When Kannon's vow to save all sentient beings overwhelmed even a bodhisattva's form, the body shattered into a thousand pieces and reformed with a thousand arms, each bearing an eye in its palm — Senju Kannon, able to see suffering everywhere and reach out to answer it.
Kiyomizu-dera specifically enshrines Senju Kannon, the Thousand-Armed form. The temple's name — 'Pure Water' — reflects the Otowa waterfall where pilgrims drink sacred water blessed by Kannon's presence.
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