Fugen Bosatsu
Fugen Bosatsu is the Japanese name for the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, often seen in paintings and sculptures with Monju Bosatsu as an attendant of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha. |
|
12th Century painting on silk of
Fugen Bosatsu. |
Fugen protects devotees of the Lotus Sutra, the only sutra that offers salvation directly for women (without first being reborn as a man), so he was highly venerated by Heian noblewomen. He is commonly depicted seated on a lotus throne and riding a white elephant. |