Being the lord of compassion, Avalokiteśvara endeavours to rescue all living beings from suffering.
The first time I saw a picture of Avalokiteśvara, I was enthralled by it. With eleven heads and innumerable hands, he stands with their eyes closed, holding a jewel between his palms, and fervently praying to someone. Later, by accessing the Internet I was able to find detail about the picture—to whom he has been praying and for what. (The world's leading universities have published papers on Avalokiteśvara which are available on the Internet.)
Avalokiteśvara is one of the most famous bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. Being the lord of compassion, he endeavours to rescue all sentient beings from suffering.
Before we delve into the detail about Avalokiteśvara, we must first introduce ourselves with Bodhisattva, Maitreya and Amitābha.
Bodhisattva: According to Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a “being (SATTVA) intent on achieving enlightenment (BODHI)”. (The Buddha was a bodhisattva in their past lifetimes before achieving the enlightenment.) "Although all traditions agree that the bodhisattva is motivated by “great compassion” (MAHĀKARUṆĀ) to achieve buddhahood as quickly as possible, Western literature often describes the bodhisattva as someone who postpones his enlightenment in order to save all beings from suffering." The Mainstream Buddhism introduces us to only two bodhisattvas: the Buddha in his previous lives and Maitreya, the future Buddha. "However, in the Mahāyāna tradition, many bodhisattvas are described as having powers that rival or even surpass those of the buddhas themselves, and come to symbolize specific spiritual qualities, such as AVALOKITEŚVARA (the bodhisattva of compassion), MAÑJUŚRĪ (the bodhisattva of wisdom), VAJRAPĀṆI (the bodhisattva of power), and SAMANTABHADRA (the bodhisattva of extensive practice)."
Maitreya: Maitreya (meaning “loving-kindness” or “benevolence”) is the future Buddha, who, it is believed, will born after 4500 years when the teachings of the current buddha Sakyamuni would decline. He will born in India and reestablish the Buddhist dispensation anew.
Amitābha: Several eons ago, a monk named Dharmakāra decides to follow the Boddhisattva path to Buddhahood. After spending five kalpas in meditation, he achieves the enlightenment and become Buddha Amitābha. Soon he forms 'Buddha-fields' or 'Pureland' which is based on Sukhavati. He makes forty-eight vows, among which, the eighteenth vow gains prominence as important one: if anyone recites his name—even less than ten times—they will attain salvation.
Avalokiteśvara is guarding the world between the departure of the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni and the appearance of the future Buddha, Maitreya. He has many forms and is known by different names in different countries. "Without compromising loving-kindness, compassion, and altruism, Buddhism has had success moving from country to country, adding converts and respecting cultural differences," writes Jonathan Bowman. But wherever Buddhism transported to, went Avalokiteśvara with it. The bodhisattva known as Avalokiteśvara in India; Guanyin in China; Kannon in Japan; Lokeśvara in Vietnam, Java, and Cambodia; Lokanatha in Burma; Natha Deviyo in Sri Lanka; Karunamaya in Nepal; and Chenresi in Tibet.
The origins of Avalokiteśvara go back to second century CE and this bodhisattva appeared in north and northwest India. Chun-Fang Yu, the Sheng Yen Professor Emerita of Chinese Buddhism, explains the origins of this bodhisattva as a means competing with Hinduism as the two religions battled for prominence in India. She explains, "Developing alongside devotional Hinduism, Mahāyāna sutras such as the Karandavyuha Sutra, composed during the fourth to seventh centuries, used cosmic symbolisms reminiscent of Shiva and Vishnu in describing Avalokiteśvara. The bodhisattva was venerated as supreme deity in his own right."
Avalokiteśvara is androgynous and can take 108 different forms. It is said that each form is determined to alleviate beings' suffering. Some of their forms are feminine such as Guanyin, the other forms are of Vedic and Hindu origin. The early images of Avalokiteśvara was depicted as a prince who holds a lotus with his right hand and a water bottle with his left hand. He is portrayed as the lord of compassion who is adamant to help slake everyone's thirst. As Buddhism spread across East and Southeast Asia, Avalokiteśvara's images changed according to its new environment and cultures.
The eleven-headed, thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara: According to one Buddhist story, Avalokiteśvara, seeing the misery of the world, vowed never to rest until he had freed all sentient beings from suffering. But despite his herculean efforts, he failed to hoist every sentient being out from the pits of suffering. The result: he became so exasperated that his head and two arms shattered into pieces. Amitābha, seeing Avalokiteśvara's appalling dilemma, appeared in front of him and gathered eleven pieces of shattered head, turned each piece into a full head, and returned back each head to Avalokiteśvara. Amitābha also gave him one thousand arms—each arm has an eye in its palm—so that he can scan pain and suffering of the world.
Avalokiteśvara in Tibet: Chenresi is the Tibetan version of Boddhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Chenresi meaning "One Who Sees with Eyes." It is believed that Tibetans are a people chosen by Avalokiteśvara, and he incarnates as Dalai Lama. This bodhisattva is worshipped as a male god with their Mantra of Compassion: "Om mani padme hum!" (Oh Thou with the Jeweled Lotus!)
Mahesvara and Simhanada Lokeshvara: Mahesvara is one of the famous forms of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Interestingly, the Hindu God Shiva is also known as Mahesvara. Is there any possibility that Boddhisattva Mahesvara is actually Lord Shiva? According to Mahayana Buddhism, the origin of Avalokiteśvara lies in Hindu dieties, including Shiva. Similarly, Simhanada Lokeshvara, the 108 forms of Avalokiteśvara, resembles the Lord Shiva. Mes Indes Galantes Blog writes: "Simhanada Lokeshvara is particularly venerated for protection from diseases and for facilitating healing. His hairstyle is a bun that characterizes ascetics in India and Asian countries. He is naked, without jewelry, he only has a tiger skin around his waist and is seated on a lion. In his right hand, he holds a white trident around which a white snake is also coiled. In his left hand, he carries his typical attribute: the lotus, but here a flaming sword is placed on it."
Sources: The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism; Buddhism through Avalokiteśvara’s Transformations by Jonathan Bowman; A Dictionary of Asian Mythology by David Leeming; Encyclopedia Britannica; Wikipedia; Buddhanet; Mes Indes Galantes Blog.
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