The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in the Form of Shadakshari Lokeshvara: Folio from a manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom)
Not on view
Lavishly illustrated Perfection of Wisdom texts are understood to contain the totality of Buddhist ideology. Often they were not read but rather were placed on altars so they could be venerated almost like images. This well-preserved Indian palm-leaf manuscript probably made its way to Tibet, where it survived in the cold, dry climate.
The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in the Form of Shadakshari Lokeshvara
In this four-armed form, Avalokiteshvara holds his primary hands in the gesture of veneration (anjali mudra) and, in the others, a mala (string of prayer beads) and a book. He sits in the yogic posture of meditation, flanked by goddesses and a god.
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