Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara and ornamented with a necklace

and ornamented with a necklace of skulls

none dared to challenge his authority

but also round or square

The lotus grows out of mud but unfolds into a beautiful flower

happier and more favourable realms – and animals

Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara and ornamented with a necklaceAvalokiteshvara is the personification of all the compassion experienced by beings, both enlightened and those striving for enlightenment. According to Buddhist mythology, this particular form of Avalokiteshvara emanated when a more primordial form the four armed Avalokiteshvara swore a pledge that he would dedicate his entire existence to guiding beings from the paths of delusion. So intense was his motivation that he wished for his head to split