Cintāmaṇicakra is depicted as having anywhere from two to sixteen arms, with the two-armed and six-armed forms being the more common in Chinese and Japanese art.

In his six-armed form, Cintāmaṇicakra is commonly shown wearing a crown with an effigy of Amitābha Buddha and sitting in a "royal" position (mahārājalīlāsana, i.e. with his left leg tucked inwards and his right knee raised) atop a lotus on a rock protruding from the ocean - a symbol of Mount Potalaka, Avalokiteśvara's legendary abode.

An example of this variation is the colossal Guanyin statue located in Tsz Shan Monastery in Hong Kong.

[7][8] The dhāraṇī originates from the Cintāmaṇicakra Dhāraṇī Sutra, which was translated into Chinese by the monks Bodhiruci (如意輪陀羅尼經; pinyin: Rúyìlún tuóluóní jīng; Taishō Tripiṭaka 1080[9]) and Yijing (佛說觀自在菩薩如意心陀羅尼咒經; pinyin: Fóshuō Guānzìzài Púsà rúyì xīn tuóluóní zhòu jīng; T. 1081[10]).

For those who believe and accept it, their sins will be eradicated, And they will transcend the three realms and realize bodhi (enlightenment).

[9] Then Avalokitesvara offers some basic instructions on how to practice the dharani:[9] World-Honored One, if there are bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, boys, or girls who seek great merit and blessings in this life, they should, day and night, diligently practice in accordance with the law and uphold this Cintāmaṇi-cakra Dhāraṇī mantra.

If someone is able to believe in and uphold this dhāraṇī, then all the karmic obstacles accumulated from committing the four major offenses, the five rebellious sins, and the ten evil acts, which would cause one to fall into the Avīci Hell, will all be eradicated....By maintaining this practice consistently without transgression, they will see the sacred Avalokiteśvara appear before them in a golden body, removing all defilements and karmic obstacles, and granting blessings with divine power.

The bījāmantra or seed syllable mantra used to symbolically represent Cintāmaṇicakra is hrīḥ (Siddhaṃ: ; Devanagari: ह्रीः), which is the bija of the Lotus Buddha family.