The Encyclopedia of World Religions

40 S Avalokitesvara

female form. She is known in Chinese as Kuan-yin and in Japanese as Kannon. Avalokitesvara is celebrated in two Buddhist scriptures, the L OTUS S UTRA and the Pure Land Sutra. He—or she—is a supreme example of the bodhisattva ideal. According to this ideal people should not seek NIRVANA for themselves. That would be selfish. Instead, they should donate whatever good they have acquired to help all beings achieve release. Many myths connect Avalokitesvara with the Buddha Amitabha, known in Japanese as A MIDA . Pure Land Buddhists say that Avalokitesvara is one of Amida’s attendants in the Pure Land ( see P URE L AND B UDDHISM ). Others say he is Amitabha’s son. In any case, Avalokitesvara is often worshipped separately. He is said to dwell on a mythical moun tain known as Potala or Potalaka. From there he looks after the world during the time from the B UD DHA Siddhartha Gautama ( c. 560– c. 480 B . C . E .) to Maitreya, the Buddha who is yet to come. Avalokitesvara is the epitome of virtue and compassion. He devoted eons to meritorious efforts. As a result, his ability to help beings who are suffering knows no bounds. Worshippers call upon him—or her—for help in any number of sit uations. They may desire release from the three traditional Buddhist poisons of lust, anger, and ignorance. Or they may want protection in times of danger, protection for travel on the sea, or long life. Especially as Kuan-yin, this bodhisattva pro tects women and oversees childbirth. All Buddhists venerate Avalokitesvara. Bud dhists in southeast Asia known as Theravadins call upon him as Lokesvara, “lord of the world.” This bodhisattva also has close ties to Tibet. He is said to have revealed the mantra Om mani padme hum (literally, “Om the jewel in the lotus hum”), one of the most important mantras in Tibetan Buddhism ( see T IBETAN RELIGION ). He is also said to take human form as the D ALAI L AMA , the leader of Tibetan Buddhism. There are several common images of Avalok itesvara. One shows him resplendent with jewels, wearing a tall crown, and holding a lotus in his left hand. On the crown is the Buddha Amitabha.

Traditional Australians have identified sev eral extremely important spirits. Scholars some times call them All-Father, All-Mother, and Rain bow Snake. All-Father was important in southeast Australia. All-Mother is still important in northern Australia. She often has a male spirit as her asso ciate. Rainbow Snake is connected with the fer tilizing rains. Some groups thought of it as male, some as female, and still others as both male and female at the same time. Some groups also identi fied Rainbow Snake with All-Mother. The purpose of aboriginal religious practices is to foster life. They do so by establishing contact with the spirits and events of the Dreaming. The spirit is often present in the form of an image or emblem. A well-known example is the tjurunga of the Aranda people. It is a board, sometimes plain, sometimes decorated. Songs and acting recall the events of the Dreaming. Life-cycle rites are important religious prac tices. These include INITIATIONS for both males and females. Most major ceremonies have two distinct components. One component is public; everyone in the community participates. The other compo nent is secret; only initiates into a group can be present. The secret groups are divided according to gender. In most places women as well as men have secret groups and rituals. In most places, too, religious and social power resides with the men. In Africa, Oceania, and the Americas indig enous peoples developed religious movements to resist European colonization. One example is the G HOST D ANCE of North America. Indigenous Australians did not generally develop such move ments. But in the latter part of the 20th century, strong movements did arise that pressed the government to recognize their rights to land. In conjunction with these movements, some took a new interest in traditional aboriginal religion and culture.

Avalokitesvara One of the most important BOD HISATTVAS in B UDDHISM , known especially for com passion. Originally Avalokitesvara was male, but in east Asia Avalokitesvara became venerated in