遙遠的從前，大慈悲怙主圣觀世音因發菩提心證悟故，歷經無數劫以累積福報，在證達菩薩十地果位後，得到殊圣偉大光芒之灌頂加持，然後證入圣佛子果位。此時，觀音發了以下大願：
At one time in the past, the Lord of Great Compassion, the Noble Avalokiteshvara, raised the Idea of Enlightenment, Bodhicitta, and then for countless kalpas (aeons) accumulated merit. After passing through the ten Bodhisattva levels, he received the special Great Light empowerment. Then, as he entered the ranks of the Noble Sons of the Buddha, he made this great vow:
" 我將利益一切遍滿娑婆世界十方無量虛空的眾生，以把他們全從娑婆苦海中度脫。直至每一個眾生證達無上佛果，娑婆無有眾生為止，我將永不成佛，唯有每一個眾生證悟，我方證得佛果，我將為利益一切眾生留在娑婆。為了保證我的誠意，我發誓一旦違反此誓言，我身体會立即裂成千片。"
"Throughout the samsaric world realms in the limitless space of the ten directions, I will benefit beings. I must liberate all beings from samsara. Not until all beings are established on the level of Buddhahood, not even one left behind in samsara, will I myself enter Buddhahood. Only when all beings without exception have been guided to Buddhahood, will it be well for me to achieve it. Until then I will remain in samsara for the benefit of all beings. And to ensure it, may my body be shattered into a thousand pieces if I break this vow."
自那時起，觀世音住在普陀山上，以不可思議的無量化現協助眾生從娑婆苦海中解脫，如此渡過無數年代，無數劫。
From then on, Avalokiteshvara resided on Potala Mountain. Through his limitless emanations, at every moment he accomplished the ripening and liberating of innumerable sentient beings to an extent beyond our means to express. And in this manner he passed uncountable years - many, many kalpas.
時間過了很久，觀世音覺得自己可能已經把所有眾生自娑婆中解脫，於是以遍知的視覺從須彌山往下一看，發現娑婆眾生的數量不僅沒有減少，連最靠近他的眾生也在經歷五濁惡世的苦惱，使業障更難消除。
Ages passed, and Avalokiteshvara thought that perhaps now he had delivered all beings from samsara. With his omniscient vision he looked down from Mount Meru, and saw that the numbers of sentient beings trapped in the realms of suffering had not diminished. Not only had they not decreased, but now those sentient beings nearest him were experiencing the Dark Age and so their imperfections were even more difficult to eradicate.
觀世音再照射探索六道三次，每次只有感到失望無助。基於生起灰心意冷及絕望的念頭，他想道："就如如來所言，虛空是無盡的，眾生亦如是，我已經度脫那麼多眾生，但是數目卻毫無減少，既然娑婆無止盡，我就只好僅度脫自己吧。"
He irradiated the six realms three more times but still, each time he checked, he was disappointed. In his frustration and despair, he thought, "Truly, as the Tathagatha has said, space is infinite and so is the number of sentient beings. So many have I liberated, yet there is not a dent in their number. Therefore, as samsara has no end, I will liberate myself."
這種自私的動機破損了觀世音的菩薩戒，他的頭與身馬上破碎成一千片，心中即起懺悔，他向阿彌陀佛與十方一切佛呼喚："我辜負了自己利生的動機，辜負了那些依靠我的眾生，祈請您設法幫助我啊。"
This self-concerned motivation broke his Bodhisattva vows. His head and body shattered into one thousand pieces. Instantly a great feeling of regret welled up and he cried out to Buddha Amitabha and to all the Buddhas for help, "I have failed at my purpose and failed those beings who relied on me; please help me."
就在那時，永遠以慈悲眷顧我們的世間圣怙主，身放無量光而身為根本上師的阿彌陀佛鮮明地顯現，將觀世音破碎的頭顱轉化成十一個頭，然後安置在觀世音的身上，其中十個頭顯寂靜相，只有一個頭顯露忿怒相－這是為那些無法被寂靜相救度的眾生而設的。
Then the Root Lama who by his own vows always holds us in his compassion, the Noble World Protector who has conquered and transcended, who due to his immeasurable warm light is called Buddha Amitabha, vividly appeared, collected the fragments of cracked skull, and transformed them into a stack of eleven heads and replaced them on the body of Avalokiteshvara. He blessed ten of the heads with peaceful appearances, but only one with a wrathful appearance - for those who cannot be trained by peaceful means.
"我的儿呀，破損戒律是不好的，你必須修補戒律，發更大的願力來利益眾生。"
"Son of my family, it is not well that you have thus broken your vows. Now you must replenish your broken vows, and make an even greater resolution to benefit beings."
然後阿彌陀佛加持觀世音破碎成一千片的身体，使之連合，然而觀世音感到無法超越他過去所發的願，而且無法利益即使是少數眾生，於是在七日內不知該如何是好。
The shattered body of a thousand pieces, by Amitabha's blessing, was now united, but Avalokiteshvara then thought that his previous great vow could never be exceeded. And yet by it he had been unable to benefit even a few beings, so for seven days he was unable to decide what to do.
後來他覺得以忿怒相能調伏五濁惡世的邪惡眾生，而且他也發現許多修習佛法的眾生無法從中陰身界解脫，因此認為顯示忿怒相也可在中陰界中保護他們。最後他也覺得五濁惡世的眾生非常貧窮無助，困於苦惱之中，若現忿怒相可化解他們的苦惱，只要他們向觀世音祈願，必能如願以償。於是欲界之怙主觀世音也顯示大黑天金剛身相。
Then he thought that by means of a wrathful form he would be able to subdue the degenerate beings of this Dark Age. And, seeing many beings who practiced Dharma and yet were unable to escape from the Bardo realms, he thought that by a wrathful form he could also protect them from the Bardo. And lastly, he thought that the beings in this Dark Age were poor and needy, experiencing only suffering, and that by a wrathful form he could provide them with an antidote to their suffering, so that their needs could be met by their simply making the wish. Avalokiteshvara, Lord of this Realm of Desire, therefore also assumes the form of Mahakala.
如此一來，觀世音便成為一切諸佛菩薩大智慧的總集表徵。除了與各種觀世音形像有關的六字大明咒或簡稱'瑪尼咒'，還有和千手千眼觀音相關的大悲咒，持誦此咒可立即與千手千眼觀音相應，獲得觀音大悲的加被，解決與淨化娑婆一切惡業。觀世音菩薩聲明："大悲咒代表具足大慈大悲、平等、靜止、無染、虛空、恭敬、謙卑、無執、自由及無量菩提的心。"觀世音菩薩對大悲咒內的八十八節作了詳細解釋。若修行者仔細探討慈心、平等、靜止、虛空等十種慈悲的特徵，然後將之勤以修持，必然累積無盡善業功德。
As a result, Avalokiteshvara became the collective and symbolic representation of great compassion of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Apart from the Six-Syllable Mantra or simply Mani Mantra, which is for all general forms of Avalokiteshvara, the Great Compassionate Dharani is the unique mantra of Thousand-Arms-Thousand-Eyes Avalokiteshvara, which calls upon the immediate blessing of Avalokiteshvara's great compassion to resolve and purify all negativities in samsara. Avalokiteshvara proclaimed, "This Dharani represents a mind of great compassion, of equality, of inactivity, of non-contamination, of emptiness, of respectfulness, of humbleness, free from delusion, free from compulsion, and of unsurpassed Bodhi." Avalokiteshvara explained the meaning of these 88 verses of the Great Compassion Mantra in great detail. If the practitioner searches carefully for the true meaning of the above ten characteristics of the compassion, the equality, the inactivity, the emptiness, etc., and practices them diligently, he can naturally achieve boundless virtues.