prajna paramita

Explanation (I am suck at explaining.......):

The circle is the wheel of life, which shows the 6 realms of life where all life forms are being reborn and reborn again, bound by their own karma. all life forms here experience suffering/unhappiness/unsatisfactoriness, and Buddha teaches us how to be free from such vicious circle.

The person standing right next to it is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, one of the major Bodhisattvas in Buddhism. A Bodhisattva is someone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhicitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Her name means "Lord who looks down", and she embodies the compassion of all Buddhas.

The text in the background is Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya sutra, in which Avalokitesvara is the "main actor". That sutra describes the occasion when she was in deep contemplation, and saw that every phenomena in this Univserse is "empty" (sunyata). This doesn't mean nihilism, but means that every phenomena (including our life) comes and goes, like the bubbles in boiling water. By not clinging to them and delusionally thinking that they are permanent, we are liberated from our suffering. The sutra is ended by a hope, an expectation, for all beings to reach enlightenment:

gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā

which means "gone gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond (to reach enlightenment), O what an awakening, all hail!"

enjoy! I hope my picture and the explanation are beneficial for you

another picture featuring wheel of life and the sutra: [link]

stocks:
text: [link]
wheel of life: [link]
texture: [link]


P.S: If you post my picture in your blog, or somewhere else, or use it as a stock, please comment and leave the link. It is not like you will go to jail if you don't do it; I just like to see what other people do with my picture. Thanx