Ksitigarbha Hall

Ksitigarbha, known in Chinese as Dizang, is especially associated with great vows. In Chinese Buddhism, devotion to him is closely linked to caring for one's parents, relieving suffering and helping the deceased. His hall reminds visitors to make good vows, care for their families and do good.

The first lesson in serious Buddhist practice begins here. Ksitigarbha represents the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism. If Buddhist practice is a tall building, this hall is its footing. Without that foundation, the compassion of Guanyin, the wisdom of Manjushri and the practice of Samantabhadra have nothing firm to stand on.

When a place of practice is established, it should begin by teaching the *Sutra of Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows*. Once the foundation is sound, people can be introduced to the *Infinite Life Sutra* and the practice of reciting the Buddha's name to seek birth in the Pure Land.

The statues

Seated Ksitigarbha: He wears a five-Buddha crown and a monastic robe, sitting cross-legged on a lotus. In his right hand is a nine-ringed staff that opens the gates of hell. In his left is a wish-fulfilling jewel that lights the darkness and dispels ignorance and harmful karma.

Daoming, the young monk on the left: The son of Elder Min, he was the first to take refuge in Ksitigarbha, become a monk and attain realisation.

Elder Min, the older gentleman on the right: A local landowner on Mount Jiuhua, he offered an entire wooded mountainside for Ksitigarbha's practice. Later he left his household to become a monk and took his own son Daoming as his teacher. The story reminds us that understanding, rather than age, comes first in practice.

Diting, the listening beast: Also called Shanting, “Good Listener,” or “the ears of hell,” Diting is Ksitigarbha's mount in Chinese Buddhism and rests beneath his lotus seat. Along with Manjushri's blue lion, Samantabhadra's white elephant and Guanyin's golden-haired hou, it is one of the four well-known bodhisattva mounts and a familiar feature of this hall.

What the name Dizang teaches

*Di* means earth and points to the ground of the mind. *Zang* means a treasury.

The ground of the mind: The earth supports and nourishes everything without taking sides. Good people walk on it, and so do bad people. When we see Ksitigarbha and feel the ground beneath our feet, we can ask whether our own minds are as open and impartial, willing to support others.

The treasury: Our true nature holds boundless wisdom, ability and goodness, far beyond any store of gold or silver. This hall asks us to discover that wealth within ourselves.

Caring for parents and respecting teachers

If this hall offers a key to that inner treasury, how do we use it? Master Jingkong taught that its heart lies in caring for parents and respecting teachers. The *Ksitigarbha Sutra* is often called Buddhism's scripture of filial care.

In past lives, Ksitigarbha appeared as a Brahmin woman and as Bright Eyes, making great vows to save their mothers. The lesson is direct: without care for our parents and respect for our teachers, we have not yet entered the door of Mahayana practice. His image reminds us to carry that care into our thoughts and actions.

A teacher in the darkest places

People sometimes think of this as a gloomy hall concerned only with the dead, ghosts and the underworld. Some are even afraid to enter. But what is hell? It is not only a place of suffering beneath the earth. It also points to deep confusion, greed, anger, ignorance and pride. As long as these govern our minds, we live in a kind of hell.

“If I do not enter hell, who will?” Ksitigarbha goes where suffering is greatest. That is the strength of his vow. We can learn from it by helping people who are most confused or in pain, with a sincere and clear mind, so that they can find understanding and relief.

Ksitigarbha practice

This practice draws mainly on three scriptures: the *Sutra of Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows*, the *Sutra on Divining the Effects of Good and Evil Karma*, and the *Mahayana Great Collection Sutra of Ksitigarbha's Ten Wheels*. The first is the most widely read in Chinese Buddhism. The divination practice described in the second is also a distinctive part of the Chinese Buddhist tradition.

Background music

The recording uses a familiar Chinese Buddhist melody for chanting a Buddha's or bodhisattva's name. Here the words are “Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva,” expressing refuge, wholehearted devotion and respect. The recording is by the Qingtai Fayun group. If there is a copyright issue, please contact us for removal.