Sthirachakra Mañjushri
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India and Nepal
Orientation 3
Display 2

ABS 136

 Code: ABS 136

  Country: India (north-west)

  Style: Spiti / Lahaul Region

  Date: 1000 - 1100

  Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 7.1 x 17 x 4.3

  Materials: Brass

Sthirachakra Mañjushri – The Bodhisattva of Wisdom

Seated on a narrow double lotus pedestal legs crossed in the meditation posture, Mañjushri, bodhisattva of Wisdom, brandishes a vajra-sword with his right hand, clutching a volume of the Prajñaparamita, “the Perfection of Wisdom” in his left. Young and handsome, he is adorned with the royal attire of the divine manifestations. His long hair is tied in five tufts of which four fall on his shoulders adorned with flowers.

The bodhisattva is represented slender and muscular with arched eyebrows and elongated eyes inlaid with silver. Associated to the pointy petals of the constricted lotus pedestal, the circular nimbus and the pointy aureole decorated with stylised rays of light, it corresponds to a strong Kashmiri influence.

Bodhisattvas are “heroes for the awakening”. They are advanced practitioners who are motivated by compassion, and who strive to help all sentient beings to attain liberation on their path to perfect Buddhahood. Their royal adornments symbolise the quality of their spiritual realisation.