Miaochong Temple Perfect Understanding Hall: Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara

TAIWAN, Kaohsiung

The statue is enshrined in the Perfect Understanding Hall of Miaochong Temple. Avalokitesvara is said to have attained this form after listening to the Great Compassion Dharani Sutra and vowing to serve all sentient beings. The objects the figure hold all symbolize something that helps others toward enlightenment.
The statue depicted has ten heads arranged on a crown worn on the main head and is crowned with a Buddha’s head at the top. The figure stands on a lotus pedestal and is ornamented with jewelry and long stoles. Before the body, two hands are held in anjali (reverence) mudra while another pair of hands cup a golden receptacle. A further 18 pairs of arms fan out from the body, holding a variety of objects such as staffs, seals, and bells. Two arms in particular hold a monk’s staff and a halberd. Behind the statue, a large oval mandorla is formed of small hands to make up the thousand. Its edge is decorated with flames.