Avalokiteśvara
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| Thai |
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| Tibetan | སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས
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| Vietnamese | Quan Âm, Quán Thế Âm, Quán Tự Tại |
| Information | |
| Venerated by | Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Taoism |
| Attributes | Great Compassion |
| Religion portal | |
In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (meaning "the lord who looks down", IPA: /ˌʌvəloʊkɪˈteɪʃvərə/), also known as Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan), is a tenth-level bodhisattva associated with great compassion (mahakaruṇā). He is often associated with infinite light Amitabha Buddha. Avalokiteśvara has numerous Great 108 manifestations and is depicted in various forms and styles. In some texts, he is even considered to be the source and divine creator of all Hindu deities (such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Saraswati, Bhudevi, Varuna,..etc).
While Avalokiteśvara was depicted as male in India, in East Asian Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara is most often depicted as a female figure known as Guanyin (in Chinese). In Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, he is known as Kannon, Gwaneum, and Quan Âm, respectively. Guanyin is also an important figure in other East Asian religions, particularly Chinese folk religion and Daoism.
Avalokiteśvara is also known for his popular mantra, oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, which is the most popular mantra in Tibetan Buddhism.