Buddhism was founded in the fifth century BC by Sakyamuni, the
historical Buddha. Buddhism taught that enlightenment was open
only to those who became monks and followed the Eightfold Path.
Mahayana, a movement that started to develop by the first century
AD, offered salvation to all. Those who defer their own enlightenment
to help others are called bodhisattvas. Mahayana – ‘Great
School’ - called other movements ‘Hinayana’ or ‘Lesser
School’. Pilgrim monks report monasteries of both along the
Silk Road.
In Tibet a form of Mahayana, now called tantric or esoteric Buddhism,
became dominant. Its emphasis was on secret teachings available
only to the initiated and rituals involved repetition of Sanskrit
syllables called dharani or shorter syllable combinations known
as mantras. Dharani printed on sheets of paper were considered
to have magical properties of protection. Mandala, diagrams of
the position of deities, were also used by the initiate in meditation
with the aim of achieving union with the Buddha.
Avalokitesvara, the embodiment of compassion, is one of most popular
of the Mahayana bodhisattvas. The ability of Avalokitesvara to
take any form in order to come to the aid of sentient beings is
described in chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra. This chapter, which
circulated as an independent text, appears in dozens of Chinese
manuscripts in the Dunhuang collections and in two Tibetan manuscripts.
The theme of Avalokitesvara’s many manifestations was taken
up in the tantras, in which the bodhisattva can be found in a number
of forms. Two of the most popular are the 11-faced form and the
1000-armed form. The latter became popular through the Dharani
Sutra of the Thousand-armed Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara, which
was translated into several Central Asian languages.
The many arms and eyes of Avalokitesvara represent his ability
to perceive the suffering of sentient beings throughout the realms
of existence, and to reach out and help them. Other popular tantric
forms are Cintamanicakra, 'he who holds the wheel and the wish-fulfilling
jewel', and Amoghapasa, 'the unfailing noose'. The noose is a symbol
of the bodhisattva’s ability to keep sentient beings from
falling into the realms of hell.
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