Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva of Compassion

Advancing these three steps, you will come closer to the gods: First, speak the truth. Second: Do not be overcome by anger. Third: Give, even if you have only very little to give. Buddha

It is known that Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit, is the Bodhisattva of Compassion, says Wikipedia that Tibetans consider the Dalai Lama an emanation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Avalokitesvara is an important deity in Tibetan Buddhism and is considered in the teachings vajray? Na as a Buddha. In contrast, for the teaching mah? And? Na is seen more as a high level bodhisattva. Dalai Lama is regarded as the primary manifestation in the land of the Chenrezig and many other Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The Karma Kagyu sect, however, sees the Karmapa as the primary manifestation of Chenrezig. It is said that Padmasambhava prophesied that Avalokitesvara will manifest himself in the Tulku lineages of the Dalai Lamas and the Karmapa. Another Tibetan source explains that Buddha Amit? Bha gave one of his chief disciples, Avalokiteshvara, the task of taking over the care of Tibet. This is the reason that manifests itself not only in the form of spiritual masters of Tibet but also in the form of kings (as Trisong Detsen) or ministers.

We added that Western scholars have not reached consensus on the origin of the veneration of Avalokitesvara. Some have suggested that Avalokiteśvara, along with many other supernatural beings in Buddhism, was a loan or absorption that Mah? Y? Na taken from one or many Hindu deities, especially Siva or Vishnu. In the Theravada? Given the name Buddha Lokeśvara (饶 王, 世 自在 王, 世 饶 王佛), "the lord or sovereign ruler who observes the world," was probably a development of the idea of ​​Brahm?, ''Vishnu or Siva as Lokan? tha'''Lord of the Worlds. " In Indo-China refers specifically to Avalokitesvara, whose face is often depicted as male, for example in Angkor. It is the Buddha under whom Amit? Bha entered the ascetic life and made his 48 votes in a previous existence.

In its analysis with respect to the subject, gives us also Wikipedia, the Sanskrit name Avalokiteśvara consists of the following parts:

ava, verbal prefix meaning 'below'; lokita, past participle of the verb lok ('notice, observe, contemplate'), used here in an active sense (an occasional irregularity in Sanskrit grammar), and Isvara, Lord, ruler , ruler or master. According to the rules of sandhi (union of words), the end of lokita i joins the principle of Isvara and becomes an e: lokita + = lokiteśvara Isvara.

By combining these three words is: 'the man who looks down [the world].' The Sanskrit word loka ('world', cognate of Spanish "local") is not present in the name, but is implicitly understood.

Another epithet is Lokeśvara Avalokiteśvara-r? Ja (King of the sovereignty of the world). The Chinese interpretation of this name is Shìzìzàiwáng 世 自在 王 "king ruler of the world" (the characters are used to translate 自在 Isvara, which translates as a noun and an adjective lord: free, free, without restriction. As a verb is dominate, to impose, governance, dominate, direct, or rule [by school dharma 法相 宗 Chinese character]).

However, recent research indicates Wikipedia says that the original form and meaning of the name were very different with the ending-Avalokitasvara svara ("sound, noise"), so that the word means "one who has seen a sound "(a compound with a passive participle brahmi as the first element). That is, avalokita: "that which has been received" and the compound is literally "one who has perceived sound", ie the sound perceiver suffering of the Worlds (the 6 kingdoms). This is the exact equivalent of the Chinese translation 观音 Gu? Nyina. This name was later superseded by the shape that contains the ending-Isvara, which did not occur in Sanskrit before the seventh century, while the original form appears in fragments Avalokitasvara and fifth-century Sanskrit

The original meaning of the name fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a bodhisattva, while reinterpreting it as an Isvara has shown a strong influence of Saivism, where the term usually associated with Isvara is the Hindu notion of a creator god and governor of the world. These divine attributes were transferred to the bodhisattva, but most of the worshipers of Avalokitesvara Buddhist support of the rejection of the doctrine of a primordial creator god.

In the Tibetan tradition, Avalokitesvara is seen as arising from two sources. One is the relative, where a previous eon (kalpa) a devoted, compassionate Buddhist monk becomes a bodhisattva, transformed in the present kalpa Avalokiteśvara. However, this does not conflict with the ultimate source, in which Avalokitesvara is universal manifestation of compassion. The bodhisattva is seen as the vehicle for the deity anthropomorphic real, which serves to bring a better understanding of Avalokitesvara to humankind.

We are further told that a famous Buddhist legend tells that Avalokiteśvara vowed to never rest until he had freed all sentient beings from samsara? Ra. Despite its strenuous efforts, he realized that there were still many unhappy beings to save. After struggling to understand the needs of all, his head split into eleven parts. The Buddha Amit? Bha, observing their plight, gave her eleven heads to hear the lamentations of the sufferers. Upon hearing these cries and understand them, Avalokitesvara attempted to reach all those who needed help, but found that his arms were broken. Once again, Amit? Bha came to his aid and endowed him with a thousand arms that could help the suffering multitudes.

Many Himalayan versions of this tale include eight arms with which Avalokitesvara skillfully upholds the Dharma, each of which has its own particular implement, while more specific Chinese versions give different accounts of their numbers.

Finally, we add Dharmachari Samamati, who along with Wisdom and Compassion is the most outstanding quality of the enlightened mind. Indeed, they are qualities inseparable as two sides of a coin. Since a Bodhisattva is the active side in the world of the enlightened mind, we can say that compassion is the most prominent of the Bodhisattva.

Sources of information duly noted

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