DESCRIPTION

Mahāsthāmaprāpta (‘Arrival of the great strength’) is a bodhisattva mahāsattva who represents the power of wisdom. One of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas along with Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Avalokiteśvara, Ākāśagarbha, Kṣitigarbha, Maitreya and Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin. Sometimes portrayed as a woman with a likeness similar to Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is also one of the Thirteen Buddhas in the Japanese Shingon school. In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is equated with Vajrapani.

In East Asian Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is often partnered with Avalokiteśvara as the attendants of Amitābha Buddha.