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The god Avalokitesvara was born from a ray of white light emanating from the eye of Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light. In a mystical or spiritual sense, he was also the father of the Goddess Kuan Yin (who is also known as Kwan Yin and Quan Yin). Kuan Yin is considered to be the feminine form of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva* of compassion in Indian Buddhism.
*
Bodhisattva: An "enlightened
being"; a soul that, by
having shown great
compassion and altruism in
his or her life, has earned
the right to enter Nirvana,
but has instead chosen to
remain in the world to
instruct and serve those who
are suffering.
So determined was he that
when Avalokitesvara first
embarked on his mission of
compassion he made a vow
that he would attend to the
suffering of all sentient
beings and that, if ever he
failed, he would shatter
into a thousand pieces.
It was centuries
later that Avalokitesvara's
image became feminized, he was
now represented as a beautiful
goddess wearing the white robes
of purity. Chinese Buddhists
believed in Avalokitesvara's
ability to assume innumerable
forms -- including the woman in
white robe and the one with a
thousand hands.
Here's how Avalokiteshvara
became a woman with 1000 Arms:
Avalokitesvara despaired as he
looked down into the hells which
were rapidly filling up again
even though he had emptied them
many times through his
teachings.
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He became so
disheartened that his body
shattered into thousands of
pieces, true to his original
vow.
He cried to
the Buddhas for
help.
Of the ones who came to him, one was one was Amitabha Buddha, who became his teacher and helped him take on a new form — a female one with a thousand hands to provide aid to those who suffered, and with the eyes of Wisdom in each of the palms.
And thus Avalokitesvara became the goddess Kuan Yin.
She would, this time as a female, renew his vow to bring compassion, mercy, and forgiveness to all. |
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The worship of the god Avalokitesvara was introduced into China in the third century. The female form of Kuan Yin first appeared in a Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra. Seven of the thirty-three references to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara the book contained told of his appearance as a female having the name of Kuan Yin
In all likelihood, it was
realized that a feminine image
would best embody
Avalokitesvara's compassion and
his desire to listen to people's
pleas and to answer their
prayers more quickly.
The devotional following of
Kuan Yin quickly became
widespread in China. It is
reported that by the ninth
century there was a statue of
Kuan Yin in every Buddhist
monastery in China.
Kuan Yin is known as the
protectress of women and
children, merchants, sailors and
fisherman, and those who are
imprisoned. Now worshipped by
Taoists as well as by Buddhists,
her religion spread throughout
Asia.
The myths of the god/goddess
Avalokitesvara remind us that
when suffering and spiritual
setbacks occur in our own lives
we should face them as
opportunities to learn and grow.
Since we all experience
burnout at times, we should
remember to be compassionate
with each other . . . and
especially with ourselves.
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