Vanguard Posted August 8, 2004 Report Posted August 8, 2004 If Buddha is the 9th incarnation of Krsna, is the thousand armed Avalokitesvara manifestation of Buddha (supposedly the embodiment of compassion) widely considered to be an incarnation of Vishnu? Quote
vanamali Posted August 8, 2004 Report Posted August 8, 2004 Avalokiteshwara is a bodhisattva, but not a manifestation of the historical buddha of which you speak. The job of the Bodhisattva in "Mahayana" Buddhism is to guide conditioned souls out of suffering into Nirvana. However, since the Bodhisattva has decided to remain forever on the cusp of entering Nirvana until all souls are liberated, they are really much more like deities than anything else. Quote
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