19,400
edits
Kuan Yin/en: Difference between revisions
Updating to match new version of source page
(Updating to match new version of source page) Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
(Updating to match new version of source page) |
||
| (7 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
<languages /> | <languages /> | ||
[[File: | [[File:20100906172053!Liao Dynasty Avalokitesvara Statue Clear.jpeg|thumb|alt=Statue of Kuan Yin, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri|Statue of Kuan Yin, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. She is depicted here seated in her characteristic pose of royal ease.]] | ||
'''Kuan Yin''' is revered in Buddhism as the compassionate Saviouress, the Bodhisattva of Mercy. Beloved as a mother figure and divine mediatrix who is close to the daily affairs of her devotees, Kuan Yin’s role as Buddhist Madonna has been compared to that of [[Mother Mary|Mary the mother of Jesus]] in the West. Throughout the Far East, devotees seek her guidance and succor in every area of life. Altars dedicated to Kuan Yin can be found in temples, homes and wayside grottoes. | '''Kuan Yin''' is revered in Buddhism as the compassionate Saviouress, the Bodhisattva of Mercy. Beloved as a mother figure and divine mediatrix who is close to the daily affairs of her devotees, Kuan Yin’s role as Buddhist Madonna has been compared to that of [[Mother Mary|Mary the mother of Jesus]] in the West. Throughout the Far East, devotees seek her guidance and succor in every area of life. Altars dedicated to Kuan Yin can be found in temples, homes and wayside grottoes. | ||
| Line 19: | Line 19: | ||
According to legend, Avalokitesvara was born from a ray of white light that [[Amitabha]], the Buddha of Boundless Light, emitted from his right eye as he was lost in ecstasy. Thus Avalokitesvara, or Kuan Yin, is regarded as the “reflex” of Amitabha—a further emanation or embodiment of ''maha karuna'' (great compassion), the quality that Amitabha embodies. Devotees believe that Kuan Yin, as the merciful redemptress, expresses Amitabha’s compassion in a more direct and personal way and that prayers to her are answered more quickly. | According to legend, Avalokitesvara was born from a ray of white light that [[Amitabha]], the Buddha of Boundless Light, emitted from his right eye as he was lost in ecstasy. Thus Avalokitesvara, or Kuan Yin, is regarded as the “reflex” of Amitabha—a further emanation or embodiment of ''maha karuna'' (great compassion), the quality that Amitabha embodies. Devotees believe that Kuan Yin, as the merciful redemptress, expresses Amitabha’s compassion in a more direct and personal way and that prayers to her are answered more quickly. | ||
[[File:0000214 kuan-yin-on-a-dragon-2331AX 600.jpeg|thumb|upright|alt=Painting of Kuan Yin in Chinese style, riding a dragon in the midst of a turbulent sea|Kuan Yin riding a dragon. This image also represents Kuan Yin’s mastery of the water element, in the same way that Mother Mary’s mastery of the water element is depicted in images of her with the moon beneath her feet.]] | |||
In the [[Pure Land]] sect of Buddhism, Kuan Yin forms part of a ruling triad that is often depicted in temples and is a popular theme in Buddhist art. In the center is the Buddha of Boundless Light, Amitabha (Chinese, A-mi-t’o Fo; Japanese, Amida). To his right is the bodhisattva of strength or power, Mahasthamaprapta, and to his left is Kuan Yin, personifying his endless mercy. | |||
In Buddhist theology Kuan Yin is sometimes depicted as the captain of the “Bark of Salvation,” guiding souls to Amitabha's Western Paradise, or Pure Land—the land of bliss where souls may be reborn to receive continued instruction toward the goal of enlightenment and perfection. The journey to Pure Land is frequently represented in woodcuts showing boats full of Amitabha’s followers under Kuan Yin’s captainship. | |||
One of Kuan Yin’s principal emblems is the willow branch. According to Buddhist belief, she uses the willow branch to drive away illness and to sprinkle the nectar of wisdom and compassion upon all who invoke her assistance. In some Asian traditions prayers to cure disease were given while stroking the afflicted person with a willow branch. | One of Kuan Yin’s principal emblems is the willow branch. According to Buddhist belief, she uses the willow branch to drive away illness and to sprinkle the nectar of wisdom and compassion upon all who invoke her assistance. In some Asian traditions prayers to cure disease were given while stroking the afflicted person with a willow branch. | ||
Kuan Yin is considered to be the bestower of children, and so she is often depicted with an infant. In Taiwan there is also a legend that in one of her embodiments she was a mother and therefore is shown with her own child. | Kuan Yin is considered to be the bestower of children, and so she is often depicted with an infant. In [[Taiwan]] there is also a legend that in one of her embodiments she was a mother and therefore is shown with her own child. | ||
Kuan Yin is also often depicted standing on a dragon. The dragon for the Chinese people represents China and their divine lineage. It is also a symbol of the entire Spirit of the [[Great White Brotherhood]]. In its antithesis, the dragon is seen in the [[Book of Revelation]] giving power to the beasts. So a dragon is a thoughtform of a great hierarchy—whether embodying the forces of Light or the forces of Darkness. | Kuan Yin is also often depicted standing on a dragon. The dragon for the Chinese people represents China and their divine lineage. It is also a symbol of the entire Spirit of the [[Great White Brotherhood]]. In its antithesis, the dragon is seen in the [[Book of Revelation]] giving power to the beasts. So a dragon is a thoughtform of a great hierarchy—whether embodying the forces of Light or the forces of Darkness. | ||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
[[File:The Tiger Carries Off Miao Shan.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Painting in Chinese style of Miao Shan on the back of a tiger|Miao Shan being carried off by a tiger]] | [[File:The Tiger Carries Off Miao Shan.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Painting in Chinese style of Miao Shan on the back of a tiger|Miao Shan being carried off by a tiger]] | ||
It is widely believed that Kuan Yin took embodiment as the third daughter of Miao Chuang Wang, identified with the Chou dynasty, a ruler of a northern Chinese kingdom | It is widely believed that Kuan Yin took embodiment as the third daughter of Miao Chuang Wang, identified with the Chou dynasty, a ruler of a northern Chinese kingdom in the sixth century <small>B</small>.<small>C</small>. The king had seized his throne by force of arms, and he desperately desired a male heir to succeed him. Instead he had three daughters. The youngest, Miao Shan, was a devout child who “scrupulously observed all of the tenets of the Buddhist doctrines. Virtuous living seemed, indeed, to be to her a second nature.”<ref>Edward T. C. Werner, ''Myths and Legends of China'' (London: Harrap, 1922), chapter X. The following account is adapted from that source.</ref> | ||
She recognized the impermanence of riches and glory and desired nothing more than “a peaceful retreat on a lone mountain.” She told her sisters that “If some day I can reach a high degree of goodness.... I will rescue my father and mother, and bring them to Heaven; I will save the miserable and afflicted on earth; I will convert the spirits which do evil, and cause them to do good.” | She recognized the impermanence of riches and glory and desired nothing more than “a peaceful retreat on a lone mountain.” She told her sisters that “If some day I can reach a high degree of goodness.... I will rescue my father and mother, and bring them to Heaven; I will save the miserable and afflicted on earth; I will convert the spirits which do evil, and cause them to do good.” | ||
| Line 57: | Line 57: | ||
The king ordered that she be strangled with a silken cord. But a tiger leaped into the execution grounds, dispersed the executioners, put the inanimate body of Miao Shan on his back and disappeared into the pine forest. | The king ordered that she be strangled with a silken cord. But a tiger leaped into the execution grounds, dispersed the executioners, put the inanimate body of Miao Shan on his back and disappeared into the pine forest. | ||
Miao Shan’s soul, which was not hurt, was taken to the lower world, hell. She prayed and hell was transformed into a paradise. She was sent back to earth to resume her life there. Carried on a lotus flower to the island of | [[File:Statue of Guanyin, Mt Putuo, China.jpg|thumb|left|alt=caption|Thirty-three meter statue of Kuan Yin on Mount P’u-t’o, the sacred island-mountain that became a center of devotion to Kuan Yin]] | ||
Miao Shan’s soul, which was not hurt, was taken to the lower world, hell. She prayed and hell was transformed into a paradise. She was sent back to earth to resume her life there. Carried on a lotus flower to the island of P’u-t’o Shan—the sacred island-mountain in the Chusan Archipelago off the coast of Chekiang—she lived for nine years healing the diseased and saving mariners from shipwreck. | |||
It is said that once, when word was brought to her that her father had fallen ill, she cut the flesh from her arms and used it as a medicine that saved his life. In gratitude, he ordered that a statue be erected in her honor, commissioning the artist to depict her with “completely formed arms and eyes.” The artist misunderstood, however, and to this day Kuan Yin is sometimes shown with a “thousand arms and a thousand eyes,” thereby able to see and assist the masses of her people. | It is said that once, when word was brought to her that her father had fallen ill, she cut the flesh from her arms and used it as a medicine that saved his life. In gratitude, he ordered that a statue be erected in her honor, commissioning the artist to depict her with “completely formed arms and eyes.” The artist misunderstood, however, and to this day Kuan Yin is sometimes shown with a “thousand arms and a thousand eyes,” thereby able to see and assist the masses of her people. | ||
During the twelfth century Buddhist monks settled on P’u-t’o Shan, and devotion to Kuan Yin spread throughout northern China. This picturesque island became the chief center of worship of the compassionate Saviouress; crowds of pilgrims would journey from the remotest places in China and even from Manchuria, Mongolia and Tibet to attend stately services there. At one time there were more than a hundred temples on the island and over one thousand monks. The lore surrounding P’u-t’o island recounts numerous appearances and miracles performed by Kuan Yin, who, it is believed, reveals herself to the faithful in a certain cave on the island. | |||
== The bodhisattva ideal == | == The bodhisattva ideal == | ||
| Line 65: | Line 69: | ||
Kuan Yin’s ministration is very real and as ancient as the hills. The vow taken by the bodhisattva to stand with humanity is a sacred calling. However, she cautions us against taking it ourselves unless we thoroughly understand the service of these dedicated ones: | Kuan Yin’s ministration is very real and as ancient as the hills. The vow taken by the bodhisattva to stand with humanity is a sacred calling. However, she cautions us against taking it ourselves unless we thoroughly understand the service of these dedicated ones: | ||
<blockquote>Being one with all life, we are aware of all life in its manifestation from the highest to the lowest. This is part of the bodhisattva ideal, which is a part of those who are standing with humanity. And there are quite a number upon this planet, although few compared to those who go their own way of riotous living. It is a very high and holy order, and I suggest that you think long and hard about this calling before you respond and say, I will do the same!” | <blockquote> | ||
Being one with all life, we are aware of all life in its manifestation from the highest to the lowest. This is part of the bodhisattva ideal, which is a part of those who are standing with humanity. And there are quite a number upon this planet, although few compared to those who go their own way of riotous living. It is a very high and holy order, and I suggest that you think long and hard about this calling before you respond and say, I will do the same!” | |||
For when aeons pass and men are not moved by the flame that you hold, remember that you might wish that you had chosen another easier or more gratifying way. As the centuries pass, the thousands of years and the cycles, and the same individuals whom you have nourished by the power of your heart flame are involved in the same involvements in the world, you find that you cry out to God and say, “O L<small>ORD</small>, how long, how long will this wayward generation be in coming to the knowledge of their divinity and of the love of the sacred fire that we have held for so long?”<ref>Kuan Yin, “The Quality of Mercy for the Regeneration of the Youth of the World,” ''Pearls of Wisdom'', 1982, Book II, pp. ''120–21''.</ref> | |||
</blockquote> | |||
[[File:100598M-medres.jpg|thumb|alt=Kuan Yin, seated|Kuan Yin]] | [[File:100598M-medres.jpg|thumb|alt=Kuan Yin, seated|Kuan Yin]] | ||
| Line 85: | Line 91: | ||
When we invoke it, let us realize that our own [[Christ Self]] is our psychiatrist, our psychologist, our minister, our priest, our rabbi, our friend, the one to whom we should go daily to unburden ourselves, as the American Indians did. They made a circle around the camp fire at night and discussed the events of the day. And all that they didn’t like, they threw into the flames. It is the same principle that has been taught in every [[religion]] of the world. When we put it into the flame, we can go to bed at night in peace. Much insomnia is caused because we are not releasing our daily karma, our daily burdens; and therefore, we are not at peace with ourselves and with God. | When we invoke it, let us realize that our own [[Christ Self]] is our psychiatrist, our psychologist, our minister, our priest, our rabbi, our friend, the one to whom we should go daily to unburden ourselves, as the American Indians did. They made a circle around the camp fire at night and discussed the events of the day. And all that they didn’t like, they threw into the flames. It is the same principle that has been taught in every [[religion]] of the world. When we put it into the flame, we can go to bed at night in peace. Much insomnia is caused because we are not releasing our daily karma, our daily burdens; and therefore, we are not at peace with ourselves and with God. | ||
We have a need for confession, a need to tell God what we have done that is not in keeping with his Law. Until we tell him about it and ask for his flame of forgiveness to pass through us, we have that sense of guilt, fear, shame, and above all a separation from him. Today this is manifest in all kinds of mental and emotional diseases, split personalities, hatred of father and mother, hatred of children, and many other problems to which modern society has fallen prey. The path back to the guru, the Inner Christ, is calling upon the law of forgiveness. | We have a need for confession, a need to tell God what we have done that is not in keeping with his Law. Until we tell him about it and ask for his flame of forgiveness to pass through us, we have that sense of guilt, fear, shame, and above all a separation from him. Today this is manifest in all kinds of mental and emotional diseases, split personalities, hatred of father and mother, hatred of children, and many other problems to which modern society has fallen prey. The path back to the guru, the Inner Christ, is calling upon the [[law of forgiveness]]. | ||
Forgiveness is something we need to invoke not only for ourselves; we need to invoke it for every part of life—all who have ever wronged us, all whom we have wronged. [[Saint Germain]] teaches us that when we invoke forgiveness, it must be by a very intense love in our heart. We need to let each other know that we forgive and that we are asking for forgiveness. And it’s a point of humility to say, “I’ve done wrong, and I ask you and God to forgive me.” | Forgiveness is something we need to invoke not only for ourselves; we need to invoke it for every part of life—all who have ever wronged us, all whom we have wronged. [[Saint Germain]] teaches us that when we invoke forgiveness, it must be by a very intense love in our heart. We need to let each other know that we forgive and that we are asking for forgiveness. And it’s a point of humility to say, “I’ve done wrong, and I ask you and God to forgive me.” | ||
| Line 96: | Line 102: | ||
The foundation of the path of the abundant life or of science is forgiveness. It is the resolution of harmony between every part of God. It is an intense love action of the freedom flame. The energies of the [[violet flame]], the energies of God, are always pulsating, always moving, and they are transmuting the records of the subconscious. Forgiveness is the fulfillment of the law in Isaiah, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”<ref>Isa. 1:18.</ref> | The foundation of the path of the abundant life or of science is forgiveness. It is the resolution of harmony between every part of God. It is an intense love action of the freedom flame. The energies of the [[violet flame]], the energies of God, are always pulsating, always moving, and they are transmuting the records of the subconscious. Forgiveness is the fulfillment of the law in Isaiah, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”<ref>Isa. 1:18.</ref> | ||
[[File:HainanSanya2-cropped.jpg|thumb|alt=caption|upright=1.2|108-meter (354 ft) statue of Kuan Yin on the island of Hainan, in the South China Sea]] | |||
== The need to forgive == | == The need to forgive == | ||
If you expect forgiveness, then you must be ready to forgive seventy times seven, as the Master Jesus taught. “In small ways and in great ways, mankind are tested,” Kuan Yin says, “And the bigotry that remains in the consciousness of some is also a lack of forgiveness. Those who cannot forgive their fellowmen because they do not think or worship as they do—these have the hardness of heart that encases the flame of love and also prevents the flow of wisdom.”<ref>Kuan Yin, “Mercy: The Fire that Tries Every Man’s Works,” ''Pearls of Wisdom'', 1982, Book II, p. ''95''.</ref> | If you expect forgiveness, then you must be ready to forgive seventy times seven, as the Master [[Jesus]] taught. “In small ways and in great ways, mankind are tested,” Kuan Yin says, “And the bigotry that remains in the consciousness of some is also a lack of forgiveness. Those who cannot forgive their fellowmen because they do not think or worship as they do—these have the hardness of heart that encases the flame of love and also prevents the flow of wisdom.”<ref>Kuan Yin, “Mercy: The Fire that Tries Every Man’s Works,” ''Pearls of Wisdom'', 1982, Book II, p. ''95''.</ref> | ||
The mercy of the law is like a two-way street. It is the signal that you send to God and the signal that he returns. A two-way street means the give-and-take with God. If you expect mercy from God, then you must give mercy to every part of life. The fulfillment of the law of mercy must be for the ultimate liberation of each and every soul. Thus, as we forgive life, life forgives us. | The mercy of the law is like a two-way street. It is the signal that you send to God and the signal that he returns. A two-way street means the give-and-take with God. If you expect mercy from God, then you must give mercy to every part of life. The fulfillment of the law of mercy must be for the ultimate liberation of each and every soul. Thus, as we forgive life, life forgives us. | ||
| Line 105: | Line 113: | ||
Time and time again we have all heard the cliché, “Let bygones be bygones. Forgive and forget!” This is so true, because if you can still resurrect the memory of a wrong that has been done to you, then you have not truly forgiven. In order to forgive, the record and the memory must be dissolved from your consciousness. Kuan Yin tells us that if this is not the case, not only have you not truly forgiven, but “you have hardened your heart. You have stored the record as a squirrel with his nuts deep within the subconscious. Deep in the etheric plane, you have stored the record of that wrong. You have not released it into the flame. You have not been willing to let go and let God be free to express in those who have wronged you, in those whom you have wronged.”<ref>Kuan Yin, “A Mother’s-Eye View of the World,” ''Pearls of Wisdom'', 1982, Book II, p. ''87''.</ref> | Time and time again we have all heard the cliché, “Let bygones be bygones. Forgive and forget!” This is so true, because if you can still resurrect the memory of a wrong that has been done to you, then you have not truly forgiven. In order to forgive, the record and the memory must be dissolved from your consciousness. Kuan Yin tells us that if this is not the case, not only have you not truly forgiven, but “you have hardened your heart. You have stored the record as a squirrel with his nuts deep within the subconscious. Deep in the etheric plane, you have stored the record of that wrong. You have not released it into the flame. You have not been willing to let go and let God be free to express in those who have wronged you, in those whom you have wronged.”<ref>Kuan Yin, “A Mother’s-Eye View of the World,” ''Pearls of Wisdom'', 1982, Book II, p. ''87''.</ref> | ||
One of the best ways to accomplish this complete “forgiving and forgetting” is by the use of the science of the spoken Word, accompanied by visualization, in a mantra for forgiveness written by [[El Morya]] in his “Heart, Head and Decrees.” | One of the best ways to accomplish this complete “forgiving and forgetting” is by the use of the science of the spoken Word, accompanied by visualization, in a mantra for forgiveness written by [[El Morya]] in his “Heart, Head and Hand Decrees.” | ||
::::I AM forgiveness acting here, | ::::I AM forgiveness acting here, | ||
| Line 127: | Line 135: | ||
Kuan Yin reminds us of another facet of the flame of mercy as she says: | Kuan Yin reminds us of another facet of the flame of mercy as she says: | ||
<blockquote>For many of you I have pleaded before the [[Lords of Karma]] for the opportunity to embody, to be whole, to not have dealt to you in the physical the great karma of being maimed and blinded at birth that some of you have deserved. I have interceded with the flame of mercy on your behalf so that you could pursue, in the freedom of a sound mind and body, the light of the Law. Some who have been denied that mercy by the Lords of Karma are today in the institutions for the insane; for them it was meted that they should experience the agony of the absence of the presence of the Christ mind, that they might know what it is to defile that mind, that they might return in another life and appreciate the gift of reason, the gift to pursue the Holy Word Incarnate by the power of the Logos. | <blockquote> | ||
For many of you I have pleaded before the [[Lords of Karma]] for the opportunity to embody, to be whole, to not have dealt to you in the physical the great karma of being maimed and blinded at birth that some of you have deserved. I have interceded with the flame of mercy on your behalf so that you could pursue, in the freedom of a sound mind and body, the light of the Law. Some who have been denied that mercy by the Lords of Karma are today in the institutions for the insane; for them it was meted that they should experience the agony of the absence of the presence of the Christ mind, that they might know what it is to defile that mind, that they might return in another life and appreciate the gift of reason, the gift to pursue the Holy Word Incarnate by the power of the Logos. | |||
You do not realize how much has hung in the balance of your own life because mercy’s flame has been available to you. You have called and God has answered, and through my heart and my hands, mercy has flowed. I say this that you might also have the wisdom to understand that when mercy has been accorded for a time, you are expected to deliver the fruits of mercy, following the works of the L<small>ORD</small> and the way of wisdom.<ref>Kuan Yin, “Mercy: The Fire that Tries Every Man’s Works,” ''Pearls of Wisdom'', 1982, Book II, p. ''96''.</ref> | |||
</blockquote> | |||
The Bodhisattva Kuan Yin is known as the '''Goddess of Mercy''' because she ensouls the God-qualities of mercy, compassion and forgiveness. She serves on the [[Karmic Board]] as the representative of the seventh ray (violet ray). She also held the office of [[chohan]] of the seventh ray for two thousand years until [[Saint Germain]] assumed that office in the late 1700s. | The Bodhisattva Kuan Yin is known as the '''Goddess of Mercy''' because she ensouls the God-qualities of mercy, compassion and forgiveness. She serves on the [[Karmic Board]] as the representative of the seventh ray (violet ray). She also held the office of [[chohan]] of the seventh ray for two thousand years until [[Saint Germain]] assumed that office in the late 1700s. | ||
| Line 149: | Line 159: | ||
{{MTR}}, s.v. “Kuan Yin.” | {{MTR}}, s.v. “Kuan Yin.” | ||
''Kuan Yin’s Crystal Rosary'' booklet, introduction. | |||
Elizabeth Clare Prophet, July 1, 1988. | Elizabeth Clare Prophet, July 1, 1988. | ||