Avalokiteshvara, God of Compassion

"From his eyes come forth the sun and moon;  from his brow, Mahesvara, the great God who creates life with a thunderbolt from his third eye; from his shoulders, Brahma and other Gods; from his heart, Narayana, the soul of the universe; from his thighs, Saraswati, the wife of Brahma and the Goddess of wisdom, music, and science; from his mouth, the winds; from his feet, the earth; from his stomach, Varuna, an emanation from the sun initiating the cycles of nature and the embodiment of truth.  He is a lamp to the blind, a parasol for those devoured by the heat of the sun, and a stream to the thirsty.  He takes away all fear from those who are afraid; he is a doctor to the sick, and he is father and mother to the unhappy..."  Click here to see all of the Avalokiteshvara Statues in Dharma Sculpture's Gallery

In the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon of enlightened beings, Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig, Tibetan) is renowned as the embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddhas, he is the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Avalokiteshvara is the earthly manifestation of the self born, eternal Buddha, Amitabha.  He guards this world in the interval between the historical Shakyamuni Buddha and the next Buddha, the Future Buddha, Maitreya. 

According to legend, Chenrezig made a a vow that he would not rest until he freed all sentient beings from samsara but when he realized that it was a very difficult task and there were still many beings to be saved he became despondent and his head split into thousands of pieces.  Amitabha Buddha put the pieces back together as a body with 11 heads and 1,000 arms to enable him to work with a myriad of beings, all at the same time.

Each of his hands has an eye in the centre of the palm which symbolizes the union of wisdom (eye) and skillful means (hands).  In Buddhist iconography he is typically shown with a white body, standing on a lotus flower.  He has 3 rows of 3 faces which are coloured red, white and green; symbolising the three principal aspects of Buddhahood.  Above these nine heads is a blue wrathful aspect of Vajrapani and the red face of Amitabha.  He has 8 principal hands, the first two hold a wish fulfilling gem, the other five hold a lotus flower, bow and arrow, vase, rosary and wheel and the eighth, which is open, is in the protection pose or abhaya mudra.

Chenrezig may be the most popular of all Buddhist deities, with the exception of Lord Buddha himself -- he is beloved throughout the Buddhist world.  He is known by different names in different lands: as Avalokiteshvara in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, as Kuan Yin or Guan Yin in China, as Kannon in Japan and as Chenrezig or Chak-Zhi-Pa in Tibet.

As Chenrezig, he is considered the patron Bodhisattva of Tibet, and his meditation is practiced in all the great lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.  The beloved King Songtsen Gampo was believed to be an emanation of Chenrezig, and some of the most respected meditation masters (lamas), like the Dalai Lamas and Karmapas, who are considered living Buddhas, are also believed to be emanations of Chenrezig.

In Tibetan Buddhism, White Tara acts as the consort of Avalokiteshvara/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.  Another version of this story tells of Tara emerging from the heart of Chenrezig.  In either version, it is Chenrezig's outpouring of compassion which manifests Tara as a being.

Mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum

 Click here to see all of the Avalokiteshvara Statues in Dharma Sculpture's Gallery
 

A lotus grows in the mud at the bottom of a lake, but its flowers bloom on the surface of the water, completely free from the stains of mud.  By holding a lotus flower Avalokiteshvara is showing that because he attained enlightenment he is free from all obstacles, and has a completely pure body, speech and mind.  His second right hand holds a crystal mala, symbolizing that he can free all living beings from samsara and lead them to liberation.

 Click here to see all of the Avalokiteshvara Statues in Dharma Sculpture's Gallery