There are several versions of the legend explaining his eleven
heads, but they all resolve themselves into the
following:
Avalokiteshvara, the all pitying one, descended into hell,
converted the wicked, liberated them, and conducted them to
Sukhavati, the paradise of his spiritual father, Amitabha.
He discovered, however, to his dismay, that for every culprit
converted and liberated, another instantly took his place. Legend
claims that his head split into ten pieces from grief and despair
on discovering the extent of wickedness in the world, and the utter
hopelessness of saving all mankind. Amitabha caused each piece to
become a head, and placed the heads on the body of his spiritual
son, Avalokitesvara. Nine of the heads have benign faces and are
depicted in three rows; the tenth has an angry face, while the head
at the top is that of Amitabha.
All the heads, except that of Amitabha, is crowned. In contrast
to the floral crowns of the three rows of heads, the topwrathful head
is adorned with a crown of skulls.
At a symbolic level, eight of the heads represent the cardinal
directions and their intermediate points, and the other three
signify the zenith, the center, and the nadir.
Fascinating as this myth is, it probably disguises an earlier
myth of cosmic creation in which a primal being created the
universe by disintegrating his own person.
Amitabha further said to Avalokiteshvara that there was still
another way to accomplish his goal. Mahakala,
thewrathful aspect
of Avalokitesvara, was then created to fight against negative
forces with compassion and to destroy obstacles in the path towards
righteousness, thereby helping all sentient beings reach
enlightenment. The tenth wrathful head is thus that of Mahakala.
In addition Avalokiteshvara is given a thousand arms which form
a mandala around his body and symbolize his pervasiveness. The palm
of each hand is marked with an eye, the 'eye of mercy', to see the
sufferings of all beings, and to help sentient beings overcome
them.
The two central arms hold a wish-fulfilling gem; one main right
arm is holding the wheel of combined spiritual teaching and
benevolent governance; another upraised right hand holds the
rosary. a left hand holds a bow and arrow, their pairing symbolizes
the coincidence of wisdom and method, or the union of wisdom and
concentration. Another upraised left hand holds a lotus in full
bloom. This is a symbol of purity, renunciation, and divinity.
Of Related Interest:
Eleven
Headed Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara (Tibetan Thangka
Painting)
Eleven
Headed Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara (Brass
Statue)
Eleven
Headed Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara (Antiquated
Sterling Silver Pendant)
Eleven
Headed Avalokitesvara Chenresigs, Kuan-yin, or Kannon Bodhisattva:
Its Origin and Iconography (Book)
The
Bodhisattva Ideal: Buddhism and the Aesthetics of
Selflessness (Article)
