​How to Practice the Manjushri Method - I

Manjushri Bodhisattva is the embodiment of wisdom.
In the minds of most people, seeking wisdom begins with turning to Manjushri Bodhisattva.
As Buddhist practitioners, we all aspire to possess great wisdom, just like Manjushri Bodhisattva.
Together, let us learn from Manjushri Bodhisattva, practice the Manjushri Method,
and journey freely with Manjushri Bodhisattva through the ocean of wisdom.

■ By Chiu Hui-min (邱惠敏)

When we think of the bodhisattva foremost in wisdom, Manjushri Bodhisattva immediately comes to our mind. Throughout many sutras, we find vivid portrayals of Manjushri's extraordinary sagacity and skillful means in expounding the Dharma, as well as his incisive descriptions of "slaying the Buddha" to cut through attachment. According to Taiwanese popular folk custom, students seeking success in examinations pray to the Deity of Culture and Literature (Wenchang Dijun 文昌帝君). Some Buddhist monasteries, especially during examination season, set out representations of the Buddha's feet for students to bow before and touch. These representations invoke the expression "clutching the Buddha's feet in a moment of need (cram at the last minute)"—in the hope that Manjushri Bodhisattva will bestow his blessings.

For Buddhist practitioners who wish to awaken and deepen their wisdom, learning from Manjushri Bodhisattva is exactly the right path!  
  
Buddhism emphasizes the dual cultivation of compassion and wisdom. Buddhist practice is founded upon the Three Trainings of precepts (sila), meditative concentration (samadhi), and wisdom (prajna). Given the vast and boundless scope of the sutras and the immeasurable number of dharma methods, it is extremely difficult to penetrate deeply into the Dharma Treasury or to penetrate the skillful means and perfect harmony of the Buddha's teachings without wisdom. Wisdom enables one to understand cause and effect, to sever afflictions, to comprehend that "all phenomena arise dependently and are therefore empty of inherent existence", and to know how to use this temporary physical body for practice to realize the unborn and undying true nature. Only then can one be liberated from the ocean of birth and death. For this reason, the Manjushri Method has always been regarded as the supreme path for developing wisdom as well as the very foundation of entering the Buddha's path of practice.

Practicing the Manjushri Method can yield six distinct types of wisdom: swift wisdom, deep wisdom, broad wisdom, the wisdom of expounding the Dharma, the wisdom of debating the Dharma, and the wisdom of writing about the Dharma. Ordinary people, upon encountering a word, can generally grasp only one meaning. On the other hand, one endowed with swift wisdom can perceive a single character and know as many as a hundred layers of inner meaning. One endowed with deep wisdom asks questions that appear casual but are in fact imbued with profound significance. Broad wisdom refers to encompassing wisdom in multiple aspects. One who possesses the wisdom of expounding the Dharma is exceptionally skillful in explaining the sutras. One who possesses the wisdom of debating the Dharma excels in Dharma discussion and is eloquent in speech. One who possesses the wisdom of writing about the Dharma possesses the talent to compose treatises on the Dharma. Beyond these six specific types of wisdom, practicing the Manjushri Method yields many other benefits—the growth of wisdom being just one of them—yet it is wisdom that enables us to benefit both ourselves and others more fully.
 
The practice of the Manjushri Method, like the Guanyin (Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara) Method, can proceed from the shallow to the deep or vice versa, depending on each individual's spiritual affinity and degree of diligence. Practices range from chanting the bodhisattva’s name, reciting mantras, chanting sutras, attending Dharma assemblies, and One-Practice Samadhi (Sanskrit: Ekavyuha-Samadhi, cultivating the contemplation of emptiness). In Tibetan Buddhism, the Manjushri Method holds a place of great importance and carries a rich Tantric character. The following is an introduction to the most commonly practiced forms of the Manjushri Method:

Chanting the Name: Namo (homage to) Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva
With wholehearted reverence, we chant the sacred name of Manjushri Bodhisattva: "Namo Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva" or simply "Namo Manjushri Bodhisattva." While chanting the sacred name, we also visualize Manjushri Bodhisattva. At first we hear our own voice, but gradually we let go of the sound—merging completely with the sacred name. Chanting Manjushri's sacred name with single-minded focus is greatly beneficial for cultivating our powers of concentration, and this is the most accessible entry point into the Manjushri Method.

The merit of upholding Manjushri Bodhisattva's sacred name enables people to attain supreme, selfless wisdom. The "Assembly on the Prediction Conferred upon Mañjuśrī from the Mahāratnakūṭa Sutra" states that sentient beings who uphold the sacred name of any Buddha will attain supreme merit. Yet, if someone chants the name of Manjushri Bodhisattva, the merit they receive is a thousandfold greater still.


Related articles:

​How to Practice the Manjushri Method - I

​How to Practice the Manjushri Method - II

​How to Practice the Manjushri Method - III



Resource: Issue 337 of Humanity Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photo: Nung Chan Monastery (農禪寺)
Translation: Anne Yeow (姚麗萍) 
Editing: Keith Brown, Patricia Yang