T
HE
M
ANDALA OF
C
HENREZIG
(A
VALOKITESHVARA
)
Chenrezig is the Tibetan name of Avalokiteshvara (
Sanskrit
). In Mahayana Buddhist
tradition (the form practiced in Japan, Korea, Vietnam,
and China. Zen is a Mahayana practice), Avalokiteshvara
is the Bodhisattva of Compassion. In Tibetan Vajrayana
Buddhist teaching, Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) is
considered a Buddha, the Buddha of Compassion.
Chenrezig can be portrayed in several different forms:
two of the most popular are as a white deity with either
four arms or 1000 arms; the extra arms symbolize his
ability to help many beings at the same time
. Chenrezig’s
mantra is
Om Mani Padme, Hum!
(
Tibetan
:
Om Mani Peme Hung
). Carved into
mani
stones, and painted onto prayer wheels and prayer flags
throughout Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and Himalayan India,
Om Mani Padme, Hum!
can be translated as “Om,
Jewel-Lot
us, Hum!”
and
is spoken to invoke the
spirit of Chenrezig, the jewel of the lotus.
A m
andala can be thought of as being the “residence” of the
respective deities and their retinues. Although depicted two-
dimensionally on a flat surface, the Chenrezig Mandala
should actually be seen three-dimensionally, as
a “divine mansion” at the center of which
resides Chenrezig, surrounded by the four other deities of his entourage: Akshobhya,
Rathnasambhava, Vaivochana, and Amogasiddhi.
Together with Chenrezig, these five deities are known in Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism as
the Five Dhyani Buddhas. Also known as the Five Great Buddhas, the Five Wisdom
Buddhas, and the Five Jinas (
Sanskrit
: means “conqueror” or “victor”)
, the five Dhyani
Buddhas are representations of the five qualities of Buddha (see Wikipedia for a more
formal discussion). The Wisdom Buddhas are aspects of the
dharmakaya
or “realit
y body
,”
which together embody the completeness of the principle of enlightenment. Enlightenment
is the transformation of the body out of its opposite state,
sams
ā
ra
(see below).
The four outer walls of the mansion are in five transparent colored layers: white, yellow,
red, green, and blue, representing Faith, Effort, Memory, Meditation, and Wisdom (these
five colors also represent the five Dhyani Buddhas.)
The four doorways, one in the center of each of the four walls, represent the Four
Immeasurable Thoughts: Love, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity.
Inside the “residence,” in the center of the mandala is
an eight-petalled lotus flower. The