Thousand-Armed Chenresi

Thousand-Armed Chenresi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this rare early painting of Chenresi, a cosmic form of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, he is represented with ten heads and one thousand arms, which fan out to form a golden aureole. Each of the Buddhist savior’s hands has an eye in its palm, an embodiment of his power to radiate wisdom in every quarter of the universe. He stands elevated on a lotus pedestal and is surrounded by cave-like niches, each occupied by either a lineage lama or a protective deity. At lower left is an offering table with attendant monks. Two inscriptions appear on the reverse: one in Sanskrit (the ye dharma charm-verse, or dharaṇi) and one in Tibetan that praises patience, “the most holy ascetic practice.”

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.