kind of grass, sacred tree
菩 refers to a sacred tree or a kind of grass, often associated with religious or spiritual contexts. The two meanings are linked by the idea of a plant with special significance.
菩 combines the grass radical 艹 with 咅, which likely contributes a phonetic element. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the character is used in Buddhist contexts to represent the Bodhi tree.
The top grass radical 艹 sits above 咅, which looks like a mouth 口 under a standing shape 立. Imagine a sacred tree growing from a special kind of grass, with its name spoken reverently by a mouth below.
For ボ, picture a sacred Bodhi tree (菩提樹, ぼだいじゅ) where the first syllable 'Bo' cues the reading ボ. The tree is a kind of sacred plant, tying back to the meaning.
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bodhisattva; one who has reached enlightenment but vows to save all beings before becoming a buddha
one's family temple; temple with one's family grave
Maitreya (Bodhisattva); Miroku
The Sword of Doom (1966 film)
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
bodhi; enlightenment
Tilia miqueliana (species of linden tree)
sacred fig (Ficus religiosa); bodhi tree; bo tree; peepal tree; pipal tree
Indian banyan (Ficus benghalensis); banyan tree
The Five Great Bodhisattvas (who uphold the Three Treasures and protect the sovereign)
buddhas and bodhisattvas
Great Bodhisattva Hachiman (title of Hachiman due to Shinto-Buddhist syncretism)
Mahasthamaprapta (bodhisattva)
O Great God of Arms, I beseech your aid against my enemy!
Kshitigarbha (bodhisattva who looks over children, travellers and the underworld); Ksitigarbha; Jizō
Sutra of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
Tara (female aspect of Avalokitesvara)
Buddha-like compassion
Myōken (bodhisattva; deification of the North Star or the Big Dipper)
Manjusri (Bodhisattva); Monju; Monjushuri; Wenshu