Kuan Yin begins in Chapter 25 of The Lotus Sutra is called “The Universal Door of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva”. Buddha describes the masculine form of the Bodhisattva, allowing for seven references to the feminine form. Bodhisattva is Sanskrit meaning enlightened being or spirit.
Thirty-three Bodhisattva powers, capable of interceding for favorable outcomes in every conceivable calamity, are described in The Lotus Sutra.
The male expression of Guanshiyin as the great protector initiates the process that is saving what is valuable in the life experiences. He is the one who watches, who keeps his eye on the events unfolding in the world.
The female expression of Guanshiyin as the goddess of mercy carries the process of saving forward through receiving that which needs to be understood. She is the one who listens, who trains her ear for what is worth the keeping.
Avalokitesvara is an enlightened being who is a manifestation of all Buddhas' compassion. In Sanskrit, his name means “down looking one.” He is the male embodiment of mercy and compassion. His thousand arms and eyes represents him as ever on the outlook to discover distress and to succor the troubled. The Dalai Lamas of Tibet are believed to be his incarnations.
As Buddhism spread through China, the Bodhisattva of Compassion became the Great Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin, represented by a female figure bearing a child in her arms. The feminine expression of bodhisattva has grown in the hearts and minds of the Chinese for centuries. She, like the Christian Mary, the mother of Jesus, hears the sounds of the world as millions pray to her every day seeking relief and protection. 
Now, in the West, in the United States at a place called the Peace Dome, Avalokiteshvara and Kuan Yin come together, uniting in a translation of the Kuan Yin Verses that transcends the senses allowing the Spirit of the aspirant to ascend. This Kuan Yin becomes the union of consciousness, being "neither-either, yet both." The Inner Teacher, Atman is born.
History comes alive in you, as you divine your path as a enlightened being. The Kuan Yin Verses contained in the The TARAKA YOGA of KUAN YIN are here to serve as a lantern on your path.•
Recent Comments