48" x 36.75" Chenrezig Thangka Painting

Of all the deities in Mahayana Buddhism, the bodhisattva Chenrezig, also called Avalokiteshvara, is the most celebrated. He is the lord endowed with complete illumination, who refrains from entering the blissful state of nirvana to remain here below and save the creatures of the earth. This devotion to the salvation of others emphasizes the profound compassion this bodhisattva represents.

In the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon of enlightened beings, Chenrezig is renowned as the embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddhas. Chenrezig is visualized in many forms, with various numbers of faces and arms, and various colors and ornaments. This four-armed form is a radiant white Budhda form representing the purity and power of the enlightened mind's loving kindness and compassion. He sits on a lotus and the flat disc of the moon, with another moon disc behind him, reflecting his total purity. Two of his four arms are joined in the prayer position holding the wish-fulfilling gem. In his other left hand he holds a lotus flower and in his right hand, a crystal mala, which he is using to count repetitions of the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus, which liberates all beings from suffering. He wears the silks and ornaments of a bodhisattva, representing all his special qualities, and the soft skin of an antelope over his shoulder, symbolizing his complete freedom from violence. He smiles with deep understanding, love and compassion as his eyes look upon all beings. His four arms and hands signify the four immeasurables: immeasurable loving kindness, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy, and immeasurable equanimity. Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Boundless Compassion, is the very embodiment and realization of the four immeasurables.