Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Tecnica (t3cnica/Flickr, Facebook, Getty); HolyMtn
Linh Phuoc Pagoda ("Dragon Pagoda"), Da Lat, Vietnam
Golden Buddha in Dragon Pagoda |
When first stepping into this area, one notices the
cool atmosphere, which is in stark contrast to the blazing sun outside the
compound. One can see the giant statue of Guan Yin
Bodhisattva, the Buddhist "Goddess of Compassion." She is accompanied by many smaller statues and an interior of beautiful in-laid terracotta dragons (nagas) and porcelain mosaics.
THE LEGEND OF QUAN YIN
Goddess of Mercy
Kwan Yin figurine (Holy Mountain Trading Co.) |
One of the "deities" most frequently seen on altars in
China's temples is Kwan Yin (also Quan Yin, Kuanyin, Guanyin). In Sanskrit, her name is Padma-pâni, or
"Born of the Lotus." Kwan Yin, alone among all Buddhist devas, is universally loved. She is the model of Chinese beauty.
Regarded by the
Chinese as the "Goddess of Mercy," she was originally male until the early part of the 12th century
and has evolved since that time from her prototype, Avalokiteshvara,
"the merciful lord who looks down [from on high]," an Indian enlightenment-being (bodhisattva), who
chose to remain on Earth to bring relief to those
suffering rather than enjoying for himself the ecstasies of complete-liberation (nirvana).
One
of the several stories surrounding Kwan Yin is that
she was a human Buddhist who through great love and sacrifice during life had
earned rebirth in [a paradise] after death.
Avalokiteshvara |
However, like Avalokiteshvara, while standing before the gates of paradise, she hears a cry of anguish from the Earth below.
Turning back, she renounces her reward of bliss but in
its place finds immortality in the hearts of the
suffering. In China she has many names; she is also known as "Great Mercy, Great Pity, Salvation from Misery, Salvation
from Woe, Self-Abiding, Thousand Arms, Thousand Eyes," and so on.
In
addition, she is often referred to as the Goddess of the
Southern Sea -- the Indian Archipelago -- and has been compared to the
Virgin Mary. She is one of the San Ta Shih,
or the "Three Great Beings," renowned for their power over the animal kingdom or the forces of nature. These three bodhisattvas or P'u Sa as they are known in China, are Manjusri (Sanskrit) or Wên Shu, Samantabhadra or
P'u Hsien, and Avalokiteshvara or Kwan Yin. More
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