観自在

See also: 觀自在 and 观自在

Japanese

Kanji in this term
観	自	在
かん Grade: 4	じ Grade: 2	ざい Grade: 5
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
觀自在 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From a translation of Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर (Avalokiteśvara) in the Heart Sutra, rooted in Middle Chinese.

In the present form, 観 (kan, “see, observe”, from अवलोकित (avalokita), "beholding") + 自在 (jizai, from ईश्वर (īśvara), "supreme being"). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Compare 観世音 (Kanzeon).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) かんじざい [kàńjíꜜzàì] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [kã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑiza̠i]

Noun

観(かん)自(じ)在(ざい) • (kanjizai) ^{←くわんじざい (kwanzizai)?}

1. (Buddhism) that is able to see everything at will (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

Proper noun

観(かん)自(じ)在(ざい) • (Kanjizai) ^{←くわんじざい (Kwanzizai)?}

1. (Buddhism) Short for 観自在菩薩 (Kanjizai Bosatsu, “Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva”).

Synonyms

• 観音(かんのん) (Kannon), 観世音(かんぜおん) (Kanzeon)