Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Tibetan: ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ་ Sa Yi Nyingpo, or full name Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva ཁྱབ་འཇུག་ཐུབ་དབང་ Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva)

 

In Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana), Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is one of the most important deities, ranking alongside great Bodhisattvas such as Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, and Samantabhadra, and is considered one of the "Six Great Bodhisattvas" or "Eight Great Bodhisattvas." Tibetan Buddhism particularly emphasizes Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's great vow to "save sentient beings in hell," regarding him as the savior of the hell and hungry ghost realms, and he is also closely associated with rituals for the salvation and liberation of the deceased in the intermediate state (Bardo).

 

1. Monthly Offering Days (Offering Days) In Tibetan Buddhism, the fixed offering days for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva are:

 

- **The 8th, 15th, and 30th (or 29th) of each Tibetan month**

 

- The most important is **the 30th of each Tibetan month (29th in months with short stems)**, which is called "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Homa Day" or "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Assembly Day".

 

- Many Tibetan monasteries (such as those in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet) hold special Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smoke offerings, tsog offerings, fire offerings (Homa), or recite the *Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra* and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva mantra on this day.

 

- Han Chinese Buddhism often considers the **30th of the seventh lunar month** as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's birthday, but Tibetan Buddhism does not particularly emphasize this day, instead focusing on the 30th of each month.

 

Commonly Used Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Mantra (Tibetan Pronunciation in Chinese):

 

- Tibetan: ཨོཾ་ཧ་ཧ་ཧ་ཨ་ཧི་ཥྚ་ཧྲཱིཿ (Om Ha Ha Ha Ahitshri)

 

- Simplified Chinese Pronunciation: 嗡 哈 哈 哈 毗湿瓦 吽 (or 嗡 阿希札 吽)

 

2. Stories and Jataka Tales of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Tibetan Version)

 

Tibetan Buddhism is mainly based on the *Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra*, but it also incorporates many unique Vajrayana legends. The two most famous Jataka tales are as follows:

 

(1) **The Jataka of Guangmu (Brahmin Woman)** (Same as in Chinese version)

 

- In a past life, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was a Brahmin woman (Guangmu). Her mother fell into hell and suffered greatly. - She sold her family property to accumulate merit and perform rituals to help her mother's soul find peace. She eventually met the Tathagata King of Perfect Enlightenment, who told her, "Your mother has been reborn in heaven." He also prophesied that she would become a Buddha in the future, named "Ksitigarbha," because she is "as steadfast and immovable as the earth, and as profound and secretive as a hidden treasure."

 

(2) The **filial daughter Jataka (or the story of "New Light Girl")**, particularly emphasized in Tibetan Buddhism:

 

- Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was once a filial daughter in a certain country in India. After her mother fell into hell, she cried and called out at the gates of hell for many years.

 

- The hell guards were moved by her filial piety and took her to see Yama, the King of Hell. Yama told her that only great merit and virtue could save her mother.

 

- She made the famous vow, "I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty; I will not attain enlightenment until all sentient beings are liberated."

 

- Later, with boundless supernatural powers, she manifested countless incarnations of Ksitigarbha, simultaneously entering countless hells to save sentient beings.

 

Tibetan Buddhism believes that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has already attained Buddhahood (the Tathagata of Right Dharma), but due to his great vows, he descends to earth to compassionately manifest as a Bodhisattva, residing in hell to relieve suffering.

 

3. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Special Status and Influence in Tibetan Buddhism

 

- **The Principal Deity for Salvation in Hell and the Intermediate State**

 

- Tibetan Buddhism places great importance on death and the intermediate state (Bardo), believing that after death, one first falls into hell for judgment.

 

- Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is regarded as the most important savior of the intermediate state, and many rituals for the liberation of the deceased (such as Chöd and Phowa) simultaneously involve visualizing Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

 

- The Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug schools all include Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva as one of the "Eight Great Deities for the Liberation of the Deceased."

 

- **The Special Relationship with Padmasambhava**

 

- Legend has it that when Padmasambhava entered Tibet to subdue demons, he and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva jointly suppressed the demonic forces of the underworld.

 

- In many terma (hidden treasure texts), Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is regarded as one of Padmasambhava's emanations, or a manifestation of Padmasambhava's activities.

 

- **Fire Offering (Homa) and Obstacle Removal**

 

- The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Fire Offering in Tibetan Buddhism is extremely famous. Using a red fire offering ritual, it can eliminate extremely heavy sins, liberate karmic creditors, and counteract the evil destinies of hell.

 

- Many high lamas will urgently perform the Ksitigarbha Fire Offering to save their disciples when signs of impending hell appear.

 

- **Modern Practices in Tibetan Buddhism**

 

- Contemporary eminent figures such as the Dalai Lama, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche have all highly praised the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Dharma.

 

- Many Tibetan families enshrine Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva thangkas or Buddha images in their homes, and on the 30th of each month, they recite mantras, light butter lamps, and perform smoke offerings.

 

In summary: In Tibetan Buddhism, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is not only a symbol of "filial piety," but also regarded as a great savior who "cannot be empty even in the emptiness of hell." His great vows and actual power of liberation make him the most reliable protector of the deceased in Tibetan Buddhism. The 30th of each month, the offering day, has become an important day for Tibetans to accumulate merit and eliminate karmic obstacles leading to hell for themselves and their families.

 

If you wish to practice the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Dharma, the simplest daily practice in Tibetan Buddhism is: Reciting the Ksitigarbha mantra more than 100,000 times on the 30th of each month (Tibetan calendar) + releasing animals + smoke offering + food offering; the merit is inconceivable.