The Name Avalokitasvara

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There is a special deity in Buddhism whose very name today is illustrative of the process of slow change by which knowledge is lost or degenerates into misunderstood meanings, becomes something different than what was intended, and at times, can even become dogmatic ignorance.

This is not the latter case, but rather a tale about how changes accumulate, through compounding misunderstanding, and later interpretative modifications, that are — individually — neither malevolent in design, nor desired for their ultimate effect.

Instead, they are merely the end result of shallow understandings or incomplete knowledge that accumulate and multiply until the original truth is lost. Such ignorance and misunderstanding are the direct result of insufficient effort and distraction — so prevalent in all but the most dedicated individuals — and reflect the dangerous decision, often taken by those that should know better, to make things easier for the hearer to understand, which, when combined with the desire to reach the largest possible audience, ultimately ruins the intended meaning, perhaps forever.

This particular Bodhisattva is of interest because of an association with the meditation support presented in this text.