Avalokiteśvara

Four-armed Tibetan Chenrezig form of Avalokiteśvara
Names
Sanskrit:	अवलोकितेश्वर
IAST:	Avalokiteśvara
Tibetan script:	སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས
Tibetan:	Chenrezig
Wylie:	spyan-ras-gzigs
Mongolian:	Migjid Janraisig
(See also Guan Yin)

Avalokiteśvara holding a lotus flower. A relief from the 8th-9th century Plaosan temple, near Prambanan, Java, Indonesia.

Avalokiteśvara or Avalokiteshvar, (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर , lit. "Lord who looks down") is the bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is the most widely revered bodhisattva in Buddhism. Avalokiteśvara is also referred to as Padmapāni ("Holder of the Lotus") or Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World"). In East Asia, Avalokiteśvara is known as Guan Yin ( 觀音) or Kannon/Kanzeon and is generally represented as female. In Tibetan, Avalokiteśvara is known as Chenrezig, and is said to be incarnated in the Dalai Lama ^[1], the Karmapa ^{[2] [3]} and other high Lamas. In Mongolia, he is called Migjid Janraisig, Xongsim Bodisadv-a, or Nidüber Üjegči.

The name of the Japanese company Canon Inc was derived from the Japanese name of the deity ^[4].

Lokeśvara-rāja ( 盧迦委斯諦, lit. 'King of world sovereignty') is an epithet of Avalokiteśvara. The Chinese interpretation of Lokeśvara-rāja 世自在王 is 'World Sovereign King'.

Etymology

The name Avalokiteśvara is made of the following parts: the verbal prefix ava, which means "down"; lokita, a past participle of the verb lok ("to notice, behold, observe"), here used in an active sense (an occasional irregularity of Sanskrit grammar); and finally īśvara, "lord", "ruler", "sovereign" or "master". In accordance with the rules of sound combination, iśvara becomes eśvara. Combined, the parts mean "lord who gazes down (the world)". The word loka ("world") is absent from the name, but is implied. ^{[citation needed]}

But according to recent research, the original form and meaning of the name was quite different. It was Avalokitasvara with the ending -svara ("sound, noise"), "Avalokitasvara" undoubtedly means 'who has perceived sound', a Brahmi compound with a passive participle as first member. That is, 'avalokita' is 'that which has been perceived', and the compound is very literally 'he who has sound perceived'", i.e. perceiver of the suffering sound of the worlds (6 realms). This is the exact equivalent of the Chinese translation Guan Yin. This name was later supplanted by the form containing the ending -īśvara, which does not occur in Sanskrit before the seventh century. The original form Avalokitasvara already appears in Sanskrit fragments of the fifth century. ^{[citation needed]}

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 Shaivism, as the term īśvara was usually connected to the Hindu notion of a creator god and ruler of the world. Attributes of such a god were transmitted to the bodhisattva, but the mainstream of the Avalokiteśvara worshippers upheld the Buddhist rejection of the doctrine of a primordial creator god. ^{[citation needed]}

An etymology of the Tibetan name Chenrezig is chen (eye), re (continuity) and zig (to look). This gives the meaning as one who looks upon all beings with the eye of compassion" ^[5]

Origin

Western scholarship

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 Buddhism of one or more Hindu deities, in particular Shiva or Vishnu. ^{[citation needed]}

In Theravada, Lokeśvara (饒王, 世自在王, 世饒王佛), 'the lord, ruler or sovereign beholder of the world’, name of a Buddha; probably a development of the idea of Brahmā, Vishnu or Śiva as lokanātha, 'lord of worlds'. In Indo-China especially it refers to Avalokiteśvara, whose image or face, in masculine form, is frequently seen, e.g. at Angkor. A Buddha under whom Amitābha, in a previous existence, entered into the ascetic life and made his forty-eight vows. ^{[citation needed]}

Mahayana account

According to Mahayana doctrine, Avalokiteśvara is the bodhisattva who has made a great vow to listen to the prayers of all sentient beings in times of difficulty, and to postpone his own Buddhahood until he has assisted every being on earth in achieving nirvana. Mahayana sutras associated with Avalokiteśvara include the Heart Sutra (as disciple of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni) and the Lotus Sutra, particularly the 25th chapter, which is sometimes referred to as the Avalokiteśvara Sutra. ^{[citation needed]}

Six forms of Avalokiteśvara in Mahayana (defined by Tian-tai, terrace) 天臺六觀音: 1. 大悲觀音great compassion, 2. 大慈觀音great loving-kindness, 3. 獅子無畏觀音lion-courage, 4. 大光普照觀音universal light, 5. 天人丈夫觀音leader amongst gods and men, 6. 大梵深遠觀音, 大梵至聖觀音 the great omnipresent Brahma. Each of this bodhisattva's six qualities of pity, etc., breaks the hindrances 三障 respectively of the (6 realms) hells, pretas (hungry ghost), animals, asuras (demi god), men, and devas. ^{[citation needed]}

Vajrayana account

In the Tibetan tradition, Avalokiteśvara is seen as arising from two sources. One is the relative source, where in a previous eon (kalpa) a devoted, compassionate Buddhist monk became a bodhisattva, transformed in the present kalpa into Avalokiteśvara. That is not in conflict, however, with the ultimate source, which is Avalokiteśvara as the universal manifestation of compassion. The bodhisattva is viewed as the anthropomorphised vehicle for the actual deity, serving to bring about a better understanding of Avalokiteśvara to humankind. ^{[citation needed]}

Seven forms of Avalokiteśvara in esoteric Buddhism 密教七觀音: 1. 不空羅索觀音not empty (or unerring) net, or lasso. Amoghapāśa. 2. 千手千眼面觀音1000-hand and 1000-eye, vara-sahasrabhuja-locana/Sahasrabhujasahasranetra, 3. 馬頭觀音horseheaded, Hayagriva, 4. 十一面觀音11-faced, Ekadasamukha, 5. 准提觀音 Cundi, 6. 如意輪觀音wheel of sovereign power, Cintamani-cakra; 7. 聖觀音, 正觀音holy one, 聖觀自在arya Lokiteśvara, the Holy sovereign beholder of the world (loka), a translation of īśvara, means ‘ruler’ or ‘sovereign’. ^{[citation needed]}

Mantras

Tibetan Buddhism relates Chenrezig to the six-syllable mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. Thus, Chenrezig is also called Shadakshari ("Lord of the Six Syllables"). The connection between this famous mantra and Avalokiteśvara already occurs in the Karandavyuha Sutra (probably late fourth or early fifth century), one of the first Buddhist works to have reached Tibet (before the end of the fifth century). ^{[citation needed]}

In Shingon Buddhism, the mantra used to praise Avalokiteśvara is On Aro-rikya Sowaka (Oh, Unstained One, Hail!), but Om Mani Padme Hum is occasionally used as well. ^{[citation needed]}

The Great Compassion Mantra is a 82 syllable mantra spoken by Avalokiteśvara to the assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and extolling the merits of chanting the mantra. This mantra is popular in China, Japan and Taiwan. ^{[citation needed]}

The thousand arms of Avalokiteśvara

Avalokiteśvara with 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Rock Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China.

One prominent Buddhist story tells of Avalokiteśvara vowing never to rest until he had freed all sentient beings from samsara. Despite strenuous effort, he realizes that still many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, his head splits into eleven pieces. Amitabha Buddha, seeing his plight, gives him eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokiteśvara attempts to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that his two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitabha comes to his aid and invests him with a thousand arms with which to aid the suffering multitudes.^[6]

Many Himalayan versions of the tale include eight arms with which Avalokiteśvara skilfully upholds the dharma, each possessing its own particular implement, while more Chinese-specific ones give varying accounts of this number. ^{[citation needed]}

The Bao'en Temple located in northwestern Sichuan province, China has an outstanding wooden image of the thousand armed Avalokiteśvara, an example of Ming Dynasty decorative sculpture.^[7]

Tibetan Buddhist beliefs concerning Chenrezig

White Tara

Avalokiteśvara is an important deity in Tibetan Buddhism, and is regarded in the Vajrayana teachings as a Buddha. ^{[citation needed]}In the Mahayana teachings he is in general regarded as a high-level Bodhisattva. The Dalai Lama is considered by the Gelugpa sect and many other Tibetan Buddhists to be the primary earthly manifestation of Chenrezig. The Karmapa is considered by the Karma Kagyu sect to be Chenrezig's primary manifestation. It is said that Padmasambhava prophesied that Avalokiteśvara will manifest himself in the Tulku lineages of the Dalai Lamas and the Karmapas. ^{[citation needed]}Another Tibetan source explains that Buddha Amithaba gave to one of his two main disciples, Avalokiteśvara, the task to take upon himself the burden of caring for Tibet. That's why he as manifested himself not only as spiritual teachers in Tibet but also in the form of kings (like Trisong Detsen) or ministers. ^{[citation needed]}

Other manifestations popular in Tibet include Sahasra-bhuja (a form with a thousand arms) and Ekādaśamukha (a form with eleven faces). ^{[citation needed]}

In Tibetan Buddhism, White Tara acts as the consort and energizer of Avalokiteśvara/Chenrezig. According to popular belief, Tara came into existence from a single tear shed by Chenrezig. 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 Chenrezig. In either version, it is Chenrezig's outpouring of compassion which manifests Tara as a being. ^{[citation needed]}

Manifestations

Avalokiteśvara has an extraordinarily large number of manifestations in different forms. Some of the more commonly mentioned forms include:

See also

• Pure Land Buddhism

References

1. ^ From Birth to Exile. The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
2. ^ Martin, Michele (2003). His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa. Music in the Sky: The Life, Art, and Teachings of the 17th Karmapa. Karma Triyana Dharmachakra. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
3. ^ Glossary. Dhagpo Kundreul Ling. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
4. ^ Prototype-version "Kwanon", Japan's First 35mm Focal-Plane Shutter Camera. Canon Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
5. ^ Bokar Rinpoche (1991). Chenrezig Lord of Love - Principles and Methods of Deity Meditation. San Francisco, California: Clearpoint Press, pp 15. ISBN 09630371-0-2. 
6. ^ Venerable Shangpa Rinpoche. Arya Avalokitesvara and the Six Syllable Mantra. Dhagpo Kagyu Ling. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
7. ^ Guxi, Pan (2002). Chinese Architecture -- The Yuan and Ming Dynasties, English Ed., Yale University Press, pp 245–246. ISBN 0-300-09559-7. 

• Alexander Studholme: The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum. Albany NY: State University of New York Press, 2002 ISBN 0-7914-5389-8

Bibliography

• Kuan-Yin: The Chinese Transformation of Avalokitesvara (2001) by Chün-fang Yü, ISBN-13: 978-0231120296, Columbia University Press
• Buddha in the Crown: Avalokitesvara in the Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka (1999) by James P. McDermott, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 119 (1): 195-

External links

• The Origin of Avalokiteshvara of Potala
• Avalokiteshvara - The Buddha of Compassion
• An Explanation of the Name Avalokiteshvara
• The Bodhisattva Ideal - Buddhism and the Aesthetics of Selflessness
• The Bodhisattva of Compassion and Spiritual Emanation of Amitabha - from Buddhanature.com
• Depictions at the Bayon in Cambodia of Avalokiteshvara as the Khmer King Jayavarman VII

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