Buddha Statue Jizo

Description

8″ tall

Volcanic Stone Japanese Jizo Buddha

Jizo is a bodhisattva in Japanese Mahayana Buddhism, originally known in Sanskrit as Ksitigarbha (‘Womb of the Earth’, ‘Earth’s Treasury’). He is worshipped primarily in East Asia.

Jizo protects travelers and children, especially children who die before their parents. They include mizuko, the souls of aborted, stillborn or miscarried babies. Such children cannot cross the mythical River Sanzu towards the spirit world because they have yet to perform sufficient good deeds. They are doomed to endlessly pile stones on the riverbank as penance, but Jizo protects them in his robe from demons and lets them listen to mantras.

Statues of Jizo depict him as a shaven-headed monk, holding a shakujo or jingle staff that warns insects and small creatures of his coming, so that he may not harm them unintentionally. He often has childlike features, resembling those of his protégés. Sometimes, Jizo statues are adorned with tiny bibs or toys. He is also a protector of firefighters.

His statues are often seen along the road or where children are buried.