Chenrezig ritual

Chenrezig ritual

Chenrezig, "he who looks with light eyes". He is the Tibetan incarnation of Avalokitésvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion and is considered the protector of Tibet. Chenrezig or Avalokitesvara with four arms is the most popular form of the deity.

Its symbolism, as described by Bokar Rinpoche, is as follows:
  • the white colour of his body: he is totally pure, free of all veils;
  • a single face: the essence of all phenomena is of a single flavour;
  • the 4 arms: the 4 unlimited feelings (love, compassion, joy, equanimity);
  • the two legs crossed in the vajra posture: it does not remain in the extremes of nirvana for oneself and samsara; it unites compassion and emptiness;
  • the jewel held in joined hands: it accomplishes the good of all beings;
  • the rosary in the right hand: it pulls all beings towards liberation;
  • the lotus in the left hand: it possesses the knowledge on which compassion for all beings is based; moreover, just as a lotus grows from the mud without its flower being in any way defiled, Avalokita works in the world without being tainted by its imperfections;
  • the doe's skin on his shoulder: the legendary kindness of the doe symbolises the thought turned towards the good of beings;
  • the various jewels: the richness of the qualities of his awakened spirit;
  • the silks of five colours: the five wisdoms.
  • Above the deity's head or in his bun is sometimes represented a small Amitabha, to remind us that Avalokita belongs to the Padma family over which this Buddha reigns.
His mantra is OM MANI PADME HUNG. The mantra om mani padme hum is considered to be the distinctive seal of Buddhism in Tibet where it is omnipresent. It is found on prayer banners, mani stones, inscribed on the mountains, on the doorsteps of houses and monasteries, frequently chanted by pilgrims chanting rosaries or operating prayer wheels (mani khorlo) enshrining the mantra printed thousands of times. 
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