The bodhisattva Avalokite/svara， whose name is interpreted as "The One who Observes the Sounds of the World." This particular Chinese rendering is that done by Kuma^raji^va， most importantly in his translation of the Lotus Sutra ［法华经 T 262.9.2a8］. Dharmapa^la translated the name as guangshiyin 光世音 and Xuanzang translated as guanzizai 观自在. Also commonly written as 观音 and 观世自在. Avalokite/svara is one of the most important Bodhisattvas in the Maha^ya^na tradition， considered the embodiment of the Buddhist virtue of compassion. He/she is interpreted to be the power of the buddha Amita^bha manifested as a bodhisattva， and is therefore often depicted as the helper of the buddha of the Pure Land 净土. Since Avalokite/svara is capable of manifesting 33 forms of incarnation to save people according to their capacities， he/she is depicted iconographically in 33 different ways， which are distinguished by the number of heads and arms as well as by the attributes held in the hands. One of the most important loci classicus for the description of Avalokite/svara is the chapter on the Universal Gate of Avalokite/svara Bodhisattva 观世音菩萨普门品 in the Lotus Sutra 法华经， where the rationale for his/her naming is given.［法华经、T 262.9.56a］
Regarding the difference in the Chinese renderings: When Xuanzang rendered the name as 观自在， he was reading the original Sanksrit as avalokita （"observe"） + i/svara （"unimpeded"）， which accords with the Tibetan rendering of spyan ras gzigs dban% phyug. Kuma^raji^va's rendering interprets the original name to be Avalokitasvara， meaning a compassionate buddha or bodhisattva who is sensitive to， and responds to the suffering of sentient beings.