The Legend of Ksitigarbha

Introduction to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of the Great Vow

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is renowned in Buddhism for his “great vow.” Along with Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Avalokiteshvara, he is counted among the “Four Great Bodhisattvas.” His guiding spirit is summed up in the profound vow: “Until the hells are empty, I will not become a Buddha; only when all beings are saved will I attain bodhi.” This symbolizes boundless compassion and an unwavering resolve to save others.

In Buddhist scriptures and legends, Ksitigarbha is often depicted wearing a monk’s robe and holding a khakkhara staff, which symbolizes dispelling afflictions and rousing sentient beings, and a wish-fulfilling jewel, which symbolizes light and wisdom. He often appears in the form of a monk, representing a cultivator who enters places of suffering to save sentient beings. His name, “Ksitigarbha,” means “steadfast and unmoving as the earth, deep and still in meditation like a hidden treasury”: like the earth, he bears all things and embraces every hardship; like a treasure trove, he contains boundless wisdom and compassion, bringing hope of liberation to all beings.

According to legend, Ksitigarbha was reincarnated many times, practicing the bodhisattva path in different forms. The best-known stories are “The Brahmin Girl Saves Her Mother” and “The Maiden Guangmu Saves Her Mother.” They show him vowing to save all beings after seeking to rescue loved ones who had fallen into evil realms. Even in the brutal depths of hell, he never wavers in his vow or abandons a single suffering being.

In your novel, The Biography of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, you could build the story around this central vow. Show the arduous journey of saving beings in hell, while weaving in the causes and conditions behind the vows he made in past lives. This would highlight the roots of compassion and the spiritual power behind his “great vow,” bringing the bodhisattva to life through both his grand pledge and his specific acts of salvation.