Domestication of Guanyin

1
Domestication of Guanyin

• Miracle tales
• Tell people about Guanyins salvific abilities
  and deeds
• Validate the scriptures claim about what Guanyin
  can do
• Reinforce common understanding and application of
  the pre-Buddhist Chinese concept of stimulus and
  response (ganying, kan-ying) or efficacious
  response (ling-ying)

2
Earlier Collections of Miracle Tales about
Guanyin

• A Record of Guanshiyins Responsive
  Manifestations (late 4th c)7 stories
• Continued Records of Guanshiyins Responsive
  Manifestations (mid 5th c)10 stories
• More Records of Guanshiyins Responsive
  Manifestations (early 5th c)69 stories

3
Later Collections of Miracle Tales about Guanyin

• Record of Manifestations Resulting from
  Recitation of Guanshiyin Sutra and Mantras (17th
  c)
• Compassionate Grove of Guanyin (17th c)
• Record of Guanshiyin Bodhisattvas Efficacious
  Responses (20th c)

4
Stories in the Earlier Collections

• Benefits come from
• chanting the Guanshiyin Sutra
• calling Guanyins name
• Combination of invocation of and meditation on
  Guanyin
• Being a filial son
• Being a devout Buddhist

5
Types of rewards or benefits

• Escape from fire and other disasters such as
  peril of the waterdrown because of shipwreck
• gain a new and good voice to chant and recite
  sutras
• Deliverance from being killed and from other
  life-threatening situations
• Release from shackles
• Diseases cured
• Have vision of Guanyin and is helped, saved, or
  rescued

6
Rewards indicated in the Lotus Sutra

• Rewards come from Hearing, calling, chanting,
  reciting Guanyins name
• Deliverance from all kinds of trials and dangers
• fire
• ocean
• wind
• weapons
• demons
• imprisonment
• robbers

7
Stories in the Later Collections

• Guanyin in a wide array of manifestations
• appeared in female form, known as Wife of Mr. Ma
  and Guanyin with a fish-basket
• image revealed in an opened clam clam-dwelling
  Guanyin
• Benefits of hearing, calling, chanting, reciting
  Guanyins name

8
Benefits/rewards indicated in later collections

• Relieved from various diseases
• eye, foot, throat, leprosy, possession, skin,
  stomach and intestinal, fever, madness, smallpox
• Rescued from water and fire
• Rescued from imprisonment and other dangers
• Obtain sons and blessings
• Obtain wisdom, lengthening lifespan, and
  resurrection
• Receive reward of filial piety and good rebirth
• Relieved from natural disasters drought,
  rainfall, locusts