Kwan Yin

Kwan Yin

Known as The Goddess of Mercy, Gentle Protectoress, Bodhisattva of Compassion, even the
savior of seamen and fishermen, she holds many titles. The spelling of her name varies, but it is
not so much the arrangement of letters as it is the effect that her spoken name produces on those
with a Buddhist background, similar to a reaction in the West when one is speaking of the Virgin
Mary. In both cases, it invokes the feeling of compassion and unconditional love. Indeed, her force
is compared to Mother Mary in the West, Green Tara in the Tibetan culture, the Virgin of
Guadeloupe in Mexico, and many other ancient goddesses, the matriarchy of old. You might call
her the Buddhist Madonna, or, as She calls Herself, “The Mother of all Buddhas”.

By her own words, she is a complex energy presence. Thus, when asked her about her
incarnations as “Kwan Yin,” this involves many persons that have embodied and reflected this
energy in their lives on earth, as far as we can understand. According to Sucheta’s channelings,
the closest association of Kwan Yin being linked to a person energetically in recent times is Miao
Shan, an ancient Chinese princess who was known for her great compassion. Here is a quote
from Kwan Yin about this:

“Although I am Bodhisattva, I am energy. I am not a person. Basically, the Kwan Yin energy was
never in one single body. It has always been a great part of the energy of all of compassion of all
the Universe. What you see in front of you [Marjorie] is one person who has been able to tap in and
release for a period of time, so that she can let us be a part of her reality and to share that with you
so that you can be encouraged, and that you can also bring forward the part of you that knows the
truth.”

The name “Kwan Yin” is a derivation of a Chinese name for the goddess that is this energy of
motherly compassion. This is really a description of her energy (“she who hears the cries of the
people”) which has become accepted as her name on earth. Although there are variations, the
feeling is the same. She responds to the heartfelt needs and anguish of the people of earth
regardless of background or belief.

Being one of the “mother” goddesses, she is especially connected to those in need of any kind of
help, be they sick, lost, frightened or simply in unfortunate circumstances. She is a great protector
and benefactor of the weak, the ill and especially the children and the babies. Many erect alters to
Kwan Yin, the “bestower of children” — the one who hears the prayers of anyone wanting to
conceive a child — to increase their fertility. There is a connection with the care of souls, both during
birth and after death. Taoists invoke her presence to free newly departed souls from the judgement
of the underworld. She guards the souls of the newborn and guides them to their new parents.

Her range of influence is vast, from China to Korea and Japan, all the way down into Malaysia. She
has super-ceded her Buddhist traditions and jumped into the realm of a more universally
venerated goddess, now known to those of many different faiths and sects. Her image can be
found on most any alter of worship in temples, homes, schools, shops, restaurants, out of the way
grottos and even on the dashboards of taxis.

Entwined in the faith of Buddhism, her first real appearance in literature seems to be around 400
AD. By that time, Buddhism had been around for nearly 1000 years, spreading from its birthplace
in India to China, and subsequently to Korea, Japan and Tibet. Devotees of Avalokitesvara, or
Avalokita, Bodhisattva of Compassion of Indian Buddhism, brought the concept of Avalokita to
China. There, Avalokita, or Kwan Yin, was adopted as a god in the male form and later was
gradually changed by some to resemble a female, lending a rather androgynous element to her.
By 1200 AD she was definitely a female portrayed in flowing robes.

Avalokita is depicted with many arms, hands and heads, sometimes with an eye in each palm
representing the ever watchful omnipresent mother, ready to immediately reach out in any direction
to alleviate suffering. In Buddhist mythology, it states that Avalokita was born from Amitabha
Buddha’s right eye, after which he proclaimed, “Om Mani Padme Hum” — Hail to the jewel in the
lotus — a sentiment of her preciousness to him. Some believe she is actually an incarnation of
Amitabha Buddha. The Chinese translation of the Sanskrit Avalokita is Kuan shih Yin, the full form
of the shortened Kuan Yin, or Kwan Yin.

It is said in ancient writings that she was embodied as Miao Shan (whose name means
“wonderfully kind one”), a Chinese princess who lived about 700 BC. This legendary Buddhist
saint is said to have spent nine years living on an island off the coast of China, healing, meditating
and saving sailors from shipwreck. This island became a place of worship and pilgrimage for
many, especially in one of the caves there, which was transformed into a shrine dedicated to Kwan
Yin.

She is called a Bodhisattva, literally a “being of bodhi, or enlightenment.” Bodhi is the spiritual
energy that produces an urge for enlightenment, emanating Wisdom and Compassion. The
Buddhas are the primary stream from this energy, the secondary stream from the Buddhas being
the Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva is any soul which has attained enlightenment and has freed itself
from the karmic cycle of rebirth, but which has forgone the bliss of Nirvana, the merging with the
Creator, in order to help all the rest attain their enlightenment. This is their vow. It is said that as
she was about to enter heaven, she paused at the threshold as the cries of the world reached her
ears, and she returned to help them. She is also called an Ascended Master, which essentially
means that one has learned all their lessons, transmuted their karma, and is not compelled to
experience being reborn into a physical body if they do not desire it.

In depictions she is shown with pearls of illumination in one hand; and with the other she pours
out “sweet dew”, the nectar of Wisdom and Compassion from a small vase, blessing all with
physical and spiritual peace. Her cupped hands are a symbol of the womb and the universal
feminine principal. She sometimes holds a sheaf of ripe rice, a metaphor for sustenance
supplied. The dragon is often seen with her, a symbol of wisdom, strength, and the power of divine
transformation. A Divine Mother, always there are children around her or being held by her. There
are two small attendants that show up periodically, a “young man of excellent capacities” and the
“daughter of the Dragon King,” both related to the legendary Miao Shan. As reference to fishermen,
sailors and water, she can be seen on a boat or a lotus flower crossing the sea, rising from the
sea on the back of a dragon.  Other things related to her are a dove, a scroll of prayers which are
the teachings of Buddha, a rosary of white crystal beads showing the rounds of rebirth, and a
willow spray with which she sprinkles the divine nectar of life.