Mahasahasrasurya, Mahāsahasrasūrya: 1 definition

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Mahasahasrasurya means something in Buddhism, Pali. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

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Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

[«previous next»] — Mahasahasrasurya in Tibetan Buddhism glossary
Source: archive.org: The Indian Buddhist Iconography

Mahāsahasrasūrya (महासहस्रसूर्य) or Mahāsahasrasūryalokeśvara refers to number 57 of the 108 forms of Avalokiteśvara found in the Machhandar Vahal (Kathmanu, Nepal). [Machhandar or Machandar is another name for for Matsyendra.].

Accordingly,—

“Mahāsahasrasūrya is eleven-faced and eightarmed and stands on a lotus. Each of his two principal hands exhibits the Abhaya pose against his chest. The remaining hands show the rosary, the Cakra and the Varada pose in the three right hands and the Utpala, the bow charged with an arrow, and the vessel in the three left. This form of Lokeśvara is very popular in Tibet”.

The names of the 108 deities [viz., Mahāsahasrasūrya] possbily originate from a Tantra included in the Kagyur which is named “the 108 names of Avalokiteshvara”, however it is not yet certain that this is the source for the Nepali descriptions.

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Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

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