年开始建造，2019年6月开幕。直至目前为止，它是当今世界最高的站立文殊像。雕塑此像的尼泊尔石雕艺术家詹德拉·希亚姆·达俄指出，此佛像一共用了12块来自帕平喀尔巴的巨大黑石雕琢而成。佛像的主要结构由五块大石组成，共20-30吨重。由于加德满都常发生地震，因此佛像的两边由底部开始都加上粗大的铁条让佛像更稳固。

交通指南

卓巴位于加德满都西南七公里处。如果从加德满都乘坐汽车，路程需要一个小时。你也可以到拉那园乘坐公共汽车直达卓巴（文殊园）。或到巴库乘坐公共汽车到卓巴。

卓巴的位置（点击放大）

开放时间

每天早上7时至傍晚6时

文殊园的入门票

• 尼泊尔公民：20尼泊尔卢比（0.20美元）
• 南亚区域合作联盟（阿富汗、孟加拉、不丹、印度、马尔代夫、巴基斯坦、斯里兰卡）公民：50尼泊尔卢比 (0.45美元)
• 其他国家公民：100尼泊尔卢比 (0.90美元)

文殊园的入口处

文殊菩萨在尼泊尔的重要性

加德满都的传奇和文殊菩萨息息相关。相传加德满都谷地曾经是一个大湖泊，湖泊里住了很多很强大的龙族（蛇形生物）。文殊菩萨从中国来到加德满都谷地，在湖泊中央看到了一朵盛开着并发着光芒的莲花。这朵漂亮的莲花被众神誉为“斯瓦扬布”（意指“自生”）。文殊菩萨为了让人类能够前往供奉“斯瓦扬布”，于是就拿了手上的剑把卓巴劈开成峡谷，将湖泊的水排干。原来的湖底变成了现今的加德满都谷地，而自生莲花的所在地则成为了现今的斯瓦扬布纳特佛塔。

卓巴峡谷

虽然这个故事听起来就是一个传说，但有趣的是地质学家确认了加德满都谷地以前曾经是一个湖泊，斯瓦扬布和其周围高起来的土地曾经是个岛屿。地质学家认为湖泊因为土地遭一连串侵蚀而导致湖水流失。一些说法则是地震导致湖水流失。

斯瓦扬布纳特佛塔

点击放大

文殊菩萨是谁？

文殊菩萨是大乘佛教中最重要的菩萨之一。他的名字在梵语里的意思是“妙乐”。此外，也有人称他为“妙吉祥童子”，或“妙音”。任何对文殊菩萨拥有强烈信念的修行人都能得到文殊菩萨的加持，增长智慧、思维清晰，以便对佛陀的教诲有最高的领悟。

文殊菩萨其实早已经成佛，但是他选择化现为菩萨。他成佛时发愿要以菩萨之身度化众生。最早提到文殊菩萨的佛典为般若经。据《妙法莲华经》，文殊菩萨已有自己的净土，其净土位于东边。《华严经》里说到文殊菩萨在人间的道场就在中国北部山西省的五台山。五台山是一个十分著名的佛教圣地，这里有200多间庙宇。自公元七世纪以来，来自印度和其他亚洲国家的佛教徒都会到五台山朝圣。五台山上有许多关于文殊菩萨以不同身相显灵的故事。他有时化身为普通人、有时化身乞丐、有时化身为僧人、有的时候则化身为五色祥云。

文殊菩萨的造像

文殊菩萨常被描述成16岁少年，结跏趺坐。他右手持智慧剑，代表铲除无明和我执以达到无上智慧。中国和日本的文殊佛像有时候没有持剑而持如意。他左手持莲花，莲花上托着般若经代表他已经悟道。

根据大乘佛典，以站姿化现的文殊菩萨，常被描绘为佛陀的弟子也是一个重要的角色。一般上，菩萨都以站姿出现在佛的左右两边。

心咒

文殊菩萨的心咒是“嗡 阿 惹 巴 扎 那 迪”

• 嗡：为五智的精髓，但它也可以反映出对宇宙的觉知。它常作为许多心咒的开始，这时应被理解为“我的心识开放接受随后的真理”。
• 阿：诸法拥有“不生”的自性。
• 惹：诸法清净无染、离诸尘垢。
• 巴：诸法是高无上圆满究竟之真理。
• 扎：诸法生灭不可解释，因为诸法本不生不灭。
• 那：诸法名相可变，自性不变。
• 迪：文殊菩萨的种子字，代表无上智慧。

常持文殊菩萨心咒能增长我们的智慧、让我们的记忆更好、加强我们辩论和写作能力并让我们拥有清晰的思维等。

更多站立文殊的照片和视频

尼泊尔的站立文殊

 
Sources:

• “Manjushri and the Origins of the Kathmandu Valley”, https://www.eltonyoga.com/blog/manjushri-kathmandu-valley/ (accessed: 30 July 2019)
• O’Brien, Barbara, “Manjusri, the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Wisdom”, 13 July 2018,
  https://www.learnreligions.com/manjusri-bodhisattva-449980 (accessed: 30 July 2019)
• “Manjushri – the Prince of Wisdom”, https://buddhism.redzambala.com/buddhism/buddha-aspects/manjushri-the-prince-of-wisdom.html (accessed: 30 July 2019)
• “Mount Wutai”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Wutai (accessed: 29 July 2019)
• “Chobar Gorge in Kathmandu, Nepal”, https://honeyguideapps.com/blog/chobar-gorge-in-kathmandu-nepal, 10 June 2015 (accessed: 29 July 2019)
• “Manjushri”, https://www.burmese-art.com/blog/manjushri-bodhisattva (accessed: 29 July 2019)
• “Chovar-Best Places to Visit in kathmandu”, http://nepyatra.com/chovar-best-places-to-visit-in-kathmandu/?i=1 (accessed: 30 July 2019)
• “ManjuShree Park”, https://memorableplace-kirtipur.blogspot.com/2017/02/manjushree-park.html (accessed: 28 July 2019)
• Lama, Sonam, “Manjushree Park in limbo as jurisdiction dispute drags on”, 7 May 2019, https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/manjushree-park-in-limbo-as-jurisdiction-dispute-drags-on/ (accessed: 28 July 2019)
• Chitrakar, Anil, “MANJUSHREE”, http://ecs.com.np/heritage-tale/manjushree, Dec 2013 (accessed: 30 July 2019)
• “Manjushri Mantra: Benefits & Meaning – Om A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhih”, https://www.insightstate.com/video/manjushri-mantra/, 24 November 2018 (accessed: 2 August 2019)

For more interesting information:

• Guhya Manjushri|密德文殊室利佛
• Tales with my Lama – Manjushri
• Dream Manjushri
• White Manjushri – Who Pacifies Ignorance
• Manjushri Nagarakshasa – The Naga Deity
• Tengboche Monastery – Nepal
• Arts from the Rooftop of Asia – Tibet, Nepal and Kashmir

Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:

If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team