Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

地藏王菩薩

Jiuhua Shan is the shrine of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva of Great Resolve.

Kṣitigarbha (Earth Store) is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk who carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness.

Kṣitigarbha is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings.

九華山是大願地藏王菩薩的道場。

地藏菩薩，又稱地藏王菩薩，因其“安忍不動如大地，靜慮深密如秘藏”而得名。又因其發有“眾生度盡、方證菩提；地獄不空、誓不成佛”之大願故被尊稱為大願地藏菩薩。

據《地藏菩薩本願經》說，地藏菩薩曾受釋迦牟尼佛的囑託，要在釋迦滅度後、彌勒佛降生成佛前的無佛之世，教化度脫沉淪於地獄、餓鬼、畜生、阿修羅、人、天諸道中的眾生。而且他發誓“地獄未空，誓不成佛”。有情眾生只要念誦其名號，禮拜供奉其像，就能得到無量功德的救濟。中國佛教寺院中的地藏菩薩形像多為身披袈裟的出家僧人之相。一手持錫杖打開地獄的大門，一手持寶珠照亮黑暗。