This paper clarifies the three systems observed with the practice method of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, which are the Tiantai system, the Avatamsaka Sutra system, and the Tang Esoteric Buddhism system. The systems are then applied in interpreting portraits of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra painted by Xia Jing Shan. The Tiantai system regards Bodhisattva Samantabhadra as the master of the Repentance of Dharma method. The Lotus Sutra explains the “Dharma Lotus Samādhi” (Fahua sanmei), but mortals are too full of sin to comprehend; therefore, in the final chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “Encouragement of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra”, and also in The Samantabhadra Contemplation Sutra, the studying and reciting of the Lotus Sutra is encouraged, explaining that through the Repentance of Dharma method, Bodhisattva Samantabhadra will then come before sentient beings on a white elephant king with six tusks. Multiple interpretations on the religious practice of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra were proposed by Cheng-guan, the fourth patriarch of the Flower Garland (Huayen) school of Buddhism. It is explained in “Contemplations of the Perfect Interfusion of the Three Holy Ones” by Cheng-guan that the theme of the two holy ones consists, generally, in three kinds of distinction: First is the distinction between faith and the object of faith, with Samantabhadra as the Object of Faith. Second is the distinction between understanding and practice, with Samantabhadra as Practice. Third is the distinction between principle and insight, where Samantabhadra represents the realm of truth. This shows the matrix of Buddhahood (tathāgatagarbha) disentangled from all the afflictions of saṃsāra. Bodhisattva Samantabhadra’s practice for longevity and physical health is explained in Sutra on Samantabhadraʼs Adamantine and Superlative Dhāraṇī̄ for Prolonging the Life Span, a Radiant Blessing Bestowed from the Hearts of all the Buddhas. The Samantabhadra-carya-pranidhāna (Prayer of Samantabhadra) uses the “three secrets” of body, speech, and mind to explain the profound impact that Bodhisattva Samantabhadra’s ten profound vows have had on Han Chinese Buddhism’s interpretation of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra’s practice method and the making of statues based on the bodhisattva. Under this backdrop, this paper intends to interpret portraits of Samantabhadra by Xia Jing Shan and explain the significance they embody.
