Avalokiteshvara (Chenresig)

"Glorious gentle one" - he is the Bodhisattva of Compassion and his name means " he who gazes upon the world with suffering in his eyes". The Dalai Lama is considered a reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara and pictures of the two are interchangeable. The current Dalai Lama is the 74th manifestation of Avalokiteshvara.

His body is white and he sits on a lotus blossom. He holds rosary beads and a flower of compassion and clutches a gem to his heart. A deer skin is draped over his left shoulder.

There is also a powerful 11 headed, 1000 armed version. His head is said to have explored when confronted with a myriad of problems to solve. Each of his 1000 arms has an eye in the palm. His eight main arms hold a bow and arrow, lotus, rosary, vase, wheel and staff.