1000 Armed Chenrezig , the most important of the Bodhisattvas, leads us to realize that everything that has happened in our lives, whether directly or indirectly, is the result of our aspirations. 1000 Armed Chenrezig – enlightened compassion is depicted in the thousand arms and eyes manifestation, symbolic of his endless compassion to all sentient beings. Sitting on the spheres of sun and moon supported by a blossoming lotus, 1000 Armed Chenrezig , the "Bodhisattva of great compassion," wears the silk robes and jeweled ornaments of a Bodhisattva, a celestial being who returns to the world to bring others to the realm of enlightenment. Two hands hold against his heart a wish - fulfilling

gem, a symbol of the mind's enlightened potential for greatcompassion. His other hands hold a crystal rosary and the lotus of transcendent wisdom. At the heart of the cosmos of compassion is the vision of the inseparability of all existence. Harm to others brings harm to oneself; kindness to others brings forth kindness; generosity induces wealth and abundance; miserliness creates inner poverty. The world reflects our level of consciousness. Free from the bonds of greed and aggression, one sees the world as a realm of illusions created out of hope and fear. The deities of the Buddhist pantheon transport us, not to some alternate reality, but into a deeper vision of the world of which we are an inseparable part.