I wanted to know how it is that Avalokiteshvara answered Shariputra in the Heart Sutra. I thought Avalokiteshvara was a cosmic being representing the compassion of all Buddhas. As such he would not be a person who found himself in the Buddha's presence as He delivered his Dhamma discourses, right? So, does Avalokiteshvara speak through the power of the Buddha or is just that Avalokiteshvara's compassion is "part" of the Buddha since he is indeed fully enlightened? Who is it that answers Shariputra? Is the one abiding in the Prajnaparimita Gotama Buddha? I don't really understand.

I'm a Zen practicant and, as you may know, we recite the Heart Sutra of the Perfect Wisdom a lot. I really like this sutra, it is very meaningful. However something I never understood is: why is the Boddhisattva Avalokiteśvara present in the sutra? The sutra teaches about vacuity and originated dependence etc. And, as far as I am concerned, Avalokiteśvara is usually associated more with compassion. So why is *he* specifically in this sutra?

When I read [this article on the tallest statues in the world](https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/10/photos-15-tallest-statues-world/574531/) , I was struct by how many of them were of important Buddhist figures: of the fifteen tallest statues six are of Guanyin (Kannon/Avalokiteśvara), five of the Buddha, and one of Kṣitigarbha, for a total of twelve out of the top fifteen! Why are such tall statues built? What significance does the height of these statues have in the religious lives of Buddhist adherents? Or are these statues not built for true religious purposes, but as an unofficial competition between nations, just like they compete over the tallest skyscraper? Nine out of the fifteen were built in the 21th century. Who commissions these statues? Statues of this size would be beyond the budgets of most temples. See also: [this question on why precious metals are used for Buddhist statues](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/1747/11169) .

In the Vajrayana tradition, where did Milarepa state that it was possible to use the practice of Chenrézik (Avalokiteshvara) instead of the one of Hevajra?

I have read in the lotus-sutra that chanting the name of avalokitesvara can for example break sticks if one is about to get beaten. Are there recorded miracles that happened to people out there?

I was reading that both the Dalai Lama and Karmapa are both rebirths (emanations) of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara . Also there are other lamas who are also emanations of Avalokiteśvara. So is Avalokiteśvara reborn into more than one body and if so is every being that is Avalokiteśvara the same in some way? Or is that just different Tibetan traditions? Generally is rebirth restricted to one body or can it be split across more than one? I appreciate that this will be different across branches of Buddhism so can I restrict my question to Tibetan Buddhism.

What are the Tibetan Buddhist beliefs of the Dalai Lama being an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara? Do all Buddhists agree with this idea?

Kwan Yin (a.k.a. Guanyin, Avalokiteśvara) is an important figure in Mahayana Buddhism. But I recently noticed a statue of Kwan Yin on the grounds of a local Theravada monastery. I looked up Kwan Yin on Wikipedia and a connection to Theravada Buddhism wasn't clear, but the article did list translations of her name in Thai and Sinhalese; both areas where Theravada Buddhism is predominant. I also saw mention of a statue of Avalokiteśvara listed in a very old guide to Bodhgaya. Is this figure part of early Buddhism? Or simply beloved by many?