Avalokiteśvara Is the Buddha-to-Be: Intertextual Analyses Between Three Mahāyāna Texts and the Northern Āgamas=觀自在菩薩即佛的菩薩階段：對《心經》，《觀世音菩薩普門品》，《悲華經》與《阿含經》的互文性分析
Following the author’s earlier research on the origin of Avalokiteśvara (A.), the current work provides more evidence to corroborate the conclusion that A. is a composite character representing the entire bodhisattva aspect of the Śākyamuni Buddha, and he became dissociated from the Buddha-to-be due to the Amitābha cult. Through intertextual analyses between three major A.-related texts and the northern Āgamas, the research shows that A. in the Heart Sutra refers to the Buddha-to-be; A.’s powers in the Universal Door of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva are based on those of the Buddha and his bodhisattva aspect; and the narrative structure of Chapter II of the Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka Sūtra is adapted from an Āgama text, which represents a clear metamorphosis of A.’s identity. The research demonstrates that the Buddha-to-be, A., and the Horse King are the same character in the narratives of the early Buddhist texts (EBTs) and the early Mahāyāna texts. It also shows that the Ekottara-Āgama is a launching pad for the devotionalism toward Sumedha, the iconographical prototype of A.
