Guanyin

[note 1] Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus and then sent to the western pure land of Sukhāvatī.

Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity"[6] with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is mentioned in the Pumen chapter of the Lotus Sutra and the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra.

Guanyin is beloved by most Buddhist traditions in a nondenominational way and is found in most Tibetan temples under the name Chenrézik (Wylie: Spyan ras gzigs).

This chapter is devoted to Avalokitesvara, describing him as a compassionate bodhisattva who hears the cries of sentient beings, and who works tirelessly to help those who call upon his name.

If innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of sentient beings who experience suffering hear of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and wholeheartedly chant his name, Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara will immediately perceive their voices and free them from their suffering"The Lotus Sutra describes Avalokiteśvara as a bodhisattva who can take the form of any type of god including Indra or Brahma; any type of Buddha, any type of king or Chakravartin or even any kind of Heavenly Guardian including Vajrapani and Vaisravana as well as any gender male or female, adult or child, human or non-human being, in order to teach the Dharma to sentient beings.

[18] Additionally, Tan Chung notes that according to the doctrines of the Mahāyāna sūtras themselves, it does not matter whether Guanyin is male, female, or genderless, as the ultimate reality is in emptiness (Skt.

In China, Guanyin is generally portrayed as a young woman wearing a flowing white robe, and usually also necklaces symbolic of Indian or Chinese royalty.

The two warriors are the historical general Guan Yu from the late Han dynasty and the bodhisattva Skanda, who appears in the Chinese classical novel Fengshen Yanyi.

In Pure Land Buddhist traditions, Guanyin is often depicted and venerated with the Buddha Amitabha and the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta as part of a trio collective called the "Three Saints of the West" (Chinese: 西方三聖; Pinyin: Xīfāng sānshèng).

Avalokiteśvara's myth spread throughout China during the advent of Buddhism and mixed with local folklore in a process known as syncretism to become the modern day understanding of Guanyin.

[21] The twenty-fifth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, one of the most popular sacred texts in the Buddhist canon, describes thirty-three specific manifestations that Guanyin can assume to assist other beings seeking salvation.

These forms encompass a Buddha, a pratyekabuddha, an arhat, King Brahma, Sakra (Indra), Isvara, Mahesvara (Shiva), a great heavenly general, Vaiśravaṇa, a Cakravartin, a minor king, an elder, a householder, a chief minister, a Brahmin, a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a Upāsaka, a Upāsikā, a wife, a young boy, a young girl, a deva, a nāga, a yaksha, a gandharva, an asura, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a Mahoraga, a human, a non-human and Vajrapani.

[27] In the Karandavyuha Sutra, the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin (Chinese: 千手千眼觀音; pinyin: Qiānshǒu Qiānyǎn Guānyīn) is described as being superior to all gods and buddhas of the Indian pantheon.

In certain Chinese Buddhist temples, visitors are also allowed to have their license plates enshrined in front of an image of this deity to invoke his protection over their vehicle.

[32] In iconographic form, she is depicted with eighteen arms, all wielding different implements and weaponry that symbolize skillful means of the Dharma, sitting on a lotus flower.

Another story from the Precious Scroll of Fragrant Mountain (香山寶卷) describes an incarnation of Guanyin as the daughter of a cruel king Miaozhuang Wang who wanted her to marry a wealthy but uncaring man.

When Jiang penned the work, he believed that the Guanyin we know today was actually a princess called Miaoshan (妙善), who had a religious following on Fragrant Mountain.

According to the story, after the king asked his daughter Miaoshan to marry the wealthy man, she told him that she would obey his command, so long as the marriage eased three misfortunes.

The story concludes with Miaoshan being transformed into the Thousand Armed Guanyin, and the king, queen and her two sisters building a temple on the mountain for her.

After her return to Earth, Guanyin was said to have stayed for a few years on the island of Mount Putuo where she practised meditation and helped the sailors and fishermen who got stranded.

Longnü is seen either holding a bowl or an ingot, which represents the Pearl of Light, whereas Shancai is seen with palms joined and knees slightly bent to show that he was once crippled.

In popular iconography, the parrot is coloured white and usually seen hovering to the right side of Guanyin with either a pearl or a prayer bead clasped in its beak.

The story continues with how Chen Jinggu grew up, studied at Lüshan, and eventually saved Northern Fujian from drought while defeating the white demon snake, but at the cost of sacrificing her own child.

Aside from religious veneration, many of these manifestations also tended to appear in medieval and modern Chinese Buddhist miracle tales, fantasy fiction novels and plays.

Unlike much of other East Asia Buddhism where Guanyin is usually portrayed as female or androgynous, Chenrezig is revered in male form.

In Chinese culture, the popular belief and worship of Guanyin as a goddess by the populace is generally not viewed to be in conflict with the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara's nature.

With specific reference to Avalokitesvara, he is stated both in the Lotus Sutra (Chapter 25 "Perceiver of the World's Sounds" or "Universal Gateway"), and the Śūraṅgama Sūtra to have appeared before as a woman or a goddess to save beings from suffering and ignorance.

One example of this comparison can be found in Tzu Chi, a Taiwanese Buddhist humanitarian organisation, which noticed the similarity between this form of Guanyin and the Virgin Mary.

The organisation commissioned a portrait of Guanyin holding a baby, closely resembling the typical Catholic Madonna and Child painting.

The motion picture was filmed onsite on Mount Putuo and featured several segments where monks chant the Heart Sutra in Chinese and Sanskrit.

Shrine to a Tang dynasty (896) carved stone statue of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara (or Thousand-Armed Guanyin) in Shengshui Temple (內江聖水寺) in Neijiang , Sichuan , China
Amoghapāśa Lokesvara ( Japanese : Fukūkenjaku Kannon ) with devas Brahma and Indra on either side dated to late 8th century) located at Tōdai-ji , Nara, Japan
Liao dynasty (AD 907–1125) Chinese statue of the Guanyin Of The Southern Seas; Shanxi Province, China; 11th/12th century AD; Polychromed Wood – Wood with multiple layers of paint, H : 241.3 x L : 165.1 cm.; Nelson-Atkins Museum Collection; Kansas City, Missouri
Chapter 25: The Universal Gateway of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Published in Edo period )
Guanyin Bodhisattva, sitting in the lotus position , the damaged hands probably performing dharmacakramudra , a gesture that signifies the moment when Buddha put the wheel of learning in motion; painted and gilded wood, China, Song/Jin period, late 13th century
Early Indian statue of Avalokitaśvara Bodhisattva; Gandhāra , 3rd century
Guanyin as a male bodhisattva . Eleven faced Ekādaśamukha form. Japan, 12th century
Shrine to a statue of Ekādaśamukha , or the Eleven-Faced Guanyin ( Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn ) in the Drum Tower of Qita Temple (七塔寺) in Yinzhou , Ningbo , Zhejiang Province , China
Statue of the Eleven-Faced and Thousand-Armed Guanyin ( Qiānshǒu Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn ) with the 28 guardian devas associated with this manifestation at her sides; located at the Guanyin Shrine on Mount Putuo Guanyin Dharma Realm in Zhejiang Province , China
This wooden statue of Quan Âm Nghìn Mắt Nghìn Tay (Quan Âm Bodhisattva with 1000 eyes and 1000 hands) was fashioned in 1656 in Bắc Ninh Province , northern Vietnam . It is now located in the History Museum in Hanoi .
Statue of Cundī Guanyin ( Zhǔntí Guānyīn ) with 18 arms from the Mahavira Hall of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou , Zhejiang , China
Shrine to Cintāmaṇicakra Guanyin ( Rúyìlún Guānyīn ) in the Hall of Great Compassion in Jade Buddha Temple ; Shanghai , China
Chinese porcelain statue depicting Guanyin, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 AD)
Kannon statue in Daien'i, Mount Kōya , Japan
Guanyin statue at Seema Malaka in Colombo , Sri Lanka
Small shrine to Guanyin or Kannon . Ashikaga, Tochigi , Japan
Statue of Ekādaśamukha or the Eleven-Headed Guanyin ( Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn ) in Bukenqu Guanyin Yard [ zh ] (不肯去觀音院) in Putuoshan , Zhoushan , Zhejiang Province , China
An Altar of Guanyin Worship
20-meter-high Guanyin Bodhisattva statue flanked by Nagakanya and Sudhana (top) Lower level shows 4 Heavenly Kings at Sanggar Agung , Surabaya , Indonesia
14th century Pāṇḍaravāsinī Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, Ming dynasty , Daitokuji temple in Kyoto, Japan
Quan Âm Tống Tử ( Chữ Hán : 觀音送子, Statue of the Child-giving Quan Âm) in Tây Phương Temple in Thạch Thất , Hanoi , Vietnam
Guanyin statue as pose of The Guanyin of the Southern Seas in Avalokitesvara Buddhist temple at Pematangsiantar , North Sumatra , Indonesia
Guanyin Shan (Guanyin Mountain) temple in Dongguan , China
A Chinese Ming dynasty porcelain figure of Guanyin
Shrine to a statue of Ekādaśamukha, or the Eleven-Faced Guanyin ( Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn ) in Huayan Temple (華嚴寺); Datong , Shanxi Province , China
A Chinese folk religion temple devoted primarily to the goddess Guanyin, in Lahad Datu , Sabah , Malaysia
Guanyin's Esoteric Incantation 觀音密呪圖, 1615 Xingming guizhi
Chinese Madonna. St. Francis' Church, Macao