{{Short description|Buddhist bodhisattva}} {{about|the bodhisattva|the film|Avalokitesvara (film)}} {{Infobox Buddha | name = Avalokiteśvara | image = File:Khasarpana Lokesvara.jpg | caption = Sculpture of Avalokiteśvara holding a lotus ([[Sacred lotus in religious art|''padma'']]). [[Nalanda|Nālandā]], [[Bihar]], India, 9th century CE. | sanskrit_name = {{plainlist| * अवलोकितस्वर * [[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]]: Avalokitasvara }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * अवलोकितेश्वर * IAST: Avalokiteśvara }} | bikol_name = | burmese_name = {{plainlist| * လောကနတ် * [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: /lɔ́ka̰naʔ/ * ကွမ်ယင် * IPA: [kwàɴ jɪ̀ɴ] }} | cebuano_name = | chinese_name = {{plainlist| * 观世音, 觀世音 * [[Pinyin]]: Guānshìyīn * [[Jyutping]]: Gun1 sai3 jam1 * [[Pe̍h-ōe-jī]]: Koan-sè-im }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * 观音, 觀音 * Pinyin: Guānyīn * Jyutping: Gun1 jam1 * Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Koan-im }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * 观自在, 觀自在 * Pinyin: Guānzìzài * Jyutping: Gun1 zi6 zoi6 }} | japanese_name = {{plainlist| * 観自在 * [[Romanization of Japanese|Romaji]]: Kanjizai }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * 観音 * Romaji: Kannon }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * 観世音 * Romaji: Kanzeon }} | khmer_name = {{plainlist| * អវលោកេស្វរៈ * [[Romanization of Khmer#ALA-LC Romanization Tables|ALA-LC]]: ʾavalokesvarà }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * អវលោកិតេស្វរៈ * ALA-LC: ʾavalokitesvarà }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * លោកេស្វរៈ * ALA-LC: Lokesvarà }} | korean_name = {{plainlist| * 관음 * [[Revised Romanization of Korean|RR]]: Gwaneum }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * 관자재 * RR: Gwanjajae }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * 관세음 * RR: Gwanseeum }} | russian_name = {{plainlist| * Авалокитешвара * [[ALA-LC romanization for Russian|ALA-LC]]: Avalokiteshvara }} | mongolian_name = {{plainlist| * {{MongolUnicode|ᠵᠠᠨᠷᠠᠢᠰᠠᠭ᠂<br />ᠠᠷᠢᠶᠠᠪᠠᠯᠣ}} * Жанрайсаг, Арьяабал * [[SASM/GNC romanization|SASM/GNC]]: Janraisag, Ariyabalu }} | tagalog_name = | thai_name = {{plainlist| * อวโลกิเตศวร * [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]: Awalokitesuan }}<div style="margin-bottom:0.5em;"></div> {{plainlist| * กวนอิม * RTGS: Kuan Im }} | tibetan_name = {{plainlist| སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས * [[THL Simplified Phonetic Transcription|THL]]: Chenrézik }} | sinhala_name = {{plainlist| * අවලෝකිතේශ්වර * [[ISO 15919]]: Avalōkitēśvara }} | vietnamese_name = Quan Âm, Quán Thế Âm, Quán Tự Tại | veneration = [[Buddhism]], [[Chinese folk religion]], [[Taoism]] | attributes = [[Karuṇā|Great Compassion]] }} In [[Buddhism]], '''Avalokiteśvara''' (meaning "the Lord who looks down",<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gour |first=H. S. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.189351/page/n17/mode/1up |title=The Spirit Of Buddhism Vol. 1 |date=1929 |pages=10}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|IPA|ˌ|ʌ|v|əl|oʊ|k|ɪ|ˈ|t|eɪ|ʃ|v|ər|ə}}<ref>[https://www.dictionary.com/browse/avalokitesvara "Avalokitesvara"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref>), also known as '''Lokeśvara''' ("Lord of the World") and '''Chenrezig''' (in Tibetan), is a [[Bodhisattva]] associated with Great [[Compassion]] (''[[Karuṇā|mahākaruṇā]]'').<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ellwood |first=Robert S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pGbdI4L0qsC&dq=avalokitesVara&pg=PA40 |title=The Encyclopedia of World Religions |page=40|date=2008 |publisher=Facts on file|isbn=978-1-4381-1038-7 |language=en}}</ref> Avalokiteśvara has a vast number of manifestations (e.g., the 108 forms of Avalokiteśvara) and is depicted in various forms and styles across Buddhist traditions of different cultures. In some texts, he is considered to be the source and divine creator of all [[Hindu deities]] (such as [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva]], [[Brahma]], [[Saraswati]], [[Bhumi (goddess)|Bhudevi]], [[Varuna]], etc.).<ref name=":3" /><ref name="DSZYBWG ch1">Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra - [https://web.archive.org/web/20150202081513/http://www.fodian.net/world/1050_01.html Chapter One]</ref> In [[Mahayana]] and [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara is also considered a manifestation of [[Amitabha Buddha]] for the purpose of Dharma teaching,<ref>The Great Buddhist Dictionary - [[s:zh:佛學大辭典/觀音|佛學大辭典【觀音】]]</ref> and an emanation from [[Vairocana Buddha]] as an embodiment of the Miraculous Observing Wisdom (妙觀察智).<ref>The Buddha's Light Great Dictionary - The Five Wisdoms and Three Bodies [http://m.fodizi.tw/f05/64547.html 佛光大辭典【五智三身】]</ref><ref>[[Vajrasekhara Sutra]] in Chinese - [[s:zh:金剛頂一切如來真實攝大乘現證大教王經/卷01|金剛頂一切如來真實攝大乘現證大教王經]]</ref>
In [[East Asian Buddhism]], Avalokiteśvara is known as [[觀音]] (an abbreviation for 觀世音), pronounced [[Guanyin|'''Gwoon Yaam''']] in Cantonese, '''[[Guanyin]]''' in Mandarin Chinese, '''[[Guanyin|Kannon]]''' in Japanese, [[Guanyin|'''Gwaneum''' ]] in Korean, and [[Guanyin|'''Quan Âm''']] in Vietnamese. In the traditional cultures of these Asian countries, there is a female form of Avalokiteśvara depicted as a divine mother in a white robe, called White-Robed Avalokiteśvara or Southern Sea Avalokiteśvara. This female form of Avalokiteśvara is worshiped widely in [[East Asian religions]] including [[Taoism]] and [[Chinese folk religion]].<ref name="leighton">{{cite book |last=Leighton |first=Taigen Dan |title=Bodhisattva Archetypes: Classic Buddhist Guides to Awakening and Their Modern Expression |publisher=Penguin Arkana |year=1998 |isbn=0140195564 |location=New York |pages=158–205 |oclc=37211178 |author-link=Taigen Dan Leighton}}</ref>
Avalokiteśvara is also known for his popular [[mantra]], {{IAST|[[Om mani padme hum|Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ]]}}, which is the most popular mantra in [[Tibetan Buddhism]].<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra.'' State University of New York Press. p. 2.</ref>
==Etymology== The name ''Avalokiteśvara'' combines the verbal prefix ''ava'' "down", ''lokita'', a past participle of the verb ''lok'' "to look, notice, behold, observe", here used in an active sense, and finally ''[[ishvara|īśvara]]'', "lord", "ruler", "sovereign", or "master". In accordance with [[sandhi]] (Sanskrit rules of sound combination), ''a''+''īśvara'' becomes ''eśvara''. Combined, the parts mean "lord who gazed down (at the world)". The word ''[[loka]]'' ("world") is absent from the name, but the phrase is implied.<ref>Studholme p. 52-54, 57.</ref> It does appear in the Cambodian form of the name, ''Lokesvarak''.
The earliest translation of the name ''Avalokiteśvara'' into Chinese by authors such as [[Xuanzang]] was as ''Guānzìzài'' ({{lang-zh|c=觀自在|p=Guān zìzài}}), not the form used in [[East Asian Buddhism]] today, which is '''''[[Guanyin]]''''' ({{lang-zh|c=觀音|p=Guānyīn}}). It was initially thought that early translators, lacking fluency in [[Sanskrit]], mistook ''Avalokiteśvara'' for ''Avalokitasvara'' ("who looked down upon sound", ''i.e.'', the cries of [[Sentient beings (Buddhism)|sentient beings]] who need help) and thus mistranslated ''Avalokiteśvara'' as ''Guānyīn''.<ref name="Red Pine 2004 pg 44-45">[[Red Pine (author)|Pine, Red]]. ''The Heart Sutra: The Womb of the Buddhas'' (2004) Shoemaker 7 Hoard. {{ISBN|1-59376-009-4}} pg 44–45</ref> It is now understood that ''Avalokitasvara'' was the original form<ref>{{cite journal|author=Lokesh Chandra |author-link=Lokesh Chandra |date=1984 |title=The Origin of Avalokitesvara |url=http://www.indologica.com/volumes/vol13/vol13_art13_CHANDRA.pdf |journal=Indologica Taurinensia |volume=XIII (1985–1986) |pages=189–190 |publisher=International Association of Sanskrit Studies |access-date=26 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606205922/http://www.indologica.com/volumes/vol13/vol13_art13_CHANDRA.pdf |archive-date=June 6, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=Mironov>{{cite journal|last1=Mironov|first1=N. D.|title=Buddhist Miscellanea|journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland|date=1927|volume=59|issue=2|pages=241–252|doi=10.1017/S0035869X00057440|jstor=25221116|s2cid=250344585 }}</ref> and is also the origin of ''Guanyin'' "perceiving sound, cries". This translation was favored by the tendency of some Chinese translators, notably [[Kumārajīva]], to use the variant ''Guānshìyīn'' {{lang-zh|c=觀世音|p=Guānshìyīn}} "who perceives the world's lamentations"—wherein ''lok'' was read as simultaneously meaning both "to look" and "world" (Sanskrit ''loka''; {{lang-zh|c=世|p=shì}}).<ref name="Red Pine 2004 pg 44-45"/> The original form of Guanyin's name appears in Sanskrit fragments from the fifth century.<ref name="Studholme p. 52-57">Studholme p. 52-57.</ref>
The original meaning of the name fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a bodhisattva. The reinterpretation presenting him as an ''īśvara'' shows a strong influence of [[Hinduism]], as the term ''īśvara'' was usually connected to the Hindu notion of [[Vishnu]] (in [[Vaishnavism]]) or [[Shiva]] (in [[Shaivism]]) as the [[God|Supreme Lord]], Creator, and Ruler of the world. Some attributes of such a god were transmitted to the bodhisattva, but the mainstream of those who venerated Avalokiteśvara upheld the Buddhist rejection of the doctrine of any creator god.<ref>Studholme p. 30-31, 37–52.</ref>
In Sanskrit, Avalokiteśvara is also referred to as ''Lokeśvara'' ("Lord of the World"). In [[Classical Tibetan|Tibetan]], Avalokiteśvara is ''Chenrézig'' ({{bo|t=སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་}}). The etymology of the Tibetan name Chenrézik is ''spyan'' "eye", ''ras'' "continuity", and ''gzig'' "to look". This gives the meaning of one who always looks upon all beings (with the eye of compassion).<ref>{{cite book | last =Bokar Rinpoche | title =Chenrezig Lord of Love – Principles and Methods of Deity Meditation | publisher =Clearpoint Press | year =1991 | location =San Francisco, California | page =15 | isbn = 0-9630371-0-2}}</ref>
==Origin==
===Mahayana account=== [[Image:Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Nalanda.jpeg|thumb|Avalokiteśvara painting from a [[Sanskrit]] [[palm-leaf manuscript]]. [[Nalanda mahavihara|Nalanda]], India, 12th century.|262x262px]]
These are found in Chapter 25 of the ''Lotus Sutra:'' The Universal Gate of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara ({{lang-zh|c=觀世音菩薩普門品|p=Guānshìyīn púsà pǔ mén pǐn }}). This chapter is devoted to Avalokiteśvara, describing him as a compassionate bodhisattva who hears the cries of sentient beings and who works tirelessly to help those who call upon his name. A total of 33 different manifestations of Avalokiteśvara are described, including female manifestations, all to suit the minds of various beings. The chapter consists of both a prose and a verse section. This earliest source often circulates separately as its own sutra, called the ''Avalokiteśvara Sūtra'' ({{lang-zh|c=觀世音經|p=Guānshìyīn jīng}}), and is commonly recited or chanted at Buddhist temples in East Asia.<ref>Baroni, Helen (2002). ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism'': p. 15</ref>
[[File:Chenrezigthangka.jpg|thumb|Four-armed [[Tibet]]an form of Avalokiteśvara.|370x370px]]
When the Chinese monk [[Faxian]] traveled to [[Mathura]] in India around 400 CE, he wrote about monks presenting offerings to Avalokiteśvara.<ref name="Kok Kiang 2004. p. 10">Ko Kok Kiang. ''Guan Yin: Goddess of Compassion.'' 2004. p. 10</ref> When [[Xuanzang]] traveled to India in the 7th century, he provided eyewitness accounts of Avalokiteśvara statues being venerated by devotees from all walks of life, from kings to monks to laypeople.<ref name="Kok Kiang 2004. p. 10"/>
[[File:Bodhisattva Padmapani, Ajanta, cave 1, India.jpg|thumb|349x349px|Avalokiteśvara / Padmapani, [[Ajanta Caves]], India]]
In [[Chinese Buddhism]] and East Asia, [[Tangmi]] practices for the 18-armed form of Avalokiteśvara called [[Cundi (Buddhism)|Cundī]] are very popular. The popularity of Cundī is attested by the three extant translations of the ''Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra'' from Sanskrit to Chinese, made from the end of the seventh century to the beginning of the eighth century.<ref name="Studholme, Alexander 2002 p. 175">Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Oṃ Maṇipadme Hūṃ: A Study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'': p. 175</ref> In [[Late Imperial China|late imperial China]], these early esoteric traditions still thrived in Buddhist communities. Robert Gimello has also observed that in these communities, the esoteric practices of Cundī were extremely popular among both the populace and the elite.<ref>Jiang, Wu (2008). ''Enlightenment in Dispute: The Reinvention of Chan Buddhism in Seventeenth-Century China'': p. 146</ref>
In the [[Tiantai]] school, [[Six Guanyin|six forms of Avalokiteśvara]] are defined. Each of the bodhisattva's six qualities is said to break the hindrances in one of the six realms of existence: hell-beings, [[preta]]s, animals, humans, [[Asura (Buddhism)|asura]]s, and [[Deva (Buddhism)|deva]]s.
According to Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī Sūtra,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171223141319/http://ydsnrs.com/zjg/qita/world/dabei_sutra.htm Great Compassion Dharani Sutra - English translation of Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī Sūtra]</ref> [[Gautama Buddha]] told his disciple Ānanda that Avalokiteśvara had become a Buddha countless eons ago, with the name Samyaka Dharma-Vidya Tathāgata meaning "Tathāgata who clearly understands the right Dharma". Out of great compassion, he wants to help all other Bodhisattvas to achieve the highest Awakenment, and bring happiness and peacefulness to all sentient beings, therefore he appears as a Bodhisattva, taking the name Avalokiteshvara and often abides in the [[Sahā|Sahā world]].
Another Mahayana Sutra, Tathagata's Unimaginable State Sutra,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180516060106/http://www.fodian.net/world/301.html English translation of Tathagata's Unimaginable State Sutra]</ref><ref>[https://www.sutrasmantras.info/sutra06.html Mahāvaipulya Sūtra of the Inconceivable State of Tathāgatas], English translation of [[:s:zh:大方廣如來不思議境界經|大方廣如來不思議境界經]]</ref> reaffirms that Avalokiteśvara is actually a Buddha. In the Sutra it is written that when [[Sakyamuni Buddha]] attained the highest Awakenment, countless Buddhas from other worlds, appearing as Bodhisattvas, came to our world to congratulate him and assist his Dharma-teaching work, and Avalokiteśvara was one of those Buddhas who appeared as Bodhisattvas.
In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara is one of the '''Four Great Bodhisattvas''' (四大菩薩) who are [[Mañjuśrī]], [[Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)|Samantabhadra]], Avalokiteśvara, and [[Kṣitigarbha]].<ref>The Buddha's Light Great Dictionary - The Four Great Bodhisattvas [http://m.fodizi.tw/f05/67320.html 佛光大辭典【四大菩薩】]</ref> Avalokiteśvara is also a close assistant of [[Amitabha Buddha]], helping Amitabha Buddha to preach the Dharma of the Pure Land.<ref>The Buddha's Light Great Dictionary - The Three Saints of the West [http://m.fodizi.tw/f05/68981.html 佛光大辭典【西方三聖】]</ref>
===Theravāda account===
[[File:Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara-BMA.jpg|thumb|Bronze statue of Avalokiteśvara from [[Sri Lanka]], c. 750 CE|349x349px]]
Veneration of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has continued to the present day in [[Sri Lanka]].
In times past, both ''Tantrayana'' and ''Mahayana'' have been found in some of the ''Theravada'' countries, but today the Buddhism of [[Sri Lanka]] (formerly, Ceylon), [[Myanmar]] (formerly, Burma), Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia is almost exclusively ''Theravada'', based on the Pali Canon. The only ''Mahayana'' deity that has entered the worship of ordinary Buddhists in Theravada Buddhism is ''Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara''. In Sri Lanka, he is known as ''Natha-deva'' and is believed by the majority to be the Buddha yet to come, ''Bodhisattva Maitreya''. The figure of ''Avalokitesvara'' is usually found in the shrine room near the Buddha image.<ref>Baruah, Bibhuti. ''Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism.'' 2008. p. 137</ref>
In more recent times, some western-educated Theravādins have attempted to identify Nātha with Maitreya Bodhisattva; however, traditions and basic iconography (including an image of Amitābha Buddha on the front of the crown) identify Nātha as Avalokiteśvara.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/lanka/matara/we01.html|title=Art & Archaeology – Sri Lanka – Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara}}</ref> Andrew Skilton writes:<ref>Skilton, Andrew. ''A Concise History of Buddhism.'' 2004. p. 151</ref>
{{blockquote|... It is clear from sculptural evidence alone that the Mahāyāna was fairly widespread throughout Sri Lanka, although the modern account of the history of Buddhism on the island presents an unbroken and pure lineage of Theravāda. (One can only assume that similar trends were transmitted to other parts of Southeast Asia with Sri Lankan ordination lineages.) Relics of an extensive cult of Avalokiteśvara can be seen in the present-day figure of Nātha.}}
Avalokiteśvara is popularly worshipped in [[Myanmar]], where he is called ''Lokanat'' or lokabyuharnat, and [[Thailand]], where he is called ''Lokesvara''. The bodhisattva goes by many other names. In Indochina and Thailand, he is ''Lokesvara'', "The Lord of the World". In Tibet, he is ''Chenrezig'', also spelled Spyan-ras gzigs, "With a Pitying Look". In China, the bodhisattva takes a female form and is called ''Guanyin'' (also spelled Kwan Yin, Kuanyin, or Kwun Yum), "Hearing the Sounds of the World". In Japan, Guanyin is ''Kannon'' or Kanzeon; in Korea, ''Gwaneum''; and in Vietnam, ''Quan Am''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/avalokiteshvara-bodhisattva-450135|title=Meet Avalokiteshvara, Buddhism's Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion |work=ThoughtCo }}</ref>
[[File:Shwenandaw 2288795148 46754abf81.jpg|thumb|Wood carving of Lokanat at [[Shwenandaw Monastery]], [[Mandalay]], [[Burma]]|262x262px]]
===Modern scholarship=== Avalokiteśvara is worshipped as Nātha in Sri Lanka. The [[Buddhism amongst Tamils|Tamil Buddhist]] tradition developed in [[Chola literature]], such as Buddamitra's ''Virasoliyam'', states that the [[Vedic]] sage [[Agastya]] learned Tamil from Avalokiteśvara. The earlier Chinese traveler [[Xuanzang]] recorded a temple dedicated to Avalokitesvara in the south Indian [[Mount Potalaka]], a Sanskritization of [[Pothigai]], where Tamil Hindu tradition places Agastya as having learned the Tamil language from [[Shiva]].<ref>Iravatham Mahadevan (2003), ''EARLY TAMIL EPIGRAPHY'', Volume 62. pp. 169</ref><ref>Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri (1963) Development of Religion in South India – Page 15</ref><ref>Layne Ross Little (2006) ''Bowl Full of Sky: Story-making and the Many Lives of the Siddha Bhōgar'', pp. 28</ref> Avalokitesvara worship gained popularity with the growth of the [[Abhayagiri vihāra]]'s [[Tamraparni]]yan Mahayana sect.
[[File:Pothigai Hills Range.jpg|thumb|[[Pothigai|Pothigai Malai]] in [[Tamil Nadu]] is proposed as the original [[Mount Potalaka]] in [[India]].|262x262px]]
Western scholars have not reached a consensus on the origin of the reverence for Avalokiteśvara. Some have suggested that Avalokiteśvara, along with many other supernatural beings in Buddhism, was a borrowing or absorption by [[Mahayana|Mahayana Buddhism]] of one or more deities from [[Hinduism]], in particular Shiva or [[Vishnu]]. This seems to be based on the name Avalokiteśvara.<ref name="Studholme p. 52-57"/>
On the basis of Buddhist scriptures, ancient [[Tamil language|Tamil]] literary sources, and field surveys, Japanese scholar Shu Hikosaka proposes the hypothesis that ancient Mount Potalaka, the residence of Avalokiteśvara described in the ''[[Gandavyuha|Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra]]'' and Xuanzang's ''[[Great Tang Records on the Western Regions]]'', is [[Pothigai|Mount Potigai]] in [[Ambasamudram]], [[Tirunelveli]], at the [[Tamil Nadu]]-[[Kerala]] border.<ref>Hirosaka, Shu. ''The Potiyil Mountain in Tamil Nadu and the origin of the Avalokiteśvara cult''</ref> Shu also said that Mount Potalaka has been a sacred place for the people of [[South India]] since time immemorial. It is the traditional residence of [[Siddhar]] [[Agastya]] at [[Agastya Mala]]. With the spread of Buddhism in the region beginning at the time of the great king [[Ashoka|Aśoka]] in the third century BCE, it became a holy place also for Buddhists, who gradually became dominant as a number of their hermits settled there. The local people, though, mainly remained followers of the Tamil animist religion. The mixed Tamil-Buddhist cult culminated in the formation of the figure of Avalokiteśvara.<ref name=ML>{{cite web|first=Märt|last=Läänemets|author-link=Märt Läänemets|title=Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in the Gandavyuha Sutra|year=2006|url=https://www.chibs.edu.tw/ch_html/chbs/10/chbs1011.htm|work=Chung-Hwa Buddhist Studies 10, 295–339|access-date=2009-09-12}}</ref>
The name Lokeśvara should not be confused with that of [[Lokeśvararāja]], the Buddha under whom Dharmakara became a monk and made forty-eight vows before becoming [[Amitābha]].
Avalokiteśvara's six armed manifestation as [[Cintāmaṇicakra]] is also widely venerated in East Asia. The ''Cintāmaṇicakra Dharani'' ({{lang-zh|c=如意寶輪王陀羅尼|p=Rúyì Bǎolún Wáng Tuóluóní}}) is another popular dharani associated with the bodhisattva.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Ten Small Mantras |url=https://www.buddhamountain.ca/Ten_Small_Mantras.php |access-date=2021-05-10 |website=www.buddhamountain.ca}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=What is Ten Small Mantras |url=https://www.buddhismtoronto.com/mantra-3.1.php |access-date=2021-05-10 |website=www.buddhismtoronto.com}}</ref>
==Manifestations== [[File:Amoghpasha lokeshvara image.jpg|thumb|Clay images of Amoghapasha Lokesvara flanked by [[Tara (Buddhism)|Arya Tara]] and [[Bhrikuti]] Tara enshrined at the side wing of Vasuccha Shil Mahavihar, Guita Bahi, [[Lalitpur, Nepal|Patan]]: This set of images is popular in traditional monasteries of [[Kathmandu Valley]], [[Nepal]].]]
[[File:Clevelandart 1959.129.jpg|thumb|Chinese [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907) statue of [[Ekādaśamukha]] (Eleven faced) Avalokiteśvara]]
[[File:GuanYin of a Thousand Arms and Eyes.jpg|thumb|[[Song dynasty]] (960-1279) painting of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara. Avalokiteśvara is depicted with a total of 32 heads, with the topmost head being that of the Buddha [[Amitābha]]. He stands atop a lotus pedestal supported by the [[Four Heavenly Kings]] with two attendant bodhisattvas flanking him on each side, while the [[Eight Legions|Eight Legions of Devas and Nāgas]] stand before him with their hands clasped in reverence. A group of Buddhas sit in the clouds above. Ink and colors on silk. 79.2 x 176.8 cm. Held at the [[National Palace Museum]] in [[Taiwan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=宋人畫千手千眼觀世音菩薩 軸-數位典藏與學習聯合目錄(4405212) |url=https://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/43/37/dc.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228062438/https://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/43/37/dc.html |archive-date=2024-02-28 |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=catalog.digitalarchives.tw |language=zh-TW}}</ref>]]
[[File:Sanjusangendo Thousand-armed Kannon.JPG|thumb|Statue of Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara in [[Sanjūsangen-dō]], Kyoto, Japan.]]
[[File:九蓮観音菩薩像-Guanyin as the Nine-Lotus Bodhisattva MET DT204712.jpg|thumb|White-Robed Avalokiteśvara with nine lotus]]
[[File:Horse Head Wisdom King.jpg|thumb|[[Hayagriva (Buddhism)|Horse Head Wisdom King]] in Japanese Buddhism]]
[[File:Amogha-pasa Avalokitesvara.jpg|thumb|Amogha-pasa Avalokitesvara]]
[[File:Avalokitesvara's 108 forms.jpg|thumb|A painting of Avalokitesvara's 108 forms. The biggest central figure is Creator Avalokitesvara, considered the root of all other manifestations of Avalokitesvara.]]
Avalokiteśvara has an extraordinarily large number of forms, emanations or manifestations, including wisdom goddesses (''vidyās'') directly associated with him in images and texts.
Furthermore, at least two separate female Buddhist deities, [[Cundi (Buddhism)|Cundī]] and [[Tara (Buddhism)|Tara]] also later came to be associated with Avalokiteśvara (and were even seen as manifestations of him).
According to [[Śūraṅgama Sūtra]], Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva had achieved perfect mastery of Buddhist Dharma and hence can manifest countless forms with different numbers of heads, arms and eyes.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120516184918/http://www.fodian.net/world/shurangama.html#6 Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Chapter 6]</ref>
===Commonly seen forms=== Some of the more commonly mentioned forms include:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Getty |first=Alice |date=2011-05-29 |title=The gods of northern Buddhism: their history, iconography and progressive evolution through the northern Buddhist countries – The Principal Forms Of Avalokitesvara [Chapter VI] |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/the-gods-of-northern-buddhism/d/doc4714.html |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Buddhist Deity: Avalokiteshvara (Wrathful/Semi Forms) |url=https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=1292 |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=www.himalayanart.org}}</ref><ref>D., Orzech, Charles (2011). ''Esoteric buddhism and the tantras in East Asia'', p. 215. Brill. {{ISBN|978-90-04-18491-6}}. {{OCLC|716806704}}.</ref>
{|Class="wikitable" border="1"" |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Arya Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Saint Avalokitesvara''' |'''Noble Avalokitesvara''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Ārya-Avalokiteśvara; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 聖觀自在菩薩) is the root form of Avalokiteśvara. According to [[Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra|Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra]], '''Noble''' '''Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva''' gave birth to the Sun and the Moon from his eyes, and gave birth to many great deities from different locations of his body.<ref name="DSZYBWG ch1" /> The Bodhisattva's body is of super-cosmic scale, in every pore of his body there is a boundless pure world within which innumerable Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or sentient beings reside.<ref>Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra - [https://web.archive.org/web/20150202081600/http://www.fodian.net/world/1050_03.html Chapter Three]</ref> |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Four Arms Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Four-Armed Avalokitesvara''' |'''Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Catur-bhuja Avalokiteśvara; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 四臂觀音) is the [[Yidam|Original Lord]] of [[Om mani padme hum|Om Mani Padme Hum]]. This form of the Bodhisattva has four arms, two of them in [[Añjali Mudrā|anjali]], one hand holds a lotus, the other hand holds a [[Japamala|mala]]. This form is also called Sadakṣarī-Lokeśvara and is considered to be the embodiment of the [[Om mani padme hum|Six Syllable Dharani]]. |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Eleven_faces,_thousand_hands_and_thousand_eyes_Avalokitesvara_Bodhisattva.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara''' |'''Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Sahasra-bhuja Sahasra-netra Avalokiteśvara; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 千手千眼觀音) is the [[Yidam|Original Lord]] of ''[[Great Compassion Dharani]].'' This form of the Bodhisattva is often depicted as having eleven heads and countless arms with eyes on the palms, and is called '''Eleven-faced Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva'''. According to Great Compassion Dharani Sutra, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva had achieved Buddhahood countless eons ago, but out of compassion, he appears as a Bodhisattva to save living beings. |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Kwan_Im_statue_Pematangsiantar.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Southern Sea Avalokitesvara''' |'''Southern Sea Avalokitesvara''' ([[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 南海觀音) is a female appearance of Avalokitesvara popular in East Asia. Many other forms of the Bodhisattva such as '''White Robe Avalokitesvara'''(白衣觀音), '''Children-giving Avalokitesvara'''(送子觀音), '''Water-Moon Avalokitesvara'''(水月觀音), etc., are based on this form. |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Eleven Faces Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Eleven-faced Avalokitesvara''' |'''Eleven-faced Avalokitesvara''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Ekādaśa-mukha Avalokiteśvara; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 十一面觀音) is an appearance of the Bodhisattva that has eleven heads. The ten heads atop the Bodhisattva's head awaken living beings in the ten realms of existence. |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Nilakantha-Avalokitesvara.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Blue-necked Avalokitesvara''' |'''Blue-necked Avalokitesvara''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Nīlakaṇṭha Avalokiteśvara; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 青頸觀音) is a form of Avalokitesvara whose neck is blue in color. In order to protect living beings the Bodhisattva swallowed poison sprayed by a demon, causing his neck to turn blue. |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Wish Fulfilling Wheel Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Wish Fulfilling Wheel Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva''' |'''[[Cintāmaṇicakra|Wish Fulfilling Wheel Avalokitesvara]]''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Cintā-maṇi-cakra Avalokiteśvara; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 如意輪觀音) is a manifestation of Avalokitesvara that turns the Dharma Wheel to awaken living beings while granting them wishes. |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Amogha-pasa Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Infallible lasso Avalokitesvara''' |'''Infallible lasso Avalokitesvara''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Amogha-pāśa Avalokiteśvara; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 不空罥索觀音) is a powerful savior who uses his infallible lasso to capture living beings drifting in the ocean of suffering and settle them on the shore of Liberation. This manifestation of the Bodhisattva is widely worshiped across different Buddhist traditions and is categorized as one of the [[Six Guanyin|Six forms of Avalokitesvara]] in [[Tendai school]]. The popular [[Mantra of Light]] is associated with Amoghapāśa, and is found in numerous [[Mantra of Light#Amoghapāśa sūtras|Amoghapāśa sūtras.]] |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Lion's Roar Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Lion's Roar Avalokitesvara''' |'''Lion's Roar Avalokitesvara''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Siṃhanāda Avalokiteśvara; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 獅吼觀音) is a form of Avalokitesvara riding a roaring lion. |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:The_Bodhisattva_Padmapani_LACMA_M.75.4.7.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Lotus Hand Bodhisattva''' |'''Lotus Hand Bodhisattva''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Padma-pani; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 蓮華手菩薩) is another name for Avalokitesvara. This form of the Bodhisattva is often depicted as holding a vase or a lotus in his hand. |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Horse Head Luminous King.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Horse Head Wisdom King''' |'''[[Hayagriva (Buddhism)|Horse Head Wisdom King]]''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Hayagrīva; [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 馬頭明王) is a wrathful manifestation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, also known as '''Horse Head Vajra''' (馬頭金剛) and '''Horse Head Avalokitesvara''' (馬頭觀音). |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Shristhikantha Lokeśvara, 18th century painting in Nepal..png|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Creator Avalokitesvara''' |'''Creator Avalokitesvara''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Sṛṣṭikartā-Lokeśvara or Śṛṣṭikānta-Lokeśvara) is a super-cosmic manifestation of Avalokiteśvara that emanates all heavenly gods from his body during the process of creation. This form of Avalokitesvara is worshiped in [[Buddhism in Nepal|Nepalese Buddhism]] and is the same as '''Saint Avalokitesvara''' in [[Mahayana Buddhism]]. |- |- |style="text-align:center; padding:10px"|[[File:Hariharihariharivahāna Lokeśvara 02.jpg|frameless|150px]]<br>'''Triple Hari Riding Avalokitesvara''' |'''Triple Hari Riding Avalokitesvara''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Hariharihari-vāhana-Lokeśvara) is a form of Avalokitesvara popular in [[Buddhism in Nepal|Nepalese Buddhism]]. In this manifestation Avalokitesvara sits on the shoulders of [[Vishnu]], who rides his mount [[Garuda]], who is carried by a lion. The three [[Hari]]s (Vishnu, Garuda, and the lion) serve as three great vehicles (towards Awakenment), and Avalokitesvara is above all of them, symbolizing that his Way to the Ultimate Awakenment is superior to all the others. |}
===Some other forms=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Sanskrit name !! Meaning !! Description |- |''Jinasagara Avalokiteśvara'' |Ocean of conquerors, also known as "Red Chenrezig" or ''Rakta Lokesvarà'' |A Vajrayana alternate form, often depicted with a female consort ''Rakta Tara Devi'' |- |''Khasarpaṇi Lokeśvara'' |"Sky flyer" Lokeśvara |White, two harms, holds a lotus |- |''Trailokyavaśankara'' |Being who Fascinated all three world realms of existence (Human loka, [[Svarga|Divya loka]], [[Brahmaloka|Brahma loka]]) | |- |''Ashtabaya'' | Being who destroyed and defeated all Great 8 Fears of world | |- |''Śvetabhagavat'' | White Lord of All, The One who has the most beautiful white body color and white radiances with luminous | |- | ''Udakaśrī'' | Auspicious Water of 4 Great Ocean in 4 Continents of [[Earth|Manussa loka]] | |- |''Lokanātha Kala Lokeshvara'' |Lord of all worlds Black Lokeshvara |A wrathful tantric form with 12 arms |}
===Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara=== [[File:隆兴寺千手观音 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Colossal bronze [[Song dynasty]] (960–1279) statue of Qianshou [[Guanyin]] (Sahrasasbhuja Avalokiteśvara) located at the [[Guanyin Dian|Tower of Great Compassion]] of [[Longxing Temple]] in [[Hebei]], [[China]].]] One prominent Buddhist story tells of Avalokiteśvara vowing never to rest until he had freed all sentient beings from [[saṃsāra]]. Despite strenuous effort, he realizes that many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, his head splits into eleven pieces. [[Amitābha]], seeing his plight, gives him eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokiteśvara tries to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that his two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitābha comes to his aid and invests him with a thousand arms with which to aid the suffering multitudes.<ref>{{cite web | last =Venerable Shangpa Rinpoche | title =Arya Avalokitesvara and the Six Syllable Mantra | publisher =Dhagpo Kagyu Ling | url =http://www.dhagpo-kagyu.org/anglais/science-esprit/chemin/medit/methodes/avalokitesvara_shangpa2.htm | access-date =2007-10-17 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222250/http://www.dhagpo-kagyu.org/anglais/science-esprit/chemin/medit/methodes/avalokitesvara_shangpa2.htm| archive-date= 27 September 2007 | url-status= live}} </ref>
This manifestation of Avalokiteśvara is known as Sahrasasbhuja Avalokiteśvara ("Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara), and is among the bodhisattva's most popular iconographic forms across China, Japan and Korea.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jung |first1=Sung Gyun |last2=Hwang |first2=Kun |last3=Hwang |first3=Young Joong |date=May 2024 |title=Hand of the 42-armed Avalokiteśvara Holding A Skull Rod |url=https://journals.lww.com/jcraniofacialsurgery/abstract/2024/05000/hand_of_the_42_armed_avalokite_vara_holding_a.103.aspx |journal=Journal of Craniofacial Surgery |language=en-US |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=e295 |doi=10.1097/SCS.0000000000010086 |pmid=38488377 |issn=1049-2275|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>Suebsantiwongse, S. (2025). A Network of Compassion: The Transmission and Development of the Cult and Iconography of Cakravarticintāmaṇi Avalokiteśvara Across the Maritime Silk Routes. ''Religions'', ''16''(2), 178. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/2/178</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Yü |first=Chün-fang |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/yu--12028 |title=Kuan-yin: The Chinese Transformation of Avalokitesvara |date=2001 |publisher=Columbia University Press |jstor=10.7312/yu--12028 }}</ref>
=== Avalokiteśvara as a cosmic maheśvara ("Great Lord of Creation") === [[File:Sṛṣṭikartā Lokeśvara.jpg|thumb|Sṛṣṭikartā Lokeśvara (Avalokiteshvara in the process of creation), in which the bodhisattva takes on the form of Sṛṣṭikartā (creator) and emanates all the [[Hindu deities|Hindu gods]] for the benefit of sentient beings]]
According to various Mahayana sources, numerous [[Hindu deities]] are considered to be emanations of Avalokiteshvara. For example, in the ''[[Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra|Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra]]'' (4th–5th century CE), Great universal deities called [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva]], [[Brahma]] and [[Saraswati]] are all said to have emerged from Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva's body.<ref name=":3">Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra.'' State University of New York Press. p. 39-40.</ref> The passage states:
<blockquote>[[Adityas|Āditya]] and [[Chandra|Candra]] came from his eyes, [[Shiva|Maheśvara]] came from his forehead, [[Brahma|Brahmā]] came from his shoulders, [[Narayana|Nārāyaṇa]] came from his heart, Devi [[Saraswati|Sarasvatī]] came from his canines, [[Vayu|Vāyu]] came from his mouth, [[Dhara (deity)|Dharaṇī]] came from his feet, and [[Varuna|Varuṇa]] came from his stomach.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Basket's Display / 84000 Reading Room |url=https://read.84000.co/translation/toh116.html |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=84000 Translating The Words of The Buddha |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>
In a similar manner, Hindu deities like [[Nilkanth|Nīlakaṇṭha]] and [[Harihara]] are cited in the ''[[Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī]]'', possibly as forms of Avalokiteshvara or as associated bodhisattvas (the text is not clear, though traditionally these have been interpreted as various names or forms of Avalokiteshvara).<ref>Chandra, Lokesh (1988). ''The Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara,'' pp. 130–133. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. {{ISBN|81-7017-247-0}}.</ref>
Alexander Studholme writes that these sources are influenced by [[Puranas|Puranic]] [[Hinduism]], and its concepts of an [[Ishvara|Īśvara]] ("lord") and Maheśvara ("great lord"), both of which are terms that refer to a transcendent and all pervasive being.<ref name="Studholme, Alexander 2002 p. 38">Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra.'' State University of New York Press. p. 38.</ref> The name Maheśvara is also applied to Avalokiteshvara three times in the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra, and some passages he is described as a [[Macranthropy|cosmic man]], similar to how the Puranas depict Vishnu or Shiva.<ref name="Studholme, Alexander 2002 p. 38"/> However, this Buddhist myth only focuses on how Avalokiteshvara gives birth to all the gods (devas), and he is not depicted as a true [[Creator deity|Creator God]] (who creates the cosmos, like the Hindu [[Ishvara|Īśvara]]), instead he is depicted as a great cosmic being that manifests in myriad ways as a [[Upaya|skillful means]] to guide living beings to Buddhahood.<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra.'' State University of New York Press. pp. 44–45.</ref>
==Mantras and Dharanis== [[File:OM MANI PADME HUM.svg|thumb|OṂ MAŅI PADME HǕṂ. The six syllable [[mantra]] of Avalokiteśvara written in the [[Tibetan alphabet]].|262x262px]] There are various [[mantra]]s and [[dharani]]s associated with Avalokiteśvara.
=== Mani mantra === In [[Tibetan Buddhism]], the central mantra is the six-syllable [[mantra]] {{IAST|[[Om mani padme hum|Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ]]}} ({{langx|sa|ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ}}, also called the Mani mantra. Due to his association with this mantra, one form of Avalokiteśvara is called ''Ṣaḍākṣarī'' ("Lord of the Six Syllables") in [[Sanskrit]].{{Anchor|Shadakshari}} The Mani mantra is also popular in [[East Asian Buddhism|East Asian Mahayana]], such as [[Chinese Buddhism]]. There are also different variations of the mani mantra, the most common which is ''Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ hrīḥ.''<ref>Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. {{ISBN|0-312-82540-4}}, p. 15.</ref> Hrīḥ is the seed syllable of the Lotus [[Five Tathāgatas|Buddha family]] and the Buddha [[Amitābha|Amitabha]].
Recitation of this mantra while using [[Buddhist prayer beads|prayer beads]] is the most popular religious practice in Tibetan Buddhism. Another popular religious practice associated with om mani padme hum is the spinning of [[prayer wheels]] clockwise, which contains numerous repetitions of this [[mantra]] and effectively benefits everyone within the vicinity of the practitioner.<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Oṃ Maṇipadme Hūṃ: A Study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'': p. 2</ref>
The connection between this famous mantra and Avalokiteśvara is documented for the first time in the ''{{IAST|[[Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra]]}}''. This text is dated to around the late 4th century CE to the early 5th century CE.<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002) ''The Origins of Oṃ Maṇipadme Hūṃ: A Study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha sūtra'': p. 17</ref> In this sūtra, a bodhisattva is told by the Buddha that recitation of this mantra while focusing on the sound can lead to the attainment of eight hundred [[samadhi|samādhis]].<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Oṃ Maṇipadme Hūṃ: A Study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'': p. 106</ref>
=== Ārolik mantra ===
Another mantra for Avalokiteśvara commonly recited in East Asian Buddhism is "three and a half syllables" (ardhacaturthākṣara) heart-mantra: "''oṃ ārolik svāha''" (or sometimes just ''Ārolik'' or ''oṁ ārolik''), which is found (in many forms and variations like ''ārolika'', ''arulika'', etc.) in numerous pre-tenth-century Indian texts, including the 7th century Chinese translation of the ''Dhāraṇīsaṁgraha'', the ''[[Susiddhikara Sūtra|Susiddhikarasūtra]],'' [[Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa|the ''Mañjuśriyamūlakalpa'']]'','' and the ''[[Guhyasamāja Tantra|Guhyasamājatantra]].''<ref name=":0">Nicolas Revire, Rajat Sanyal, Rolf Giebel. Avalokiteśvara of the “Three and a Half Syllables”: A Note on the Heart-Mantra Ārolik in India. ''Arts Asiatiques'', 2021, Arts Asiatiques, 76, pp.5–30. ⟨10.3406/arasi.2021.2095⟩. ⟨halshs-04142356⟩</ref>
In [[Chinese Buddhism]], this mantra is known as "Avalokiteśvara's mantra for eradicating karmic obstructions" ([[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 觀世音菩薩滅業障真言, [[pinyin]]: ''[[Guan Shì Yin|Guānshìyīn]] púsà miè yèzhàng zhēnyán'') and is typically recited everyday as part of the standard liturgy during the daily Mengshan Shishi ritual ({{Lang-zh|c=蒙山施食|p=Méngshān shīshí|l=Mengshan food-bestowal}}) carried out in all Chinese Buddhist monasteries.<ref>{{Cite thesis | last1=安賽平 |last2=An |first2=Saiping |date=2021 |title=明末清初僧俗對密教咒語的詮釋與應用 | trans-title=Interpretation and usage of mantras of "esoteric teaching" in late Ming and early Qing Buddhist community | url=https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/11012 | publisher = Hong Kong Polytechnic University | department = Department of Chinese Culture | degree = Ph.D. | language=Chinese}}</ref><ref>"蒙山施食研究-歷史發展與當代台灣的實踐." PhD diss., 2016. https://nhuir.nhu.edu.tw/ir/handle/987654321/24451</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=大蒙山施食儀規-數位法寶-數位圖書館 |url=https://edu.hwadzan.com/fabodetail/581 |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=華藏淨宗弘化網}}</ref> In [[Shingon Buddhism]], this mantra is the main mantra for Avalokiteśvara, and it is also considered to be the main mantra of the [[Five Tathāgatas|Lotus Buddha family]].<ref name="13Bud">{{cite web |last=Shingon Buddhist International Institute |title=Jusan Butsu – The Thirteen Buddhas of the Shingon School |url=http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/jusanbutsu.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401193122/http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/jusanbutsu.html |archive-date=1 April 2013 |access-date=5 July 2007}}</ref><ref name=":8">Hutchins, Steven J (2015). ''Thirteen Buddhas: Tracing the Roots of the Thirteen Buddha Rites,'' Introduction. Vivlia Limited</ref><ref>[http://www.shingon.org/ritual/daily.html The Koyasan Shingon-shu Lay Practitioner's Daily Service] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060502064538/http://www.shingon.org/ritual/daily.html|date=2 May 2006}}, Shingon Buddhist International Institute (1999)</ref>
One text (Taisho Tripitaka no. 1031) describes a visualization practice done after reciting oṁ ārolik svāhā seven times which includes meditating on the meanings of the four letters of ārolik which are:<ref name=":0" />
# a: all dharmas are originally unborn (ādyanutpanna); # ra: all dharmas are dissociated from defilement (rajas); # la: characteristics (lakṣaṇa) are inapprehensible in all dharmas; # ka: all dharmas are without action (kārya).
The Ārolik mantra has also been found engraved on a few sculptures found in north India''.'' One of these begins with "ārolik oṁ hrīḥ". Another one of these found in [[Bihar]] also included other mantras, including [[Pratītyasamutpāda gāthā|''ye dharma hetu'']]'','' followed by ''"namo ratnatrayāya namo Āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisatvāya mahāsatvāya mahākāruṇikāya Ārolok Oṁ hriḥ hriḥ".''<ref name=":0" />
Another longer mantra appears in a translation by [[Amoghavajra]] (T. 1033, 20: 9b1–7):<ref name=":0" /> <blockquote>namoratnatrayāya | nama āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisattvāya mahāsattvāya mahākāruṇikāya | tadyathā
padmapāṇi sara sara ehy ehi bhagavann āryāvalokiteśvara ārolik | </blockquote>In Chinese, ''oṃ ārolik svāha'' is pronounced ''Ǎn ālǔlēi jì suōpóhē'' (唵 阿嚕勒繼 娑婆訶). In Korean, it is pronounced ''Om aroreuk Ge Sabaha'' (옴 아로늑계 사바하). In Japanese, it is pronounced {{Nihongo|2=おん あろりきゃ そわか|3=On arori kya sowa ka}}. In the [[Siddham script]] it is written as 𑖄𑖼 𑖁𑖨𑖺𑖩𑖰𑖎𑖿 𑖭𑖿𑖪𑖯𑖮𑖯𑗃.
=== Dharanis === The ''[[Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra]]'' also features the first appearance of the [[dhāraṇī]] of [[Cundi (Buddhism)|Cundī]], which occurs at the end of the sūtra text.<ref name="Studholme, Alexander 2002 p. 175" /> After the bodhisattva finally attains samādhi with the mantra "oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ", he is able to observe 77 koṭīs of fully enlightened buddhas replying to him in one voice with the Cundī Dhāraṇī: {{IAST|namaḥ saptānāṃ samyaksaṃbuddha koṭīnāṃ tadyathā, oṃ cale cule cunde svāhā.}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Saptakoṭibuddhamātṛ Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra |url=http://www.lapislazulitexts.com/tripitaka/T20_1077 |access-date=24 July 2013 |publisher=Lapis Lazuli Texts}}</ref>
The ''[[Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī]]'' is an 82-syllable dhāraṇī for Avalokiteśvara also known as the Great Compassion Mantra. It is very popular in [[East Asian Buddhism]]. Another popular Avalokiteśvara dharani in East Asian Buddhism is ''[[Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra|Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani]].'' This dharani is associated with Avalokiteśvara's eleven face form, known as [[Ekādaśamukha]], one of [[Six Guanyin|the six forms of Guanyin.]]
=== East Asian chants and phrases === In East Asian Buddhism, the most popular form of Avalokiteśvara is the feminine white robed [[Guanyin]]. A common phrase which is widely chanted and recited by East Asian Buddhists is:
{|class=wikitable |- !scope=row|Chinese |{{lang|zh|南無觀世音菩薩}} |- !scope=row|Mandarin pronunciation ([[Pinyin]]) |{{lang|zh-Latn|Námó Guānshìyīn Púsà}} |- !scope=row|Cantonese pronunciation ([[Jyutping]]) |''Naam4 Mou4 Gun1 Sai3 Jam1 Pou4 Saat3'' |- !scope=row|Japanese pronunciation ([[Romaji]]) |{{lang|ja-Latn|Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu}} |- !scope=row|English meaning |Homage to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (南無 being borrowed from Sanskrit नमो namo) |}
There are also longer chants, usually termed "White Robe Avalokitesvara" (Baiyin Guanyin) sutras (jing) or mantras (zhou).<ref name=":4">Berger, Patricia Ann; Foresman, Helen. ''Latter Days of the Law: Images of Chinese Buddhism, 850 – 1850'', p. 172. University of Hawaii Press, Jan 1, 1994.</ref> The most well known is the "Divine White-robed Avalokiteśvara Mantra" (c. 11th century).<ref name=":4" /> This longer mantra is as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |title=聖嚴法師教觀音法門 27 |url=http://old.ddc.shengyen.org/mobile/text/04-13/27.php |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=old.ddc.shengyen.org}}</ref>
{|class=wikitable |- !Chinese Characters !Mandarin Pinyin!!Cantonese Jyutping!!Translation |- |lang=zh|南無 大慈 大悲 救苦 救難 廣大 靈感 觀世音 菩薩 |lang=zh-Latn|''Námó dàcí dàbēi jiùkǔ jiùnàn guǎngdà línggǎn Guānshìyīn púsà'' |''Naam4 mou4 daai6 ci4 daai6 bei1 gau3 fu2 gau3 naan4 gwong2 daai6 ling4 gam2 gun1 sai3 jam1 pou4 saat3'' |Homage to Guanyin Bodhisattva [who is] loving, compassionate and powerful, delivering sentient beings from unhappiness and hardship. |- |lang=zh|南無 佛，南無 法，南無 僧 |lang=zh-Latn|''Námó Fó, Námó Fǎ, Námó Sēng'' |''Naam4 mou4 fat6 naam4 mou4 faat3 naam4 mou4 zang1'' |Homage to the Buddha, Homage to the Dharma, Homage to the Sangha |- |lang=zh|南無 救苦 救難 觀世音 菩薩 |lang=zh-Latn|''Námó jiùkǔ jiùnàn Guānshìyīn púsà'' |''Naam4 mou4 gau3 fu2 gau3 naan4 gun1 sai3 jam1 pou4 saat3'' |Homage to Guanyin Bodhisattva who delivers sentient beings from unhappiness and hardship |- |lang=zh|怛垤哆唵, 伽囉伐哆, 伽囉伐哆, 伽訶佛哆, 囉伽佛哆, 囉伽佛哆, 娑婆訶 |lang=zh-Latn|''DA ZHI DUO ONG, QIE LA FA DUO, QIE LA FA DUO, QIE HE FA DUO, LA QIE FA DUO, LA QIE FA DUO, SA PO HE'' |''Daat3 dit6 do1 am2 gaa1 lo1 fat6 do1 gaa1 lo1 fat6 do1 gaa1 ho1 fat6 do1 lo1 gaa1 fat6 do1 lo1 gaa1 fat6 do1 so1 po4 ho1'' |(Sanskrit Mantra: Tadyatha Om, khara varta, khara varta, gaha varta, raga varta, raga varta, Svaha) |- |lang=zh|天羅神, 地羅神, 人離難, 難離身, 一切 災殃 化 為塵 |lang=zh-Latn|''Tiān luó shén, Dì luó shén, Rén lí nán, Nán lí shēn, Yīqiè zāiyāng huà wéichén'' |''Tin1 lo4 san4 dei6 lo4 san4 jan4 lei4 naan4 naan4 lei4 san1 jat1 cai3 zoi1 joeng1 faa3 wai4 can4'' |Heavenly deities and earthly deities, may people be free from difficulties, may their hardships disappear, may all disasters and calamities turn to dust |- |lang=zh|南無 摩訶 般若波羅蜜 |lang=zh-Latn|Námó Móhē Bōrěbōluómi |''Naam4 mou4 mo1 ho1 bun1 joek6 bo1 lo4 mat6'' |Homage to Mahāprajñāpāramitā |}
Another popular dharani of Guanyin is associated with her power over children and childbirth. This is called the "Dharani Sutra of White-Robed Guanyin's Heart of Five Seals".<ref name=":4" />
In [[Buddhism in Japan|Japanese Buddhism]], a popular longer chant to Kannon or Kanzeon (Guanyin) is the ''jikku kan'on gyō'' (十句觀音經), the "10 Verse Kannon Sutra". It is the following:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glossary – individual |url=https://www.sotozen.com/eng/library/glossary/individual.html?key=ten_line_kannon_sutra |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=www.sotozen.com}}</ref>
{|class=wikitable |- !Japanese Kanji!!Japanese Romaji!!Translation |- |lang=ja|觀世音 ||lang=ja-Latn| ''kan ze on'' || Kanzeon |- |lang=ja|南無佛 ||lang=ja-Latn|''na mu butsu''|| Homage to Buddha |- |lang=ja|與佛有因 ||lang=ja-Latn|''yo butsu u in''|| forged a causal connection with Buddha, |- |lang=ja|與佛有縁 ||lang=ja-Latn|''yo butsu u en''|| a karmic affinity with Buddha, |- |lang=ja|佛法僧縁 ||lang=ja-Latn|''butsu ho so en''|| a karmic affinity with Buddha, Dharma, Sangha |- |lang=ja|常樂我淨 ||lang=ja-Latn|''jo raku ga jo''|| thus attaining permanence, ease, selfhood, and purity. |- |lang=ja|朝念觀世音 ||lang=ja-Latn|''cho nen kan ze on''|| In the morning think of Kanzeon, |- |lang=ja|暮念觀世音 ||lang=ja-Latn|''bo nen kan ze on''|| in the evening think of Kanzeon. |- |lang=ja|念念從心起 ||lang=ja-Latn|''nen nen ju shin ki''|| Thought after thought arises from mind; |- |lang=ja|念念不離心 ||lang=ja-Latn|''nen nen fu ri shin''|| thought after thought is not separate from mind. |}
==Tibetan Buddhist beliefs== Avalokiteśvara is an important deity in [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. He is regarded in the [[Vajrayana]] teachings as a Buddha.<ref>Еше-Лодой Рипоче. Краткое объяснение сущности Ламрима. Спб.-Улан-Удэ, 2002. С. 19 {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
In Tibetan Buddhism, [[Tara (Buddhism)|Tãrã]] came into existence from a single tear shed by Avalokiteśvara.<ref name="leighton"/> When the tear fell to the ground it created a lake, and a lotus opening in the lake revealed Tara. In another version of this story, Tara emerges from the heart of Avalokiteśvara. In either version, it is Avalokiteśvara's outpouring of compassion which manifests Tãrã as a being.<ref>{{cite book|author=Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen|author-link=Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen|title=The Clear Mirror: A Traditional Account of Tibet's Golden Age|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-qLfqTWd8-gC&pg=PA21|year=1996|publisher=Shambhala|isbn=978-1-55939-932-6|page=21}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Miranda|author-link=Miranda Shaw|title=Buddhist Goddesses of India|url=https://archive.org/details/buddhistgoddesse00shaw|url-access=registration|year=2006|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0-691-12758-1 | page = [https://archive.org/details/buddhistgoddesse00shaw/page/307 307]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Bokar Tulku Rinpoche|author-link=Bokar Tulku Rinpoche|title=Chenrezig, Lord of Love: Principles and Methods of Deity Meditation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSHSPQAACAAJ|year=1991|publisher=ClearPoint Press|isbn=978-0-9630371-0-7}}</ref>
Certain living [[tulku]] lineages, including the [[Dalai Lama]]s and the [[Karmapa]]s, are considered by many Tibetan Buddhists to also be manifestations of Avalokiteśvara.<ref>{{cite web |title=From Birth to Exile |url=http://www.dalailama.com/page.4.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020031138/http://www.dalailama.com/page.4.htm#discovery |archive-date=20 October 2007 |access-date=2007-10-17 |publisher=The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Michele |year=2003 |title=His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa |url=http://www.kagyu.org/kagyulineage/karmapa/index.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014185000/http://www.kagyu.org/kagyulineage/karmapa/index.php |archive-date=14 October 2007 |access-date=2007-10-17 |work=Music in the Sky: The Life, Art, and Teachings of the 17th Karmapa |publisher=Karma Triyana Dharmachakra}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Glossary |url=http://www.dhagpo-kundreul.org/anglais/glossaire/gloss_k_en.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808134917/http://www.dhagpo-kundreul.org/anglais/glossaire/gloss_k_en.html |archive-date=2007-08-08 |access-date=2007-10-17 |publisher=Dhagpo Kundreul Ling}}</ref>
== Iconography == === Deer-skin (tinasara) === [[File:A Blackbuck in the grasslands (51552825061) (cropped).jpg|thumb|krishnasara deer ([[Antilope cervicapra]])]] In Tibetan iconography, Avalokiteśvara (Chenrezig) is occasionally depicted wearing a deer-skin—''tinasara'' or ''krishnasara'' कृष्णसार (kṛṣṇasāra) in Sanskrit, and ''ཀྲཱིཤྣ་སཱ་ར (krī-shna-sā-ra)'' or ''ཁྲི་སྙན་སཱ་ར།'' in Tibetan—draped over his left shoulder. This attribute serves as a layered symbol of renunciation, deep compassion, and yogic practice. Historically, Indian ascetics used deer-skins as meditation seats or garments to support austere retreat and concentration.
The iconographic tradition may trace back to the ''Ruru Jātaka'' (Jātaka tale No. 482), also known as the 'Golden Deer' story, in which the bodhisattva was once born as a splendid golden deer endowed with compassion and the ability to speak human languages. He saved a man from drowning and, when the king later hunted him, he offered himself to protect his followers. His act of selflessness moved the king to prohibit hunting throughout the realm—thus embodying compassion that transforms society.
This convergence of yogic renunciation, mythic compassion, and visual representation makes the tinasara a powerful emblem in Chenrezig's devotional art.
== Gallery == <gallery widths="200" heights="200"> File:Avalokitesvara Gandhara Musée Guimet 2418 1.jpg|[[Gandhara|Gandhāran]] statue of Avalokiteśvara, abhaya-[[mudra|mudrā]]. 3rd century CE. File:Bodhi Ajanta.jpg|Indian cave wall painting of Avalokiteśvara. [[Ajanta Caves|Ajaṇṭā Caves]], 6th century CE. File:Avalokitesvara - Basalt - ca 11th-12th Century CE - Pala Period - Chowrapara Rajshahi - ACCN 9015-A25200 - Indian Museum - Kolkata 2016-03-06 1506.JPG|Avalokitesvara, c. 11th–12th century CE, Pala Period File:Bihar, bodhisattva avalokitesvara, periodo pala, XI secolo ca.jpg|Avalokitesvara, Pala period File:1000 armed Avalokiteshvara at Saspol cave DSCN7053 1.jpg|1000-armed Avalokiteśvara dated 13th–15th century CE at Saspol cave (Gon-Nila-Phuk Cave Temples and Fort) in [[Ladakh]], India File:Guimet 5887 Avalokiteshvara.jpg|[[Cambodia]]n statue of Avalokiteśvara. Sandstone, 7th century CE. File:Avalokiteshvara-statue.png|Avalokiteśvara sandstone statue, late 7th century CE File:Avalokitesvara Plaosan.jpg|Padmapani holding a lotus. 8th–9th century [[Sailendra]]n art, [[Plaosan]] temple, [[Java]], Indonesia. File:小川晴暘撮影《ムンドゥット寺院釈迦三尊像のうち観音菩薩像》インドネシア、1944年.jpg|Avalokiteśvara andesite stone in [[Mendut]] temple, early 9th century [[Sailendra]]n art, Java, Indonesia File:Cambodian - Eight-armed Avalokiteshvara - Walters 542726.jpg|Eight-armed Avalokiteśvara, Khmer art ca. 12th–13th century (Bàyon). [[The Walters Art Museum]]. File:Avalokiteshvara Bingin Jungut Srivijaya.JPG|Avalokiteśvara from Bingin Jungut, [[Musi Rawas Regency|Musi Rawas]], South Sumatra. [[Srivijaya]]n art (c. 8th–9th century CE) File:Bodhisattava Avalokiteshvara, Chaiya Art พระอวโลกิเตศวรโพธิสัตว์ ศิลปะไชยา 01.jpg|The bronze torso [[Avalokiteshvara of Chaiya]], 8th century CE Srivijayan art, [[Chaiya District]], [[Surat Thani Province]], Southern Thailand File:Privy Seal of King Rama VIII (Ananda Mahidol).svg|The Privy Seal of King [[Ananda Mahidol]] of [[Thailand]] show a picture of a Bodhisattva, based on a [[Srivijaya]]n sculpture of Avalokiteśvara Padmapani which was found at [[Chaiya District]], [[Surat Thani Province]]. File:Avalokiteshvara head Aceh Srivijaya 1.JPG|The stone head of Avalokiteśvara, discovered in [[Aceh]]. [[Srivijaya]], estimated 9th century. File:Muzium Negara KL66.JPG|[[Malaysia]]n statue of Avalokiteśvara. [[Bidor]], 8th–9th century CE. File:Kuan-yan bodhisattva, Northern Sung dynasty, China, c. 1025, wood, Honolulu Academy of Arts.jpg|[[People's Republic of China|Chinese]] statue of Avalokiteśvara looking out over the sea, c. 1025 CE File:Guanyin acolytes.jpg|[[Republic of China|Chinese]] hanging scroll depicting [[Sudhana|Shancai]], Avalokiteśvara and [[Longnü]], [[Yuan Dynasty]] File:Standing Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokitesvara), Heian period, Japan.jpg|Standing Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokitesvara), 12th century, [[Heian period]], [[Tokyo National Museum]], Japan File:Bodhisattva Cintāmaṇicakra, Kamakura period, Japan.jpg|Nyoirin Kannon, 1275, Tokyo National Museum, Japan. File:Goryeo-Avalokiteshvara-1310-kagami Jinjya Temple.jpg|Korean painting of Avalokiteśvara. Kagami Jinjya, Japan, 1310 CE. File:White avalokiteshvara.jpg|[[Nepal]]ese statue of Avalokiteśvara with six arms. 14th century CE. File:La statue de Quan Am dans la pagode But Thap 2.jpg|Avalokiteśvara of One Thousand Arms, lacquered and gilded wood. Restored in 1656 CE. [[Bút Tháp Temple]], [[Bắc Ninh Province]], [[Vietnam]]. File:Phật Quan Âm1.jpg|This wooden statue of Quan Âm Nghìn Mắt Nghìn Tay (Quan Âm Bodhisattva with 1000 eyes and 1000 hands) was fashioned in 1656 in [[Bắc Ninh Province]], northern [[Vietnam]]. It is now located in the History Museum in [[Hanoi]]. File:8O3temple-icon1.jpg|[[Tibet]]an statue of Avalokiteśvara with eleven faces File:Kano White-robed Kannon, Bodhisattva of Compassion.jpg|Japanese painting of Avalokiteśvara meditating. 16th century CE. File:Shrine to a Tang dynasty (896 AD) stone statue of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin (千手觀音 Qianshou Guanyin) in Shengshui Temple (內江聖水寺 Neijiang Shengshui-si) in Neijiang, Sichuan, China Picture 2.jpg|[[Tang dynasty]] (896 CE) carved [[Statue|stone statue]] of Qianshou Guanyin in Shengshui Temple (內江聖水寺) in [[Neijiang]], [[Sichuan]], China File:Kek Lok Si Goddess of Mercy.jpg|The world tallest octagonal pavilion to shelter the Guanyin statue in [[Kek Lok Si]] in Air Itam, [[Penang]], Malaysia File:Lingyin temple 18 armed cundi.jpeg|Esoteric [[Cundi (Buddhism)|Cundī]] form of Avalokiteśvara with eighteen arms in [[Lingyin Temple]] in [[Hangzhou]], [[Zhejiang|Zhejiang Province]], China File:Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara.jpg|Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara bronze statue from Tibet, circa 1750. [[Birmingham Museum of Art]]. File:National Museum of Vietnamese History, September 2017. 42.jpg|Quan Âm (Avalokiteśvara) statue in the 18th–19th centuries at the [[Vietnam National Museum of History]], Hanoi, Vietnam File:National Museum Vietnamese History 74.jpg|Two statues of Quan Âm (Avalokiteśvara) in the Nguyễn dynasty at the [[Vietnam National Museum of History]], Vietnam File:Avalokitesvara figurine, Bat Trang kiln, Hanoi, Nguyen dynasty, 19th century AD, white glazed ceramic - National Museum of Vietnamese History - Hanoi, Vietnam - DSC05438.JPG|Quán Âm (Avalokiteśvara) figurine, Bát Tràng kiln, Hanoi, [[Nguyễn dynasty]], 19th century CE, white glazed ceramic - Vietnam National Museum of History, Vietnam File:Ulan Bator.- Gandan Monastery (3).JPG|Statue of Avalokiteśvara ([[Migjid Janraisig]]) in [[Gandantegchinlen Monastery]], [[Ulaanbaatar]], [[Mongolia]]. The tallest indoor statue in the world, 26.5-meter-high, 1996 <small>''rebuilt''</small> (1913) File:Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Siddham Script.jpeg|Statue of Ruyilun Guanyin ([[Cintāmaṇicakra|Cintamanicakra]]) in the [[Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum]] in [[Chinatown, Singapore|Chinatown]], [[Singapore]] File:Avalokiteśvara-Ethno BHM 1967.263.1-P6141167-black.jpg|Statue of Avalokiteśvara, date unknown, bronze and gold File:Pelling Sky Walk 2.jpg|Statue of Chenrezig, [[Pelling]], [[Sikkim]], India File:Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Nalanda.jpeg|Painting of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Sanskrit Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra manuscript written in the [[Ranjana script]]. Nalanda, Bihar, India. Circa 700–1100 CE File:Buddha with Thousand Arms at Cham Shan Temple.jpg|Qianshou Guanyin at Cham Shan Temple in [[Hong Kong]], China File:Thousand Armed Avalokitesvara - Guanyin Nunnery - 2.jpeg|Qianshou Guanyin. [[Guanyin]] women's [[vihara]], [[Anhui]], China File:Monastery of Ten Thousand Buddhas 萬佛寺 (5380241824).jpg|Statue of Shiyimian Guanyin in [[Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery]] (萬佛寺) in [[Pai Tau Village]], [[Sha Tin]], [[Hong Kong]] File:The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas' Avalokiteshvara statue.jpg|The wooden statue of thousand-armed and thousand-eyed Guanyin at the [[City of Ten Thousand Buddhas]] in [[Ukiah, California|Ukiah]], [[California]] </gallery>
== See also == * [[Virupaksha Temple, Hampi]] * [[Guanyin]] * [[Ishvara]] * [[Pure Land Buddhism]] * [[Ushnishasitatapattra]] * [[Vishnu]] * [[Dalai Lama]] * [[Pha Trelgen Changchup Sempa]]
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==Sources== * {{cite book|last1=Buswell|first1=Robert|author-link1=Robert Buswell Jr.|last2=Lopez|first2=Donald S.|author-link2=Donald S. Lopez, Jr.|title=The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-fWKngEACAAJ|year=2013|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-15786-3}} * {{citation |editor-last=Doniger |editor-first=Wendy |editor-link=Wendy Doniger |title=Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-kZFzHCuiFAC |year=1993 |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |isbn=0-7914-1381-0 }} * {{cite book |first=Jérôme |last=Ducor |title=Le regard de Kannon |language=fr |publisher=Gollion: Infolio éditions / Genève: [[Musée d'ethnographie de Genève]] |year=2010 |page=104 |isbn=978-2-88474-187-3}} ill. colour * {{cite book |last=Getty |first=Alice |title=The gods of northern Buddhism: their history, iconography and progressive evolution through the northern Buddhist countries |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1914 |url=https://archive.org/details/northernbuddhism00gettuoft}} * {{cite book |last=Holt |first=John |title=Buddha in the Crown: Avalokitesvara in the Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |year=1991 |isbn=0195064186}} * {{cite journal |first=James P. |last=McDermott |title=Buddha in the Crown: Avalokitesvara in the Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=119 |number=1 |pages=195–196 |year=1999|doi=10.2307/605604 |jstor=605604 }} * {{cite book |first=Alexander |last=Studholme |title=The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum |location=Albany NY |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-7914-5389-8}} * {{cite book |first1=Kubo |last1=Tsugunari |first2=Yuyama |last2=Akira (tr.) |url=http://www.bdkamerica.org/digital/dBET_T0262_LotusSutra_2007.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702040734/http://www.bdkamerica.org/digital/dBET_T0262_LotusSutra_2007.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-07-02 |title=The Lotus Sutra |edition=Revised 2nd |location=Berkeley, Calif.|publisher=Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-886439-39-9}} * {{cite book |first=Chün-fang |last=Yü |title=Kuan-Yin: The Chinese Transformation of Avalokitesvara |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-231-12029-6}}
==External links== {{commons category|Avalokiteshvara}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070224150028/http://www.thdl.org/texts/reprints/kailash/kailash_07_01_01.pdf The Origin of Avalokiteshvara of Potala] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100105105829/http://www.quietmountain.org/links/teachings/chenrezi.htm An Explanation of the Name Avalokiteshvara] * [https://www.buddhanature.com/buddha/aval.html The Bodhisattva of Compassion and Spiritual Emanation of Amitabha – from Buddhanature.com] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070503150519/http://angkorblog.com/_wsn/page11.html Depictions at the Bayon in Cambodia of Avalokiteshvara as the Khmer King Jayavarman VII] * [http://www.shenlun.org/mantra/mantra-avalokitesvara/ Mantra Avalokitesvara] * [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Avalokiteshvara Avalokiteshvara] at Britannica.com * [https://web.archive.org/web/20170611122807/http://www.tibetanbuddhist.org/ Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia]
{{Avalokiteśvara}} {{Chinese Buddhist Pantheon}} {{Bodhisattvas}} {{Lotus Sutra}} {{Buddhism topics}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Avalokitesvara}} [[Category:Avalokiteśvara| ]] [[Category:Bodhisattvas]] [[Category:Buddhist tantras]] [[Category:Yidams]]