Avalokitesvara

 
Generally this blog is for English words and phrases but occasionally I find something fascinating (usually from another blogger) that makes me want to post something from another language. So today's lesson is in Sanskrit!

Avalokitesvara or Avalo Kiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर lit. "Lord who looks down") is a bodhisattva* who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas.

The name Avalokitesvara means something like " the Lord who looks down on the World" or according to another interpretation " the Regarder of the Cries of the World". This bodhisattva is first mentioned in the Lotus Sutra (approx. 1st century AD) which together with the Karandavyuha Sutra describe him as rescuing from all kinds of distress and danger anyone who calls out his mantra, 'Om Mani Padme Hum'. This desire and ability to help all without distinction is due to Avalokitesvara's great compassion, indeed he is seen as the very embodiment of the Buddha's compassion.

*In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either “an enlightened existence” or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, a "heroic-minded one for enlightenment."