Avalokite?varaAvalokite?vara or Avalokiteshvar,
(Sanskrit, lit. "Lord who looks down") is the bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is the most widely revered bodhisattva in Buddhism. Avalokite?vara is also referred to as Padmap?ni ("Holder of the Lotus") or Loke?vara ("Lord of the World"). In East Asia, Avalokite?vara is known as ?? Guan Yin or Kannon/Kanzeon and is generally represented as female. In Tibetan, Avalokite?vara is known as Chenrezig, and he is said to be incarnated in the Dalai Lama.[1] In Mongolia, he is called Migjid Janraisig, Xongsim Bodisadv-a, or Nidüber Üjeg?i.
It is said that Japanese company Canon Inc has been derived from the Japanese name of the deity [2].
Contents
* 1 Etymology
* 2 Origin
o 2.1 Western scholarship
o 2.2 Mahayana account
o 2.3 Vajrayana account
* 3 Mantras
* 4 The thousand arms of Avalokite?vara
* 5 Tibetan Buddhist beliefs concerning Chenrezig
* 6 Manifestations
* 7 Reference
* 8 See also
* 9 External links
* 10 Notes
Etymology
The name Avalokite?vara 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 ??vara, "lord", "ruler", "sovereign" or "master". In accordance with the rules of sound combination, i?vara becomes e?vara. Combined, the parts mean "lord who gazes down (the world)". The word loka ("world") is absent from the name, but is implied. Loke?vara-r?ja
?? 'King of world sovereignty' is another epithet of Avalokite?vara. The Chinese interpretation of Loke?vara-r?ja
? is 'World Sovereign King'. ??vara ?? n. lord, adj. free; unrestrained; unrestricted; liberated. In Chinese Dharma-character school
, ?? vb. means ?? to dominate; to dictate; to govern; to predominate; to rule or to reign.
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 -??vara, which does not occur in Sanskrit before the seventh century. The original form Avalokitasvara already appears in Sanskrit fragments of the fifth century.
The original meaning of the name fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a bodhisattva. The reinterpretation presenting him as an ??vara shows a strong influence of Shaivism, as the term ??vara 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 Avalokite?vara worshippers upheld the Buddhist rejection of the doctrine of a primordial creator god.
Origin
Western scholarship
Western scholars have not reached a consensus on the origin of the reverence for Avalokite?vara. Some have suggested that Avalokite?vara, 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. In Theravada, Loke?vara (??,
?,
?), 'the lord, ruler or sovereign beholder of the world’, name of a Buddha; probably a development of the idea of Brahm?, Vishnu or ?iva as lokan?tha, 'lord of worlds'. In Indo-China especially it refers to Avalokite?vara, whose image or face, in masculine form, is frequently seen, e.g. at Angkor. A Buddha under whom Amit?bha, in a previous existence, entered into the ascetic life and made his forty-eight vows.
Mahayana account
According to Mahayana doctrine, Avalokite?vara 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 Avalokite?vara 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 Avalokite?vara Sutra.
Six forms of Avalokite?vara in Mahayana (defined by Tian-tai, terrace)
??: 1.
?great compassion, 2.
?great loving-kindness, 3.
???lion-courage, 4.
???universal light, 5.
???leader amongst gods and men, 6.
,
the great omnipresent Brahma. Each of this bodhisattva's six qualities of pity, etc., breaks the hindrances ?? respectively of the (6 realms) hells, pretas (hungry ghost), animals, asuras (demi god), men, and devas.
Vajrayana account
In the Tibetan tradition, Avalokite?vara 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 Avalokite?vara. That is not in conflict, however, with the ultimate source, which is Avalokite?vara 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 Avalokite?vara to humankind.
Seven forms of Avalokite?vara in esoteric Buddhism
??: 1.
???not empty (or unerring) net, or lasso. Amoghap??a. 2.
?1000-hand and 1000-eye, vara-sahasrabhuja-locana/Sahasrabhujasahasranetra, 3.
?horseheaded, Hayagriva, 4.
??11-faced, Ekadasamukha, 5.
? Cundi, 6.
??wheel of sovereign power, Cintamani-cakra; 7.
, ???holy one,
?arya Lokite?vara, the Holy sovereign beholder of the world (loka), a translation of ??vara, means ‘ruler’ or ‘sovereign’.
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 Avalokite?vara 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).
In Shingon Buddhism, the mantra used to praise Avalokite?vara is On Aro-rikya Sowaka (Oh, Unstained One, Hail!), but Om Mani Padme Hum is occasionally used as well.
The Great Compassion Mantra is a 82 syllable mantra spoken by Avalokite?vara to the assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and extolling the merits of chanting the mantra. This mantra is popular in China, Japan and Taiwan.
The thousand arms of Avalokite?vara
Avalokite?vara with 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Rock Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China.
Avalokite?vara with 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Rock Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China.
One prominent Buddhist story tells of Avalokite?vara vowing to never 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, Avalokite?vara 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.[3]
Many Himalayan versions of the tale include eight arms with which Avalokite?vara skilfully upholds the dharma, each possessing its own particular implement, while more Chinese-specific ones give varying accounts of this number.
Avalokite?vara is an important deity in Tibetan Buddhism, and is regarded in the Vajrayana teachings as a Buddha. 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 Avalokite?vara will manifest himself in the Tulku lineages of the Dalai Lamas and the Karmapas. Another Tibetan source explains that Buddha Amithaba gave to one of his two main disciples, Avalokite?vara, 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.
Other manifestations popular in Tibet include Sahasra-bhuja (a form with a thousand arms) and Ek?da?amukha (a form with eleven faces).
In Tibetan Buddhism, White Tara acts as the consort and energizer of Avalokite?vara/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.