Manjusri

Mañjuśrī (文殊 Ch. Wen Shu, Jp. Monju) also written Manjushri, is a bodhisattva. A disciple of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, he represents wisdom, intelligence and realization, and after Avalokitesvara is probably the most popular bodhisattva.

So why am I writing about him? It's because, while reading about him I discovered the following fascinating snippet: According to legend, Jurchen leader and founder of the Qing Dynasty Nurhaci believed himself to be a reincarnation of Manjusri. He thus banned the name "Jurchen" and renamed his race the Manchus.