Few of us are indifferent to the charms of the mantra, om mani padme hum. It is the go-to mantra for Tibetan laypeople, as often mispronounced as it is, which merely serves to show how effective it is nevertheless. It is the mantra of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist lord (Ishvara) who gazes donw (avaloklita) in compassion, a sculpture of whom is pictured here. That compassion is such a quintessential part of this jewel among Bodhisattvas establishes His Bodhichitta as irreversible and unshakeable. It makes Avalokiteshvara the most popular of the Buddhist deities, the one most turned to when the devotee is struck by that need for compassion common to us all.