Title: Guan Yin
1Guan Yin
Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) is the favourite
goddess among the Japan, Korea and Vietnam. This
painting vividly portrays her great compassion.
Within people's symbol of kindness and hearts,
she will always be the peace and the people of
China, saviour of those in trouble.
2Guan Yins Story
3Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, also known as Guan
Shih Yin or Guan Yin, is the one with the highest
kindness and compassion amongst the Bodhisattvas.
In the three periods of time (i.e. past, future,
and present), Guan Yin can perfectly penetrate in
all ten directions. She can search for and
contemplate all the sounds of sufferings and
happiness, goodness and evil etc. and rescue the
suffering ones.
4- If a person, desperate in fear, danger and
depression, calls upon the name of Guan Yin
Bodhisattva whole-heartedly and sincerely, Guan
devoted people have wonderful and unconceivable
responses from Guan Yin. Thus, Guan Yin is one of
the most popular and respected Bodhisattvas in
our world. - In the Shurangama Sutra, Avalokitesvara
Bodhisattva described her causes and conditions
in becoming a Bodhisattva, and explained her
method of cultivation and perfect penetration. - Yin is capable of saving and relieving the person
from the adverse situation.
5 "World Honoured One, I remember when, as many
kalpas ago as there are sands in the Ganges,
there was a Buddha in the World named
Contemplating the World's Sounds. It was under
that Buddha that I brought forth the
Bodhi-resolve. That Buddha taught me to enter
Samadhi through a process of hearing and
thinking, and by reflecting and cultivating."
"Initially, I entered the flow through
hearing and forgot the objective states. Since
the sense-objects and sense-organs were quiet,
the two characteristics of movement and stillness
crystallized and did not arise. After that,
gradually advancing, the hearing and what was
heard both disappeared. Once the hearing ended,
there was nothing to rely on, and awareness and
the objects of awareness became empty. When the
emptiness of awareness reached an ultimate
perfection, emptiness and what was being emptied
also ceased to exist. Since production and
extinction were gone, the still extinction was
revealed."
6- Long, long ago, there was a Buddha called
Tathagata of Understanding Right Dharma, who is
now Guan Yin. As Guan Yin can accomplish in
thirty-two response bodies, and enter all the
lands, from the Buddha Realm to the Hell Realm,
to rescue all living beings, there are many
names, forms, legends about Guan Yin as reflected
by her holy status. - One of the most interesting disputes is the
gender of Guan Yin. Is Guan Yin a man or a woman?
According to the sutras, Shakyamuin used to call
Guan Yin as a man. In history, Guan Yin was
regarded as male before the Tang Dynasty. In the
Tang Dynasty, it was said that Guan Yin was a
princess called Myau Shan. As Guan Yin in
feminine gender is more intimate, more and more
people affirm this Bodhisattva to be female.
Moreover, in our world, women are always
suppressed or even tortured. There is a strong
desire to have a female Bodhisattva who is
compassionate and able to salvage them from
suffering.
7- Guan Yin is now dwelling in the Pureland of
Ultimate Bliss in the West. Guan Yin Bodhisattva
and Great Strength Bodhisattva, are the
assistants of Amitabha Buddha in the Land of
Ultimate Bliss. The three are called Three Sages
in the West. In the past, Guan Yin was the
Tathagata of Understanding Right Dharma. In
future, she will take over the place of Amitabha
Buddha, and become the Buddha in the Land of
Ultimate Bliss, called the Tathagata of the
Mountain Merits and Virtues with Universal
Illumination. - In China, there are four famous hills or
monasteries - Pu To, representing Guan Yin Bodhisattva
- Wu Tai, representing Manjuri Bodhisattva
- O Mei, representing Samantabhadra Bodhisattva
- Chiu Hua, representing Earth Store Bodhisattva
8THE END