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Lot Essay
The woodblock printed text expounds on the proper mudras and dharani-prayers for the ‘Thousand-armed Thousand-eyed’ Avalokitesvara. According to the preamble, this sutra is attributed to an early translation from Tang dynasty pilgrim, Xuanzang, and the text was hand copied by Emperor Qianlong. It is known during the reign of Qianlong that a sutra printing house was established inside the Xihuamen Gate of the Imperial palace, where copying and editing were done under the guidance of State Tutor Changkya Hutuktu; for a further discussion on Buddhist sutras, cf. Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism, Collected in the Qing Palace, pp. 114-115.
The ‘Thousand-armed Thousand-eyed’ Avalokitesvara, also referred to as Sahasrabhuja-sahasranetra, is a manifestation of Tantric (Esoteric) Buddhism, a branch Mahayana Buddhism. As suggested by the name, it conveys a meaning of an omnipotent deity with infinite compassion to alleviate the sufferings of sentient beings. Each incantation in this book is shown together with a drawing corresponding to the hand gestures for the attainment of a particular wish.
The ‘Thousand-armed Thousand-eyed’ Avalokitesvara, also referred to as Sahasrabhuja-sahasranetra, is a manifestation of Tantric (Esoteric) Buddhism, a branch Mahayana Buddhism. As suggested by the name, it conveys a meaning of an omnipotent deity with infinite compassion to alleviate the sufferings of sentient beings. Each incantation in this book is shown together with a drawing corresponding to the hand gestures for the attainment of a particular wish.