Kuan
Shih Yin - Avalokiteshvara
Bodhisattva
The
Bodhisattva of Great Compassion
The
Sanskrit name "Avalokiteshvara" means "the lord
who looks upon the world with compassion".
Translated
into Chinese, the name is "Kuan Shih Yin"or Quan Yin.
Kuan:
observe
Shih: the world / the region of sufferers
Yin: all the sounds of the world, in particular, the crying
sounds of beings, verbal or mental, seeking help
Avalokiteshvara
Bodhisattva is the embodiment of great compassion. He has vowed
to free all sentient beings from suffering.
Avalokiteshvara
Bodhisattva is has great powers and can help all sentient beings.
His skilful means are limitless and he can appear in any form
in all the six realms of existence to relieve the suffering
of the sentient beings who live there. He vowed to rescue those
who call on him when they are in suffering, for example, when
caught in a fire, shipwrecked or facing an attack.
In
the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha said that if a suffering
being hears the name of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and earnestly
calls out to the bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara will hear the
call and relieve that being from his suffering.
According
to the Huayen Sutra, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva transforms
himself into forms that suit the nature of those to be helped.
His manifestations or transformation bodies are countless.
e.g.
if a boy or girl is about to gain some enlightenment, Avalokiteshvara
Bodhisattva transforms himself into a boy or a girl to teach
the child.
e.g.
If a monk is about to attain some enlightenment, Avalokiteshvara
Bodhisattva transforms himself into a monk.
In
short, he can appear as a monk, a nun, or a normal person like
you and me. The purpose of such transformations is to make people
feel close to him and willing to listen to his words.
In China, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva is represented in female
form and is known as Kuan Yin. Probably because of Kuan Yin's
great compassion, a quality which is traditionally considered
feminine, most of the bodhisattva's statues in China since the
Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618 - 907) have appeared as female figures.
In India, however, the bodhisattva is generally represented
as a male figure.
In
her hands, Kuan Yin may hold a willow branch, a vase with water
or occasionally, a lotus flower.
The
willow branch is used to heal people's illnesses or bring fulfillment
to their requests.
The
water ( the dew of compassion) has the quality of removing suffering,
purifying the defilements of our body, speech and mind, and
lengthening life.
In
Buddhist art, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva is sometimes shown
with eleven heads, 1000 hands and eyes on the palms of each
hand (Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva). The thousand
eyes allow the bodhisattva to see the sufferings of sentient
beings, and the thousand hands allow her to reach out to help
them.
Sometimes,
he is represented with one head and four arms. This is the Four-Armed
Avalokiteshvara, worshipped by all Tibetans as "Chenrezig",
the Holder of the White Lotus. It is in the male form which
has two hands in the praying gesture while the other two hands
hold his symbols, the Crystal Rosary and the Lotus Flower.
There
is a sacred place for the worship of Kuan Yin in China —
the Putuo Mountain. It is actually an island located near the
city of Ningpo, in Zhejiang Province. There are many stories
of Kuan Yin's miraculous appearances at Putuo Mountain.
Actually,
anyone can be like Kuan Yin. You may say that you don't have
a thousand eyes or a thousand arms or that you lack skilful
means, but it is your compassion that can transform you into
a Kuan Yin. With your eyes and hands, you can help others. With
your compassion, you can bring peace and tranquility to this
world.
The
Mani Mantra (The Mantra of Universal Protection):
OM MANI PADME HUM
