Guhya Manjushri | 密德文殊室利佛
（译文请往下阅读）
Brief Introduction About Manjushri
Guhya Manjushri or Secret Manjushri in this special form where he has six faces. Five faces on one level and the sixth on top. He has two hands both holding a lotus that support Dharma texts. He is saffron in colour and sits in full lotus position or padmasana. This form of Manjushri, although imported from Tibet, was worshipped by the royal elites in the Forbidden City of China. This Guhya Manjushri was considered the ‘protector’ of the Forbidden City and his worship was highly prized by the emperors of China as they prided perfect wisdom and intellectual accomplishments as something very important in a person’s life and the growth of the country. Manjushri is a deity the Chinese emperors established strongly and worshipped in their royal courts.
Manjushri, whose name means ‘Gentle Glory’ or ‘Sweet Splendor’ in Sanskrit; ‘Wen Shu Shi Li’ (文殊师利）in Chinese; ‘Monju Bosatsu’ in Japanese; ‘Moosoo Posal’ in Korean; ‘Jampel-yang’ in Tibetan) is one of the most important Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
Manjushri is also known as ‘Manjugosha’ (the Gentle-Voiced One); ‘manju’ refers to how the continuum of his life has been rendered ‘gentle’ by his grasp of transcendental wisdom, and ‘gosha’ refers to his perfect ability to communicate the Dharma verbally and in written form, in which he destroys illusions, delusions and ignorance that keep all sentient beings within samsara.
Manjushri’s name has become synonymous with that of the Buddha of Wisdom. However, he is also thought to be the Buddha Vairocana, the ancient Buddha that existed from the beginningless time. Manjushri is said to have vowed to return lifetime after lifetime until all beings are free from samsara. There are many versions of the origins of Manjushri but undoubtedly Manjushri is the embodiment of Transcendent Wisdom that all practitioners of the Buddha dharma seek to attain.
Buddha Shakyamuni mentioned in the Avatamsaka Sutra that Manjushri is, in fact, a Buddha who became enlightened many aeons ago but chose to return to assist the present Buddha to turn the wheel of Dharma.
Manjushri’s Role in the Gelug Lineage
Manjushri as Guru
Top to bottom: Lama Tsongkhapa, Gyaltsab Je, Khedrub Je and Dorje Shugden
The Gelug lineage, the newest school of Tibetan Buddhism started with Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), who founded Gaden Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet in the year 1409. Tsongkhapa is considered an emanation of Manjushri, and is the lineage teacher or Guru of all Gelug disciples.
In terms of meditative tradition, Tsongkhapa merged three main classical Indian lineages of the Mahayana Buddhist path into a single major lineage. Among the three, one of the lineages is the lineage of “The Profound View”, which Buddha Manjushri received from Buddha Shakyamuni and passed the lineage down through an unbroken line of masters who holds and protects the pure teachings.
Apart from appearing as Tsongkhapa, Manjushri also emanated as a few significant yogi-teachers who had a profound impact on Tibetan Buddhism in general, such as Longchenpa, Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen, the fourth forefather of the Sakya lineage and so on.
Manjushri as Yidam
While Manjushri is a Bodhisattva associated with transcendent wisdom in the Mahayana school of Buddhism, the Vajrayana school treats Manjushri as a fully enlightened Buddha in whom one can take refuge as a Yidam (meditational deity).
Manjushri as Dharma Protector
Top to bottom: Manjushri Aparachana and Dorje Shugden
Manjushri manifested as the Guru, Yidam, as well as a Dharma Protector to protect practitioners and to ensure their spiritual journey is smooth and conducive.
The most well-known Dharma Protectors who are the emanations of Manjushri are Kalarupa, Four-Faced Mahakala and Dorje Shugden. Kalarupa is the special protector of the Yamantaka tantras, while the Four-Faced Mahakala is the protector of Guhyasamaja and Chakrasamvara tantras.
Out of the three Dharma Protectors, Dorje Shugden is a relatively new Dharma Protector, who arose as a Dharma Protector approximately 360 years ago. So, we have a strong karmic proximity with him and thus, he is able to give us his blessings and assistance much quicker compared to other Dharma Protectors who have less karmic proximity with us. Dorje Shugden is also the special protector of Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings on Emptiness and is highly regarded by the highest Gelugpa lamas of modern times.
Guhya Manjushri – A Special Form of Manjushri
A variation of Guhya Manjushri found in the Forbidden City. This Guhya Manjushri has two arms and six faces, but the faces are on two different levels; one face is on the top and the rest at the bottom.
There are many different forms of Guhya Manjushri and they can be found in several Gelugpa Refuge Tree paintings. One of them is from the lineage of Mitra Yogin. In the Mitra Yogin lineage, Guhya Manjushri is saffron yellow in colour with two arms and six faces, where all the faces appear on the same level.
An example of Guhya Manjushri on a Gelugpa Refuge Tree (click to enlarge)
In both forms, Manjushri is sitting in a full meditation posture, with his hands displaying the teaching mudra at the heart level; each hand holding a stem of a white lotus with the lotuses appearing on both sides of the shoulders. On top of each lotus, there is a Sanskrit text. Both forms of Guhya Manjushri are equally valid although they have slightly different appearances.
Guhya Manjushri in the Mitra Gyatsa
Mahasiddha Mitra Yogin
Mitra Gyatsa’s Guhya Manjushri is found in a series of teachings known as “The One Hundred Transmissions of Mitra” or Mitra Gyatsa, which is a collection of one hundred and eight Tantric Mandalas compiled by Mitra Yogin in the 12th – 13th century.
Mitra Yogin, also known as Mitra Dzokyi, was a 12th century siddha from India who received teachings from Avalokiteshvara. He was a highly regarded teacher who flourished in the final days of Buddhism’s prominence in India and he is best known for his tantric collection, the Mitra Gyatsa and his Letter to King Candra. Born in Eastern India, in the town of Radha in Mayarabanj district of Orissa, Mitra Yogin became a disciple of Latitavajra, who was the disciple of Tilopa. He was invited to Tibet by his disciple Tropu Lotsāwa.
Click here to download a PDF copy of The One Hundred Transmissions of Mitra
Guhya Manjushri in padmasana position from the Mitra Gyatsa lineage of teachings according the Mahasiddha Mitra Dzokyi of India. All six faces are on one level and the remaining two hands hold lotuses supporting texts on wisdom. He is saffron coloured and hands are in teaching mudra. This slight variation from the Forbidden City version follows the 3rd Changkya Rolpai Dorje who was the guru of Emperor Qianlong.
A copy of the more recent Mitra Gyatsa was published as a book in 1938 in Beijing, after a lama by the name of Losang Tenzin Jigme Wangchuk (Ngagchen Rinpoche), who was a Gelug lineage lama from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, taught the teachings from Mitra Gyatsa and Vajravali to 548 monks and laymen in Beijing in 1934. Ngagchen Rinpoche was very close to the 9th Panchen Lama and assisted the Panchen Lama in many diplomatic matters with China and Japan. He was also appointed as the Khenpo (abbot) of the Tantric College in Tashi Lhunpo.
Guhya Manjushri in the Forbidden City
Left to right: Changkya Rolpai Dorje and Emperor Qianlong (click to enlarge)
This Guhya Manjushri can be found within the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Forbidden City was built from 1406-1420 by the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Yongle Emperor (1403-1420) and it served as the residence and court of twenty-four emperors from Emperor Yongle to Emperor Puyi in its 600 years of imperial operation. It consists of 980 buildings and covers over 180 acres.
The Forbidden City complex was declared a World Heritage site in 1987 and UNESCO, listed it as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. Since 1925, it is under the control of the Palace Museum that houses extensive collections from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Liu Pin Fo Lou (Six-Class Buddha Temple)
Guhya Manjushri statue in Bao Xiang Lou (宝相楼), one of the Six-Class Buddha Temples in the Forbidden City (click to enlarge)
Emperor Qianlong was a great patron of Tibetan Buddhist art and translations of the Buddhist canon. Apart from building a complete Tibetan Buddhist temple behind Yangxin Pavilion, he also studied the Tibetan language, as well as “The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment” (Lamrim). At 35, he received the Heruka initiation from his teacher, the national preceptor the 3rd Changkya Rolpai Dorje. In order to welcome the Sixth Panchen Lama to Beijing, he constructed the Xumi Fushou Temple in Chengde and Zhao Temple on Fragrant Hills. However, the biggest religious project in the Qianlong period was from the year 1757 to 1782, which Qianlong personally participated in the design and construction of the “Six-Class Buddha Temples”.
According to the official website of the Palace Museum, the “Six-Class” are related to Prajna (representing Exoteric Buddhism), Kriya tantra, Charya tantra, Yoga tantra, Father tantras of Anuttarayoga Tantra and Mother tantras of Anuttarayoga Tantra.
According to the Qing dynasty archives, Qianlong personally examined the style of each Buddha statue and revised it until he was satisfied before approving the casting. In the tenth month of the 22nd year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, because of the rough workmanship and uneven gold-plating in rushing to complete the statues, Emperor Qianlong lost his temper after he saw the statues. Not only were the statues sent back for rework, but the officials supervising the work were also made to pay for the expenses themselves.
There are a total of eight such temples, built at the Forbidden City, Chengde Mountain Resort, and Yuanmingyuan Park. Six of them were destroyed by fire and war. The only one remaining that is well preserved is the Fanhua Lou in the Forbidden City. Many of the Buddha statues and other cultural relics from the Baoxiang Lou were moved south to the Nanjing Museum.
According to the information, each of the Six-Class Buddha Temple has seven open space, with three rooms on each side that make up six rooms. There are nine large bronze statues in each room and one hundred and twenty-two small bronze Buddha statues from the six classifications. There are three inscriptions on each of the small bronze Buddha. On the upper side of the lotus platform, there is a section with the words “Made in the Year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty”, and the name of the deity at the lower edge. There is also the name of the room the statue belongs to at the back of the statue. This was to ensure that there would not be any confusion.
The source for Guhya Manjushri from Mitra Yogin lineage is clear and there is evidence of the teachings being transmitted by a Gelug lama (Ngagchen Rinpoche) to an audience of 548 monks and lay people in Beijing in 1934. As for the Guhya Manjushri in the Forbidden City, the depiction of the deity is slightly different compared to the Guhya Manjushri of the Mitra Yogin lineage. As Emperor Qianlong’s teacher was the 3rd Changkya Rolpai Dorje, who was also the national preceptor, it is highly likely that the lineage of this form of Guhya Manjushri in the Forbidden City was received from the 3rd Changkya Rolpai Dorje.
Guhya Manjushri sculpture in the Forbidden City, the grand palace of the powerful Emperors of China.
Guhya Manjushri Mantra
Om Wa Gi Shwa Ri Mum
The seed-syllable of this form of Manjushri is “Ah”
This 262-year old bronze statue of Guhya Manjushri made in China during Emperor Qianlong’s reign. Qianlong personally oversaw the making of these statues and made sure they were accurate as well as elegant in appearance.
文殊菩萨简介
密德文殊室利佛，或这尊特别的秘密文殊菩萨共有六面，其中五面在下层，而另一面在上层。他双手分别握着莲花，莲花上有佛经。他全身藏红色，全跏趺坐。这种法相的文殊菩萨，虽然源自西藏，却被中国紫禁城的皇室贵族所供奉。这尊密德文殊室利佛被视为紫禁城的”护法”，中国皇帝十分着重于供奉这位护法，因为对他们来说，圆满智慧和聪明成就对个人生命和国家成长而言极度重要。文殊菩萨是中国皇帝们高度承认，并在皇室中供奉的本尊。
文殊师利菩萨（梵语念曼殊室利；日语念Monju Bosatsu；韩语称Moosoo Posal；藏文称强呗央）又名妙吉祥或柔德音，是大乘与金刚乘佛教中最为重要的一尊菩萨。“文殊”（柔德）二字指的是文殊菩萨对超凡智慧的掌握，使得他的相续变得温和。柔德音中的“音”字代表着文殊菩萨能以文字和语言传达佛法的奥义，使众生的无明得以消除继而得到解脱。文殊菩萨象征着佛门智慧之本尊。佛教经典中记载，文殊菩萨乃是原始佛毗卢遮那如来，但因起慈悲心，誓愿生生世世返回娑婆世界令众生得解脱。文殊菩萨的来历众说不一，但毫无疑问，我们都想达到文殊菩萨的超凡智慧。
释迦牟尼佛在《法华经》里明显指出文殊菩萨乃是久远劫中已经成就佛境但选择了回返娑婆世界协助释迦牟尼佛大转法轮。
文殊菩萨在格鲁传承中的地位
文殊菩萨是上师
上到下：宗喀巴大师、嘉曹杰、克珠杰和多杰雄登
藏传佛教教派中最新的教派，格鲁传承始宗喀巴大师 (1357-1419)。宗喀巴于1409年在拉萨创立甘丹寺。宗喀巴是文殊菩萨的化生，也是众格鲁传承弟子的传承上师。
在修行传统方面，宗喀巴将大乘佛教的三个主要印度传承合并成一个单一的主要传承。这无间断的传承始于释迦牟尼佛，并传授于文殊菩萨。文殊菩萨将这无间断的传承传授给护持纯净教理的大师们。
此外，文殊菩萨也化现为对藏传佛教带来举足轻重影响的著名瑜伽上师们，包括龙钦巴尊者、萨迦传承创始人萨迦班智达贡嘎坚赞，以及其他大师。
文殊菩萨是本尊
在大乘佛教中，文殊菩萨被视为与超凡智慧相关的一位菩萨，而金刚乘佛教则视文殊为圆满证悟的佛，行者可视他为本尊（禅定尊）而向他皈依。
文殊菩萨是护法
上到下：文殊菩萨和多杰雄登
文殊菩萨除了化现为上师和本尊，他也化现为保护行者，为他们提供最有利于修行之顺缘的佛教护法。
文殊化身的护法当中最著名的包括嘎拉鲁巴、四面大黑天和多杰雄登。嘎拉鲁巴是大威德金刚密续的特别护法，而四面大黑天则是密集金刚和胜乐金刚密续的护法。三者之中，最新也跟我们在因果上最有业缘的护法是360年前崛起的多杰雄登。当我们跟某个护法有很深的业缘，也就意味着比起其他护法而言，他能更快地帮助我们和给我们加持。因此，比起其他护法，多杰雄登对我们而言，其地位是更为崇高的。此外，多杰雄登也是守护宗喀巴大师空性教诲的特别护法，深受当代许多地位最高的格鲁高僧所敬仰。
密德文殊室利佛：文殊菩萨的一个特别化身
这个版本的密德文殊室利佛是乾隆时期制造的，收藏于故宫的密德文殊室利佛。这一版本的文殊菩萨同样拥有二臂和六面，但六面分属两层，上层一面，下层五面。
文殊菩萨的这一化身拥有好几个版本，分别出现在个别的格鲁皈依境中。其中，有两个版本因为拥有可追溯的来源，而从各版本中脱颖而出。那就是米扎传承版本的密德文殊室利佛。他拥有二臂、六面；六个面都属同一层。本尊全身藏红色。
两个版本的密德文殊室利佛同样都手持说法印，横置胸前，双手分别握着白莲花茎，白莲花现于双肩，花心上各托一梵箧。密德文殊室利佛全跏趺坐。尽管造像上略有不同，这两种法相的密德文殊室利佛都是正确而有效的。
米扎百尊版本的密德文殊室利佛
米扎尊者
米扎百尊版本的密德文殊可见于《密答喇百法主尊像》。米扎（密答喇）百法是由米扎尊者于12-13世纪汇编的108个密续本尊坛城。米扎尊者或称密答喇侳基，是12世纪的印度大师，他从观音菩萨那儿亲受教诲。他同时也被视为是印度佛教式微时期依然积极弘法的著名佛教大师。
点击下载《密答喇百法主尊像》PDF
这是印度密札确吉大师传承教诲中全跏趺坐的密德文殊室利佛。六面同属一个水平，二臂握着莲花，上有智慧经卷。他全身藏红色，手持说法印。这款造像跟乾隆皇之上师——第三世章嘉若必多吉的紫禁城版本略有不同。
米扎尊者生于印度东部奥利萨邦马尤布汉杰县一个叫拉达哈的城镇。米扎尊者最终成了拉谛达金刚的弟子，而后者是帝洛巴尊者的弟子。他被弟子卓普译师邀请前往西藏弘法，并因密答喇百法和给詹德拉王的信而闻名。
《密答喇百法主尊像》于1938年在北京出版，由扎什伦布寺高僧洛桑丹增·晋美旺秋（安钦仁波切）于1934年向548名僧俗群众传授《米扎百法》灌顶后编著。
安钦仁波切与九世班禅大师关系密切，他曾被委任为扎什伦布寺阿巴扎仓（密续学院）的堪布。他也曾经协助九世班禅大师协调跟中、日的外交关系。
紫禁城版密德文殊室利佛
密德文殊室利佛深藏在北京紫禁城的故宫博物院中。 紫禁城建于1406年至1420年间，由明朝第三位皇帝——永乐皇帝（1403-1420年）所建。从永乐皇帝到溥仪皇帝当朝的近600年里，紫禁城曾先后是24任皇帝们居住和办公的地点。紫禁城由980栋建筑物组成，覆盖面积高达180英亩。
紫禁城于1987年被列入为世界文化遗产。联合国教科文组织将它列入世界上现存规模最大最完整的古代木结构建筑群。自1925年来，它收藏大量明清收藏品的故宫博物院所管。
六品佛楼
历代清朝皇帝中，乾隆对藏传佛教涉入最深，他在养心殿西暖阁后面设有一处完整的藏传佛教佛堂，学习过藏文书面语和显宗入门教义《菩提道次道论》，35岁那年在章嘉国师面前亲受上乐金刚的灌顶。1780年乾隆70大寿，为迎接六世班禅来京朝觐，他颁诏兴建了承德须弥福寿之庙、北京香山昭庙。而乾隆朝最大的宗教工程，则是从乾隆二十二年（1757）到四十七年（1782）皇帝亲自参与设计和建造的六品佛楼。
“六品”是指对佛教经典的分类方法，即功行根本（事部密续）、德性根本（行部密续）、瑜伽根本（瑜伽部密续）、无上阳体根本（无上瑜伽部父续）、无上阴体根本（无上瑜伽部母续），再加上般若品（大乘佛教）共六部类，总称“六品”。
清宫档案里记载，乾隆对佛像款式亲自看样审定，修改到他满意了才批准铸造。乾隆二十二年十月，因为工匠为慧曜楼加班赶制的佛像加工粗糙，镀金不匀，乾隆帝御览后大发脾气，所有的活都发回重做不算，还命主管镀金的官员自己掏银子开销，将管理造办处的官员罚俸。
六品佛楼当年一共8座，分布故宫、承德避暑山庄、圆明园，其中6座毁于火灾战乱，只有故宫梵华楼基本保存下来，另一座宝相楼里的铜佛在文物南迁的时候留在南京博物院了。
根据资料，每座六品佛楼均为七开间，左右两边各三间，共六品间 。每间有9尊大铜主尊佛像，122尊小铜佛像出于六品。正面刻有“大清乾隆年敬造”款和佛名，背面有“瑜伽根本”、“无上阳体根本”等六品字样。在佛像的下方，则刻上了该本尊的名号。刻上刻文的目的是避免佛像出现混淆的情况。
在密德文殊室利佛的上述两个版本中，米扎百法版的密德文殊室利佛有着明显的传承记录，因为有历史证据表明，那是由一位近代格鲁传承上师所传授的版本，而这位格鲁大师就是于1934年在北京向548名僧俗群众传授了《米扎百法》灌顶的安钦仁波切。至于造于18世纪故宫六品楼内的密德文殊室利佛像，他的造像跟米扎百法版有少许不同。由于乾隆皇帝跟章嘉若必多吉关系十分密切，再加上章嘉仁波切本身是当时的国师，这个版本的密德文殊极大可能性源自章嘉仁波切的传承。
故宫内的密德文殊室利佛木雕
密德文殊室利佛心咒
嗡 瓦 吉 刷 里 穆
种子字：阿
这拥有262年历史的铜制密德文殊室利佛像造于中国乾隆年间，由乾隆皇帝亲自监制佛像的制作过程，以确保造像精准、造型庄严典雅。
Sources
- Himalayan Art Resources, Publication: Mitra Gyatsa Main Page, https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2098 (accessed: 23 April 2019)
- 雅昌拍卖, 1725 安钦呼图克图金刚上师百法灌顶时绕坛城时留影之一, 21 May 2017, https://auction.artron.net/paimai-art0065791725/ (accessed: 23 April 2019)
- The Treasury of Lives, Mitrayogin, February 2019, https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/mi-tra-dzo-ki/10280 (accessed: 23 April 2019)
- 中濠典藏，Lot 号— 茶桑像, http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-zHKh6j5LUQJ:www.mcdcpm.com/auctionWith.aspx%3Fp%3D4639%26c%3D6%26l%3D532%26n%3D%25E8%258C%25B6%25E6%25A1%2591%25E5%2583%258F+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=my (accessed: 24 April 2019)
- 乾隆造佛和清宫六品佛楼, http://ny.zdline.cn/h5/article/detail.do?&artId=39679 (accessed: 24 April 2019)
- Wikipedia, Qianlong Emperor, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianlong_Emperor (accessed: 24 April 2019)
For more interesting information:
- All About Manjushri | 关于文殊菩萨
- The Many Forms of Manjushri
- Dream Manjushri
- White Manjushri Daily Practice
- 1000-armed Manjushri!!!
- A Concert of Names of Manjushri | 圣妙吉祥真实名经
- Manjushri the Magnificient
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
This is a very unusual and rare form of Manjushri that caught my attention.and a very beautiful one.? This Guhya Manjushri can be found within the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Forbidden City was built from 1406-1420 by the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Yongle Emperor (1403-1420) and it served as the residence and court of twenty-four emperors from Emperor Yongle to Emperor Puyi in its 600 years of imperial operation. It consists of 980 buildings and covers over 180 acres. Emperor QianLong is a devoted practitioner and he contributed a lot to Buddhism by building temples, creating statues and etc during his reign. Because of his effort, we are able to see this special form of Manjushri. Thank you very much Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this very interesting and brief history of Guhya Manjushri.?????
Thank you, Rinpoche and the blog team for sharing with us this unusual and rare form of Manjushri. It is amazing on how Buddha Manjushri manifested so many different forms to benefit sentient beings. This special form can be found in China specifically the Forbidden City and he is practised by the ancient Chinese royalties.
Emperor QianLong is a devoted practitioner and he contributed a lot to Buddhism by building temples, creating statues and etc during his reign. Because of his effort, we are able to see this special form of Manjushri.
Any form of Manjushri is very beneficial for us because his practice is the direct antidote for our ignorance. The highest form of healing is the destruction of our ignorance which gives rise to all of our untold and innumerable sufferings from previous lifetimes and beyond.
密德文殊室利是在格鲁皈依境中，我们常会看到的其中一个隶属瑜伽部的本尊。没想到这尊文殊菩萨的化身，在历史上跟中华民族是如此亲近。目前在互联网上我们所能找到的资料当中，跟这位本尊有关的资料，大多跟清代乾隆年间所建造的六品楼有关，从这里追溯，不难发现当年乾隆皇帝跟格鲁派章嘉仁波切的密切师徒关系，我们也能从历史记载中，针对乾隆皇帝对建筑六品楼所投注的心力，来加以推测乾隆皇帝对待自己的佛法修持十分认真严肃。