Glossary · Buddhist philosophy & practice

Avalokiteshvara

Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, “the one who looks upon the world with compassion”; Tibetan: སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས, Chenrezig) is the bodhisattva that represents the compassion of all the buddhas.

As a method, the figure works on the line between attachment and genuine care: how to love and hold without gripping, and what compassion does when there is nothing left to fix.

Sources

The term is rooted in the canonical sutras and traditional commentaries of Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism, where it is treated as a contemplative method for training the mind rather than an object of belief.

Avalokiteshvara book cover by Hugo Salles

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Avalokiteshvara

Love without gripping: attachment turned into compassion.