Akasagarbha (आकाशगर्भ)

Sanskrit. ‘Boundless Space Treasury’. Name of the bodhisattva of space, who is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas (fig.). He is the guardian of the treasury of all wisdom and achievement and his own wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself. He is regarded to be the personification of the Buddha’s blessings and considered to be the twin brother of the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha (fig.), whose Chinese name Ti Tsang, translates as ‘Earth Treasury’. In popular Buddhism, he is believed to be the protector against disasters and the patron deity of the arts. Akasagarbha is sometimes transliterated Akashagarbha and also translated ‘Void Store’. In Japanese culture, Akashagarbha is called Kokūzō Bosatsu, which is translated into English as ‘Womb of the Sky’, ‘Treasure of Emptiness’ and ‘Wisdom of Emptiness’. 回