The History of Buddhist Thought c23.4

c23.4

Avalokiteśvara in Chapter 24 is praised by Buddha for the benefits that he confers on all his worshippers. He saves from all sorts of misfortunes merely by the utterance, “reverence, reverence to the giver of safety, Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva, the great being.” There is no reference to the six-syllabled spell. He saves from the passions of lust, hatred, and stupidity. He bestows offspring and other blessings. He assumes different forms in order to reach all beings, and appears as a Buddha or one of the Hindu gods, Brahma, Indra, Śiva. This is exactly the aspect under which he appears in the *Kāraṇḍavyūha*, a sūtra devoted expressly to him. This sūtra is still later than the *Lotus*, and shows bodhisattva worship at its height.¹