salvation, Buddha
—
薩 centers on the concept of salvation and the Buddha, primarily used in Buddhist contexts to refer to bodhisattvas or enlightened beings who guide others to salvation.
Satsuma (former province located in the west of present-day Kagoshima Prefecture)
bodhisattva; one who has reached enlightenment but vows to save all beings before becoming a buddha
Satsuma and Chōshū (clan alliance)
Maitreya (Bodhisattva); Miroku
The Sword of Doom (1966 film)
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
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)
Lhasa (China)
Manjusri (Bodhisattva); Monju; Monjushuri; Wenshu
Suryaprabha (bodhisattva)
image of the Samantabhadra of long life (with either two or twenty arms, usu. on a white elephant)
薩 is a phono-semantic compound used to transliterate Sanskrit sounds in Buddhist terms. It combines the grass radical 艹 with 隡, which contributes the sound. The character was created specifically for Buddhist transcription and has no independent ancient pictographic origin.
The top grass radical 艹 suggests something growing or spreading, while the bottom 隡 looks like a complex structure. Imagine a bodhisattva's compassion spreading like grass, bringing salvation to all beings.
For サツ, picture a bodhisattva sitting in meditation: the word 'sits' sounds like サツ, and the bodhisattva sits to attain enlightenment and bring salvation.