4 - Network of Compassion: The Transmission and Development of the Cult and Iconography of CakravarticintāmaṇiAvalokiteśvaranasi in Java, China and Japan

This paper examines the cult surrounding a form of Avalokiteśvara known as Cakravartincintāmaṇi, which translates to ‘the Emperor of the Wish-Fulfilling Gem.’ Using textual sources in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Japanese, my presentation will trace the gradual dissemination of the cult from Java to other parts of Southeast Asia and East Asia through the maritime silk routes. The texts indicated that the cult was introduced to royal courts to facilitate state ceremonies aimed at acquiring and preserving sovereignty. Finally, the worship of this Bodhisattva reached its zenith of popularity in Japan, where it remains prevalent today. The paper concludes that traveling Buddhist monks who lived from the 7th to 9th centuries propagated the worship of Cakravaticintāmaṇi across Southeast and East Asia, leading to the evolution of its iconography as the cult expanded across various regions.