Bodhisattva statue at Mount Koya

This time, our museum will be holding a special exhibition on the theme of "Bodhisattva Statues of Mt. Koya" as the 16th Koyasan Great Treasure House Exhibition.
Bodhisattva is an abbreviation of Bodhisattva, which is the pronunciation of the Sanskrit word bodhisattva written in Chinese characters. It is said to be someone who seeks enlightenment and aims to become a Buddha, and who practices with great compassion to save all people.

These are represented as objects of worship, and statues and images of Kannon, Jizo, Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Maitreya, and Kokuzo Bodhisattva are worshipped as individual deities, or carved in a triad as attendant deities to the Tathagata, such as Samantabhadra and Manjusri for Shaka Tathagata, Seishi and Kannon for Amida Tathagata, and Nikko and Gakko for Hagashi Tathagata.

These were basically the form of Shakyamuni before he attained enlightenment and devoted himself to training, which was only seen among the upper classes in India at the time, but later the Bodhisattvas of Change were created, and this further evolved into the birth of esoteric Bodhisattvas such as Prajna, Bhaisajyaguru, Acalanatha, Banyarak, and Kohaku.The special form, character, role, and merits of the Bodhisattvas of Change are detailed in scriptures and rituals, and statues of these Bodhisattvas and others are worshipped at Mount Koya, where they are also preserved as cultural assets.

We hope that by experiencing the gentle kindness and compassion of the Bodhisattva through this exhibition, you will be inspired to reexamine your life.

July 1995 Koyasan Reihokan Museum Director Koei Yamaguchi