Sanskrit: Kṣitigarbha क्षितिगर्भ
Tibetan: Sa yi snying po ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ
Chinese: Dìzàng 地藏
Vietnamese: Địa Tạng
Korean: Ji Jang 지장
Japanese: Jizō 地蔵
Ksitigarbha is known for his sacred vow to free all sentient beings from hell until they are emptied. His name is usually translated as “Earth Treasure” or “Earth Store.” He is usually depicted as a monk with a halo around his shaved head, a staff to force open the gates of hell, and a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness.
Ksitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism. The others are Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Avalokitesvara.
The story of Ksitigarbha:
In the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, the Buddha states that in the distant past eons, Ksitigarbha was a maiden of the Brahmin caste by the name of Sacred Girl. She was deeply troubled when her mother died, because she had often been slanderous towards the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha). To save her from the great tortures of hell, the girl sold whatever she had and used the money to buy offerings that she offered daily to the Buddha of her time, known as the Buddha of the Flower of Meditation and Enlightenment. She prayed fervently that her mother be spared the pains of hell and appealed to the Buddha for help.
While she was pleading for help at the temple, she heard the Buddha telling her to go home, sit down, and recite his name if she wanted to know where her mother was. She did as she was told and her consciousness was transported to a Hell realm, where she met a guardian who informed her that through her fervent prayers and pious offerings, her mother had accumulated much merit and had already ascended to heaven. Sacred Girl was greatly relieved and would have been extremely happy, but the sight of the suffering she had seen in Hell touched her heart. She vowed to do her best to relieve beings of their suffering in her future lives for kalpas.
The mantra for Ksitigarbha is: Om (or Namo) Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
Smile and be well!
Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva