Peters Guan Yin Project

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Peters Guan Yin Project

• DueMarch 20

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Guan Yin
Guan Yin is the Chinese name of
Avalokiteshvara, one of the most popular
devotional figures in China and throughout the
Buddhist world. A bodhisattva, or being of vast
wisdom committed to achieving Buddha hood, Guan
Yin is viewed as specializing particularly in the
practice of compassion for this reason, she is
often called the Bodhisattva of Compassion. In
China, and sometimes in the countries influenced
by China, such as Japan and Korea, Guan Yin is
usually portrayed as a woman. She appears as the
central figure in the Heart of Perfect Wisdom
Sutra. The name "Guan Yin" is short for "Guan
Shi Yin," which means "Hears the Sounds of the
World," in the sense that Guan Yin constantly
hears the cries of sorrow or anguish from all
living beings.
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Here are some some more pictures of Guan Yin

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Guan Yins Legend

• One Buddhist legend presents Avalokitesvara as
  vowing to never rest until he had freed all
  sentient beings from samsara. Although with
  strenuously effort, he realized that still many
  unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After
  comprehending the great demand, he became
  overwhelmed and his head split into thousands of
  pieces. Fortunately, a Buddha assembled him back
  together again. With eleven heads gazing to the
  front and sides, Avalokiteshvara possesses the
  unique gift to see everywhere at once and reach
  out to the needy.
• Another story describes her origin as the
  daughter of a cruel father who wanted her to
  marry a wealthy but uncaring man. She begged to
  be able to enter a temple instead. Her father
  allowed her, but asked the monks to give her very
  hard chores in order to discourage her. She was
  forced to work all day and all night while others
  slept in in order to finish her work. However,
  she was such a good person that the animals
  living around the temple began to help her with
  her chores. Her father, seeing this, became so
  frustrated that he burned down the temple. Kwan
  Yin put out the fire with her bare hands and
  suffered no burns. Now struck with fear, her
  father ordered her to be put to death. After she
  died she was made into a goddess for all of her
  kindness and began her journey to heaven. She was
  about to cross over into heaven when she heard a
  cry of suffering back on earth. She asked to be
  sent back and vowed to stay until all suffering
  had ended.
• Kwan Yin is associated across Asia with
  vegetarianism. Chinese vegetarian restaurants are
  generally decorated with her image, and she
  appears in most Buddhist vegetarian pamphlets and
  magazines.

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Song of Bodhisattva Guan Yin

• Nan-hai Guan Yin suffered so much
• Cultivating and consecrating
• Receiving hardships, difficulties
• LAO MU granted Buddha title
• Bodhisattva Guan Yin, saving people upon request
• Benefiting everyone, blesses mankind from
  distress
• Transforms appearance for Salvation
• Rescues people everywhere
• Depending on our affinity, benevolent to everyone
• Bodhisattva Guan Yin, helps Universal Salvation
• Comforts all beings out of pain, manifesting
  everywhere
• Bodhisattva Guan Yin, with compassion and
  kindness
• Sacrificing everything, saving all beings to
  Heaven

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More Information

• There is still much scholarly debate regarding
  the origin of devotion to the female Bodhisattva
  Kuan Yin (also know as Quan Shi Yin and Kwan
  Yin). Quan means to inquire or look deeply into,
  Shi means the world of people, or generations,
  Yin means cries. The Boddhisatva of Compassion
  was inquiring into the suffering (cries) that has
  come down the generations. Kuan Yin is considered
  to be the feminine form of Avalokitesvara(Sanskrit
  ), the bodhisattva of compassion of Indian
  Buddhism whose worship was introduced into China
  in the third century.

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The End