Khan Academy: The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

The main image in this painting is Avalokiteshvara (1), the Bodhisattva of Compassion. He is the principle patron deity of Tibet. He sits on a lotus throne upon a lunar disc. This god takes many forms, such as the Dalai Lamas of Tibet, to bring salvation to the living beings of the world. In this painting he has four arms and is white in color. His upper hands hold prayer beads and a lotus; the lower ones, poised in a hand gesture of prayer, clasp the wish-fulfilling jewel at his heart. This jewel embodies the bodhicitta -- the altruistic aspiration to attain highest Enlightenment in order to thereby save all beings from misery and establish them in perfect happiness.