Kuan Yin and the Virgin Mary

Kuan Yin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Kuan Yin 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

(Redirected from Guan Yin) 

Kuan Yin (觀音; Pinyin: Guān Yīn) is the 

bodhisattva of compassion as venerated by East 

Asian Buddhists, usually as a female. Kuan Yin 

originated as the Sanskrit Avalokiteśvara, which is 

her male form. Commonly known in the West as 

the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin is also revered by 

Chinese Taoists as an Immortal. The name Kuan 

Yin is short for Kuan-shih Yin (Py.: Guānshì Yīn, 

觀世音) which means "Observing the Sounds of the 

World". 

In Japanese, Kuan Yin is pronounced Kannon (観 

音) or more formally Kanzeon (観世音); the 

spelling Kwannon, based on a pre-modern 

pronunciation, is sometimes seen. In Korean, this 

incarnation of Buddha is called Gwan-eum or 

Gwanse-eum, and in Vietnamese, the name is Quan 

Âm or Quan Thế Âm Bồ Tát. 

Contents 

� 1 Depiction 

� 2 Legends 

� 2.1 Kuan Yin and the Thousand 

Arms 

� 2.2 Legend of Miao Shan 

� 3 Kuan Yin and the Virgin Mary 

� 4 Kuan Yin in popular culture 

� 5 References 

� 6 See also 

� 7 External links 

Depiction 

Kuan Yin is the Chinese name for the Bodhisattva 

Avalokiteśvara. However, folk traditions in China 

and other East Asian countries have added many 

distinctive characteristics and legends. 

Avalokiteśvara was originally depicted as Buddha 

when he was still a prince, and therefore wears 

chest-revealing clothing and may even sport a 

moustache. However, in China, Kuan Yin is usually 

depicted as a woman. 

Statue of Kuan Yin on Mount Putuo near Shanghai, 

China 

Names 

Simplified Chinese: 观音, 观世音 

Traditional Chinese: 觀音, 觀世音 

Pinyin: Guān Yīn, Guānshì Yīn 

Wade-Giles: Kuan In, Kuan-shih In 

Cantonese: Kwun Yum, Koon Yam 

Hakka: Kwan Yim 

Taiwanese: Koan-im, Koan-sè-im 

Shanghainese: Kuaein, Kuaesiin 

Japanese | Kanji: 観音, 観世音 

Romaji: Kannon, Kanzeon 

Korean | Hangul: 관음, 관세음 

Korean romanization: Gwan-eum, Gwan-se-eum 

Vietnamese: Quan Âm, Quan Thế Âm 

(See also Avalokiteśvara) 

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In China, Kuan Yin is usually shown in a white flowing robe, and usually wearing necklaces of 

Indian/Chinese royalty. In the right hand is a water jar containing pure water, and in the left, a willow branch. 

The crown usually depicts the image of Amitabha Buddha, Kuan Yin's spiritual teacher before she became a 

Bodhisattva. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guan_Yin 

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She is occasionally flanked by her two acolytes, who appeared to her when meditating at Mount Putuo, Long 

Nü and Shan Tsai. 

Along with Buddhism, Kuan Yin's veneration was introduced into China as early as the 1st century CE, and 

reached Japan by way of Korea soon after Buddhism was first introduced into the country from the mid-7th 

century. 

Representations of the bodhisattva in China prior to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) were masculine in 

appearance. Images which later displayed attributes of both genders are believed to be in accordance with the 

Lotus Sutra, where Avalokitesvara has the supernatural power of assuming any form required to relieve 

suffering and also has the power to grant children. Because this bodhisattva is considered the personification 

of compassion and kindness, a mother-goddess and patron of mothers and seamen, the representation in China 

was further interpreted in an all female form around the 12th century. In the modern period, Kuan Yin is most 

often represented as a beautiful, white-robed woman, a depiction which derives from the earlier 

Pandaravasini form. 

Legends 

Kuan Yin and the Thousand Arms 

One Buddhist legend presents Kuan Yin as 

vowing to never rest until he had freed all sentient 

beings from samsara, reincarnation. Despite 

strenuous effort, he realized that still many 

Guan Yin Shan (Kuan Yin Mountain) in Dongguan, China 

unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After 

struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, 

his head split into eleven pieces. Amitabha Buddha, seeing his plight, gave him eleven heads with which to 

hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokitesvara attempted 

to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that his two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, 

Amitabha came to his aid and appointed him a thousand arms with which to aid the many. Many Himalayan 

versions of the tale include eight arms with which Avalokitesvara skilfully upholds the Dharma, each 

possessing its own particular implement, while more Chinese-specific ones give varying accounts of this 

number. 

Kannon statue in Daienin 

Mt. Koya, Japan 


In China, it is said that fishermen used to pray to her to ensure safe 

voyages. The titles Kuan Yin of the Southern Ocean (南海觀音) and 

'Kuan Yin (of/on) the Island' stem from this tradition. 

Legend of Miao Shan 

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Another story, possibly Taoist in origin, describes Kuan Yin as the 

daughter of a cruel father who wanted her to marry a wealthy but 

uncaring man. She is known as Miao Shan (妙善), and her father's 

realm allegedly Sumatra. She begged to be able to enter a temple and 

become a nun instead. Her father allowed her to work in the temple, 

but asked the monks to give her very hard chores in order to 

discourage her. The monks forced Kuan Yin to work all day and all 

night, while others slept, in order to finish her work. However, she was 

such a good person that the animals living around the temple began to 

help her with her chores. Her father, seeing this, became so frustrated 

that he attempted to burn down the temple. Kuan Yin put out the fire 

with her bare hands and suffered no burns. Now struck with fear, her 

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father ordered her to be put to death. After she died she was made into a goddess for all of her kindness and 

began her journey to heaven. She was about to cross over into heaven when she heard a cry of suffering back 

on earth. She asked to be sent back and vowed to stay until all suffering had ended. 

One version of this legend states that, at the point of Kuan Yin's father's execution of her, a supernatural tiger 

took Kuan Yin to one of the more hell-like realms of the dead. However, instead of being punished by demons 

like the other inmates, Kuan Yin played music and flowers blossomed around her. This managed to 

completely surprise the head demon. The story says that Kuan Yin, by being in that hell, turned it into a 

paradise. 

Another version of the same legend tells that upon entering hell Kuan Yin was overwhelmed with grief at the 

suffering souls must endure in hell. Out of compassion, she freed many of the souls from hell before being 

stopped by Yanluo, King of Hell. She then returned back alive on Earth and resided at Mount Putuo. 

Another tale says that Miao Shan never died but was in fact transported by a supernatural tiger, believed to be 

the Deity of the Place to Fragrant Mountain. 

The Legend of Miao Shan usually ends with Miao Chuang Yen, the father of Miao Shan falling ill with 

jaundice. It is said that no physician could cure him. Then a monk appeared saying that the jaundice could be 

cured by making a medicine out of the arm and eye of one without anger. The monk further suggested that 

such a person could be found on Fragrant Mountain. Miao Shan when requested offered up her eyes and arms 

willingly. Miao Chuang Yen was cured of the illness and went to the Fragrant Mountain to give thanks to the 

person. When he discovered that his own daughter gave up her arm and eyes for him, he begged for 

forgiveness. The story concludes with Miao Shan being transformed into the Thousand Armed Kuan Yin and 

the king, queen and her two sisters building a temple on the mountain for her. 

Due to her symbolising compassion, in East Asia Kuan Yin is associated with vegetarianism. Chinese 

vegetarian restaurants are generally decorated with her image, and she appears in most Buddhist vegetarian 

pamphlets and magazines. 

Kuan Yin and the Virgin Mary 

Many observers have commented on the similarity between Kuan Yin 

and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Christianity. The Tzu-Chi Foundation 

commissioned a portrait of Kuan Yin and a baby that resembles the 

typical Madonna and Child painting. 

Some Chinese of the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Philippines, in an 

act of syncretism, have identified Kuan Yin with the Virgin Mary. 

During the Edo Period in Japan, when Christianity was banned and 

punishable by death, some underground Christian groups venerated the 

Virgin Mary disguised as a statue of Kannon; such statues are known as 

Maria Kannon. Many had a cross hidden in an inconspicuous location. 

Kuan Yin in popular culture 

In the manga/anime titled Gensoumaden Saiyuki (based on the Chinese 

Kuan Yin and child 

tale Journey to the West), Kuan Yin appears as Kanzeon Bosatsu, who 

appears as a minor, but still relevant, character. In this unorthodox take 

on Buddhism, Kanzeon is a smart-talking hermaphrodite who guides the Sanzo-ikkou on their quest to 

Shangri-La. 

In the X-Men comic books, there is a character named Kuan-Yin Xorn, named after the deity. 


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References 

� Martin Palmer, Jay Ramsay, Man-Ho Kwok: Kuan Yin. Myths and Prophecies of the Chinese Goddess 

of Compassion. , Thorsons, San Francisco 1995, ISBN 1855384175 

See also 

� Buddhism in China 

� Tieguanyin, a variety of Chinese oolong tea named after Kuan Yin 

� Putuoshan, an island in Zhejiang province, China, considered to be the bodhimandala of Kuan Yin 

� Her birthday, the 19th day of 2nd lunar month, based on Chinese calendar is a holiday in the Republic 

of China 

� Kuan Yin is mentioned in the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West 

� Malaysian Chinese Gods 

External links 

� Kuan Yin, The Compassionate Rebel 

(http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/bodhisattva) has a detailed 

anthropological analysis of the evolution of Kuan Yin, as well as a 

full explanation of the legend of Miao Shan. 

Buddhism 

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuan_Yin" 

A Guan Yin statue on Lantau 

Island, New Territories, Hong 

Kong 

Terms and concepts History Schools and sects People By region and country 

List of topics Timeline Temples 

Portal 

Texts Culture 

Categories: Bodhisattvas | Chinese goddesses | Mother goddesses 


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� This page was last modified 18:21, 5 July 2006. 

� All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free 

Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) 

Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia 

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Foundation, Inc. 

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