Avalokiteshvara displays here his ten-headed, thousand-armed form. The eleven heads signify the eight directions as well as the three vertical divisions of top, middle, and bottom. This manifestation of Avalokiteshvara is thought to have been influenced by the eleven manifestations of the popular Hindu god Shiva, known as the ekadasha (eleven) Rudras. The Buddhist myth that explains the origin of this complex image stresses the universal compassion that this deity embodies. It is said that once he was so moved by the sufferings of sentient beings that his head split into ten pieces. The Buddha Amitabha turned each of them into a complete head and, added his own at the apex and, hence, the number eleven. Avalokiteshvara was therefore able to watch over all the ten directions at once. At the top of the painting can be seen a small image of Amitabha in his characteristic Dhyana mudra.
As per his usual iconography, the heads are arranged in a pyramid with three rows, ten of the heads are benign and one is ferocious, representing Avalokiteshvara's wrathful form, which is capped by the serene head of Amitabha.
This fantastic painting is soft and subtle. The monk-artist's complete mastery over color is evident in his adept handling of the hues which are restrained yet vibrant. It is as if the various colors are radiating forth their own spiritual power as against just a mere physical and visual appeal. The ethereal look granted both to the foreground and background is achieved almost solely through the dots of the same hue which gradually acquire darker shades when going to the top, and oscillate between dark and light at the bottom of the painting.
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