Manjushri, known as the Beautiful, Virtuous Lord, is claimed to be the symbol of knowledge and wisdom. He is primarily worshiped in the Northern Himalayan region.
8 inches wide by 5 inches deep by 11 inches high. Blanc de Chine Porcelain (white) Manjushri figurine. (The base not included.)
When Mañjuśrī is a whole statue, he is typically shown as a male bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva is someone who has reached nirvana because of their compassion.
In his right hand he holds a sword that has flames coming off it. This sword represents consciousness that discerns truth from error by cutting away the fear and belief that we can be separate from our Creator. The flames represent spirit. The right hand represents taking conscious action to know the truth. Sometimes instead of a sword, Mañjuśrī holds a scepter. This appears in Chinese and Japanese art.
In his left hand, he holds a lotus flower. The left hand represents submission to the Divine. The lotus flower represents purity, beauty and wisdom that can not be suppressed as they seek conscious in the same way that the lotus seeks the sunlight in order to grown and blossom. Typically, there is a scripture on the lotus that is a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra, which is the attainment of supreme understanding that comes from growth that renders wisdom.
Mañjuśrī is often shown on a blue lion. This had to do with how his wisdom has tamed the ferocity of the mind's fears.
In Chinese Buddhism, Mañjuśrī is a Bodhisattva. There are four great Bodhissattvas and he is one of them along with Kṣitigarbha, Avalokiteśvara, and Samantabhadra.