The Goddess of Mercy
She Who Hears the Cries of the World
Also known as: Guan Yin, Kuan Shih Yin, Phat Ba Quan Am, Sung-Tzu-Niang-Niang
Alternative spellings: Quan Yin, Guan Yin, Kuan Yin,
Kwan Yin is the very essence of mercy and compassion; among the most beloved and well known of all spirits. Technically, Kwan Yin is considered a Bodhisattva, venerated as such throughout the Buddhist world but she also possesses the stature of a goddess and many consider her to be one, not just modern Western goddess devotees but also in East Asian folk religion....
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Guan Yin is actually the male bodhisattva of compassion, the name "Guan Yin" is translated from the term "Avalokitesvera"
ReplyDeleteWhich means, the lord who looks down.
The reason why Guan Yin is depicted as a female is because :
1) Most chinese think that no
male gender is capable of
great compassion
(which is bullshit)
2) The westerners interpreted
Guan Yin and buddhist sutras
wrongly:
"The lotus sutra states that whoever calls out Bodhisattva Guan Yin's name, when in distress, the bodhisattva will immediately hear the cries for help and rescue them"
They might misinterpret a Bodhisattva as a goddess.
A goddess is someone who rules over the aspect of the universe; it dosent matter if she is compassionate or not, she just rules over an aspect.
A Bodhisattva is some one who has gained enlightenment, ready to rescue, and teach sentient beings to the unexelled path of enlightenment,
IMO a bodhisattva is more of a teacher, not a goddess.
A bodhisattva is outside the cycle of birth and death, a goddess however is not. (Buddhism wise)
TLDR;
-Guan Yin is still a male bodhisattva
-Westerners need to get their facts right or GTFO
-No, Guan Yin is not a goddess, he is a guy
-Guan Yin's last name is also associated with Shiva
Avalokitesvera (Svera is one of Shiva's names)
Guanyin to many Chinese is a shamanic deity, but Buddhist. She is a shamanic deity in my culture and is not associated with Buddhism or Hindu. She is often regarded as the goddess of Nuwa.
ReplyDelete