Avalokitesvara: The Bodhisattva of Compassion and Wisdom

The "Bodhisattva" is a very important concept in Mahayana Buddhism. The Hinayana Buddhism, contrary to Mahayana Buddhism which has just only one bodhisattva, namely, shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha, has lots of bodhisattvas; Avalokitesvara is one of them, with two characteristic features, Prajna and Karuna. It is extreme tenderness and compassion in bodhisattvas which causes them to help all kind of beings in trouble. They appear in different forms of Buddha and bodhisattvas to help beings in various realms. His/her popularity and faith spread not only in India, its origin, but also in all over the East Asian countries; however, there are some differences and varieties in its name, gender, and etc. His/her varied appearances have been formed by following some interpretations of two main concepts, Prajna and Karuna, in different cultures, in drawings and sculptural art. The present article is concerned with this character.