HAYWIRE Issue 2 Fall 2013
“Guan Yin is often loved
beyond the other deities, for
she postponed her own
eternal bliss to help human
beings”
Holy Perspectives
Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy
By Carina Kühne, 9th Grade
About 2,000 years ago Buddhism was first brought
into China from India during the Han Dynasty, and was,
with time, accepted by more and more people (Kaestle).
Buddhism not only introduced a new religion to China,
but also influenced the culture, such as art and literature,
and the way that people thought. Buddhism eventually
became one of the most widespread religions in China,
with circa 185 million followers. In Chinese Buddhism,
a bodhisattva is believed to be a spiritually enlightened
being who aims to achieve Buddhahood, the ultimate
state of perfect enlightenment. One of the many Chinese
bodhisattvas, commonly known as gods, is Guan Yin.
Guan Yin, the very popular “Goddess of Mercy”, has
various origins, forms, and a great cult of followers.
Guan Yin is generally represented as “the goddess of
compassion and mercy, the goddess of women and
children, of health and of fecundity” (Leach 655). In
Chinese Buddhism Guan Yin is one of the four supreme
bodhisattvas (along with Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and
Ksitigarbha). The name Guan Yin can be spelled in
various ways, including Guan Yim, Kuan Yim, Kwan
Im, or Kwan Yin. As stated by Kaestle, Guan Yin is a
short form for the original name Guanshiyin Pusa,
“meaning Observing the Sounds (or Cries) of the
World”. According to Carr, “she is revered today in
many parts of the world as the goddess of unconditional
love, compassion and mercy.”
After Guan Yin (originally believed to be male in
India) was introduced to China, she eventually became
female. “The cult of Guan Yin was introduced into
China about fifth century AD” (Ling 161). Per Carr,
Guan Yin originated from the male Avalokitesvara, an
Indian bodhisattva. Chinese depictions later showed the
deity with both male and female attributes. “In
Mahayana Buddhism, to which Chinese Buddhism
belongs, gender is no obstacle to
enlightenment” (Kaestle) and bodhisattvas are believed
to be able to change into any form needed. Soon, around
the twelfth century, the image of Guan Yin as a female
was prevalent, says Klaus Kaestle. In Chinese Buddhism
she is still considered and portrayed as a female. It was
as a great female divinity that Guan Yin obtained a high
place in Chinese popular religion as the “protectress of
women and children, bestower of children and the allcompassionate Mother-Goddess” (Ling 161).
Guan Yin is described in many different tales, and
“numerous legends and stories have arisen in China
regarding her origin, life and saving activities” (Ling
161). Anthony Christie writes on page 99 that she is
believed by many to have been born to the Buddhist
sanctuary Budo Shan in the Jusan islands on a water lily.
In fact, her Sanskrit name, Padma Pani, means “Born of
the Lotus”, the lotus often symbolizing love,
compassion, or purity of the spirit. Others are sure that
the Guan Yin was born as the compassionate Miao Shan,
the daughter of a ruler: “The Chinese princess who lived
in about 700 B.C. is widely believed to have been Guan
Yin” (Kaestle). Over time many stories have evolved
about the derivation of Guan Yin.
Some stories describe how Guan Yin supposedly
became a bodhisattva. The legends say that Guan Yin,
although she was kind-hearted and caring, had an evil
father. According to Klaus Kaestle, her father was mad
at her because she did not want to marry, but wanted to
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