Avalokiteshvara, also known by the Tibetan name Chenrezig, sits in a vajra position upon a white moon disc and multi-coloured lotus that emerges from a lake in the centre of this composition. The 'Lord of the Padma or Lotus Family,' Avalokiteshvara, represents the transformation of desire into compassion. He is pure and wears the thirteen silk and gem bodhisattva decorations. He holds a wish-granting stone in his first pair of hands, palms clasped in front of his heart. He holds a crystal rosary and the stem of an immaculate blue lotus that grows at the level of his ear in his second pair of right and left hands. The 'four immeasurable' of compassion, love, sympathetic delight, and perfect equanimity are represented by his four hands.
In this polychrome thangka, Manjushri and Vajrapani are sitting below Avalokiteshvara. Together they are known as the 'Lords of the Three Families,' embodying the Buddha's enlightened characteristics of wisdom, compassion, and might. Manjushri is known as the "Lord of the Tathagata or Buddha Family," a title that denotes the transition of ignorance into knowledge or discriminating awareness. Vajrapani is the 'Lord of the Vajra Family,' which emphasises the turning of aversion or fury into spiritual power. He takes terrifying forms to fight demons and defend Buddhism's esoteric teachings.
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