The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (297 page)

 
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(Skt., ‘the lord who looks in every direction’, or ‘of what is seen’). One of the most important
bodhisattvas
in
Mah
y
na
Buddhism. He embodies compassion (
karu
), and is thus called Mah
karun
(the other necessary constituent of a
buddha
being wisdom,
prajña
, which is embodied in Mañju
ri). Avalokite
vara is the manifestation as bodhisattva of the power of the equally compassionate buddha, Amit
bha (
Amida
). He is the supremely compassionate helper, and is often depicted with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes for that purpose. He is also eleven-headed, because when he looked at suffering humanity, his head split open from pain. From a single tear shed by Avalokite
vara,
T
r
was born who ferries the faithful across on their way to
nirv
na
, or to the Western Paradise (see
SUKH
VAT