Avalokitesvara
\nIn
Mahayana Buddhism,
Avalokitesvara or
Avalokiteshvara is a
bodhisattva who embodies the
compassion of all
Buddhas. \nAvalokitesvara is probably the most widely worshipped Buddhist deity, especially in his highly evolved forms as
Guan Yin (in
China) or
Kannon (in
Japan), covered in a separate article. In
Vajrayana Buddhism Avalokitesvara is also known as
Padmapani, the Holder of the Lotus.
Origin
The exact origin of Avalokitesvara is unclear. Like many other Buddhist deities, he is thought to have been a Hindu deity absorbed by Mahayana teaching as an aspect of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. The word avalokita means "seeing or gazing down" and isvara means "lord" in Sanskrit. Isvara is also an alternate name for the Hindu deity Shiva, who seems to also have acted as an inspiration for Avalokiteshvara's depictions in art.
According to Mahayana doctrine, Avalokitesvara has made a great vow to listen to the prayers of all sentient beings in difficulty, and to postpone his own Buddhahood until he has helped every being on earth achieve enlightenment.\nSutras associated with Avalokitesvara include the Heart Sutra and the Lotus Sutra.
Manifestations
Avalokitesvara has an extraordinarily large number of manifestations in different forms. Some of the more common ones include:
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2\n! Sanskrit !! Characters !! Japanese !! Meaning !! Description\n|-\n| Amoghapasa\n| 不空羅牽\n| fukūkenjaku\n| Holder of the Infallible Lasso\n|-\n| Bhrkuti\n|\n|\n| Fierce-Eyed\n|-\n| Cintamani-cakra\n| \n| \n| Holding the Jewel\n| Holds the jewel Cintamani\n|-\n| Ekadasmukha\n| 十一面\n| jūichimen\n| Eleven-Faced\n| Additional faces to teach all in 10 planes of existence\n|-\n| Hayagriva\n| \n| \n| Horse-Headed\n| Wrathful form; simultaneously boddhisattva and a Wisdom King\n|-\n| Pandaravasini\n| \n| \n| White and Pure\n| the direct forbear of Guan Yin\n|-\n| Parnashabari\n| \n| \n| Cloaked With Leaves\n|-\n| Rakta Shadakshari\n| \n| \n| Six Red Syllables\n|-\n| Sahasra-bhuja Sahasra-netra\n| 千手千眼\n| senjūsengan\n| Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed\n| Very popular form: see and helps all\n|-\n| Svetabhagavati\n|\n|\n| White-Bodied\n|-\n| Udaka-sri\n| \n| \n| Water Auspicious\n|}
Tibetan Buddhism
Avalokitesvara (known as Chenrezig in Tibetan) is an important deity in Tibetan Buddhism. In particular, the Dalai Lama is held to be a manifestation of Avalokitesvara.
In Tibetan Buddhism, White Tara acts as the consort and energizer of Avalokitesvara. According to popular belief, Tara came into existence from a tear of Avalokitesvara. When the tear fell to the ground, it created a lake, and a lotus opening in the lake revealed Tara.
