Toh 690Detailed Procedures for the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara
Pāli / Sanskrit:[no Sanskrit title]
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An Explanation of the Sūtra of the Detailed Procedures for the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara
Context
This sūtra belongs to the Northern Buddhist Canon (Mahāyāna) and is recorded in the Kangyur—the principal collection of scriptures in Tibetan Buddhism. The bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara ("The One Who Observes the Cries of the World") is the bodhisattva of immeasurable compassion, revered throughout the Mahāyāna tradition. The thousand-armed, thousand-eyed form of Avalokiteśvara symbolizes the limitless capacity of compassion—each hand represents a means of liberating sentient beings, and each eye represents the all-encompassing observation of the world's suffering.
This sūtra is not a historical narrative but a sādhana, a detailed guide for practitioners who wish to undertake the practice associated with this form of Avalokiteśvara. In the Tibetan tradition, sādhana practices are regarded as direct methods for connecting with the essential mind of the bodhisattvas and buddhas.
Principal Content
The sūtra presents detailed procedures for practicing the form of the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara. In the Northern Tibetan tradition, particularly within the Gelug, Nyingma, and Kagyu schools, this practice is regarded as belonging to Highest Yoga Tantra (Anuttarayoga Tantra) and includes instructions on:
First comes the preparation of the mind through compassionate vows and immeasurable compassion for all sentient beings, from which the resolve to practice arises. Next are instructions on visualization—profoundly envisioning Avalokiteśvara with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, symbolizing the infinitude of compassion. Every detail of the image bears profound significance within Tibetan Buddhist doctrine.
The sūtra also includes mantra formulas, especially OM MANI PADME HUM—syllables possessing the power to transform the mind and help practitioners enter a state of perfect compassion. These specific procedures are regarded as active expressions of compassion in practice.
Significance for Practice
This sūtra is not merely theoretical but constitutes a practical path. The practitioner's aim is gradually to transform the mind into a "
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