What is "avalokitesvara"

Avalokiteśvara ( Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, "Lord who looks down", , THL: Chenrézik) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. This bodhisattva is variably depicted and described and is portrayed in different cultures as either female or male. In Chinese Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara has become the somewhat different female figure Guanyin. In Cambodia, he appears as Lokeśvara.

According to the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, the sun and moon are said to be born from Avalokiteśvara's eyes, Shiva from his brow, Brahma from his shoulders, Narayana from his heart, Sarasvati from his teeth, the winds from his mouth, the earth from his feet and the sky from his stomach. In this text and others, such as the Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra, Avalokiteśvara is an attendant of Amitabha.

Avalokitesvara, also known as Bu Ken Qu Guan Yin (literally "the Guanyin who refuses to leave"), is a 2013 Chinese religious film based on a legend about how Mount Putuo in China's Zhejiang Province became known as the bodhimaṇḍa of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, who is better known in Chinese as " Guanyin". The film was directed by Zhang Xin, and starred Li Chun, Nie Yuan, Nakaizumi Hideo, Siqin Gaowa, Nakano Ryoko, and Mou Fengbin in the leading roles. It was shown at the 37th Montreal World Film Festival in 2013 and was named one of the four World Greats.