China: Stone Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Sui Dynasty (581 - 618 CE), Shanghai Museum, Shanghai

Avalokiteśvara ('Lord who looks down') is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Portrayed in different cultures as either male or female, Avalokiteśvara is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism, as well as unofficially in Theravada Buddhism.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia