The point of departure and core of the Buddha’s thought is his teaching on suffering. Human suffering must be eliminated. The Buddha can be seen as a physician because he diagnosed suffering and developed his teaching on liberation, or dharma, as medicine to escape from the cycle of rebirth. He also saw himself as a physician, namely one who immediately healed the wound, in view of the patient, by asking about the cause of the injury.
Those for whom this highly cerebral level is a step too far would sooner think to call on the Buddha to heal physical ailments. This concept developed particularly in Tibet. Tibet owed much of its medical knowledge to texts from India. Thus the science of Ayurvedic medicine also reached the Himalayas. Considering this knowledge was not specifically Buddhist, although it did accompany Buddhist teaching, a Buddha was created, along the analogy of Shakyamuni as spiritual healer, who symbolize medicinal knowledge. This system was expanded to the eight medicine Buddhas. Of these eight, Bhaisajyaguru is the most important exponent. He attained great popularity and is the only one who is depicted by himself without the other seven. In popular belief, looking at or touching a thangka of medicine Buddhas has a curative effect.
About Avalokiteshvara:
The generic name of the most popular bodhisattva is Avalokiteshvara, the “Merciful Lord Who Looks on Humanity Filled with Compassion”. He has many names and appearances. The number of heads he has varies from two to eleven, the numbers of arms from two to one thousand. In Nepal, 108 forms of Avalokiteshvara occur that are grouped under the name of Lokanatha or Lokeshvara (“Lord of the World”). Lokeshvara is more easily pronounced than Avalokiteshvara.The various form of Lokeshvara are Amalganations of other Buddhist divinities and Hindi deities.
Another common form of Avalokiteshvara is Padmapani. He has two arms and a lotus (Padma) in his hand (pani).In China and Japan, Avalokiteshvara appears in female form, as Kuanyin and Kannon, respectively. Kuanyin is often portrayed as a Chinese Madonna and Child. The reason for the female form is that from an Eastern Asian perspective, compassion and sympathy are none to martial characteristics and befit women more than man.
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