Daye 79 / The Thousand Arms Of Avalokitesvara

avalokitesvara the buddhist saint of compassion
pledged that he would never rest
until he had freed all sentient beings from samsara
the endless cycle of birth death rebirth
despite his best efforts
he soon realized that many beings
were still to be freed
and as he struggled to comprehend
the needs of so many
his head cracked into eleven pieces

amitabha buddha
saw his plight
and gave him eleven heads
with which to hear the cries of those
who were suffering multiple reincarnations
the eleven-headed avalokitesvara
did indeed hear these cries
and comprehended them
but in his attempt to reach out to all those
who needed aid
both of his arms shattered into pieces
once more amitabha buddha
came to his aid
investing him with a thousand arms
with which to aid the suffering multitudes...