The Goddess of Compassion and Mercy
Quan Yin - Kuan Yin - is an incarnation of Mary, Sophia, and other feminine
icons. They are all the same soul - given the Yin frequency.
For centuries, Kuan Yin has epitomized the great
ideal of Mahayana Buddhism in her role as "bodhisattva (Chinese "p'u-sa)--literally
"a being of bodhi, or enlightenment," who is destined to become a
Buddha but has foregone the bliss of Nirvana with a vow to save all children
of God.
Quan Yin carries the Goddess and Divine Mother aspect of Buddhism. The same
Goddess and Divine energy carried by the Virgin Mary in Christianity. In the
Egyptian mysteries it is carried by Isis. In Hinduism it is carried by Shakti,
wife of Vishnu, by Parvarti, wife of Shiva, by Radha, wife of Krishna, and by
Sita, wife of Rama.
Quan Yin's name is a translation of the Sanskrit name of her chief progenitor
which is Avalokitesvara, also known as Avalokita. In its proper form it is Kuanshih
Yin, which means "She who harkens to the cries of the world."
In Korea, Japan, and China she is called Quan Yin. She is a celestial bodhisattva
and an ascended master. One of her jobs in the celestial spheres is to sit on
the board of the Lord of Karma.
Buddhist mythology tells of Avalokitesvara's being born from a ray of light
that sprang from Amitabha Buddha's right eye. He immediately said, "Om
Mane Padme Hum". This is one of the mantras by which he can be invoked
in Buddhist tradition.
Avalokitesvara came to be known by most Tibetans as Buddha's earthly representation
and as chief gusrdian of the dharma (doctrine) until the advent of Maitreya
Buddha.
Avalokitesvara and Quan Yin are embodiments of compassion.
She is roughly equivalent to Green Tara in Tibetan Buddhism.
In Tibetan Buddhism Quan Yin is seen in her male form as Avalokitesvara. Some
feel that the current dali Lama is an incarnation of Avalokitesvara. It is thought
that the female form of Avalokitesvara, Quan Yin, originated in the twelth or
thirteenth century in both China and Japan.
The Saddharma Pundarika Sutra affirms that Avalokitesvara had 357 incarnations.
Quan Yin is one of the most universally beloved
of deities in the Buddhist tradition. Also known as Kuan Yin, Quan'Am (Vietnam),
Kannon (Japan), and Kanin (Bali), She is the embodiment of compassionate loving
kindness. As the Bodhisattva of Compassion, She hears the cries of all beings.
Quan Yin enjoys a strong resonance with the Christian Mary, the Mother of Jesus,
and the Tibetan goddess Tara.
In many images She is depicted carrying the pearls of illumination. Often Quan
Yin is shown pouring a stream of healing water, the "Water of Life,"
from a small vase. With this water devotees and all living things are blessed
with physical and spiritual peace. She holds a sheaf of ripe rice or a bowl
of rice seed as a metaphor for fertility and sustenance. The dragon, an ancient
symbol for high spirituality, wisdom, strength, and divine powers of transformation,
is a common motif found in combination with the Goddess of Mercy.
Sometimes Kuan Yin is represented as a many armed figure, with each hand either
containing a different cosmic symbol or expressing a specific ritual position,
or mudra. This characterizes the Goddess as the source and sustenance of all
things. Her cupped hands often form the Yoni Mudra, symbolizing the womb as
the door for entry to this world through the universal female principle.
Quan Yin, as a true Enlightened One, or Bodhisattva, vowed to remain in the
earthly realms and not enter the heavenly worlds until all other living things
have completed their own enlightenment and thus become liberated from the pain-filled
cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
There are numerous legends that recount the miracles which Quan Yin performs
to help those who call on Her. Like Artemis, She is a virgin Goddess who protects
women, offers them a religious life as an alternative to marriage, and grants
children to those who desire them.
The Goddess of Mercy is unique among the heavenly hierarchy in that She is so
utterly free from pride or vengefulness that She remains reluctant to punish
even those to whom a severe lesson might be appropriate. Individuals who could
be sentenced to dreadful penance in other systems can attain rebirth and renewal
by simply calling upon Her graces with utter and absolute sincerity. It is said
that, even for one kneeling beneath the executioner's sword already raised to
strike, a single heartfelt cry to Bodhisattva Quan Yin will cause the blade
to fall shattered to the ground.
The many stories and anecdotes featuring this Goddess serve to convey the idea
of an enlightened being who embodies the attributes of an all pervasive, all
consuming, unwavering loving compassion and who is accessible to everyone. Quan
Yin counsels us by Her actions to cultivate within ourselves those particular
refined qualities that all beings are said to naturally possess in some vestigial
form.
Contemplating the Goddess of Mercy involves little dogma or ritual. The simplicity
of this gentle being and Her standards tends to lead Her devotees towards becoming
more compassionate and loving themselves. A deep sense of service to all fellow
beings naturally follows any devotion to the Goddess.
The name Kuan Shih Yin, as she is often called, means literally "the one
who regards, looks on, or hears the sounds of the world." According to
legend, Kuan Yin was about to enter heaven but paused on the threshold as the
cries of the world reached her ears.
Scholars believe that the Buddhist monk and translator
Kumarajiva was the first to refer to the female form of Kuan Yin in his Chinese
translation of the Lotus Sutra in 406 A.D. Of the thirty-three appearances of
the bodhisattva referred to in his translation, seven are female. (Devoted Chinese
and Japanese Buddhists have since come to associate the number thirty-three
with Kuan Yin.)
Although Kuan Yin was still being portrayed as a male as late as the tenth century,
with the introduction of Tantric Buddhism into China in the eighth century during
the T'ang dynasty, the image of the celestial bodhisattva as a beautiful white-robed
goddess was predominant and the devotional cult surrounding her became increasingly
popular. By the ninth century there was a statue of Kuan Yin in every Buddhist
monastery in China.
Despite the controversy over the origins of Kuan Yin as a feminine being, the
depiction of a bodhisattva as both 'god' and 'goddess' is not inconsistent with
Buddhist doctrine. The scriptures explain that a bodhisattva has the power to
embody in any form--male, female, child, even animal-depending on the type of
being he is seeking to save. As the Lotus Sutra relates, the bodhisattva Kuan
Shih Yin, "by resort to a variety of shapes, travels in the world, conveying
the beings to salvation."
The twelfth-century legend of the Buddhist saint Miao Shan, the Chinese princess
who lived in about 700 B.C. and is widely believed to have been Kuan Yin, reinforced
the image of the bodhisattva as a female. During the twelfth century Buddhist
monks settled on P'u-t'o Shan--the sacred island-mountain in the Chusan Archipelago
off the coast of Chekiang where Miao Shan is said to have lived for nine years,
healing and saving sailors from shipwreck--and devotion to Kuan Yin spread throughout
northern China.
This picturesque island became the chief center of worship of the compassionate
Saviouress; crowds of pilgrims would journey from the remotest places in China
and even from Manchuria, Mongolia and Tibet to attend stately services there.
At one time there were more than a hundred temples on the island and over one
thousand monks. The lore surrounding P'u-t'o island recounts numerous appearances
and miracles performed by Kuan Yin, who, it is believed, reveals herself to
the faithful in a certain cave on the island.
In the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Kuan Yin forms part of a ruling triad that
is often depicted in temples and is a popular theme in Buddhist art. In the
center is the Buddha of Boundless Light, Amitabha (Chinese, A-mi-t'o Fo; Japanese,
Amida). To his right is the bodhisattva of strength or power, Mahasthamaprapta,
and to his left is Kuan Yin, personifying his endless mercy.
In Buddhist theology Kuan Yin is sometimes depicted as the captain of the "Bark
of Salvation," guiding souls to Amitabha's Western Paradise, or Pure Land--the
land of bliss where souls may be reborn to receive continued instruction toward
the goal of enlightenment and perfection. The journey to Pure Land is frequently
represented in woodcuts showing boats full of Amitabha's followers under Kuan
Yin's captainship.
Amitabha, a beloved figure in the eyes of Buddhists desiring to be reborn in
his Western Paradise and to obtain freedom from the wheel of rebirth, is said
to be, in a mystical or spiritual sense, the father of Kuan Yin. Legends of
the Mahayana School recount that Avalokitesvara was 'born' from a ray of white
light which Amitabha emitted from his right eye as he was lost in ecstasy.
Thus Avalokitesvara, or Kuan Yin, is regarded as the "reflex" of Amitabha-a
further emanation or embodiment of "maha karuna (great compassion), the
quality which Amitabha himself embodies in the highest sense. Many figures of
Kuan Yin can be identified by the presence of a small image of Amitabha in her
crown. It is believed that as the merciful redemptress Kuan Yin expresses Amitabha's
compassion in a more direct and personal way and prayers to her are answered
more quickly.
The iconography of Kuan Yin depicts her in many forms, each one revealing a
unique aspect of her merciful presence. As the sublime Goddess of Mercy whose
beauty, grace and compassion have come to represent the ideal of womanhood in
the East, she is frequently portrayed as a slender woman in flowing white robes
who carries in her left hand a white lotus, symbol of purity. Ornaments may
adorn her form, symbolizing her attainment as a bodhisattva, or she may be pictured
without them as a sign of her great virtue.
Kuan Yin's presence is widespread through her images as the "bestower of
children" which are found in homes and temples. A great white veil covers
her entire form and she may be seated on a lotus. She is often portrayed with
a child in her arms, near her feet, or on her knees, or with several children
about her. In this role, she is also referred to as the "white-robed honored
one." Sometimes to her right and left are her two attendants, Shan-ts'ai
Tung-tsi, the "young man of excellent capacities," and Lung-wang Nu,
the "daughter of the Dragon-king."
Kuan Yin is also known as patron bodhisattva of P'u-t'o Shan, mistress of the
Southern Sea and patroness of fishermen. As such she is shown crossing the sea
seated or standing on a lotus or with her feet on the head of a dragon.
Like Avalokitesvara she is also depicted with a thousand arms and varying numbers
of eyes, hands and heads, sometimes with an eye in the palm of each hand, and
is commonly called "the thousand-arms, thousand-eyes" bodhisattva.
In this form she represents the omnipresent mother, looking in all directions
simultaneously, sensing the afflictions of humanity and extending her many arms
to alleviate them with infinite expressions of her mercy.
Symbols characteristically associated with Kuan Yin are a willow branch, with
which she sprinkles the divine nectar of life; a precious vase symbolizing the
nectar of compassion and wisdom, the hallmarks of a bodhisattva; a dove, representing
fecundity; a book or scroll of prayers which she holds in her hand, representing
the dharma (teaching) of the Buddha or the sutra (Buddhist text) which Miao
Shan is said to have constantly recited; and a rosary adorning her neck with
which she calls upon the Buddhas for succor.
Images of Avalokitesvara often show him holding a rosary; descriptions of his
birth say he was born with a white crystal rosary in his right hand and a white
lotus in his left. It is taught that the beads represent all living beings and
the turning of the beads symbolizes that Avalokitesvara is leading them out
of their state of misery and repeated rounds of rebirth into nirvana.
Today Kuan Yin is worshipped by Taoists as well as Mahayana Buddhists--especially
in Taiwan, Japan, Korea and once again in her homeland of China, where the practice
of Buddhism had been suppressed by the Communists during the Cultural Revolution
(1966-69). She is the protectress of women, sailors, merchants, craftsmen, and
those under criminal prosecution, and is invoked particularly by those desiring
progeny. Beloved as a mother figure and divine mediatrix who is very close to
the daily affairs of her devotees, Kuan Yin's role as Buddhist Madonna has been
compared to that of Mary the mother of Jesus in the West.