The Essence of Kwan Shih Yin

Originally a major Buddhist deity, Kwan-Shih-Yin (literally meaning 'hearing the cries of the world') is the Bodhisattva who Watches and Listens (for the cries of anguish of humans in distress).  The cult of Kwan Yin is a common factor in all Chinese religious sects and schools, and was probably introduced as early as the third century AD when the relevant sutras were believed to have first arrived in China.  By the tenth century, worship of Kwan Yin was widespread.  In Chinese Buddhism she is one of the five Celestial Bodhisattvas and also one of the four great bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism.  There are some who believe Kwan Yin to be an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha.

Commonly known in the West as the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin is by far the most popular of the deities on Chinese altars, trusted and loved my both men and women.  She is the personification of the Merciful who hears those who call upon her, and helps, even leading them to the Western Heaven of Amitabha.

The twenty-fifth chapter of the Lien-hua Ching (Lotus Sutra) extolls her virtues and describes in detail why she was given the name she bears.

Kwan Yin is frequently accompanied by her two aides.  One is a youth, Shan Ts'ai; the other is a maid, Yu Nu Niang-niang, who stands on her right.  Kwan Yin's popularity is also reflected by the number and variety of prayer books, tracts and other literature dedicated to her work, life, manifestations, etc.

Because of her immense popularity, Kwan Yin has long since been transformed from a purely Buddhist deity, to a radient popular religion goddess.  She is the giver of male children to the childless, and a loving source of help in time of need.  Kwan Yin is a saviour with boundless compassion; a comforter of the sick, lost, senile, frightened and unfortunate; a deity consulted about family problems and sickness.  She also protects seafarers, farmers and travellers.  Her blessings are relied on for prosperity in business, for health and happiness, and her images are much in evidence everywhere - both on altars and in virtually every household in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Among her many and varied tasks, Kwan Yin has one very important role, caring for the souls of the dead in the Underworld.  Taoists also invoke her during the rituals performed after burial to free the soul from the Ten Courts of Judgment in the Underworld.  The function of Ti-tsang Wang as the friend and protector of souls is also attributed to Kwan Yin, who additionally has all the attributes of Ti-tsang Wang and is just as familiar a visitor to the Underworld, to comfort and save, as he is.

Offerings to Kwan Yin usually consist of tea and fruit.  In many places it is said that it would be inappropriate to offer her meat as she is a vegetarian, though in some communities this taboo is limited to pork.  Tiny cloth or paper shoes are found on her altars in two temples in Hong Kong as offerings of thanksgiving for the safe delivery of a son.  Small squares of beaten gold are also offered and hung round the neck of Kwan Yin images, again in thanksgiving

Many stories are told of her origin.  One of the most popular is about Miao Shan, the third daughter of a ruler of a Chou dynasty kingdom, who refused to marry and eventually was permitted to enter a nunnery.  She was given the most degrading duties in the nunnery, imposed at the request of her father.  When these failed to break her resolution, her father ordered her execution rather than allow her to sully the family honour.  However, the sword broke into a thousand pieces against her neck.  Her father then ordered her strangled.  As her breath died within her, a giant tiger was seen to leap forward and take her body between its jaws and disappear.

Her soul began its journey in the Underworld, but the kings of the eighteen Buddhist hells complained that the goodness and compassion of Kwan Yin was turning these hells into paradise.  The Emperor of Hell knowing that for there to be justice there must be both heaven and hell, ordered her soul to return to her body.  Now returned to life she lived in seclusion perfecting her Bodhisattva nature.  One day she heard that her father was incurably ill and so sent him a potion compounded of her own eyes and arms.  The cured king was so grateful that he turned from his evil ways to follow the doctrine of Buddha.  Seeing that it was his own daughter, whom he had treated with such hatred, who had made this sacrifice for him, he prostrated himself before her and begged her forgiveness.  Miao Shan replied, "I have felt no pain and in giving up these human eyes I shall have eyes of diamonds to see and arms of gold to replace my mortal arms if my vow is true.  Upon speaking these words, great clouds from heaven descended filing the air with sweet fragrance.  When they lifted, the thousand eyed and thousand armed bodhisattva Kwan Yin was revealed.