I was given a statute as a gift...

[Steven]

But I can't seem to figure out what all the figures are! I'm pretty sure one is Guan Yin, but I'm drawing a blank on the rest of them. I've tried researching some, but I figured someone here would know!uploadfromtaptalk1390262587262.jpguploadfromtaptalk1390262609484.jpguploadfromtaptalk1390262630035.jpg

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[Geika]

The middle one looks like Shakyamuni and the one on the right looks like Guan Yin, as you said. The one on the left I am not sure of.

[Seiryu]

I'm not sure but It seems like the one in the middle is Shkyamuni, the one to the right is Kuan Yin and the one to the left might be Amitabha Buddha

[Jundo]

I'm not sure but It seems like the one in the middle is Shkyamuni, the one to the right is Kuan Yin and the one to the left might be Amitabha Buddha

I am not an expert on Chinese art, but I believe this is correct. The mystery statue is Amitabha/Amida holding a begging bowl. Here is a description of a Tibetan statue in such pose ...

http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm?iCode=85

Usually the three as a "triad" do not include Kannon/Guanyin, but rather Amitabha, Shakyamuni, and Bhaisajyaguru (the Medicine Buddha. who folks of old used to turn to when there was no doctor around). My understanding is that the three (Amitabha/Amida, Shakyamuni, and Kannon/Guanyin) are not usually teamed together as a triad in statuary, although no reason not to do so either! Lovely works of Buddhist art.

http://www.shaolin.org.cn/templates/EN_T_newS_list/index.aspx?nodeid=335&page=ContentPage&contentid=2070

Gassho, J

[Jundo]

PS - A some folks around here know, I believe that anyone or anything can be a lovely "Buddha Statue" when appraised with a Buddha Eye ... a dirty diaper, an old coke bottle, empty space ...

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?11639-November-15th-16th-2013-Treeleaf-Weekly-Zazenkai&p=115402&viewfull=1#post115402

All lovely or ugly, or Beautiful right through and through "beautiful vs. ugly" ... depending how one sees ...

Gassho, J

[Victor Chu]

Hi Steven,



That is a very common statue in Pure Land Buddhism.



The first statue is of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in a formal Chinese monk attire. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is known as Jizo Bosatsu in Japanese or Dizang Pusa in Chinese. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is popular in Pure Land because of his vow to not become Buddha until hell is empty. In Japan, he is now popular to be the protector of children.



The second photo is that of Shakyamuni Buddha, it is because of the begging bowl. It is interesting because that statue cam pass for Amitabha Buddha, however Amitabha Buddha holds a lotus. Most of the time Shakyamuni Buddha doesn't really have that Swastika on his chest, only Amitabha but Chinese Statues mix match alot.



The last one is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, or Guan Yin in Chinese and Kannon Bosatsu in Japanese. Very popular in Asia for being the compassionate bodhisattva and also one of the sages in western Pure Land.



I hope that help.



Gassho

Victor


Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

Hi Steven,



That is a very common statue in Pure Land Buddhism.



The first statue is of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in a formal Chinese monk attire. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is known as Jizo Bosatsu in Japanese or Dizang Pusa in Chinese. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is popular in Pure Land because of his vow to not become Buddha until hell is empty. In Japan, he is now popular to be the protector of children.



The second photo is that of Shakyamuni Buddha, it is because of the begging bowl. It is interesting because that statue cam pass for Amitabha Buddha, however Amitabha Buddha holds a lotus. Most of the time Shakyamuni Buddha doesn't really have that Swastika on his chest, only Amitabha but Chinese Statues mix match alot.



The last one is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, or Guan Yin in Chinese and Kannon Bosatsu in Japanese. Very popular in Asia for being the compassionate bodhisattva and also one of the sages in western Pure Land.



I hope that help.



Gassho

Victor


Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

Thank you, Victor, for the correction on Ksitigarbha/Jizo. The image of Jizo is generally very differently depicted here in Japan.

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/jizo1.shtml

Folks sometimes ask me about the place of all these incredible Bodhisattva figures in our Practice. That is a bit of an "eye of the beholder" question, and people can approach them in various ways. Are they "real" or fantasy or something else? How to see them? I offered a series of talks on the Bodhisattvas ...

Here is the whole series:

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?8860-Whattsa-Who-sa-Bodhisattva-%28A-Sit-a-Long-Series%29

Especially on Kannon:

http://www.treeleaf.org/sit-a-long/with-jundo-and-taigu/archives/2011/04/whattsa-whosa-bodhisattva---avalokiteshvara-kannon.html

Jizo:

http://www.treeleaf.org/sit-a-long/with-jundo-and-taigu/archives/2011/05/whattsa-whosa-bodhisattva---kshitigarbha-jizo.html

Shakyamuni too (a Bodhisattva as well as a Buddha) ...

http://www.treeleaf.org/sit-a-long/with-jundo-and-taigu/archives/2011/02/sit-a-long-with-jundo-whattsa-whosa-bodhisattva---shakyamuni.html

Personally, I sometimes write this ...

Actually, I had a hard time, for many years, incorporating into my practice many figures such as Kannon and Jizo ...

I have some cautions I would offer both to people who say (a) these things do exist in a concrete way, and those folks who say (b) they do not. While both those extremes may be correct (only the universe knows for sure, and I remain an open minded mystic-skeptic), I have come to see "them" as archtypes, representing real characteristics of human life and (since we are just the universe) thus the universe.

In other words, in a nutshell: When we feel in our hearts and act upon love and compassion, thereby love and compassion exists as a real, concrete aspect of the world which our hearts and acts create. And since, in our view, there is no "inside" or "outside" ultimately, what is inside you is just as much "the universe" and concrete reality as the moon, gravity and the stars. That is "Kannon", in that way a real and concrete aspect and 'force' of the world.

I believe in Buddhist Heavens and Hells, Buddhas (apart from the historical Shakyamuni) and Boddhisattvas, and all the rest of the Buddhist cosmology, in much the spirit of that famous essay ... "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". Did you ever read that? A little girl wrote to a newspaper editor, back in 1897, saying that she'd heard from friends that there is no Santa Claus. "Is it true?", she asked. Part of the response ran like this ...

What? You don't believe in Santa Claus?

GassHo Ho Ho, Jundo

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

http://www.newseum.org/exhibits/online/yes-virginia/

Gassho, J

[Victor Chu]

Hi Jundo,

Yes I can definitely see why you wouldn't recognize Jizo. Japanese's version never have head dress (other than the extremely cute beanie). I also think it is because of the statue. Generally Chinese/Vietnamese depiction of Ksitigarbha will also have him carry a staff in one hand and an Earth in the other hand very much like the more formal depiction of Jizo in Japan which will always have him carry a staff and an Earth.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom and the link Jundo. I will be sure to check them out as well. I know from my practice, I was once told when we recite the name of these Bodhisattva it is to really reflect on ourselves and to evoke our own enlightening quality. Sometimes people regard Bodhisattva both in metaphoric sense and literal. Each of these Bodhisattva represents a quality of an enlightened being. Such as Kannon being great compassionate, Kstigarbha being great vow, Manjusri is great wisdom, Mahasthamaprapta for great strength/endeavor and so on and on.

I really enjoy reading that little article. Thank you very much for sharing. For some reason it made me teary haha. Very silly. For me.... I am at a stop point in my practice and really don't know what I believe and often find conflicts within myself whether or not it is a metaphor or whether it is literal. I don't know. Maybe I will just keep walking and see where I find myself

Thank you Jundo

Gassho
Victor

[Jundo]

I was once told when we recite the name of these Bodhisattva it is to really reflect on ourselves and to evoke our own enlightening quality. Sometimes people regard Bodhisattva both in metaphoric sense and literal. Each of these Bodhisattva represents a quality of an enlightened being. Such as Kannon being great compassionate, Kstigarbha being great vow, Manjusri is great wisdom, Mahasthamaprapta for great strength/endeavor and so on and on.

I really enjoy reading that little article. Thank you very much for sharing. For some reason it made me teary haha. Very silly. For me.... I am at a stop point in my practice and really don't know what I believe and often find conflicts within myself whether or not it is a metaphor or whether it is literal. I don't know. Maybe I will just keep walking and see where I find myself

Lovely.

[Rich]

Deep reverence for all sitting buddhas.



Kind regards. /\

[Bobman4671]

Lovely trio! May it be of benefit to you and your practice.

Gassho
Javier