Thailand: Image 18 of the Phra Malai Manuscript, c. 1860-1880, Los Angeles County Museum of...

Kshitigarbha, sometimes spelt Ksitigarbha, is a bodhisattva mainly worshipped in East Asian and Theravada Buddhism, and is often depicted as a monk with a halo around his shaved head. His name may translate to 'Earth Treasury' or 'Earth Matrix', and is renowned for his vow to instruct all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the ascendance of Maitreya, as well as his oath to not achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. Thus, Kshitigarbha is often associated with hell and as the bodhisattva of hell-beings. He is also the guardian of children and patrod deity for deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture, where he is known by the name Jizo or Ojizo-sama. In Thailand and Laos, a "bhikkhu" named Phra Malai is often associated with Kshitigarbha due to their similar qualities, where he descends to Hell to teach and comfort the suffering hell-beings. Editor: LACMA