 KUAN
YIN
Every
culture regards the feminine force as a source of
unconditional love and compassion. Motherhood is
regarded with great reverence globally and a mother is
the personification of kindness, compassion, mercy and
love. If Jesus has found worshippers, the intervention
of Mother Mary has found expression too. If Krishna’s
exploits have painted India red, then his mother Yashoda
gets a mention too. Similarly, if Buddha is regarded as
the embodiment of enlightenment, Kuan yin is the female
incarnation of the Buddha, mitigating the sufferings of
beings through her mercies!
Where
the Buddha is revered for his intellectual prowess and
wisdom, Kuan Yin is revered for the qualities of her
heart. Wisdom combined with the right blend of love,
justice blended with mercy, healing through purging are
all characteristic of this Goddess of mercy, healing and
justice. The Indian male Boddhisatva Avalokiteshwara has
transformed himself into the Chinese female Kuan yin who
is the ultimate Goddess of mercy!
The
name Kuan Yin is derived from the words Kuan Shih Yin,
translating as ‘observing or responding to the sounds
and cries of sentient beings on earth’. She is
depicted in flowing white robes that denote chastity and
purity, with a jar of water in one hand and a willow
branch in another. This depiction denotes her as the
harbinger of peace and harmony in places where these
cease to exist. The depiction of Kuan Yin as a Goddess
goes back to the fact that Avalokiteshwara had
supernatural powers to incarnate himself as a woman to
whom children as well as adults rush when in need, as
one would rush to one’s mother in times of turmoil.
Kuan
yin in the tang dynasty
In
the Tang dynasty of China, Kuan Yin is depicted as
carrying a fish basket. Fishermen prayed to her to
ensure safety in the seas and for a good catch!
According
to another legend, Kuan Yin was Miao
Shan, a princess who was coerced by her father the king
to marry a wealthy merchant. But Miao Shan refused, as
she desired to become a nun! When the king didn’t
relent, she consented to the marriage if three of her
wishes were granted. The wishes were if her marriage
were to ease the sufferings as a result of old-age,
illness and death, then she’d marry. But, when it was
pointed that only a healer could do that, she expressed
her wish to become a healer, a nun!
Upon
joining the monastery and upon being treated as a slave
by her father’s orders, even the animals helped her
with the daily chores. When the king planned to destroy
the temple, Miao Shan extinguished the flames and saved
the temple. Thus, she is represented to quell anger and
rage too. When your deeds are for the common good, every
creature becomes your ally. As Miao Shan found
supporters, one could seek strength by empowering and
strengthening others!
The
image of Kuan Yin is akin to that of Virgin Mary with
infant Jesus and that of Parvati with her sons Ganesha
and Skanda! Motherhood and patience go together even as
womanhood and grace go together. Patience and grace
being virtues of a yielding, yin force, depicts strength
in weakness; conquering in yielding! You become yang in
being yin!
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