View source for Religion:Avalokiteśvara

{{Infobox Buddha
| name = Avalokiteśvara
| image = File:Khasarpana Lokesvara.jpg
| caption = Avalokiteśvara holding a lotus flower. [[Organization:Nalanda|Nālandā]], Bihar, {{wipe|India}}, 9th century CE.
 english = 0
| sanskrit_name = अवलोकितेश्वर<br/>([[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]]: ''Avalokiteśvara'')
| chinese_name = 觀自在菩薩, 觀世音菩薩 or 觀音菩薩([[Pinyin]]: <br/>''Guānzìzài Púsà'', ''Guānshìyīn Púsà'' or ''Guānyīn Púsà'')
| japanese_name = {{ruby-ja|観自在菩薩|かんじざいぼさつ}}, {{ruby-ja|観世音菩薩|かんぜおんぼさつ}} or {{ruby-ja|観音菩薩|かんのんぼさつ}}<br/>(romaji: ''Kanjizai Bosatsu'', ''Kanzeon Bosatsu'' or ''Kannon Bosatsu'')
| khmer_name = អវលោកិតេស្វរៈ , អវលោកេស្វរៈ , លោកេស្វរៈ<br/>(''Avalokitesvarak, Avalokesvarak, Lokesvarak'')
| korean_name = 관세음보살<br/>([[Revised Romanization of Korean|RR]]: ''Gwanseeum Bosal'')
| mongolian_name = {{MongolUnicode|ᠨᠢᠳᠦ ᠪᠡᠷ<br/>ᠦᠵᠡᠭᠴᠢ|style=height:2em;text-align:left}}
| thai_name = พระอวโลกิเตศวรโพธิสัตว์
| bo = <big><big>གྲསྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་<br/>[[Social:Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: spyan ras gzigs<br/>[[Social:THL Simplified Phonetic Transcription|THL]]: Chenrézik</big></big>
| vietnamese_name = Quán Tự Tại Bồ Tát
| veneration = [[Philosophy:Mahayana|Mahayana]], [[Philosophy:Vajrayana|Vajrayana]], [[Philosophy:Theravada|Theravada]]*, [[Philosophy:Taoism|Taoism]], Chinese Folk Religion
| attributes = [[Philosophy:Karuṇā|Compassion]]
}}

'''Avalokiteśvara''' or '''Padmapani''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ʌ|v|əl|oʊ|k|ɪ|ˈ|t|eɪ|ʃ|v|ər|ə}} {{respell|UV|əl|oh|kih|TAY|shvər|ə}};<ref>[http://www.dictionary.com/browse/avalokitesvara "Avalokitesvara"]. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.</ref> {{lang-sa|अवलोकितेश्वर}}) is a [[Philosophy:Bodhisattva|bodhisattva]] who embodies the [[Philosophy:Compassion|compassion]] of all [[Philosophy:Buddhahood|Buddhas]]. This bodhisattva is variably depicted, described and portrayed in different cultures as either male or female.<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 |location=New York |pages=158–205|oclc=37211178 |isbn=0140195564}}</ref> In [[Place:Tibet|Tibet]], he is known as Chenrezik, and in Cambodia as '''អវលោកិតេស្វរៈ'''.<ref> </ref> In Chinese Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara has evolved into the somewhat different female figure '''[[Religion:Guanyin|Guanyin]]'''. In Japan this figure is known as '''Kanzeon''' or '''Kannon'''.

==Etymology==
The name ''Avalokiteśvara'' combines the verbal prefix ''ava'' "down", ''lokita'', a past participle of the verb ''lok'' "to notice, behold, observe", here used in an active sense; and finally ''[[Philosophy:Ishvara|īśvara]]'', "lord", "ruler", "sovereign" or "master". In accordance with [[Religion:Sandhi|sandhi]] (Sanskrit rules of sound combination), ''a''+''īśvara'' becomes ''eśvara''. Combined, the parts mean "lord who gazes down (at the world)". The word ''[[Religion:Loka|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 into Chinese by authors such as Xuanzang was as ''Guānzìzài'' ({{zh|c=觀自在}}), not the form used in East Asian Buddhism today, '''''[[Religion:Guanyin|Guanyin]]''''' ({{zh|c=觀音}}). It was initially thought that this was due to a lack of fluency, as ''Guanzizai'' indicates the original Sanskrit form was  ''Avalokitasvara'', "who looks down upon sound" (i.e., the cries of [[Philosophy:Sentient beings (Buddhism)|sentient beings]] who need help).<ref name="Red Pine 2004 pg 44-45">[[Biography: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 was the original form,<ref>{{cite journal|author=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 |accessdate=26 July 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606205922/http://www.indologica.com/volumes/vol13/vol13_art13_CHANDRA.pdf |archivedate=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=2|pages=241–252|jstor=25221116}}</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 {{lang|zh|觀世音}} ''Guānshìyīn'' "who perceives the world's lamentations"—wherein ''lok'' was read as simultaneously meaning both "to look" and "world" (Sanskrit ''loka''; {{zh|c=世|p=shì}}).<ref name="Red Pine 2004 pg 44-45"/> The original form ''Avalokitasvara'' appears in Sanskrit fragments of the fifth century.<ref name="Studholme p. 52-57">Studholme p. 52-57.</ref>

This earlier Sanskrit name was supplanted by the form containing the ending ''-īśvara'' "lord"; but ''Avalokiteśvara'' does not occur in Sanskrit before the seventh century.

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 [[Religion:Hinduism|Hinduism]], as the term ''īśvara'' was usually connected to the Hindu notion of [[Religion:Vishnu|Vishnu]] (in [[Religion:Vaishnavism|Vaishnavism]]) or [[Religion:Shiva|Śiva]] (in Shaivism) as the [[Religion: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>
[[File:Dalai Lama boy.jpg|left|thumb|14th Dalai Lama, at his enthronement ceremony, February 22, 1940 in Lhasa, Tibet]]

In Sanskrit, Avalokiteśvara is also referred to as ''Padmapāni'' ("Holder of the Lotus") or ''Lokeśvara'' ("Lord of the World"). In [[Social:Classical Tibetan|Tibetan]], Avalokiteśvara is ''Chenrézik'', ({{bo|t=སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་}}) and is said to emanate as the Dalai Lama<ref>{{cite web  | title =From Birth to Exile  | publisher =The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama  | url =http://www.dalailama.com/page.4.htm  | accessdate = 2007-10-17 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071020031138/http://www.dalailama.com/page.4.htm#discovery| archivedate= 20 October 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> the Karmapa<ref>{{cite web  | last =Martin  | first =Michele  | title =His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa  | work =Music in the Sky: The Life, Art, and Teachings of the 17th Karmapa  | publisher =Karma Triyana Dharmachakra  | year =2003  | url =http://www.kagyu.org/kagyulineage/karmapa/index.php  | accessdate =  2007-10-17| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071014185000/http://www.kagyu.org/kagyulineage/karmapa/index.php| archivedate= 14 October 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Glossary |publisher=Dhagpo Kundreul Ling |url=http://www.dhagpo-kundreul.org/anglais/glossaire/gloss_k_en.html |accessdate=2007-10-17 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808134917/http://www.dhagpo-kundreul.org/anglais/glossaire/gloss_k_en.html |archivedate=2007-08-08 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> and other high [[Biography:Lama|lama]]s. An 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  | pages =15  | isbn = 0-9630371-0-2}}</ref>

==Origin==
[[Image:Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Nalanda.jpeg|thumb|Avalokiteśvara painting from a Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscript. {{wipe|India}}, 12th century.|262x262px]]

===Mahayana account===
According to the ''Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'', the sun and moon are said to be born from Avalokiteśvara's eyes, [[Religion:Shiva|Shiva]] from his brow, [[Religion:Brahma|Brahma]] from his shoulders, Narayana from his heart, Sarasvati from his teeth, the winds from his mouth, the earth from his feet, and the sky from his stomach.<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra.'' State University of New York Press. pp. 39-40.</ref> In this text and others, such as the ''Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra'', Avalokiteśvara is an attendant of Amitabha.<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra.'' State University of New York Press. pp. 49-50.</ref>

Some texts which mention Avalokiteśvara include:

{{flowlist |
* ''Avataṃsaka Sūtra''
* ''[[Religion:Cundi (Buddhism)#Cundī Dhāraṇī|Cundī Dhāraṇī]] Sūtra''
* ''[[Religion:Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra|Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra]]''
* ''Heart Sutra (Heart Sūtra)''
* ''Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra''
* ''Lotus Sutra''
* ''Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra''
* Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka sūtram
* ''Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī Sutra''
* ''Śūraṅgama Sūtra''
}}
The ''Lotus Sutra'' is generally accepted to be the earliest literature teaching about the doctrines of Avalokiteśvara.<ref>Huntington, John (2003). ''The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art'': p. 188</ref> These are found in the ''Lotus Sutra'' chapter 25 ({{zh|c=觀世音菩薩普門品}}). 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'' ({{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 Tibetan form of Avalokiteśvara.|370x370px]]

When the Chinese monk Faxian traveled to [[Place:Mathura|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: kings, to monks, to laypeople.<ref name="Kok Kiang 2004. p. 10"/> 
[[File:Avalokiteśvara - Padmapani, Ajanta Caves (4243433392).jpg|thumb|349x349px|Avalokiteśvara / Padmapani, Ajanta Caves, {{wipe|India}}]]
In Chinese Buddhism and East Asia, Tangmi practices for the 18-armed form of Avalokiteśvara called [[Religion:Cundi (Buddhism)|Cundī]] are very popular. These practices have their basis in the early Indian [[Philosophy:Vajrayana|Vajrayana]]: her origins lie with a [[Unsolved:Yakshini|yakshini]] cult in Bengal and Orissa, and her name in Sanskrit "connotes a prostitute or other woman of low caste but specifically denotes a prominent local ogress ... whose divinised form becomes the subject of an important Buddhist cult starting in the eighth century".{{sfn|Lopez|2013|p=204}} 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, 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 forms of Avalokiteśvara are defined. Each of the bodhisattva's six qualities are said to break the hindrances respectively of the six realms of existence: hell-beings, [[Unsolved:Preta|preta]]s, animals, humans, [[Astronomy:Asura (Buddhism)|asura]]s, and [[Religion:Deva (Buddhism)|deva]]s.

===Theravāda account===

[[File:Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara-BMA.jpg|thumb|Bronze statue of Avalokiteśvara from Sri Lanka, ca. 750 CE|349x349px]]

Veneration of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has continued to the present day in Sri Lanka:

<blockquote>In times past both ''Tantrayana'' and ''Mahayana'' have been found in some of the ''Theravada'' countries, but today the Buddhism of Ceylon, 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'' countries is ''Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara''. In Ceylon he is known as ''Natha-deva'' and mistaken by the majority for the Buddha yet to come, ''Bodhisattva Maitreya''. The figure of ''Avalokitesvara'' usually is found in the shrine room near the Buddha image.<ref>Baruah, Bibhuti. ''Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism.'' 2008. p. 137</ref></blockquote> 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>

{{quote|... 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 worshiped 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 Quanyin, Kwan Yin, Kuanyin or Kwun Yum), "Hearing the Sounds of the World." In Japan, Guanyin is ''Kannon'' or Kanzeon; in Korea, ''Gwan-eum''; in Vietnam, ''Quan Am''.<ref>https://www.thoughtco.com/avalokiteshvara-bodhisattva-450135</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. Tamil Buddhist tradition developed in Chola literature, such as in Buddamitra's ''Virasoliyam '', states that the Vedic sage Agastya learnt Tamil from Avalokiteśvara. The earlier Chinese traveler Xuanzang recorded a temple dedicated to Avalokitesvara in the South Indian Mount Potalaka, a Sanskritzation of Pothigai, where Tamil Hindu tradition places Agastya having learnt the Tamil language from [[Religion:Shiva|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 [[Religion:Tamraparni|Tamraparni]]yan Mahayana sect.
[[File:Pothigai Hills Range.jpg|thumb|Pothigai Malai in Tamil Nadu, proposed as the original Mount Potalaka in {{wipe|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 [[Philosophy:Mahayana|Mahayana Buddhism]] of one or more deities from [[Religion:Hinduism|Hinduism]], in particular Shiva or [[Religion:Vishnu|Vishnu]]. This seems to be based on the name Avalokiteśvara.<ref name="Studholme p. 52-57"/>

On the basis of study of Buddhist scriptures, ancient [[Social:Tamil language|Tamil]] literary sources, as well as field survey, the Japanese scholar Shu Hikosaka proposes the hypothesis that, the ancient mount Potalaka, the residence of Avalokiteśvara described in the ''Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra'' and Xuanzang’s ''Great Tang Records on the Western Regions'', is the real mountain Pothigai in Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.<ref>Hirosaka, Shu. ''The Potiyil Mountain in Tamil Nadu and the origin of the Avalokiteśvara cult''</ref> Shu also says that mount Potalaka has been a sacred place for the people of South India from 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 [[History: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 Hindu religion. The mixed Hindu-Buddhist cult culminated in the formation of the figure of Avalokiteśvara.<ref name=ML>{{cite news | first=Märt | last=Läänemets| authorlink=
Märt Läänemets | title= Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in the Gandavyuha Sutra
| year=2006 | url =http://www.chibs.edu.tw/ch_html/chbs/10/chbs1011.htm| work =Chung-Hwa Buddhist Studies 10, 295-339| accessdate = 2009-09-12}}</ref>

The name Lokeśvara should not be confused with that of [[Religion:Lokeśvararāja|Lokeśvararāja]], the Buddha under whom Dharmakara became a monk and made forty-eight vows before becoming [[Religion:Amitābha|Amitābha]].

==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]]
Mahāyāna Buddhism relates Avalokiteśvara to the six-syllable [[Philosophy:Mantra|mantra]] {{IAST|[[Religion:Om mani padme hum|oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ]]}}.
{{Anchor|Shadakshari}}
In Tibetan Buddhism, due to his association with this mantra, one form of Avalokiteśvara is called ''Ṣaḍākṣarī'' "Lord of the Six Syllables" in [[Social:Sanskrit|Sanskrit]]. Recitation of this mantra while using [[Unsolved:Buddhist prayer beads|prayer beads]] is the most popular religious practice in Tibetan Buddhism.<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 [[Philosophy:Samadhi|samādhis]].<ref>Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Oṃ Maṇipadme Hūṃ: A Study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'': p. 106</ref> The ''{{IAST|Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra}}'' also features the first appearance of the [[Philosophy:Dhāraṇī|dhāraṇī]] of [[Religion: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|url=http://www.lapislazulitexts.com/tripitaka/T20_1077|title=Saptakoṭibuddhamātṛ Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra|publisher=Lapis Lazuli Texts|accessdate=24 July 2013}}</ref>

In Shingon Buddhism, the mantra for Avalokiteśvara is {{nihongo||おん あるりきゃ そわか|On aruri kya sowa ka|lead=yes}}

The Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī is an 82-syllable dhāraṇī for Avalokiteśvara.

==Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara==
[[File:Thousand Armed Avalokitesvara - Guanyin Nunnery - 1.jpeg|thumb|Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara. Guanyin women's vihara, Anhui, China|349x349px]]

One prominent Buddhist story tells of Avalokiteśvara vowing never to rest until he had freed all sentient beings from [[Philosophy:Saṃsāra|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. [[Religion:Amitābha|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
  | accessdate =2007-10-17  | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222250/http://www.dhagpo-kagyu.org/anglais/science-esprit/chemin/medit/methodes/avalokitesvara_shangpa2.htm| archivedate= 27 September 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>

The Bao'en Temple located in northwestern Sichuan has an outstanding wooden image of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara, an example of Ming dynasty decorative sculpture.<ref name="pan">{{cite book
| first=Pan
| last= Guxi
| year= 2002
| title=Chinese Architecture -- The Yuan and Ming Dynasties
| edition= English
| publisher=Yale University Press
| pages= 245&ndash;246
| isbn=  0-300-09559-7 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.asiaexplorers.com/china/baoern_temple.htm Bao Ern Temple, Pingwu, Sichuan Province] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015143154/http://www.asiaexplorers.com/china/baoern_temple.htm |date=2012-10-15 }}</ref>

==Tibetan Buddhist beliefs==
Avalokiteśvara is an important deity in Tibetan Buddhism. He is regarded in the [[Philosophy:Vajrayana|Vajrayana]] teachings as a Buddha.<ref>Еше-Лодой Рипоче. Краткое объяснение сущности Ламрима. Спб.-Улан-Удэ, 2002. С. 19 {{ref-ru}}</ref>

In Tibetan Buddhism, [[Religion: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|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|authorlink=Miranda Shaw|title=Buddhist Goddesses of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MvDKOK1h3zMC|year=2006|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0-691-12758-1 | page = 307}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Bokar Tulku Rinpoche|authorlink=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>

==Manifestations==
[[File:Amoghpasha lokeshvara image.jpg|thumb|Magnificent clay images of Amoghpasha Lokesvara flanked by [[Religion:Tara (Buddhism)|Arya Tara]] and Bhrikuti Tara enshrined at the side wing of Vasuccha Shil Mahavihar, Guita Bahi, Patan : This set of images is popular in traditional monasteries of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. |262x262px]]
Avalokiteśvara has an extraordinarily large number of manifestations in different forms (including wisdom goddesses (vidyaas) directly associated with him in images and texts). Some of the more commonly mentioned forms include:

{| class="wikitable"
! Sanskrit !! Meaning !! Description
|-
| ''Āryāvalokiteśvara''
| Sacred Avalokitesvara
| The root form of the Bodhisattva
|-
| ''Ekādaśamukha''
| Eleven Faced
| Additional faces to teach all in 10 planes of existence
|-
| ''Sahasrabhuja Sahasranetra''
| Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara
| Very popular form: sees and helps all
|-
| ''Cintamāṇicakra''
| Wish Fulfilling Avalokitesvara
| Holds the bejeweled [[Religion:Cintamani|cintamani]] wheel
|-
| ''Hayagrīva''
| Horse-necked one
| Wrathful form; simultaneously bodhisattva and a [[Religion:Wisdom King|Wisdom King]]
|-
| ''[[Religion:Cundi (Buddhism)|Cundī]]''
| Extreme purity
| Portrayed with many arms
|-
| ''Amoghapāśa''
| Unfailing Rope
| Avalokitesvara with rope and net
|-
| ''Bhṛkuti''
| Fierce-Eyed
|
|-
| ''Pāndaravāsinī''
| White and Pure
|
|-
| ''Parnaśabarī''
| Cloaked With Leaves
|
|-
| ''Raktaṣadakṣarī''
| Six Red Syllables
|
|-
| ''Śvetabhagavatī''
| White Lord
|
|-
| ''Udakaśrī''
| Auspicious Water
|
|}

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Avalokitesvara Gandhara Musée Guimet 2418 1.jpg|[[Biology:Gandhara|Gandhāran]] statue of Avalokiteśvara, abhaya-[[Philosophy:Mudra|mudrā]]. 3rd century CE.
File:Bodhi Ajanta.jpg|Indian cave wall painting of Avalokiteśvara. Ajaṇṭā Caves, 6th century CE.
File:1000 armed Avalokiteshvara at Saspol cave DSCN7053 1.jpg|1000-armed Avalokiteśvara dated 13th - 15th century AD at Saspol cave (Gon-Nila-Phuk Cave Temples and Fort) in Ladakh, {{wipe|India}}
File:The Sanchi Torso.JPG|Torso of Avalokiteśvara from Sanchi in the Victoria and Albert Museum
File:Guimet 5887 Avalokiteshvara.jpg|Cambodian 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 Sailendran art, Plaosan temple, Java, Indonesia.
File:Cambodian - Eight-armed Avalokiteshvara - Walters 542726.jpg|Eight-armed Avalokiteśvara, ca. 12th-13th century (Bàyon). The Walters Art Museum.
File:Avalokiteshvara Bingin Jungut Srivijaya.JPG|Avalokiteśvara from Bingin Jungut, Musi Rawas, South Sumatra. Srivijayan art (c. 8th-9th century CE)
File:Avalokiteshvara Srivijaya Art Chaiya.JPG|The bronze torso statue of Padmapani, 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 Srivijayan 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|Malaysian statue of Avalokiteśvara. Bidor, 8th-9th century CE.
File:Kuan-yan bodhisattva, Northern Sung dynasty, China, c. 1025, wood, Honolulu Academy of Arts.jpg|Chinese statue of Avalokiteśvara looking out over the sea, c. 1025 CE.
File:Guanyin acolytes.jpg|Chinese hanging scroll depicting Shancai, Avalokiteśvara and Longnü, Yuan Dynasty.
File:Goryeo-Avalokiteshvara-1310-kagami Jinjya Temple.jpg|Korean painting of Avalokiteśvara. Kagami Jinjya, Japan, 1310 CE.
File:White avalokiteshvara.jpg|Nepalese statue of Avalokiteśvara with six arms. 14th century CE.
File:Kano White-robed Kannon, Bodhisattva of Compassion.jpg|Japanese painting of meditating. 16th century CE.
File:La statue de Quan Am dans la pagode But Thap 2.jpg|Avalokiteśvara, crimson and gilded wood. Restored in 1656 CE. Bút Tháp Temple, Bắc Ninh Province, Vietnam
File:8O3temple-icon1.jpg|[[Place:Tibet|Tibet]]an statue of Avalokiteśvara with eleven faces.
File:Kek Lok Si Goddess of Mercy.jpg|Malaysia Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam, Penang. The world tallest octagonal pavilion to shelter the Goddess of Mercy statue.
File:Lingyin temple 18 armed cundi.jpeg|Esoteric [[Religion:Cundi (Buddhism)|Cundī]] form of Avalokiteśvara with eighteen arms.
File:Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara.jpg|Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara bronze statue from Tibet, circa 1750. Birmingham Museum of Art
File:Ulan Bator.- Gandan Monastery (3).JPG|Mongolian statue of Avalokiteśvara (Migjid Janraisig). Tallest indoor statue in the world, 26.5-meter-high, 1996 <small>''rebuilt''</small>, (1913)
File:Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Siddham Script.jpeg|Avalokiteśvara in the form of Cintamani Wheel Avalokiteśvara. A dhāraṇī written in [[Social:Sanskrit|Sanskrit]] in the Siddhaṃ script behind. [[Place:Singapore|Singapore]].
File:Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara Ming Guimet.jpeg|Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Ming Dynasty, Guimet Museum
File:Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in Daan Park, Taipei 20100102.jpg|Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in Daan Park, Taipei, Taiwan
File:Avalokiteśvara-Ethno BHM 1967.263.1-P6141167-black.jpg|Statue of Avalokiteśvara, date unknown, bronze and gold
File:Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (BTLS. 591), the Museum of Vietnamese History.jpg|Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara from the Museum of Vietnamese History
File:Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.jpg|
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
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Religion:Guanyin|Guanyin]]
* [[Philosophy:Ishvara|Ishvara]]
* Pure Land Buddhism
* [[Religion:Vishnu|Vishnu]]
* Dalai Lama

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==
*  {{cite book|ref=harv|last1=Buswell|first1=Robert|last2=Lopez|first2=Donald S.|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}}
* {{cite book |ref=harv |first=Jérôme |last=Ducor |title=Le regard de Kannon |language=fr |publisher=Gollion: Infolio éditions / Genève: Musée d'ethnographie de Genève |year=2010 |pages=104 |isbn=978-2-88474-187-3}} ill. colour
* {{cite book |ref=harv |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 |ref=harv |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 |ref=harv |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}}
* {{cite book |ref=harv |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 |ref=harv |first=Kubo |last=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 |dead-url=yes |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 |ref=harv |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==
* [http://www.thdl.org/texts/reprints/kailash/kailash_07_01_01.pdf The Origin of Avalokiteshvara of Potala]
* [http://quietmountain.org/links/teachings/chenrezi.htm An Explanation of the Name Avalokiteshvara]
* [http://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 Brittanica.com
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170611122807/http://www.tibetanbuddhist.org/ Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Avalokitesvara}}
[[Category:Buddhist deities]]

{{Sourceattribution|Avalokiteśvara|1}}