Samantabhadra Bodhisattva

The finale of the Avatamsaka Sutra belongs to Samantabhadra. In the chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm, the youth Sudhana visits fifty-three teachers — Guanyin and Maitreya among them — and only when he reaches Samantabhadra at the very end does his quest come to completion. The destination of the seeker's journey turns out to be not some loftier theory, but simply: to act. Legend says that countless ages ago Samantabhadra made a vast vow to help all beings accomplish Buddhahood through 'great practice,' and his Ten Great Vows — from paying homage to all Buddhas and repenting past misdeeds to accommodating all beings and dedicating every merit — break the whole of practice down into ten things a person can actually do. His white six-tusked elephant, drawn from Indian tradition, stands for noble, pure, steady strength: an elephant plants each foot firmly, just as practice must. Mount Emei in Sichuan has long been revered as his sacred seat, ranked with Putuo, Wutai, and Jiuhua among the four great Buddhist mountains. In the Sui and Tang, eminent monks of the Tiantai and Huayan schools placed special weight on his teaching of the Ten Vows, and in the Ming and Qing the faith reached Taiwan, where it continues to this day.

Worship Samantabhadra with vegetarian offerings — fresh flowers, fruit, clear tea — avoiding meat, alcohol, and tobacco. The chant of first choice is the chapter on the Practices and Vows of Samantabhadra from the Avatamsaka Sutra, or his name, 'Namo Great-Practice Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.' But the true heart of his worship isn't on the offering table — it's off it. The Ten Great Vows are meant to be done: pay homage to the Buddhas each day, rejoice when you see others do good, repent honestly when you slip, dedicate your merit to all beings. Many disciples keep these ten vows as a daily checklist, fulfilling them one at a time. What to pray for? Follow-through, and a resolve that doesn't fade — anyone whose plans forever stall at step one has much to learn from this most action-minded of bodhisattvas. His birthday falls on the 21st day of the second lunar month, when temples hold sutra-chanting assemblies.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's birthday is celebrated on the 21st day of the 2nd lunar month. Buddhist temples hold special Dharma assemblies where the congregation recites the chapter on the Practices and Vows of Samantabhadra together, reaffirming their commitment to translating the Dharma into action through the Ten Great Vows.