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54-620: The temple is situated on a small island on a lake behind the Potala palace in Lhasa . The Crystal and The Way of Light. Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu . Compiled and Edited by John Shane , Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, NY, USA, 2000, ISBN   1-55939-135-9 , pp. 82–87, 190, 191. The Dalai Lama's Secret Temple: Tantric wall paintings from Tibet, Ian A.Baker ; Thames & Hudson, Year: 2011, ISBN   9780500289617 This Tibetan Buddhism -related article

108-632: A 30% increase in visitorship since the opening of the Qingzang railway into Lhasa on 1 July 2006, but the quota is often reached by mid-morning. Opening hours were extended during the peak period in the months of July to September, where over 6,000 visitors would descend on the site. In February 2022, Tibetan pop star Tsewang Norbu set himself on fire in front of the Potala Palace and died. The Foreign Ministry of China has disputed this. Built at an altitude of 3,700 m (12,100 ft), on

162-524: A Buddha from countless previous incarnations ago, alias Samyaka Dharma-vidya Tathāgata means "Tathāgata who clearly understood the right Dharma". Because of his great compassion and because he wanted to create proper conditions for all the Bodhisattva ranks and bring happiness and peacefulness to sentient beings, he became a Bodhisattva, taking the name of Avalokiteshvara and often abiding in the Sahā world. At

216-407: A compassionate bodhisattva who hears the cries of sentient beings and who works tirelessly to help those who call upon his name. A total of 33 different manifestations of Avalokiteśvara are described, including female manifestations, all to suit the minds of various beings. The chapter consists of both a prose and a verse section. This earliest source often circulates separately as its own sutra, called

270-693: A famous Tibetan general and gives an account of his services to the king including campaigns against China which culminated in the brief capture of the Chinese capital Chang'an (modern Xi'an ) in 763 during which the Tibetans temporarily installed as Emperor a relative of Princess Jincheng Gongzhu (Kim-sheng Kong co), the Chinese wife of Trisong Detsen 's father, Me Agtsom . Avalokitesvara In Buddhism , Avalokiteśvara (meaning "the lord who looks down", IPA : / ˌ ʌ v əl oʊ k ɪ ˈ t eɪ ʃ v ər ə / ), also known as Lokeśvara ("Lord of

324-858: A female form and is called Guanyin (also spelled Kwan Yin, Kuanyin, or Kwun Yum), "Hearing the Sounds of the World". In Japan, Guanyin is Kannon or Kanzeon; in Korea, Gwaneum ; and in Vietnam, Quan Am . Avalokiteśvara is worshipped as Nātha in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Buddhist tradition developed in Chola literature , such as Buddamitra's Virasoliyam , states that the Vedic sage Agastya learned Tamil from Avalokiteśvara. The earlier Chinese traveler Xuanzang recorded

378-643: A result of the works of the earliest Western translators of Buddhist Scriptures, the Lotus Sutra, however, has long been accepted as the earliest literature teaching about the doctrines of Avalokiteśvara. These are found in Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra: The Universal Gate of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara ( Chinese : 觀世音菩薩普門品 ; pinyin : Guānshìyīn púsà pǔ mén pǐn ). This chapter is devoted to Avalokiteśvara, describing him as

432-501: A rule barring the building of any structure taller than 21 metres in the area. UNESCO was also concerned over the materials used during the restoration of the palace, which commenced in 2002 at a cost of RMB180 million (US$ 22.5 million), although the palace's director, Qiangba Gesang, has clarified that only traditional materials and craftsmanship were used. The palace has also received restoration works between 1989 and 1994, costing RMB55 million (US$ 6.875 million). The number of visitors to

486-682: A temple dedicated to Avalokitesvara in the south Indian Mount Potalaka , a Sanskritization of Pothigai , where Tamil Hindu tradition places Agastya as having learned the Tamil language from Shiva . Avalokitesvara worship gained popularity with the growth of the Abhayagiri vihāra 's Tamraparniyan Mahayana sect. Western scholars have not reached a consensus on the origin of the reverence for Avalokiteśvara. Some have suggested that Avalokiteśvara, along with many other supernatural beings in Buddhism,

540-480: A translation by Amoghavajra (T. 1033, 20: 9b1–7): namoratnatrayāya | nama āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisattvāya mahāsattvāya mahākāruṇikāya | tadyathā padmapāṇi sara sara ehy ehi bhagavann āryāvalokiteśvara ārolik | In Chinese, oṃ ārolik svāha is pronounced Ǎn ālǔlēi jì suōpóhē (唵 阿嚕勒繼 娑婆訶). In Korean, it is pronounced Om aroreuk Ge Sabaha (옴 아로늑계 사바하). In Japanese, it is pronounced On arori kya sowa ka (おん あろりきゃ そわか). The Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra also features

594-443: Is Guanyin ( Chinese : 觀音 ; pinyin : Guānyīn ). It was initially thought that this was due to a lack of fluency, as Guanyin indicates the original Sanskrit form was instead Avalokitasvara , "who looked down upon sound", i.e. , the cries of sentient beings who need help. It is now understood that Avalokitasvara was the original form and is also the origin of Guanyin "perceiving sound, cries". This translation

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648-628: Is oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ hrīḥ. Hrīḥ is the seed syllable of the Lotus Buddha family and the Buddha Amitabha . Recitation of this mantra while using prayer beads is the most popular religious practice in Tibetan Buddhism. Another popular religious practice associated with om mani padme hum is the spinning of prayer wheels clockwise, which contains numerous repetitions of this mantra and effectively benefits everyone within

702-656: Is "three and a half syllables" (ardhacaturthākṣara) heart-mantra: " oṃ ārolik svāha " (or sometimes just Ārolik or oṁ ārolik ), which is found (in many forms and variations like ārolika , arulika , etc.) in numerous pre-tenth-century Indian texts, including the 7th century Chinese translation of the Dhāraṇīsaṁgraha , the Susiddhikarasūtra , the Mañjuśriyamūlakalpa , and the Guhyasamājatantra . This

756-747: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Potala The Potala Palace is a dzong fortress in Lhasa , capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China . It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959, has been a museum since then, and a World Heritage Site since 1994. The palace is named after Mount Potalaka , the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara . The 5th Dalai Lama started its construction in 1645 after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (died 1646), pointed out that

810-791: Is almost exclusively Theravada , based on the Pali Canon. The only Mahayana deity that has entered the worship of ordinary Buddhists in Theravada Buddhism is Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara . In Sri Lanka, he is known as Natha-deva and is mistaken by the majority for the Buddha yet to come, Bodhisattva Maitreya . The figure of Avalokitesvara is usually found in the shrine room near the Buddha image. In more recent times, some western-educated Theravādins have attempted to identify Nātha with Maitreya Bodhisattva; however, traditions and basic iconography (including an image of Amitābha Buddha on

864-913: Is also the main mantra for the bodhisattva in Shingon Buddhism and is considered to be the main mantra of the Lotus Buddha family . One text (Taisho Tripitaka no. 1031) describes a visualization practice done after reciting oṁ ārolik svāhā seven times which includes meditating on the meanings of the four letters of ārolik which are: The Ārolik mantra has also been found engraved on a few sculptures found in north India . One of these begins with "ārolik oṁ hrīḥ". Another one of these found in Bihar also included other mantras, including ye dharma hetu , followed by "namo ratnatrayāya namo Āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisatvāya mahāsatvāya mahākāruṇikāya Ārolok Oṁ hriḥ hriḥ". Another longer mantra appears in

918-504: Is in these much rich decorative painting, with jewelled work, carving and other ornamentation. The lower white frontage on the south side of the palace was used to hoist two gigantic thangkas joined representing the figures of Tara and Sakyamuni during the Sertreng Festival on the 30th day of the second Tibetan month. The Chinese Putuo Zongcheng Temple , also a UNESCO World Heritage Site , built between 1767 and 1771,

972-472: Is the most popular mantra in Tibetan Buddhism . The name Avalokiteśvara combines the verbal prefix ava "down", lokita , a past participle of the verb lok "to look, notice, behold, observe", here used in an active sense, and finally īśvara , "lord", "ruler", "sovereign", or "master". In accordance with sandhi (Sanskrit rules of sound combination), a + īśvara becomes eśvara . Combined,

1026-518: Is widely chanted and recited by East Asian Buddhists is: Chinese: 南無觀世音菩薩 , Pinyin: Námó Guānshìyīn Púsà (Japanese: Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu ) In English: Homage to Guanyin Bodhisattva. There are also longer chants, usually termed "White Robed Guanyin" (Baiyin Guanyin) sutras (jing) or mantras (zhou). The most well known is the "Divine White-robed Guanyin Mantra" (c. 11th century). This longer mantra

1080-659: The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra and Xuanzang's Great Tang Records on the Western Regions , is Mount Potigai in Ambasamudram , Tirunelveli , at the Tamil Nadu - Kerala border. Shu also said that Mount Potalaka has been a sacred place for the people of South India since time immemorial. It is the traditional residence of Siddhar Agastya at Agastya Mala . With the spread of Buddhism in the region beginning at

1134-729: The Avalokiteśvara Sūtra ( Chinese : 觀世音經 ; pinyin : Guānshìyīn jīng ), and is commonly recited or chanted at Buddhist temples in East Asia. When the Chinese monk Faxian traveled to Mathura in India around 400 CE, he wrote about monks presenting offerings to Avalokiteśvara. When Xuanzang traveled to India in the 7th century, he provided eyewitness accounts of Avalokiteśvara statues being venerated by devotees from all walks of life, from kings to monks to laypeople. In Chinese Buddhism and East Asia, Tangmi practices for

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1188-630: The Cultural Revolution in 1966 through the personal intervention of Zhou Enlai , who was then the Premier of the People's Republic of China . According to Tibetan historian Tsering Woeser, the palace, which harboured "over 100,000 volumes of scriptures and historical documents" and "many store rooms for housing precious objects, handicrafts, paintings, wall hangings, statues, and ancient armour", "was almost robbed empty". The Potala Palace

1242-668: The Tibetan uprising against the Chinese in 1959 , when Chinese shells were launched into the palace's windows. Before Chamdo Jampa Kalden was shot and taken prisoner by soldiers of the People's Liberation Army , he witnessed "Chinese cannon shells began landing on Norbulingka past midnight on 19 March 1959... The sky lit up as the Chinese shells hit the Chakpori Medical College and the Potala." It also escaped damage during

1296-491: The "Three Protectors of Tibet". Chokpori , just to the south of the Potala, is the soul-mountain ( Wylie : bla ri ) of Vajrapani , Pongwari that of Manjusri , and Marpori, the hill on which the Potala stands, represents Avalokiteśvara . The site on which the Potala Palace rises is built over a palace erected by Songtsen Gampo on the Red Hill. The Potala contains two chapels on its northwest corner that conserve parts of

1350-548: The 18-armed form of Avalokiteśvara called Cundī are very popular. The popularity of Cundī is attested by the three extant translations of the Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra from Sanskrit to Chinese, made from the end of the seventh century to the beginning of the eighth century. In late imperial China , these early esoteric traditions still thrived in Buddhist communities. Robert Gimello has also observed that in these communities,

1404-468: The Buddha under whom Dharmakara became a monk and made forty-eight vows before becoming Amitābha . Avalokiteśvara's six armed manifestation as Cintāmaṇicakra is also widely venerated in East Asia. The Cintāmaṇicakra Dharani ( Chinese : 如意寶輪王陀羅尼 ; pinyin : Rúyì Bǎolún Wáng Tuóluóní ) is another popular dharani associated with the bodhisattva. There are various mantras and dharanis associated with Avalokiteśvara. In Tibetan Buddhism ,

1458-657: The Great Compassion Mantra. It is very popular in East Asian Buddhism . Another popular Avalokiteśvara dharani in East Asian Buddhism is Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani . This dharani is associated with Avalokiteśvara's eleven face form, known as Ekādaśamukha , one of the six forms of Guanyin. In East Asian Buddhism, the most popular form of Avalokiteśvara is the feminine white robed Guanyin . A common phrase which

1512-476: The World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan), is a tenth-level bodhisattva associated with great compassion ( mahakaruṇā ). He is often associated with Amitabha Buddha . Avalokiteśvara has numerous manifestations and is depicted in various forms and styles. In some texts, he is even considered to be the source of all Hindu deities (such as Vishnu , Shiva , Saraswati , Brahma , etc). While Avalokiteśvara

1566-687: The World"). In Tibetan , Avalokiteśvara is Chenrézig ( Tibetan : སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་ ). The etymology of the Tibetan name Chenrézik is spyan "eye", ras "continuity", and gzig "to look". This gives the meaning of one who always looks upon all beings (with the eye of compassion). The name Avalokiteśvara first appeared in the Avatamsaka Sutra , a Mahayana scripture that precedes the Lotus Sutra . On account of its popularity in Japan and as

1620-402: The base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. Thirteen storeys of buildings, containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues, soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the "Red Hill", rising more than 300 metres (980 ft) in total above the valley floor. Tradition has it that the three main hills of Lhasa represent

1674-644: The central mantra is the six-syllable mantra oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ ( Sanskrit : ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ , also called the Mani mantra. Due to his association with this mantra, one form of Avalokiteśvara is called Ṣaḍākṣarī ("Lord of the Six Syllables") in Sanskrit . The Mani mantra is also popular in East Asian Mahayana . There are also different variations of the mani mantra, the most common which

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1728-518: The esoteric practices of Cundī were extremely popular among both the populace and the elite. In the Tiantai school, six forms of Avalokiteśvara are defined. Each of the bodhisattva's six qualities is said to break the hindrances in one of the six realms of existence: hell-beings, pretas , animals, humans, asuras , and devas . According to the prologue of Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī Sūtra, Gautama Buddha told his disciple Ānanda that Avalokiteśvara had become

1782-454: The fifth century. This earlier Sanskrit name was supplanted by the form containing the ending -īśvara "lord", but Avalokiteśvara did not occur in Sanskrit before the seventh century. The original meaning of the name fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a bodhisattva. The reinterpretation presenting him as an īśvara shows a strong influence of Hinduism , as the term īśvara

1836-511: The first appearance of the dhāraṇī of Cundī , which occurs at the end of the sūtra text. After the bodhisattva finally attains samādhi with the mantra "oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ", he is able to observe 77 koṭīs of fully enlightened buddhas replying to him in one voice with the Cundī Dhāraṇī: namaḥ saptānāṃ samyaksaṃbuddha koṭīnāṃ tadyathā, oṃ cale cule cunde svāhā. The Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī is an 82-syllable dhāraṇī for Avalokiteśvara also known as

1890-555: The front of the crown) identify Nātha as Avalokiteśvara. Andrew Skilton writes: ... It is clear from sculptural evidence alone that the Mahāyāna was fairly widespread throughout Sri Lanka, although the modern account of the history of Buddhism on the island presents an unbroken and pure lineage of Theravāda. (One can only assume that similar trends were transmitted to other parts of Southeast Asia with Sri Lankan ordination lineages.) Relics of an extensive cult of Avalokiteśvara can be seen in

1944-533: The old city of Lhasa. The external structure was built in 3 years, while the interior, together with its furnishings, took 45 years to complete. The Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang Karpo ('White Palace') in 1649. Construction lasted until 1694, some twelve years after his death. The Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time. The Potrang Marpo ('Red Palace')

1998-648: The original building. One is the Phakpa Lhakhang, the other the Chogyel Drupuk, a recessed cavern identified as Songtsen Gampo's meditation cave. Lozang Gyatso , the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, started the construction of the modern Potala Palace in 1645 after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (died 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and

2052-453: The palace was restricted to 1,600 a day, with opening hours reduced to six hours daily to avoid over-crowding from 1 May 2003. The palace was receiving an average of 1,500 a day prior to the introduction of the quota, sometimes peaking to over 5,000 in one day. Visits to the structure's roof were banned after restoration efforts were completed in 2006 to avoid further structural damage. Visitorship quotas were raised to 2,300 daily to accommodate

2106-482: The parts mean "lord who gazed down (at the world)". The word loka ("world") is absent from the name, but the phrase is implied. It does appear in the Cambodian form of the name, Lokesvarak . The earliest translation of the name Avalokiteśvara into Chinese by authors such as Xuanzang was as Guānzìzài ( Chinese : 觀自在 ; pinyin : Guān zìzài ), not the form used in East Asian Buddhism today, which

2160-462: The present-day figure of Nātha. Avalokiteśvara is popularly worshipped in Myanmar , where he is called Lokanat or lokabyuharnat, and Thailand , where he is called Lokesvara . The bodhisattva goes by many other names. In Indochina and Thailand, he is Lokesvara , "The Lord of the World". In Tibet, he is Chenrezig , also spelled Spyan-ras gzigs, "With a Pitying Look". In China, the bodhisattva takes

2214-612: The same time, Avalokiteśvara is also the attendant of Amitabha Buddha, assisting Amitabha Buddha to teach the Dharma in his Pure Land. Veneration of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has continued to the present day in Sri Lanka . In times past, both Tantrayana and Mahayana have been found in some of the Theravada countries, but today the Buddhism of Sri Lanka (formerly, Ceylon), Myanmar (formerly, Burma), Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia

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2268-469: The side of Ri Marpo ('Red Mountain') in the centre of Lhasa Valley, the Potala Palace, with its vast inward-sloping walls broken only in the upper parts by straight rows of many windows, and its flat roofs at various levels, is not unlike a fortress in appearance. At the south base of the rock is a large space enclosed by walls and gates, with great porticos on the inner side. A series of tolerably easy staircases, broken by intervals of gentle ascent, leads to

2322-518: The site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa . It may overlie the remains of an earlier fortress called the White or Red Palace on the site, built by Songtsen Gampo in 637. The building measures 400 metres (1,300 ft) east-west and 350 metres (1,150 ft) north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 metres (10 ft) thick, and 5 metres (16 ft) thick at

2376-516: The summit of the rock. The whole width of this is occupied by the palace. The central part of this group of buildings rises in a vast quadrangular mass above its satellites to a great height, terminating in gilt canopies similar to those on the Jokhang . This central member of Potala is called the "red palace" from its crimson colour, which distinguishes it from the rest. It contains the principal halls and chapels and shrines of past Dalai Lamas. There

2430-426: The time of the great king Aśoka in the third century BCE, it became a holy place also for Buddhists, who gradually became dominant as a number of their hermits settled there. The local people, though, mainly remained followers of the Tamil animist religion. The mixed Tamil-Buddhist cult culminated in the formation of the figure of Avalokiteśvara. The name Lokeśvara should not be confused with that of Lokeśvararāja ,

2484-546: The vicinity of the practitioner. The connection between this famous mantra and Avalokiteśvara is documented for the first time in the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra . This text is dated to around the late 4th century CE to the early 5th century CE. In this sūtra, a bodhisattva is told by the Buddha that recitation of this mantra while focusing on the sound can lead to the attainment of eight hundred samādhis . Another mantra for Avalokiteśvara commonly recited in East Asian Buddhism

2538-625: The village fortification walls, and the exterior stone pillar or doring chima , which originally stood outside the South entrance to the village. Today the pillar stands neglected to the East of the Liberation Square, on the South side of Beijing Avenue. The doring chima dates as far back as circa 764, "or only a little later", and is inscribed with what may be the oldest known example of Tibetan writing. The pillar contains dedications to

2592-420: Was a borrowing or absorption by Mahayana Buddhism of one or more deities from Hinduism , in particular Shiva or Vishnu . This seems to be based on the name Avalokiteśvara. On the basis of the study of Buddhist scriptures and ancient Tamil literary sources as well as a field survey, Japanese scholar Shu Hikosaka proposes the hypothesis that ancient Mount Potalaka, the residence of Avalokiteśvara described in

2646-470: Was added between 1690 and 1694. The new palace got its name from a hill on Cape Comorin at the southern tip of India—a rocky point sacred to the bodhisattva of compassion, who is known as Avalokitesvara , or Chenrezi. The Tibetans themselves rarely speak of the sacred place as the "Potala", but rather as "Peak Potala" ( Tse Potala ), or most commonly as "the Peak". The palace was moderately damaged during

2700-441: Was depicted as male in India, in East Asian Buddhism , Avalokiteśvara is most often depicted as a female figure known as Guanyin , Kannon , Gwaneum , and Quan Am in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, 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

2754-412: Was favored by the tendency of some Chinese translators, notably Kumārajīva , to use the variant Guānshìyīn Chinese : 觀世音 ; pinyin : Guānshìyīn "who perceives the world's lamentations"—wherein lok was read as simultaneously meaning both "to look" and "world" (Sanskrit loka ; Chinese : 世 ; pinyin : shì ). The original form of Guanyin's name appears in Sanskrit fragments from

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2808-557: Was in part modelled after the Potala Palace. The palace was named by the American television show Good Morning America and newspaper USA Today as one of the " New Seven Wonders ". The nine-storey Leh Palace in Leh, Ladakh , India built by King Sengge Namgyal (c. 1570–1642), was a precursor of the Potala Palace. Lhasa Zhol Village has two stone pillars or rdo-rings , an interior stone pillar or doring nangma , which stands within

2862-489: Was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. In 2000 and 2001, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka were added to the list as extensions to the sites. Rapid modernisation has been a concern for UNESCO, however, which expressed concern over the building of modern structures immediately around the palace which threaten the palace's unique atmosphere. The Chinese government responded by enacting

2916-647: Was usually connected to the Hindu notion of Vishnu (in Vaishnavism ) or Shiva (in Shaivism ) as the Supreme Lord , Creator, and Ruler of the world. Some attributes of such a god were transmitted to the bodhisattva, but the mainstream of those who venerated Avalokiteśvara upheld the Buddhist rejection of the doctrine of any creator god. In Sanskrit, Avalokiteśvara is also referred to as Lokeśvara ("Lord of

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