This paper focuses on the symbolism and merits of the six-syllable formula (ṣaḍakṣarī-vidyā), wish-fulfilling jewels (cintāmaṇi), and other symbols that represent the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in the Kāraṇḍavyūha-sūtra (KV). The paper also indicates differences between the Gilgit manuscript version (G ver.) from the 7th century and the Nepal manuscript version (N ver.) dating to after the 11th century.
According to the G ver., Avalokiteśvara has symbolic elements such as the six-syllable formula, wish-fulfilling jewels, a hand gesture for the sign of a lotus (padmāṅkā-mudrā), a maṇḍala in which Avalokiteśvara, Amitābha, and Śākyamuni are depicted, and, additionally, a universal emperor (Cakravarti-rāja) and a lotus that are not integrated into the maṇḍala. Conversely, these symbolic elements are integrated into the maṇḍala of the great six-syllable formula described in the N ver.
Only the N ver. states that those who propagate the KV with a wish-fulfilling jewel, for example, will be welcomed by twelve Tathāgatas in their last moments. This statement is influenced by the larger Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra, which mentions twelve Tathāgatas in the most popular Chinese translation, or nineteen in the Sanskrit version. These Tathāgatas represent a light of the Tathāgata Amitābha, who welcomes a person in his last moments, and the influence of devotion to the paradise of Amitābha is stronger in the N ver. than in the G ver.
Consequently, we may conclude that symbolic elements and merits of the six-syllable formula and wish-fulfilling jewels, along with other symbols, have been gradually improved from the G ver. and/or integrated into the N ver. under the influence of Esoteric Buddhism and the cult of Amitābha’s paradise.
