Kuan Shih Yin P'usa | |||
"Namo Ta-Chi-Ta-Pei Kuan Shih Yin P'usa". is is the prayer which is recited by all Kuan Yin devotees daily to pay homage and to appeal to the Great Lord, AVALOKITESVARA Bodhisat va, who is the compassionate aspect of all the Buddhas of the three aeons. Literal y translated it means "Namo To e Greatly Compassionate Kuan Shih Yin Bodhisat va". To recite this prayer is to seek the blessings of Kuan Yin and at the same time to develop one's own compassionate nature. ose who recite the great prayer with a sincere heart will surely find it quite easy to practise great kindness and great sympathy towards others, for Kuan Yin's compassion will then flow through them and cause them to walk the Path of Mercy. It is also the Path towards Buddhahood for the merit and virtue of reciting the name of the great P'usa is immeasurable. is great Compassionate Lord is known by various other names such as: "e Bodhisat va Regarder of the Sound of the World:" "e Lord of Compassionate Glances." "e Lord Who Sees the World with Pity." "e Lord of What is seen, of the Visible World." and a host of other names. He is indeed the Lord who regards with compassion, all beings suffering from the evils of existence within the Six Realms. KUAN SHIN YIN is the direct translation of the Sanskrit name of Avalokitesvara which has the fol owing meaning: KUAN -- `contemplate' or `looks on' SHIH -- the world or the region of sufferers' YIN -- `all the sounds of the world,' i.e., the cry- ing sounds of beings, verbal or mental, all acknowledging misery and seeking salvation which touch the heart of the Lord who pities. Kuan Shih Yin is therefore the Bodhisat va of great compassion, mercy and love who has won the hearts of countless people. By virtue of his infinite power, he is capable of regarding the cries of the people whether these represent either desire or suffer- ing, delivering them through the wisdom of skilful means, and appearing in the form suitable to those to be saved. is noble Lord is thus the `saviour' who may assume the form of a Buddha, Bodhisat va, god or any other forms, either male or female, in order to fulfill his task of mercy. In most of the Buddhist lands, the male form is predominant but in China, Kuan Shih Yin manifests in various female forms such as: "White-robed Kuan Yin" "Child-giving Kuan Yin" "Calm-sea Kuan Yin" KUAN SHIN YIN P'USA -- AVALOKITESVARA BODHISATTVA reasons for these female emanations are because of the then Confucianist influence on the at itude, customs and social sys- tems which discouraged the female population from seeking comfort and solace from male deities especial y in their requests for off-spring. Kuan Yin, in fact, manifested into 33 forms with which to reach the people and the most popular ones being: Kuan Yin of Complete Light Dragon-head Kuan Yin Kuan Yin Who Views Waterfal s Child-giving Kuan Yin Kuan Yin of the Fish Basket Kuan Yin of the Rock Cave Kuan Yin of Universal Compassion Kuan Yin Holding a Lotus It should also be mentioned that even before Buddhism was introduced into China, the women folk there were already wor- shipping several female Taoist Deities, in the forms of `Niang- Niang' seeking their blessings for safety, happiness, children, mercy, compassion and salvation. us when Kuan Shih Yin responded to the urgent and distressful cal s of the Chinese peo- ple in the female forms, they were also given the `Niang-Niang' titles so that Kuan Shih Yin P'usa which is the proper Buddhist term, became known as Kuan Yin Niang Niang or e Goddess of Mercy. In this way, Avalokitesvara became the most popular deity in all of China, worshipped by both the Buddhists and the Taoists as well as those who are without a proper faith but needed a compassionate deity to turn to. Kuan Yin's manifestations or transformation bodies can be said to be numberless and the most widely worshipped form today is that of the White-robed Kuan Yin. For this reason, most of the Kuan Yin images that are seen in temples and at home altars are related to this form. Since this is the most beloved of al the forms, one should take a closer look at it to discover its endearing features which have captured the hearts of countless mil ions. Kuan Yin images are either in a seated or standing posture each having its significant meanings. Most people tend to prefer the seated form as it gives both a serene and dignified feeling, the very picture of enlightenment. e standing figure represents compassion in action. What does it indicate? It real y indicates that Kuan Yin's compassion and saving power are available to anyone who seeks them, that Kuan Yin is ever ready to reach and help al beings by offering them assistance, love and protec- tion. is posture also symbolises the eternal activity of bring- ing enlightenment to al who wish it. Kuan Yin is also depicted as holding a vase which contains `Amrita', the dew of compas- sion, which can purify the defilements of our body, speech and mind, as wel as having al kinds of curative powers. e face of Kuan Yin images is always gentle, calm and enduringly sweet, an expression which reflects infinite wisdom, serenity, love and compassion. It has the peculiar quality of calming those who are angry or are in despair, comforting those who are sorrow- ful, and bringing forth feelings of love, devotion and content- ment to her faithful. How does one become her faithful? Not by blind faith or through worship which is tinged with selfish intentions but through the practice of such virtues as kindliness, gentleness, love, mercy, compassion, charity, morality, patience, perseverance, contemplation or acts that wil bring benefits to others, one becomes a true disciple of Kuan Shih Yin. Another feature that should be noted is the eyes which are always depict- ed as `half-opened and half-closed' which indicates a perfect harmony of outer and inner life as half of the vision is concern- ing the outer world, while the other half is directed internal y for proper self-reflection. us it can be said that Kuan Yin is ever mindful of the external world and al our internal thoughts and inclinations. As mentioned earlier, Kuan Yin forms are many, in fact they are said to be countless, and each of these forms has its own significant and symbolic meaning. ose who are new to Mahayana Buddhism should not be startled by the various forms of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, especial y by the number of arms that they are often depicted with. One of Kuan Yin's most famous and compassionate forms is that of the `thousand- arm-thousand eyes' which is known in Chinese as `Chien-shou- chien-yen Kuan Shih Yin P'usa. In this form, Kuan Yin has eleven heads and a thousand hands, with extra eyes on the palms of each hand. Legend has it that he was contemplating the task of working for the safety and happiness of al sentient beings when his head split into a thousand pieces upon realising the enormity of such an undertaking. Amitabha, the Buddha of Limitless Light, his Spiritual Father, quickly came to the rescue and restored Kuan Yin to life and also gave him this form. e thousand eyes symbolise the al -seeing nature of Kuan Yin's compassion while the thousand arms represent the ever-present and al -compassing nature of his help. Al Kuan Yin images, male or female, with one or multiple heads, two or multiple arms, gentle or fierce facial expressions, have their own symbolic and religious meanings and therefore should not be looked upon as peculiar and uninviting. However, al Kuan Yin images always feature a loving, kind and compassionate expression and even a statue with eleven heads and a thousand arms does not lose the harmony of the whole body but radiates peace. In the Lotus Sutra, an entire chapter is devoted to Kuan Yin in which the Buddha describes the Bodhisat va as one who has her face turned in every direction in order to see all things and to save all beings and that there is no form or shape that Kuan Yin will not assume to preach the Dharma to sentient beings: "In some worlds... the Bodhisat va Mahasat va Avalokitesvara preaches the law to creatures in the shape of a Buddha; in others she does so in the shape of a Bodhisat va. To some beings she shows the law in the shape of a Pratyekabuddha; to others she does so in the shape of a disciple... to those who are to be con- verted by assuming Brahman, she preaches in the shape of a Brahman; to those who are to be converted by Vajrapani, she preaches in the shape of Vajrapani." CHIEN-SHOU-CHIEN-YEN -- KUAN SHIH YIN P'USA ¡ûBACK¡û |INDEX| ¡úNEXT¡ú |