Meaning of the Name: "The Lord Who Looks Down (upon the world)" or "The One Who Hears the Cries of the World."
Core Role: Avalokiteśvara embodies the karuṇā (compassion) of all Buddhas. This is not passive pity but active, skilful engagement to relieve suffering. The vow of a Bodhisattva is to postpone their own final enlightenment until all beings are liberated from the cycle of suffering (samsara). Avalokiteśvara is the ultimate expression of this vow.
Key Manifestations Across Buddhist Traditions
1. In Mahayana Buddhism:
- The Cosmic Bodhisattva: A primary figure, often depicted alongside the Buddha Amitabha (of the Pure Land), representing Amitabha's compassion in action.
- Sutras: Central to the Heart Sutra and the Lotus Sutra (Chapter 25, the "Universal Gateway" chapter, is devoted to Avalokiteśvara).
- Forms: Can appear in 33 or 108 different forms—male, female, child, deity, even a non-human—to best teach and save beings according to their needs.
2. In Vajrayana / Tibetan Buddhism:
- Tibetan Name: Chenrezig (སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་).
- Protector of Tibet: Believed to be the patron deity, incarnated in the Dalai Lamas (who are considered emanations of Chenrezig).
- Sacred Mantra: The most famous mantra in Tibetan Buddhism, "Om Mani Padme Hum" (ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པ་དྨེ་ཧཱུྃ), is the mantra of Chenrezig. It invokes the Bodhisattva's compassionate energy.
- Iconography: Often depicted with 1,000 arms and 11 heads (a story explains this form arose from his despair at the vastness of suffering, where his head split into pieces, later reconstructed by Amitabha into 11 heads to see all suffering, and given 1,000 arms to help all beings).
3. In East Asian Buddhism:
- Female Form - Guanyin (China) / Kannon (Japan) / Gwanseum (Korea): Over centuries, Avalokiteśvara's compassion was increasingly interpreted through a maternal, nurturing lens, leading to a predominantly female representation in East Asia. Guanyin (觀音, "Perceiver of Sounds") is one of the most beloved and widely venerated deities in East Asian Buddhism and folk religion.
- Iconography: Often shown as a graceful woman in white robes, sometimes holding a vase of healing nectar or a willow branch. The "White-Robed Guanyin" is a very common form.
Philosophical Significance
Avalokiteśvara represents the union of wisdom (prajñā) and compassion (karuṇā)—the two wings of enlightenment in Mahayana Buddhism. True compassion is empty of self ("I am helping someone"), and the highest wisdom is compassionate.
In summary:
- Correct Name: Avalokiteśvara (or Chenrezig, Guanyin, Kannon).
- Essence: The active, skilful, and boundless compassion of enlightenment itself, manifesting in countless forms to alleviate suffering.
- Your term "Avalokitishvahra" interestingly emphasizes the "lordly" (ishvara) aspect, which aligns with the Bodhisattva's sovereign power over skilful means (upaya) to save beings.
He/She is not a god in the theistic sense, but a personification of a universal principle and an archetype of the perfect Buddhist practitioner's heart.
