Description

Chengreshi is a form of Avalokiteshvara is also known as the Buddha of Compassion or 4 armed Avalokiteshvara. Chengreshi is one of 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. In the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon of enlightened beings, Chengreshi, Avalokiteshvara, is renowned as the embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddha, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Avalokiteshvara, Chengshi is visualized in many forms, with various numbers of faces and arms, and various colors and ornaments. He sits on a lotus and the flat disc of the moon, with another moon disk 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 other right hand, a crystal mala (rosary), which he is using to count the repetitions of his 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. The four arms and hands signify the four immeasurable: immeasurable loving kindness, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy, and immeasurable equanimity. Chengshi, the Boundless Compassion, is the very embodiment and realization of the four immeasurable. The four immeasurable are the vehicles through which Chengshi benefits beings. “The first two, the inner arms, have palms joined at the heart, holding a sky-blue, and wish fulfilling jewel.” This symbolizes that in whatever way Chengshi manifests to benefit beings, the quality of Chengreshi’s mind is never separate from the all pervasive primordial wisdom. In the outer right hand, Chengshi is holding crystal beads and moving them the way we use a mala to count mantras. This symbolizes that there is not one moment when Chengreshi does not benefit beings. Like the steady movement of counting the beads, Chengreshi is continuously benefiting sentient beings and turning the wheel of enlightened activity. In the outer left hand, Chengreshi holds a lotus flower. This symbolizes that in benefiting sentient beings, Chengreshi manifests in whatever forms are necessary in accordance with the mental capacities, circumstances, and aptitudes of sentient beings. Chengshi may appear in any of the different realms, such as the hell realm or the hungry ghost realm. However Chengreshi may appear, he remains free from any of the samsaric stains of the various realms, the way a lotus flower growing in a swamp appears free of the stain of the mud. The left hand of Chengreshi, holding the flower, symbolizes that stainlessness. All the various features of this image have meaningful connections to the wonderful qualities of Chengreshi, and by focusing on these details as we visualize the image in the meditation, we can gradually awaken our own awareness of those same qualities in ourselves.