Avalokiteshvara

                                            Please forgive an old man .  It has taken me several hours to locate my dictionary on Buddhism--- old age both SUCKS and BLOWS . 

                   I present Avalokiteshvara perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT Bodhisattva {Saint} in the Mahayana .   The description of Him [or Her] in Shambhala's text does NOT adequately reveal His Inmost, so I present this as a supplement .   Avalokiteshvara is known for this Declaration of Compassion :  It is "All others before me" --- and His Commitment that He we NOT enter Nirvana UNTIL ALL OTHERS ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT BEFORE HE DOES .  

                I am DEVOTED to Avalokiteshvara and still use the repetition of His Name as a Mantra .   In many ways, too numerous to cite here,  He has SAVED my Life .  

                Altruism, I Believe, can 'use' a face, and since I am a Zen Buddhist I proffer that HIS and His Existence are PERFECTLY SUITED .