title: Scream 2

text: Principal photography for "Scream 2" took place over a nine-week period beginning in mid-June 1997 and on a budget of $24million. Atlanta, Georgia and Los Angeles were used to represent the state of Ohio, where the fictional Windsor College is situated in "Scream 2", with filming taking place largely in Los Angeles and over four weeks in Atlanta. The opening scene featuring the premiere of the fictional "Stab" film was filmed over three days in the Vista theater on Sunset Drive, Hollywood, the exterior represented by the Rialto theater in South Pasadena, California. Due to the large number of extras present in the scene, full details of what occurred were leaked onto the Internet shortly after filming completed which Craven cited as the production's first experience of a major plot leak. The sorority homes used by the character Cici Cooper and a nearby party were also filmed in Pasadena, east of Los Angeles. The fictional "Stab" film was filmed in Malibu, California. Agnes Scott College, just outside Atlanta, and UCLA in Los Angeles were used to represent the fictional Windsor College which appears in the film.


title: Scream 2

text: Following a script leak early into filming, security around the production was significantly increased, with a focus on closed filmsets and strict restrictions on what personnel could be present during filming and have access to the script, with all present required to sign non-disclosure agreements. The script itself was reprinted on specialty paper to prevent photocopying and was often destroyed after use.


title: Scream 2

text: Craven had difficulties passing "Scream" through the film-rating body MPAA to receive an R-rating to help the film remain commercially viable, sending eight different cuts and requiring the direct intervention of Dimension Films founder Bob Weinstein to eventually get the necessary rating to release the film without significant cuts.


title: Scream 2

text: Eager to avoid the same experience on "Scream 2", Craven attempted to manipulate the MPAA by sending them a version of the film that had been edited to focus on and enhance the gore and violence present beyond what they actually wanted in the film, including reusing a clip of Omar Epps' character Phil Stevens being stabbed in the ear three times, instead of only once as seen in the final film, and an extended scene of Randy Meeks' death that showed his throat being slashed. Craven's reasoning was that the parts of the film they wished to keep would be more acceptable when viewed with the enhanced violence and so the MPAA would force them to remove the footage they already did not want to keep while passing the content they did want. However, the MPAA granted "Scream 2" an R-rating for the more violent cut as they believed the underlying message of the film was significant enough to warrant the violence.


title: Scream 2

text: Marco Beltrami returned to helm the score for "Scream 2", though there would be a late inclusion by Danny Elfman in the form of the choral track "Cassandra Aria" which plays during a scene where Campbell's character performs in a play and again in the film's finale as "Cassandra Aria Reprise". Excerpts from the score of the 1996 film "Broken Arrow" by Hans Zimmer appeared in the film, in particular guitar work by Duane Eddy, for the character Dewey, replacing the tracks that had been developed for the character from the original "Scream" score. Beltrami would explain in an interview that the Zimmer piece was used as a placeholder for Beltrami's incomplete score during a test screening. The test audience reaction to it influenced the studio to keep the Zimmer piece, reducing "Dewey's Theme", which Beltrami had composed to fill its place, to minor use during more serious scenes involving the character. In 1998 Varèse Sarabande released a 30-minute album with music from "Scream" and "Scream 2", and in 2016 "Scream 2: The Deluxe Edition" was released including the Elfman material and the complete Beltrami score.


title: Scream 2

text: Matthew Lillard has an uncredited cameo appearance at a sorority party, after previously portraying Stu Macher in "Scream" (1996). He revealed in a 2009 interview that Stu was originally intended to be revealed as the killer in "Scream 3", having survived his apparent death in "Scream" (1996), retroactively making his "Scream 2" character also Stu; however, this plot was abandoned and the script was rewritten without Stu.


title: Scream 2

text: An alternate ending was planned to reveal a third Ghostface killer to be watching Sidney from her university roof, but the idea was scrapped.


title: Scream 2

text: The movie was mentioned in an episode of "The Office" ("Frame Toby"), with the character Michael Scott saying how much he loved it and drawing parallels to his life and Sidney Prescott's.


title: Scream 2

text: "Scream 2" held its premiere on December 10, 1997, at Graumans Chinese Theater in Hollywood followed by a general release on December 12, 1997, less than a year after the release of "Scream". After the unexpected success of "Scream", by late 1997, "Scream 2" was considered such a potential box office success that the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies" and James Cameron's future hit "Titanic" were moved from their release date of December 12 to 19 so as to not face the film as competition.


title: Scream 2

text: "Scream 2" opened in 2,663 theaters and took $32.9million on its opening weekend in box-office receipts, a $27million increase over "Scream", and went on to gross $101.1million in the U.S. and a worldwide lifetime gross of $172.4million. Its debut set the December opening weekend record until December 2000, being replaced by "What Women Want" (2000). It also achieved the highest December weekend gross for two weeks until it was overtaken by "Titanic". "Scream 2" enjoyed financial success on par with "Scream" despite its rapid production time and issues with script rewrites, nearly matching the first film's total gross of $173million. "Scream 2" is currently the third highest-grossing film in the slasher genre, again behind "Scream". "Scream 2" was the 21st highest-grossing film of 1997 despite competition from blockbuster films such as "Titanic" and "Men in Black".


title: Scream 2

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 83 reviews, with an average score of 6.90/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "As with the first film, "Scream 2" is a gleeful takedown of scary movie conventions that manages to poke fun at terrible horror sequels without falling victim to the same fate." On Metacritic, the film received a score of 63 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Scream 2

text: Both Gene Siskel and the "New York Times" Janet Maslin gave the sequel positive reviews despite their negative response to "Scream"; Maslin remarked that ""Scream 2" almost works as straight satire. It's so sharp—pardon the expression—that no pretty young things absolutely had to die." Roger Ebert stated the film was "about as good as the original" but lamented that "["Scream 2"] is gorier than the original, and that distracts from the witty screenplay." "Time Out London" was mixed in its response, calling the film superior to most other horror films but poor in comparison to "Scream", while "Variety", scathing of "Scream" before its release, positively received the sequel, saying "[characters] ponder whether any sequel ever topped the original. "Scream 2" is certainly worthy of being part of that debate." "Empire"'s Kim Newman echoed this sentiment saying "Some great comic—and terrifying—moments, but suffers for not being as original as the original" remarking that though the film had the same elements that made "Scream" a success, they were no longer surprising for having been in "Scream".


title: Scream 2

text: There was however criticism over the death of the character Randy Meeks played by Kennedy. John Muir, author of "Wes Craven: The Art of Horror" called the character's death the "most devastating moment of the sequel" and a "bad call" but praised the development of the other surviving characters from "Scream", calling Cox, Arquette and Campbell's characters "beloved". In contrast, Muir criticized all of the new characters in "Scream 2", believing they never attained the same depth of the "Scream" cast because of "Scream 2"s focus on increasing the body count and violence over the original, saying that the film's killer could literally be anyone as the audience is never provided with enough information about the new characters to form an opinion about them. Ebert also commented upon this, saying "there is no way to guess who's doing the killing, and everyone who seems suspicious is (almost) sure to be innocent".


title: Scream 2

text: "Scream 2" won few awards compared to its predecessor with Campbell again receiving the most nominations and wins, having won two awards on "Scream". She received a Saturn Award for Best Actress nomination and went on to win a Best Female Performance. Despite having only a brief cameo appearance as "Sidney Prescott" in the film within a film "Stab" shown in "Scream 2", Tori Spelling became one of the nominees for a 1997 Razzie Award for Worst New Star. The film also received Saturn Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for Courteney Cox and Best Horror Film for "Scream 2" itself.


title: Scream 2

text: "Scream 2" was released in US territories on VHS on December 1, 1998 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment (distributed in Canada by Alliance Atlantis). "Scream 2" was released on DVD for the first time in the US on July 22, 1998 with a Collector's Edition following on September 26, 2000, in "The Ultimate Scream Collection" and a separate release on August 7, 2001. The Collector's Edition featured additional material including outtakes, deleted scenes, the film's theatrical trailer, music videos of songs featured in the film and director's commentary. Both releases were undertaken by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Following the release of then series finale "Scream 3", the three films were collected in "The Ultimate Scream Collection" by Dimension Films on September 26, 2000, in a boxset containing "Behind the Scream", a short documentary about the production of the three films and additional material including screentests of actors involved in the films, outtakes and deleted scenes.


title: Scream 2

text: "Scream 2" remained unreleased in foreign territories including Europe and Japan until February 26, 2001, when it was released simultaneously with "Scream" and "Scream 3" by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Each film contained the additional content found in the Collector's Edition version of the U.S. release, including deleted scenes, outtakes, theatrical trailers, music videos and commentary from each respective film's crew. Additionally, the three films were collected together in a single pack as the "Scream Trilogy".


title: Scream 2

text: "Scream 2" was released individually and in a collection with "Scream" and "Scream 3" on Blu-ray on March 29, 2011, two weeks prior to the theatrical release of "Scream 4", by Lionsgate Home Entertainment. In addition to the films, each release contained audio commentary, theatrical trailers and behind-the-scenes footage. The film was released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on October 4, 2022, by Paramount Pictures.


title: Scream 2

text: The "Scream 2" original soundtrack was released November 18, 1997, by Capitol Records, a division of EMI. The soundtrack consists of 15 songs by various artists from the R&B, Rap and Rock genres, all but two of which - "One More Chance" and "The Race" - appear in the film. The album spent ten weeks on the "Billboard" 200, rising as high as #50, performing significantly better than the "Scream" original soundtrack which never charted. Music guide AllMusic however scored the album lower than its predecessor. AllMusic's Stephen Erlewine was highly critical of the album, believing the content was an attempt to compensate for the previous film's lack of a hit soundtrack, but the attempt had failed, creating an "uneven" album of songs not "good enough to make [the artists'] own albums", awarding it only 2 stars out of 5. Only one song featured in the film did not appear on the album, the original work, "Take Away the Fear", written and performed by Craven's own daughter Jessica Craven and Mike Mancini, which plays on a TV during an early scene in a sorority house involving Sarah Michelle Gellar. On February 4, 1998 "Scream 2: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, signifying that the album achieved sales in excess of 500,000 units.


title: Scream 2

text: The "Scream 2" original score was, as in "Scream", developed by Marco Beltrami and was released on July 14, 1998, by Varèse Sarabande on a CD which also contained tracks from the score of "Scream" entitled "Scream/Scream 2". The commercially released score for both films was found to be lacking many pieces heard in either film, consisting of only nine tracks – "Stage Fright Requiem", "Love Turns Sour", "Cici Creepies", "Deputy for a Friend", "Hollow Parting", "Dewpoint/Stabbed", "Hairtrigger Lunatic", "Sundown Search" and "It's Over, Sid" – with a runtime of only 17 minutes, compared to nearly 90 minutes of score developed for the film and the more common 30–45 minutes of music found in other original scores. The release was also found to be missing the track "Cassandra Aria" by Danny Elfman, described by soundtrack-review site Filmtracks as "a frenzied, choral-enhanced three minutes". The length of the released score was considered disappointing with some reviews considering the track omissions the result of the high fees required to be paid to composers in order to release their music commercially.


title: Scream 2

text: The influence of several other famous composers could be heard in the score including Hans Zimmer, Elliot Goldenthal, Ennio Morricone and Christopher Young. In particular excerpts of the Hans Zimmer's score to "Broken Arrow", particularly the tracks "Brothers" and "Secure", featuring guitar work by Duane Eddy, would become a component of the theme tune of the character Dewey Riley. Filmtracks was complimentary to the score, appreciating Beltrami's evolution of his work in "Scream" but remarked that the most memorable music of the film would be from other composers, Elfman's contribution "Cassandra Aria" and the samples from Zimmer's score, finding the replacement of Beltrami's work for the Dewey character with Zimmer's work "effective". Ultimately, the album was called unsatisfying without Elfman's piece but better than the score for the first movie and it was awarded 3 stars out of 5. The music guide AllMusic was more complimentary of Beltrami's contribution, saying the score "perfectly captured the post-modern, hip scare-ride of the Scream movies", and awarded it 3 stars out of 5.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara () and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She was first given the appellation of "Goddess of Mercy" or "Mercy Goddess" by Jesuit missionaries in China. Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World." On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated.


title: Guanyin

text: Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus, and then sent to the western pure land of Sukhāvatī. Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity" with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is mentioned in the "Pumen chapter" of "Lotus Sutra" and "Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra".


title: Guanyin

text: Several large temples in East Asia are dedicated to Guanyin, including Shaolin Monastery, Longxing Temple, Puning Temple, Nanhai Guanyin Temple, Dharma Drum Mountain, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, Shitennō-ji, Sensō-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Sanjūsangen-dō, and many others. Guanyin's abode and bodhimaṇḍa in India is recorded as being on Mount Potalaka. With the localization of the belief in Guanyin, each area adopted their own Potalaka. In Chinese Buddhism, Mount Putuo is considered the bodhimaṇḍa of Guanyin. Naksansa is considered to be the Potalaka of Guanyin in Korea. Japan's Potalaka is located at Fudarakusan-ji. Tibet's Potalaka is the Potala Palace.


title: Guanyin

text: There are several pilgrimage centers for Guanyin in East Asia. Putuoshan is the main pilgrimage site in China. There is a 33 temple Guanyin pilgrimage in Korea which includes Naksansa. In Japan, there are several pilgrimages associated with Guanyin. The oldest one of them is the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a pilgrimage through 33 temples with Guanyin shrines. Guanyin is beloved by most Buddhist traditions in a nondenominational way and found in most Tibetan temples under the name Chenrézik (). Guanyin is also beloved and worshipped in the temples in Nepal. The Hiranya Varna Mahavihar located in Patan is one example. Guanyin is also found in some influential Theravada temples such as Gangaramaya Temple, Kelaniya and Natha Devale nearby Temple of the Tooth in Sri Lanka; Guanyin can also be found in Thailand's Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Huay Pla Kang (where the huge statue of her is often mistakenly called the "Big Buddha") and Burma's Shwedagon Pagoda. Statues of Guanyin are a widely depicted subject of Asian art and found in the Asian art sections of most museums in the world.


title: Guanyin

text: "Guānyīn" is a translation from the Sanskrit "Avalokitasvara", the name of the Mahāyāna bodhisattva. Another name for this bodhisattva is "Guānzìzài" (), from Sanskrit "Avalokiteśvara". It was initially thought that early translators mistook "Avalokiteśvara" as "Avalokitasvara" and thus mistranslated "Avalokiteśvara" as "Guānyīn", which explained why Xuanzang translated "Avalokiteśvara" as "Guānzìzài". However, the original form was indeed "Avalokitasvara" which contained morpheme "svara" ("sound, noise") and was a compound meaning "sound perceiver", literally "he who looks down upon sound" (i.e., the cries of sentient beings who need his help). This is the exact equivalent of the Chinese translation "Guānyīn". This etymology was furthered in the Chinese by the tendency of some Chinese translators, notably Kumārajīva, to use the variant "Guānshìyīn", literally "who perceives the world's lamentations"—wherein "lok" was read as simultaneously meaning both "to look" and "world" (Skt. "loka"; Ch. 世, "shì").


title: Guanyin

text: The name "Avalokitasvara" was later supplanted by the "Avalokiteśvara" form containing the ending "-īśvara", which does not occur in Sanskrit before the seventh century. The original form "Avalokitasvara" appears in Sanskrit fragments of the fifth century. The original meaning of the name "Avalokitasvara" fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a bodhisattva. The reinterpretation presenting him as an "īśvara" shows a strong influence of Śaivism, as the term "īśvara" was usually connected to the Hindu notion of Śiva as a creator god and ruler of the world.


title: Guanyin

text: While some of those who revered "Avalokiteśvara" upheld the Buddhist rejection of the doctrine of any creator god, Encyclopædia Britannica does cite "Avalokiteśvara" as the creator god of the world. This position is taken in the widely used "Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra" with its well-known mantra oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ. In addition, the Lotus Sutra is the first time the "Avalokiteśvara" is mentioned. Chapter 25 refers to him as "Lokeśvara" "Lord God of all beings" and "Lokanātha" "Lord and Protector of all beings" and ascribes extreme attributes of divinity to him.


title: Guanyin

text: Due to the devotional popularity of Guanyin in Asia, she is known by many names, most of which are simply the localised pronunciations of "Guanyin" or "Guanshiyin":


title: Guanyin

text: In these same countries, the variant "Guanzizai" "Lord of Contemplation" and its equivalents are also used, such as in the "Heart Sutra", among other sources.


title: Guanyin

text: The "Lotus Sūtra" (Sanskrit "Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra") is generally accepted to be the earliest literature teaching about the doctrines of Avalokiteśvara. These are found in the twenty fifth chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. This chapter is devoted to Avalokitesvara, describing him as a compassionate bodhisattva who hears the cries of sentient beings, and who works tirelessly to help those who call upon his name.


title: Guanyin

text: The "Lotus Sutra" describes Avalokiteśvara as a bodhisattva who can take the form of any type of god including Indra or Brahma; any type of Buddha, any type of king or Chakravartin or even any kind of Heavenly Guardian including Vajrapani and Vaisravana as well as any gender male or female, adult or child, human or non-human being, in order to teach the Dharma to sentient beings. Folk traditions in China and other East Asian countries have added many distinctive characteristics and legends to Guanyin c.q. Avalokiteśvara. Avalokiteśvara was originally depicted as a male bodhisattva, and therefore wears chest-revealing clothing and may even sport a light moustache. Although this depiction still exists in the Far East, Guanyin is more often depicted as a woman in modern times. Additionally, some people believe that Guanyin is androgynous or perhaps without gender.


title: Guanyin

text: A total of 33 different manifestations of Avalokitasvara are described, including female manifestations, all to suit the minds of various beings. Chapter 25 consists of both a prose and a verse section. This earliest source often circulates separately as its own sūtra, called the "Avalokitasvara Sūtra" (Ch. ), and is commonly recited or chanted at Buddhist temples in East Asia. The "Lotus Sutra" and its thirty-three manifestations of Guanyin, of which seven are female manifestations, is known to have been very popular in Chinese Buddhism as early as in the Sui and Tang dynasties. Additionally, Tan Chung notes that according to the doctrines of the Mahāyāna sūtras themselves, it does not matter whether Guanyin is male, female, or genderless, as the ultimate reality is in emptiness (Skt. "śūnyatā").


title: Guanyin

text: Representations of the bodhisattva in China prior to the Song dynasty (960–1279) were masculine in appearance. Images which later displayed attributes of both genders are believed to be in accordance with the Lotus Sutra, where Avalokitesvara has the supernatural power of assuming any form required to relieve suffering, and also has the power to grant children. Because this bodhisattva is considered the personification of compassion and kindness, a mother goddess and patron of mothers and seamen, the representation in China was further interpreted in an all-female form around the 12th century. On occasion, Guanyin is also depicted holding an infant in order to further stress the relationship between the bodhisattva, maternity, and birth. In the modern period, Guanyin is most often represented as a beautiful, white-robed woman, a depiction which derives from the earlier "Pandaravasini" form.


title: Guanyin

text: In some Buddhist temples and monasteries, Guanyin's image is occasionally that of a young man dressed in Northern Song Buddhist robes and seated gracefully. He is usually depicted looking or glancing down, symbolising that Guanyin continues to watch over the world.


title: Guanyin

text: In China, Guanyin is generally portrayed as a young woman wearing a flowing white robe, and usually also necklaces symbolic of Indian or Chinese royalty. In her left hand is a jar containing pure water, and the right holds a willow branch. The crown usually depicts the image of Amitābha.


title: Guanyin

text: There are also regional variations of Guanyin depictions. In Fujian, for example, a popular depiction of Guanyin is as a maiden dressed in Tang hanfu carrying a fish basket. A popular image of Guanyin as both Guanyin of the South Sea and Guanyin with a Fish Basket can be seen in late 16th-century Chinese encyclopedias and in prints that accompany the novel "Golden Lotus".


title: Guanyin

text: In Chinese art, Guanyin is often depicted either alone, standing atop a dragon, accompanied by a white cockatoo and flanked by two children or two warriors. The two children are her acolytes who came to her when she was meditating at Mount Putuo. The girl is called Longnü and the boy Shancai. The two warriors are the historical general Guan Yu from the late Han dynasty and the bodhisattva Skanda, who appears in the Chinese classical novel "Fengshen Yanyi". The Buddhist tradition also displays Guanyin, or other buddhas and bodhisattvas, flanked with the above-mentioned warriors, but as bodhisattvas who protect the temple and the faith itself. In Pure Land Buddhist traditions, Guanyin is often depicted and venerated with the Buddha Amitabha and the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta as part of a trio collective called the "Three Saints of the West" (Chinese: 西方三聖; Pinyin: Xīfāng sānshèng).


title: Guanyin

text: In Chinese mythology, Guanyin (觀音) is the goddess of mercy and considered to be the physical embodiment of compassion. She is an all-seeing, all-hearing being who is called upon by worshipers in times of uncertainty, despair, and fear. Guanyin is originally based on the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Avalokiteśvara's myth spread throughout China during the advent of Buddhism and mixed with local folklore in a process known as syncretism to become the modern day understanding of Guanyin. He is the one who is the dharma protector and who restores the peace in the world. His idols and temples are mostly found in mountains and hilly terrain (Kurunji regions). He has arupadai veedu (six war homes) in the modern Indian State of Tamil Nadu, which has nothing but temples and the Murugan (Guhn/Kugan, also called Kandhan) idols, which are made with secret herbs by agasthiyar sitthar, and which can produce cosmic energy and the water/milk after getting down from the idol. They are valuable and considered as sacred (it is believed to contain medical properties to cure many diseases since the idol was made with secret herbs).


title: Guanyin

text: According to the twenty-fifth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, one of the most popular sacred texts in the Buddhist canon, describes thirty-three specific manifestations that Guanyin can assume to assist other beings seeking salvation. These forms encompass a Buddha, a pratyekabuddha, an arhat, King Brahma, Sakra (Indra), Isvara, Mahesvara (Shiva), a great heavenly general, Vaiśravaṇa, a Cakravartin, a minor king, an elder, a householder, a chief minister, a Brahmin, a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a Upāsaka, a Upāsikā, a wife, a young boy, a young girl, a deva, a nāga, a yaksha, a gandharva, an asura, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a Mahoraga, a human, a non-human and Vajrapani. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra also mentions thirty-two manifestations of Guanyin, which follow closely those in the Lotus Sutra, with the omission of Vajrapani, and the substitution of Vaiśravaṇa (Heavenly King of the North) with the Four Heavenly Kings. These manifestations of Guanyin have been nativized in China and Japan to form a traditional list of iconographic forms corresponding to each manifestation.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin is also venerated in various other forms. In the Chinese Tiantai and Tangmi and the Japanese Shingon and Tendai traditions, Guanyin can take on six forms, each corresponding to a particular realm of samsara. This grouping originates from the "Mohe Zhiguan" (Chinese: 摩訶止観; Pinyin: "Móhē Zhǐguān)" written by the Tiantai patriarch Zhiyi (538–597) and are attested to in various other textual sources, such as the Essential Record of The Efficacy of The Three Jewels (Chinese: 三寶感應要略錄; Pinyin: "Sānbǎo Gǎnyìng Yàolüèlù"). They are:


title: Guanyin

text: In China, the Thousand-Armed manifestation of Guanyin is the most popular among her different esoteric forms. In the Karandavyuha Sutra, the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin (Chinese: 千手千眼觀音; pinyin: Q"iānshǒu Qiānyǎn Guānyīn") is described as being superior to all gods and buddhas of the Indian pantheon. The Sutra also states that "it is easier to count all the leaves of every tree of every forest and all the grains of sand in the universe than to count the blessings and power of Avalokiteshvara". This version of Guanyin with a thousand arms depicting the power of all gods also shows various buddhas in the crown depicting the wisdom of all buddhas. In temples and monasteries in China, iconographic depictions of this manifestation of Guanyin is often combined with iconographic depiction of her Eleven-Headed manifestation to form statues with a thousand arms as well as eleven heads. The mantra associated with this manifestation, the Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī, is one of the most popular mantras commonly recited in East Asian Buddhism. In Chinese Buddhism, the popularity of the mantra influenced the creation of an esoteric repentance ceremony known as the Ritual of Great Compassion Repentance (Chinese: 大悲懺法會; Pinyin: "Dàbēi Chànfǎ Huì") during the Song dynasty (960-1279) by the Tiantai monk Siming Zhili (Chinese: 四明知禮; Pinyin: "Sìmíng Zhīlǐ"), which is still regularly performed in modern Chinese Buddhist temples in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas Chinese communities. One Chinese Buddhist legend from the "Complete Tale of Guanyin and the Southern Seas" () presents Guanyin as vowing to never rest until she had freed all sentient beings from saṃsāra or cycle of rebirth. Despite strenuous effort, she realised that there were still many unhappy beings yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, her head split into eleven pieces. The buddha Amitābha, upon seeing her plight, gave her eleven heads to help her hear the cries of those who are suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokiteśvara attempted to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that her two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitābha came to her aid and appointed her a thousand arms to let her reach out to those in need. Many Himalayan versions of the tale include eight arms with which Avalokitesvara skillfully upholds the dharma, each possessing its own particular implement, while more Chinese-specific versions give varying accounts of this number. In Japan, statues of this nature can be found at the Sanjūsangen-dō temple of Kyoto.


title: Guanyin

text: In both Chinese Buddhism and Japanese Buddhism, Hayagriva Guanyin (lit. "Horse Headed Guanyin") is venerated as a guardian protector of travel and transportation, especially for cars. His statue is placed at the entrance and exits of some Chinese Buddhist temples to bless visitors. In certain Chinese Buddhist temples, visitors are also allowed to have their license plates enshrined in front of an image of this deity to invoke his protection over their vehicle. He is also counted as one of the 500 Arhats, where he is known as Mǎtóu Zūnzhě 馬頭尊者 (lit. "The Venerable Horse Head"). In Taoism, Hayagriva Guanyin was syncretized and incorporated within the Taoist pantheon as the god Mǎ Wáng 馬王 (lit. Horse King), who is associated with fire. In this form, he is usually portrayed with 6 arms and a third eye on the forehead.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin's Cundī manifestation is an esoteric form of Guanyin that is venerated widely in China and Japan. The first textual source of Cundī and the Cundī Dhāraṇī is the "Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra", a sūtra centered around the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara that introduced the popular mantra "oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ". This text is first dated to around the late 4th century CE to the early 5th century CE. Cundī and the Cundī Dhāraṇī are also featured in the Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra, which was translated three times from Sanskrit into Chinese in the late 7th century and early 8th century by the Indian esoteric masters Divākara (685 CE), Vajrabodhi (723 CE), and Amoghavajra (8th century). In iconographic form, she is depicted with eighteen arms, all wielding different implements and weaponry that symbolize skillful means of the Dharma, sitting on a lotus flower. This manifestation is also referred to as the "Mother of the Seventy Million [Buddhas]" (Chinese: 七俱胝佛母; pinyin: "Qījùzhī fómǔ"). Her mantra, the Mahācundi Dhāraṇī (Chinese: 準提神咒; pinyin: "Zhǔntí Shénzhòu"), is one of the Ten Small Mantras (Chinese: 十小咒; pinyin: "Shí xiǎo zhòu"), which are a collection of dharanis that are commonly recited in Chinese Buddhist temples during morning liturgical services specifically.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin's Cintāmaṇicakra manifestation is also widely venerated in China and Japan. In iconographic form, this manifestation is often portrayed as having six arms, with his first right hand touches the cheek in a pensive mudra, his second right hand holds a wish granting jewel (cintamani), his third right hand holds prayer beads, his first left hand holds Mount Meru, his second left hand holds a lotus flower and the third left hand holds a Dharma wheel (cakra). Her mantra, the Cintāmaṇicakra Dharani (Chinese: 如意寶輪王陀羅尼; pinyin: "Rúyì Bǎolún Wáng Tuóluóní"), is also one of the Ten Small Mantras.


title: Guanyin

text: In China, it is said that fishermen used to pray to her to ensure safe voyages. The titles "Guanyin of the Southern Ocean" () and "Guanyin (of/on) the Island" stem from this tradition.


title: Guanyin

text: Another story from the "Precious Scroll of Fragrant Mountain" () describes an incarnation of Guanyin as the daughter of a cruel king Miaozhuang Wang who wanted her to marry a wealthy but uncaring man. The story is usually ascribed to the research of the Buddhist monk Jiang Zhiqi during the 11th century. The story is likely to have its origin in Taoism. When Jiang penned the work, he believed that the Guanyin we know today was actually a princess called Miaoshan (), who had a religious following on Fragrant Mountain. Despite this there are many variants of the story in Chinese mythology.


title: Guanyin

text: According to the story, after the king asked his daughter Miaoshan to marry the wealthy man, she told him that she would obey his command, so long as the marriage eased three misfortunes.


title: Guanyin

text: The king asked his daughter what were the three misfortunes that the marriage should ease. Miaoshan explained that the first misfortune the marriage should ease was the suffering people endure as they age. The second misfortune it should ease was the suffering people endure when they fall ill. The third misfortune it should ease was the suffering caused by death. If the marriage could not ease any of the above, then she would rather retire to a life of religion forever.


title: Guanyin

text: When her father asked who could ease all the above, Miaoshan pointed out that a doctor was able to do all of these. Her father grew angry as he wanted her to marry a person of power and wealth, not a healer. He forced her into hard labour and reduced her food and drink but this did not cause her to yield.


title: Guanyin

text: Every day she begged to be able to enter a temple and become a nun instead of marrying. Her father eventually allowed her to work in the temple, but asked the monks to give her the toughest chores in order to discourage her. The monks forced Miaoshan to work all day and all night while others slept in order to finish her work. However, she was such a good person that the animals living around the temple began to help her with her chores. Her father, seeing this, became so frustrated that he attempted to burn down the temple. Miaoshan put out the fire with her bare hands and suffered no burns. Now struck with fear, her father ordered her to be put to death.


title: Guanyin

text: In one version of this legend, when Guanyin was executed, a supernatural tiger took her to one of the more hell-like realms of the dead. However, instead of being punished like the other spirits of the dead, Guanyin played music, and flowers blossomed around her. This completely surprised the hell guardian. The story says that Guanyin, by merely being in that Naraka (hell), turned it into a paradise.


title: Guanyin

text: A variant of the legend says that Miaoshan allowed herself to die at the hand of the executioner. According to this legend, as the executioner tried to carry out her father's orders, his axe shattered into a thousand pieces. He then tried a sword which likewise shattered. He tried to shoot Miaoshan down with arrows but they all veered off.


title: Guanyin

text: Finally in desperation he used his hands. Miaoshan, realising the fate that the executioner would meet at her father's hand should she fail to let herself die, forgave the executioner for attempting to kill her. It is said that she voluntarily took on the massive karmic guilt the executioner generated for killing her, thus leaving him guiltless. It is because of this that she descended into the Hell-like realms. While there, she witnessed first-hand the suffering and horrors that the beings there must endure, and was overwhelmed with grief. Filled with compassion, she released all the good karma she had accumulated through her many lifetimes, thus freeing many suffering souls back into Heaven and Earth. In the process, that Hell-like realm became a paradise. It is said that Yama, the ruler of hell, sent her back to Earth to prevent the utter destruction of his realm, and that upon her return she appeared on Fragrant Mountain.


title: Guanyin

text: Another tale says that Miaoshan never died, but was in fact transported by a supernatural tiger, believed to be the Deity of the Place, to Fragrant Mountain.


title: Guanyin

text: The legend of Miaoshan usually ends with Miaozhuang Wang, Miaoshan's father, falling ill with jaundice. No physician was able to cure him. Then a monk appeared saying that the jaundice could be cured by making a medicine out of the arm and eye of one without anger. The monk further suggested that such a person could be found on Fragrant Mountain. When asked, Miaoshan willingly offered up her eyes and arms. Miaozhuang Wang was cured of his illness and went to the Fragrant Mountain to give thanks to the person. When he discovered that his own daughter had made the sacrifice, he begged for forgiveness. The story concludes with Miaoshan being transformed into the Thousand Armed Guanyin, and the king, queen and her two sisters building a temple on the mountain for her. She began her journey to a pure land and was about to cross over into heaven when she heard a cry of suffering from the world below. She turned around and saw the massive suffering endured by the people of the world. Filled with compassion, she returned to Earth, vowing never to leave till such time as all suffering has ended.


title: Guanyin

text: After her return to Earth, Guanyin was said to have stayed for a few years on the island of Mount Putuo where she practised meditation and helped the sailors and fishermen who got stranded. Guanyin is frequently worshipped as patron of sailors and fishermen due to this. She is said to frequently becalm the sea when boats are threatened with rocks. After some decades Guanyin returned to Fragrant Mountain to continue her meditation.


title: Guanyin

text: Legend has it that Shancai (also called Sudhana in Sanskrit) was a disabled boy from India who was very interested in studying the dharma. When he heard that there was a Buddhist teacher on the rocky island of Putuo he quickly journeyed there to learn. Upon arriving at the island, he managed to find Guanyin despite his severe disability.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin, after having a discussion with Shancai, decided to test the boy's resolve to fully study the Buddhist teachings. She conjured the illusion of three sword-wielding pirates running up the hill to attack her. Guanyin took off and dashed to the edge of a cliff, the three illusions still chasing her.


title: Guanyin

text: Shancai, seeing that his teacher was in danger, hobbled uphill. Guanyin then jumped over the edge of the cliff, and soon after this the three bandits followed. Shancai, still wanting to save his teacher, managed to crawl his way over the cliff edge.


title: Guanyin

text: Shancai fell down the cliff but was halted in midair by Guanyin, who now asked him to walk. Shancai found that he could walk normally and that he was no longer crippled. When he looked into a pool of water he also discovered that he now had a very handsome face. From that day forth, Guanyin taught Shancai the entire dharma.


title: Guanyin

text: Many years after Shancai became a disciple of Guanyin, a distressing event happened in the South China Sea. The third son of one of the Dragon Kings was caught by a fisherman while swimming in the form of a fish. Being stuck on land, he was unable to transform back into his dragon form. His father, despite being a mighty Dragon King, was unable to do anything while his son was on land. Distressed, the son called out to all of Heaven and Earth.


title: Guanyin

text: Hearing this cry, Guanyin quickly sent Shancai to recover the fish and gave him all the money she had. The fish at this point was about to be sold in the market. It was causing quite a stir as it was alive hours after being caught. This drew a much larger crowd than usual at the market. Many people decided that this prodigious situation meant that eating the fish would grant them immortality, and so all present wanted to buy the fish. Soon a bidding war started, and Shancai was easily outbid.


title: Guanyin

text: Shancai begged the fish seller to spare the life of the fish. The crowd, now angry at someone so daring, was about to pry him away from the fish when Guanyin projected her voice from far away, saying "A life should definitely belong to one who tries to save it, not one who tries to take it."


title: Guanyin

text: The crowd, realising their shameful actions and desire, dispersed. Shancai brought the fish back to Guanyin, who promptly returned it to the sea. There the fish transformed back to a dragon and returned home. Paintings of Guanyin today sometimes portray her holding a fish basket, which represents the aforementioned tale.


title: Guanyin

text: As a reward for Guanyin saving his son, the Dragon King sent his granddaughter, a girl called Longnü ("dragon girl"), to present Guanyin with the Pearl of Light. The Pearl of Light was a precious jewel owned by the Dragon King that constantly shone. Longnü, overwhelmed by the presence of Guanyin, asked to be her disciple so that she might study the dharma. Guanyin accepted her offer with just one request: that Longnü be the new owner of the Pearl of Light.


title: Guanyin

text: In popular iconography, Longnü and Shancai are often seen alongside Guanyin as two children. Longnü is seen either holding a bowl or an ingot, which represents the Pearl of Light, whereas Shancai is seen with palms joined and knees slightly bent to show that he was once crippled.


title: Guanyin

text: The "Precious Scroll of the Parrot" () tells the story of a parrot who becomes a disciple of Guanyin. During the Tang Dynasty a small parrot ventures out to search for its mother's favourite food upon which it is captured by a poacher (parrots were quite popular during the Tang Dynasty). When it managed to escape it found out that its mother had already died. The parrot grieved for its mother and provides her with a proper funeral. It then sets out to become a disciple of Guanyin.


title: Guanyin

text: In popular iconography, the parrot is coloured white and usually seen hovering to the right side of Guanyin with either a pearl or a prayer bead clasped in its beak. The parrot becomes a symbol of filial piety.


title: Guanyin

text: Chen Jinggu is said to be related to Guanyin via the following story. One day in Quanzhou, Fujian, the people needed money to build a bridge. Guanyin turned into an attractive lady and said she would marry any man who could hit her with silver. Many tried, and Guanyin was able to accumulate a lot of silver ingots through this process. Eventually one of the Eight Immortals, Lü Dongbin, helped a merchant hit her hair with some silver.


title: Guanyin

text: The story continues with how Chen Jinggu grew up, studied at Lüshan, and eventually saved Northern Fujian from drought while defeating the white demon snake, but at the cost of sacrificing her own child. It is said that she died of either miscarriage or hemorrhage from the self-abortion.


title: Guanyin

text: Parallels have also been argued between the tale of Chen Jinggu and another Fujian legend, the tale of "Li Ji slays the Giant Serpent".


title: Guanyin

text: "Quan Am Thi Kinh" () is a Vietnamese verse recounting the life of a woman, Thi Kinh. She was accused falsely of having intended to kill her husband, and when she disguised herself as a man to lead a religious life in a Buddhist temple, she was again falsely blamed for having committed sexual intercourse with a girl named Thi Mau. She was accused of impregnating her, which was strictly forbidden by Buddhist law. However, thanks to her endurance of all indignities and her spirit of self-sacrifice, she could enter into Nirvana and became Goddess of Mercy (Phat Ba Quan Am). P. Q. Phan's 2014 opera "" is based on this story.


title: Guanyin

text: In China, various native indigenous forms and aspects of Guanyin have been developed, along with associated legends, and portrayed in religious iconography. Aside from religious veneration, many of these manifestations also tended to appear in medieval and modern Chinese Buddhist miracle tales, fantasy fiction novels and plays. Some local forms include:


title: Guanyin

text: Similarly in Japan, several local manifestations of Guanyin, known there primarily as Kannon or, reflecting an older pronunciation, Kwannon, have also been developed natively, supplanting some Japanese deities, with some having been developed as late as the 20th century. Some local forms include:


title: Guanyin

text: In Tibet, Guanyin is revered under the name Chenrezig. Unlike much of other East Asia Buddhism where Guanyin is usually portrayed as female or androgynous, Chenrezig is revered in male form. While similarities of the female form of Guanyin with the female buddha or boddhisattva Tara are noted—particularly the aspect of Tara called Green Tara—Guanyin is rarely identified with Tara.


title: Guanyin

text: Through Guanyin's identity as Avalokitesvara, she is a part of the "padmakula" (Lotus family) of buddhas. The buddha of the Lotus family is Amitābha, whose consort is Pāṇḍaravāsinī. Guanyin's female form is sometimes said to have been inspired by Pāṇḍaravāsinī.


title: Guanyin

text: Due to her symbolization of compassion, in East Asia, Guanyin is associated with vegetarianism. Buddhist cuisine is generally decorated with her image and she appears in most Buddhist vegetarian pamphlets and magazines. In fact there is a soil named after her called "Guanyin Clay". There are many benefits to eating this clay. Chaoqi (Chinese: 炒祺/炒粸) is a traditional Chinese snack. It is the dough pieces covered with Guanyin Clay, a kind of soil. The primary raw materials for making Chaoqi are flour, edible oil, egg, sugar, salt, and sesame. It has various flavors like milk flavor, sesame flavor, and five spices flavor. This vegetarian snack was traditionally taken on long journeys as the clay also helped to preserve the dough.


title: Guanyin

text: In East Asian Buddhism, Guanyin is the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Among the Chinese, Avalokiteśvara is almost exclusively called "Guanshiyin Pusa" (). The Chinese translation of many Buddhist sutras has in fact replaced the Chinese transliteration of Avalokitesvara with "Guanshiyin" (). Some Taoist scriptures give her the title of "Guanyin Dashi", sometimes informally "Guanyin Fozu".


title: Guanyin

text: In Chinese culture, the popular belief and worship of Guanyin as a goddess by the populace is generally not viewed to be in conflict with the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara's nature. In fact the widespread worship of Guanyin as a "Goddess of Mercy and Compassion" is seen by Buddhists as the boundless salvific nature of bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara at work (in Buddhism, this is referred to as Guanyin's "skillful means", or upaya). The Buddhist canon states that bodhisattvas can assume whatsoever gender and form is needed to liberate beings from ignorance and dukkha. With specific reference to Avalokitesvara, he is stated both in the "Lotus Sutra" (Chapter 25 "Perceiver of the World's Sounds" or "Universal Gateway"), and the "Śūraṅgama Sūtra" to have appeared before as a woman or a goddess to save beings from suffering and ignorance. Some Buddhist schools refer to Guanyin both as male and female interchangeably.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin is immensely popular among Chinese Buddhists, especially those from devotional schools. She is generally seen as a source of unconditional love and, more importantly, as a saviour. In her bodhisattva vow, Guanyin promises to answer the cries and pleas of all sentient beings and to liberate them from their own karmic woes. Based on the Lotus Sutra and the Shurangama sutra, Avalokitesvara is generally seen as a saviour, both spiritually and physically. The sutras state that through his saving grace even those who have no chance of being enlightened can be enlightened, and those deep in negative karma can still find salvation through his compassion.


title: Guanyin

text: In Mahayana Buddhism, gender is no obstacle to attaining enlightenment (or nirvana). The Buddhist concept of non-duality applies here. The "Vimalakirti Sutra"s "Goddess" chapter clearly illustrates an enlightened being who is also a female and deity. In the "Lotus Sutra", a maiden became enlightened in a very short time span. The view that Avalokiteśvara is also the goddess Guanyin does not seem contradictory to Buddhist beliefs. Guanyin has been a buddha called the "Tathāgata of Brightness of Correct Dharma" ().


title: Guanyin

text: In Pure Land Buddhism, Guanyin is described as the "Barque of Salvation". Along with Amitābha and the bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, she temporarily liberates beings out of the Wheel of Samsara into the Pure Land, where they will have the chance to accrue the necessary merit so as to be a Buddha in one lifetime. In Chinese Buddhist iconography, Guanyin is often depicted as meditating or sitting alongside one of the Buddhas and usually accompanied by another bodhisattva. The buddha and bodhisattva that are portrayed together with Guanyin usually follow whichever school of Buddhism they represent. In Pure Land Buddhism, for example, Guanyin is frequently depicted on the left of Amitābha, while on the buddha's right is Mahasthamaprapta. Temples that revere the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha usually depict him meditating beside Amitābha and Guanyin.


title: Guanyin

text: Even among Chinese Buddhist schools that are non-devotional, Guanyin is still highly venerated. Instead of being seen as an active external force of unconditional love and salvation, the personage of Guanyin is highly revered as the principle of compassion, mercy and love. The act, thought and feeling of compassion and love is viewed as Guanyin. A merciful, compassionate, loving individual is said to be Guanyin. A meditative or contemplative state of being at peace with oneself and others is seen as Guanyin.


title: Guanyin

text: In the Mahayana canon, the "Heart Sutra" is ascribed entirely to Guanyin. This is unique, since most Mahayana Sutras are usually ascribed to Gautama Buddha and the teachings, deeds or vows of the bodhisattvas are described by Shakyamuni Buddha. In the "Heart Sutra", Guanyin describes to the arhat Sariputta the nature of reality and the essence of the Buddhist teachings. The famous Buddhist saying "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form" () comes from this sutra.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin is an extremely popular goddess in Chinese folk religion and is worshiped in many Chinese communities throughout East and Southeast Asia. In Taoism, records claim Guanyin was a Chinese woman who became an immortal, Cihang Zhenren in Shang dynasty or Xingyin ().


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin is revered in the general Chinese population due to her unconditional love and compassion. She is generally regarded by many as the protector of women and children, perhaps due to iconographic confusion with images of Hariti. By this association, she is also seen as a fertility goddess capable of granting children to couples. An old Chinese superstition involves a woman who, wishing to have a child, offers a shoe to Guanyin. In Chinese culture, a borrowed shoe sometimes is used when a child is expected. After the child is born, the shoe is returned to its owner along with a new pair as a thank you gift.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin is also seen as the champion of the unfortunate, the sick, the disabled, the poor, and those in trouble. Some coastal and river areas of China regard her as the protector of fishermen, sailors, and generally people who are out at sea, thus many have also come to believe that Mazu, the goddess of the sea, is a manifestation of Guanyin. Due to her association with the legend of the Great Flood, where she sent down a dog holding rice grains in its tail after the flood, she is worshiped as an agrarian and agriculture goddess. In some quarters, especially among business people and traders, she is looked upon as a goddess of fortune. In recent years there have been claims of her being the protector of air travelers.


title: Guanyin

text: Some Buddhist and Christian observers have commented on the similarity between Guanyin and Mary, mother of Jesus. This can be attributed to the representation of Guanyin holding a child in Chinese art and sculpture; it is believed that Guanyin is the patron saint of mothers and grants parents filial children, this apparition is popularly known as the "Child-Sending Guanyin" (). One example of this comparison can be found in Tzu Chi, a Taiwanese Buddhist humanitarian organisation, which noticed the similarity between this form of Guanyin and the Virgin Mary. The organisation commissioned a portrait of Guanyin holding a baby, closely resembling the typical Catholic Madonna and Child painting. Copies of this portrait are now displayed prominently in Tzu Chi affiliated medical centres, especially since Tzu Chi's founder is a Buddhist master and her supporters come from various religious backgrounds.


title: Guanyin

text: During the Edo period in Japan, when Christianity was banned and punishable by death, some underground Christian groups venerated Jesus and the Virgin Mary by disguising them as statues of Kannon holding a child; such statues are known as "Maria Kannon". Many had a cross hidden in an inconspicuous location.


title: Guanyin

text: It is suggested the similarity comes from the conquest and colonization of the Philippines by Spain during the 16th century, when Asian cultures influenced engravings of the Virgin Mary, as evidenced, for example, in an ivory carving of the Virgin Mary by a Chinese carver.


title: Guanyin

text: The statue of Guanyin (Gwanse-eum) in Gilsangsa in Seoul, South Korea was sculpted by Catholic sculptor Choi Jong-tae, who modeled the statue after the Virgin Mary in hopes of fostering religious reconciliation in Korean society.


title: Guanyin

text: Guanyin is a central character in the popular Chinese mythological epic "Journey to the West" as well as its various derivative fictional works.


title: Guanyin

text: In the 1946 film "Three Strangers" the titular characters wish for a shared sweepstakes ticket to win before a statue of Guanyin, referred to in the film as Kwan Yin.


title: Guanyin

text: For a 2005 "Fo Guang Shan" TV series, Andy Lau performed the song "Kwun Sai Yam", which emphasizes the idea that everyone can be like Guanyin.


title: Guanyin

text: In her 2008 song, "Citizen of the Planet", Alanis Morissette refers to Kwan Yin as a global presidential figure in her idealised version of the world.


title: Guanyin

text: In the manga series "Hunter x Hunter" and its 2011 anime adaptation, the chairman of the hunter's association, Isaac Netero, has the ability to summon a giant statue of Guanyin and use her hundred arms to attack.


title: Guanyin

text: In the 2011 Thai movie "The Billionaire", also known as "Top Secret: Wai Roon Pan Lan" (), Guanyin appears to entrepreneur Top (Itthipat Peeradechapan), founder of Tao Kae Noi Seaweed Snacks, providing him inspiration during his period of uncertainty.


title: Guanyin

text: Fantasy author Richard Parks has frequently utilized Guanyin as a character in his fiction, most notably in the short stories "A Garden in Hell" (2006) and "The White Bone Fan" (2009), the novella "The Heavenly Fox" (2011), and the novel "All the Gates of Hell" (2013).


title: Guanyin

text: The 2013 Buddhist film "Avalokitesvara," tells the origins of Mount Putuo, the famous pilgrimage site for Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in China. The film was filmed onsite on Mount Putuo and featured several segments where monks chant the Heart Sutra in Chinese and Sanskrit. Egaku, the protagonist of the film, also chants the Heart Sutra in Japanese.


title: Guanyin

text: Kōdai-ji Temple in Kyoto commissioned an android version of Kannon to preach Buddhist scriptures. The android, named Mindar, was unveiled 23 February 2019.


title: Ampersand

text: The ampersand, also known as the and sign, is the logogram , representing the conjunction "and". It originated as a ligature of the letters "et"—Latin for "and".


title: Ampersand

text: Traditionally in English, when spelling aloud, any letter that could also be used as a word in itself ("A", "I", and, "O") was prefixed with the Latin expression ('by itself'), as in "per se A". It was also common practice to add the sign at the end of the alphabet as if it were the 27th letter, pronounced as the Latin "et" or later in English as "and". As a result, the recitation of the alphabet would end in "X, Y, Z, "and per se and"". This last phrase was routinely slurred to "ampersand" and the term had entered common English usage by 1837.


title: Ampersand

text: It has been falsely claimed that André-Marie Ampère used the symbol in his widely read publications and that people began calling the new shape "Ampère's and".


title: Ampersand

text: The ampersand can be traced back to the 1st century A.D. and the old Roman cursive, in which the letters E and T occasionally were written together to form a ligature (Evolution of the ampersand – figure 1). In the later and more flowing New Roman Cursive, ligatures of all kinds were extremely common; figures 2 and 3 from the middle of 4th century are examples of how the et-ligature could look in this script. During the later development of the Latin script leading up to Carolingian minuscule (9th century) the use of ligatures in general diminished. The et-ligature, however, continued to be used and gradually became more stylized and less revealing of its origin (figures 4–6).


title: Ampersand

text: The modern italic type ampersand is a kind of "et" ligature that goes back to the cursive scripts developed during the Renaissance. After the advent of printing in Europe in 1455, printers made extensive use of both the italic and Roman ampersands. Since the ampersand's roots go back to Roman times, many languages that use a variation of the Latin alphabet make use of it.


title: Ampersand

text: The ampersand often appeared as a character at the end of the Latin alphabet, as for example in Byrhtferð's list of letters from 1011. Similarly, was regarded as the 27th letter of the English alphabet, as taught to children in the US and elsewhere. An example may be seen in M. B. Moore's 1863 book "The Dixie Primer, for the Little Folks". In her 1859 novel "Adam Bede", George Eliot refers to this when she makes Jacob Storey say: "He thought it <nowiki>[Z]</nowiki> had only been put to finish off th' alphabet like; though ampusand would ha' done as well, for what he could see." The popular nursery rhyme Apple Pie ABC finishes with the lines "X, Y, Z, and ampersand, All wished for a piece in hand".


title: Ampersand

text: In Irish and Scottish Gaelic, the character is used in place of the ampersand. This character is a survival of Tironian notes, a medieval shorthand system. This character is known as the Tironian Et in English, the in Irish, and the in Scottish Gaelic.


title: Ampersand

text: In everyday handwriting, the ampersand is sometimes simplified in design as a large lowercase epsilon or a reversed numeral , superimposed by a vertical line. The ampersand is also sometimes shown as an epsilon with a vertical line above and below it or a dot above and below it.


title: Ampersand

text: The plus sign (itself based on an et-ligature) is often informally used in place of an ampersand, sometimes with an added loop and resembling .


title: Ampersand

text: Ampersands are commonly seen in business names formed from a partnership of two or more people, such as "Johnson & Johnson", "Dolce & Gabbana", "Marks & Spencer", and "Tiffany & Co.", as well as some abbreviations containing the word "and", such as "AT&T" (American Telephone and Telegraph), "A&P" (supermarkets), "R&D" (research and development), "D&B" (drum and bass), "D&D" (Dungeons & Dragons), "R&B" (rhythm and blues), "B&B" (bed and breakfast), and "P&L" (profit and loss).


title: Ampersand

text: In film credits for stories, screenplays, etc., "&" indicates a closer collaboration than "and". The ampersand is used by the Writers Guild of America to denote two writers collaborating on a specific script, rather than one writer rewriting another's work. In screenplays, two authors joined with "&" collaborated on the script, while two authors joined with "and" worked on the script at different times and may not have consulted each other at all. In the latter case, they both contributed enough significant material to the screenplay to receive credit but did not work together. As a result, both & and "and" may appear in the same credit, as appropriate to how the writing proceeded.


title: Ampersand

text: In APA style, the ampersand is used when citing sources in text such as (Jones & Jones, 2005). In the list of references, an ampersand precedes the last author's name when there is more than one author. (This does not apply to MLA style, which calls for the "and" to be spelled.)


title: Ampersand

text: The phrase ("and so forth"), usually written as "etc." can be abbreviated "&c." representing the combination "et" + "c(etera)".


title: Ampersand

text: The ampersand can be used to indicate that the "and" in a listed item is a part of the item's name and not a separator (e.g. "Rock, pop, rhythm & blues and hip hop").


title: Ampersand

text: The ampersand may still be used as an abbreviation for "and" in informal writing regardless of how "and" is used.


title: Ampersand

text: The last six of these are carryovers from the Wingdings fonts, and are meant only for backward compatibility with those fonts.


title: Ampersand

text: On the QWERTY keyboard layout, the ampersand is . It is almost always available on keyboard layouts, sometimes on or . On the AZERTY keyboard layout, is an unmodified keystroke, positioned above .


title: Ampersand

text: In URLs, the ampersand must be replaced by codice_1 when representing a string character to avoid interpretation as a URL syntax character.


title: Ampersand

text: In the 20th century, following the development of formal logic, the ampersand became a commonly used logical notation for the binary operator or sentential connective "AND". This usage was adopted in computing.


title: Ampersand

text: In C, C++, and Go, a prefix is a unary operator denoting the address in memory of the argument, e.g. .


title: Ampersand

text: In Pascal, the as the first character of an identifier prevents the compiler from treating it as a keyword, thus "escaping" it.


title: Ampersand

text: In Fortran, the ampersand forces the compiler to treat two lines as one. This is accomplished by placing an ampersand at the end of the first line and at the beginning of the second line.


title: Ampersand

text: Ampersand is the string concatenation operator in many BASIC dialects, AppleScript, Lingo, HyperTalk, and FileMaker. In Ada it applies to all one-dimensional arrays, not just strings.


title: Ampersand

text: Applesoft BASIC used the ampersand as an internal command, not intended to be used for general programming, that invoked a machine language program in the computer's ROM.


title: Ampersand

text: In some versions of BASIC, unary suffix & denotes a variable is of type "long", or 32 bits in length.


title: Ampersand

text: The ampersand was occasionally used as a prefix to denote a hexadecimal number, such as for decimal 255, for instance in BBC BASIC. (The modern convention is to use "x" as a prefix to denote hexadecimal, thus .) Some other languages, such as the Monitor built into ROM on the Commodore 128, used it to indicate octal instead, a convention that spread throughout the Commodore community and is now used in the VICE emulator.


title: Ampersand

text: In MySQL, has dual roles. As well as a logical AND, it additionally serves as the bitwise operator of an intersection between elements.


title: Ampersand

text: Dyalog APL uses ampersand similarly to Unix shells, spawning a separate green thread upon application of a function.


title: Ampersand

text: In more recent years, the ampersand has made its way into the Haskell standard library, representing flipped function application: means the same thing as .


title: Ampersand

text: In MASM 80x86 Assembly Language, is the Substitution Operator, which tells the assembler to replace a macro parameter or text macro name with its actual value.


title: Ampersand

text: Ampersand is the name of a reactive programming language, which uses relation algebra to specify information systems.


title: Ampersand

text: In SGML, XML, and HTML, the ampersand is used to introduce an SGML entity, such as (for non-breaking space) or (for the Greek letter α). The HTML and XML encoding for the ampersand character is the entity . This can create a problem known as delimiter collision when converting text into one of these markup languages. For instance, when putting URLs or other material containing ampersands into XML format files such as RSS files the & must be replaced with & or they are considered not well formed, and computers will be unable to read the files correctly. SGML derived the use from IBM Generalized Markup Language, which was one of many IBM-mainframe languages to use the ampersand to signal a text substitution, eventually going back to System/360 macro assembly language.


title: Ampersand

text: In the plain TeX markup language, the ampersand is used to mark tabstops. The ampersand itself can be applied in TeX with . The Computer Modern fonts replace it with an "E.T." symbol in the (text italic) fonts, so it can be entered as in running text when using the default (Computer Modern) fonts.


title: Ampersand

text: In Microsoft Windows menus, labels, and other captions, the ampersand is used to denote the next letter as a keyboard shortcut (called an "Access key" by Microsoft). For instance setting a button label to makes it display as rint and for to be a shortcut equivalent to pressing that button. A double ampersand is needed in order to display a real ampersand. This convention originated in the first WIN32 api, and is used in Windows Forms, (but not WPF, which uses underscore for this purpose) and is also copied into many other toolkits on multiple operating systems. Sometimes this causes problems similar to other programs that fail to sanitize markup from user input, for instance Navision databases have trouble if this character in either "Text" or "Code" fields.


title: Ampersand

text: Some Unix shells, like the POSIX standard codice_2 shell, use an ampersand to execute a process in the background and to duplicate file descriptors.


title: Ampersand

text: The generic URL (Uniform Resource Locator) syntax allows for a query string to be appended to a file name in a web address so that additional information can be passed to a script; the question mark, or query mark, , is used to indicate the start of a query string. A query string is usually made up of a number of different name–value pairs, each separated by the ampersand symbol, . For example, .


title: Jean Todt

text: Jean Todt (; born 25 February 1946) is a French motor racing executive and former rally co-driver. He was previously director of Peugeot Talbot Sport and then Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team principal, before being appointed chief executive officer of Ferrari from 2004 to 2008. From 2009 to 2021 he served as the ninth president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1966, Todt started his career as a rally co-driver and participated in World Championship rallies until 1981 when, with Guy Fréquelin, he won the Constructors' World Rally Championship with Talbot Lotus.


title: Jean Todt

text: Under Todt's leadership, Peugeot won four World Rally Championship titles (drivers and manufacturers), won the Paris-Dakar Rally four times, and twice won the Le Mans 24 Hours. During his time in charge at Ferrari, their teams won 14 Formula One World Championship titles (drivers and manufacturers). Also under Todt's leadership, Michael Schumacher won five consecutive World Drivers' Championships, from 2000 to 2004, and 72 of his 91 victories.


title: Jean Todt

text: In October 2009, Todt was elected President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA); he was re-elected in December 2013 and December 2017. Todt's most recent term as FIA President ended in December 2021.


title: Jean Todt

text: The young Todt was fascinated by motorsport and had special respect for drivers like Jim Clark and Dan Gurney. Borrowing the parental Mini Cooper to drive in rallies, he soon decided his greatest strength was as a co-driver. He first co-drove with Guy Chasseuil in 1966 and his talent for calculation, strategy and organisation quickly made him a sought-after navigator. By 1969, Todt was involved with world-class rally stars such as Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Rauno Aaltonen, Ove Andersson, Hannu Mikkola and Guy Fréquelin. He went on to enjoy success as a co-driver with Jean-François Piot, Ove Andersson, Achim Warmbold, Jean Guichet, Hannu Mikkola, Jean-Claude Lefèbvre, Timo Mäkinen, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Guy Fréquelin.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1981, as Guy Fréquelin's co-driver with Talbot, a Peugeot subsidiary, he won the manufacturers’ World Rally Championship and was runner-up in the drivers' World Rally Championship. At the same time, he was increasingly moving out from his role as a co-driver by participating in the management of the team and in relations with the FIA.


title: Jean Todt

text: He also represented the drivers in the FISA (Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile) Rally Commission from 1975 to 1981.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1981, he retired from competing as a co-driver and was appointed Director of Racing for Peugeot by the then CEO Jean Boillot at a time when PSA Peugeot Citroën was experiencing major financial difficulties as well as image problems. He applied his abilities as an organiser and strategist to the creation of Peugeot Talbot Sport, which he set up to spearhead the French firm's return to competition. He was the mastermind behind the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 and Peugeot 905.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1984, Peugeot returned to the World Rally Championship and, in 1985 and 1986, the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Group B driven first by Timo Salonen then by Juha Kankkunen obtained back-to-back manufacturers’ World Championship titles. In 1986 Henri Toivonen died driving a Lancia Delta S4 during the Tour de Corse rally and the FIA decided to drop the Group B class as being too fast and too dangerous.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1987, Todt adapted the 205 Turbo 16 to off-road rallies with the aim of competing in the showcase Paris-Dakar Rally. He became the centre of attention in the 1989 Paris-Dakar when he tossed a coin to decide between his two drivers Ari Vatanen and Jacky Ickx to ensure that their rivalry would not lead to one of them quitting and costing the team victory. From 1987 to 1990, he oversaw four successive victories in the Paris-Dakar with Vatanen and Juha Kankkunen. Peugeot subsequently decided to withdraw from off-road rallying and left the field open to Citroën who won the event with the Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid, based on the Peugeot 405 chassis.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1992, Todt won the Le Mans 24 Hours with the Peugeot 905 driven by Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas and Mark Blundell and, in 1993, again at Le Mans, three 905 cars driven by Geoff Brabham, Christophe Bouchut and Éric Hélary achieved a 1-2-3 victory.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1993, at the age of 47, Todt's 12 years with Peugeot Talbot Sport came to an end. He was recruited by Luca di Montezemolo, the new CEO of Scuderia Ferrari. On 1 July of that year at the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, he started in as the General Manager of the Racing Division at the head of a team of 400 technicians.


title: Jean Todt

text: He was the first non-Italian since Marco Piccinini to head the Scuderia. His challenge was to lead Ferrari back to success at a time when the team was experiencing some of the worst days in its history. The Italian team was undermined by internal quarrels and a production system that was partly delocalised. The Scuderia had won no driver's championship since 1979. Todt set about restructuring the management of the Racing Division.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1994, barely a year after Todt took up the challenge, Gerhard Berger won the German Grand Prix (Ferrari's first win in 4 years). Even so, Michael Schumacher's Benetton-Ford (world champion in 1994 and 1995) and the Williams-Renault cars of Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell and David Coulthard largely dominated the competition.


title: Jean Todt

text: At the end of the 1995 season, Todt asked the German double world champion Michael Schumacher to join the Scuderia.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1996, after winning the Spanish Grand Prix early on the season, Schumacher won two consecutive victories in first the Belgian and then the Italian Grand Prix. Todt then hired two former Benetton managers, the designer and aerodynamics specialist Rory Byrne and technical director Ross Brawn, to replace John Barnard.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 1997 and 1998 Ferrari missed out on the world drivers' title by a few points during the final races of the season, in 1997 behind Jacques Villeneuve's Williams-Renault and in 1998 and 1999 behind Mika Häkkinen's McLaren-Mercedes.


title: Jean Todt

text: Todt achieved his goal of reviving Ferrari by winning victories with Schumacher in five consecutive world championships (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), a first in the history of Formula One.


title: Jean Todt

text: On 1 June 2004, Todt was appointed CEO of Ferrari in addition to his title of General Manager of the Racing Division. In October 2006, three days after the end of the Formula One season and following the retirement of Michael Schumacher, he took up a new post as a Special Advisor for the Scuderia Ferrari.


title: Jean Todt

text: In 2007, he prepared the ground for Stefano Domenicali to succeed him as head of the Scuderia on 1 January 2008. Then, on 18 March 2008, he resigned his position as Special Advisor to the Ferrari board, to be replaced by Amedeo Felisa. He nonetheless remained a member of the board of Ferrari for a further year before resigning all his functions within the Italian firm in March 2009.


title: Jean Todt

text: In April 2009, he became President of "eSafety Aware!" for the promotion of the smart vehicles and new safety technologies, which enabled him to improve his knowledge of the internal workings of the FIA.


title: Jean Todt

text: On 16 July 2009, he officially announced his intention of running for the Presidency of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in the election that was due to take place in October. The day before, he had received the support of outgoing President Max Mosley, who had decided not to stand for re-election. He was the second contender to declare, the 1981 world rally champion Ari Vatanen having announced his candidature just a few days earlier.


title: Jean Todt

text: On 23 October 2009, he was elected President of the FIA (for what would become his first term) gaining 135 votes in comparison to Vatanen's 49. He was re-elected, unchallenged, for a second four-year term on 6 December 2013, and was again re-elected, unopposed, for a third four-year term on 8 December 2017. His FIA presidency ended in December 2021, with the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix being his last race which he would attend as president. He was later succeeded by Mohammed bin Sulayem.


title: Jean Todt

text: Since April 29, 2015, Jean Todt has been Special Envoy for Road Safety to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The new UN Secretary-General António Guterres confirmed him in this role in April 2017.


title: Jean Todt

text: Jean Todt also devotes his time to several charitable causes. He is one of the Founders and Vice-President of the Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière (ICM), an institute devoted to medical research for brain and spinal cord disorders, which was set up in 2005. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society since 2009, President of the Board of Directors of the Suu Foundation since December 2014, Tourism Ambassador for Malaysia (2009-2015) and member of the Board of Directors for the International Peace Institute (IPI) since June 2015. He has been a member of the IOC's Commission for Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport since April 2017.


title: Jean Todt

text: Since 2003, Todt has been an Honorary President of the Federazione Auto Motoristica Sammarinese (FAMS) and Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino.


title: Jean Todt

text: Todt has been living with the Malaysian actress and producer Michelle Yeoh since 2004. He has a son from his previous marriage, Nicolas Todt, an influential driver manager and former co-owner of ART Grand Prix.


title: SA80

text: The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle. The first prototypes were created in 1976, with production of the A1 variant starting in 1985 and ending in 1994. The A2 variant came to be as the result of a significant upgrade in the early 2000s by Heckler & Koch and remains in service as of 2020. The A3 variant was first issued in 2018 with several new improvements.


title: SA80

text: The remainder of the SA80 family comprises the L86 Light Support Weapon, the short-barrelled L22 Carbine and the L98 Cadet rifle.


title: SA80

text: The SA80 was the last in a long line of British weapons (including the Lee–Enfield family) to come from the Royal Small Arms Factory, the national arms development and production facility at Enfield Lock, before its weapons factory was closed down in 1988.


title: SA80

text: The idea dates back to the late 1940s, when an ambitious programme to develop a new cartridge and new class of rifle was launched in the United Kingdom based on combat experience drawn from World War II. Two 7mm (.280 in) prototypes were built in a bullpup configuration, designated the EM-1 and EM-2. The latter was brought into service briefly as "Rifle, Automatic, Calibre .280, Number 9". When NATO standardised on the 7.62mm rifle cartridge as the standard calibre for its service rifles, further development of these rifles was discontinued and the British Army adopted the 7.62 mm L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle semi-automatic rifle, a licence-built version of the Belgian FN FAL.


title: SA80

text: In 1969, the Enfield factory began work on a brand new family of weapons, chambered in a newly designed British 4.85×49mm intermediate cartridge. While the experimental weapon family was very different from the EM-2 in internal design and construction methods, its bullpup configuration with an optical sight was a clear influence on the design of what was to become the SA80. The system was to be composed of two weapons: the XL64E5 rifle (also called the "Enfield Individual Weapon") and a light support weapon known as the XL65E4 light machine gun.


title: SA80

text: The sheet metal construction and the design of the bolt, bolt carrier, guide rods and the weapon's disassembly showed strong similarities to the Armalite AR-18 which was manufactured under licence from 1975 to 1983 by the Sterling Armaments Company of Dagenham, Essex, and which had been tested by the British Ministry of Defence in 1966 and 1969.


title: SA80

text: During the development of the SA80, a bullpup conversion was made of an AR-18 and a Stoner 63 at Enfield due to the fact they could be used with stocks folded/without stocks which allowed the bullpup conversion and were later chambered in the experimental 4.85x49mm round. A bullpup conversion of the AR-15 was previously considered but the buffer tube in stock prevented the idea from reaching fruition.


title: SA80

text: Technically, in the mid-1970s, the 4.85×49mm round was seen as superior to the then existing version of 5.56mm M193 round in use by the US (for the M16/M16A1) and by other forces. (This was the expressed view of trials team members whilst demonstrating the XL64E5 prototype at the British Army School of Infantry at Warminster.) Development of small-arms munitions have a long and continuous life and it was estimated by the trials specialists from Enfield that this weapon would ultimately be superior in the 4.85mm configuration. For the 4.85mm round, both propellant and projectile were at the beginning of their respective development curves. Also, weight for weight, more rounds of ammunition could be carried by an individual soldier – a considerable advantage on the battlefield. It was regarded as probable at the time that the argument for the 5.56mm standard within NATO had more to do with the economics involved. Over the lifetime of a small-arms weapon type, far more money is spent on the munitions than the weapons themselves. If the 5.56mm supporters had lost the argument in favour of a British 4.85mm round, the economic impact would have been very large and political pressure undoubtedly played a part in the final decision.


title: SA80

text: However, after NATO's decision to standardise ammunition among its members, Enfield engineers re-chambered the rifles to the American 5.56×45mm NATO M193 cartridge. The newly redesigned 5.56mm version of the XL64E5 became known as the XL70E3. The left-handed XL68 was also re-chambered in 5.56×45mm as the XL78. The 5.56mm light support weapon variant, the XL73E3, developed from the XL65E4, was noted for the full-length receiver extension with the bipod under the muzzle now indicative of the type.


title: SA80

text: Further development out of the initial so-called "Phase A" pre-production series led to the XL85 and XL86. While the XL85E1 and XL86E1 were ultimately adopted as the L85 and L86 respectively, a number of additional test models were produced. The XL85E2 and XL86E2 were designed to an alternate build standard with 12 components different from E1 variants, including parts of the gas system, bolt, and magazine catch. Three series of variants were created for "Environmental User Trials". XL85E3 and XL86E3 variants were developed with 24 modified parts, most notably a plastic safety plunger. The E4's had 21 modified parts, no modification to the pistol grip, and an aluminium safety plunger, unlike the E3 variants. Lastly, the E5 variants had 9 modified parts in addition to those from the E3/E4 variants.


title: SA80

text: SA80 development was complicated from the start. One complication was at least three project staffing changes at the Royal Small Arms Factory, which resulted in repetition of testing several times. One problem with the design of the gun itself was that the cases would be ejected at constantly varying angles as it heated up and the rate of fire changed, resulting in a large ejection port. The conversion from 4.85mm to 5.56mm also caused a complication, as the rate of fire dropped but the pressure and time curve of the rounds were different. The 4.85mm round was based on the 5.56mm case in anticipation of the need to convert calibres. The barrel was changed easily, but the gas ports were much larger. Pressure problems had less of an effect on the LSW due to its longer barrel.


title: SA80

text: After receiving feedback from users and incorporating the various design changes requested, including adapting the rifle for use with the heavier Belgian SS109 version of the 5.56×45mm round and improving reliability, the weapon system was accepted into service with the British Armed Forces in 1985 as the SA80. The SA80 family originally consisted of the L85A1 Rifle, the L86A1 Light Support Weapon (LSW), and L98A1 Cadet GP Rifle. The first weapons were issued in October 1985.


title: SA80

text: The SA80 family was designed and produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock. In 1988, production of the rifle was transferred to the Nottingham Small Arms Facility owned by Royal Ordnance (later British Aerospace, Royal Ordnance; now BAE Systems), the site was previously known as ROF Nottingham. It was envisaged that the family would replace the L1A1 SLR, the L2A3 (Sterling) submachine gun, the L4 Light Machine Gun (a modernised Bren), and the L7A2 General Purpose Machine Gun as used at section level; regular infantry, Royal Marine units, and the RAF Regiment were to change over by 1987, remaining regular army units by 1990, remaining RAF units by 1991, Territorial Army units by 1991–3, and the Royal Navy by 1993. In 1994, production was officially completed; more than 350,000 L85 rifles and L86 LSWs had been manufactured for the British Armed Forces, with the former variant comprising 95% of the total run, while over 21,700 L98A1 rifles were produced for cadet use. The production line was broken up shortly afterwards, with the Nottingham facility itself closing in 2001. Upgrade programmes and requirements for spare and replacement parts have since been fulfilled by then British-owned Heckler & Koch, which later reopened the Nottingham site.


title: SA80

text: As responsibility for the funding and supply of the home defence regiments of the British Overseas Territories has been handed to the local governments of the territories (despite the regiments themselves coming under command of the national (British) government and being loosely integrated with the British Army), the SA80 was not automatically supplied to these units. The Bermuda Regiment adopted the Ruger Mini-14 in 1983, although small stocks of the L85 were also acquired for the purpose of familiarisation training as many of its personnel attend courses or attachments in Britain; the Regiment later acquired an additional 400 L85A2 rifles in 2015 to replace the Mini-14 as the standard issue rifle. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment, which is more closely integrated with the British Army, adopted the SA80 from the outset, while the Falkland Islands Defence Force adopted the Steyr AUG (another 5.56x45mm bullpup rifle) which served until 2019 when the Defence Force adopted the L85A2 as part of a wider effort to align its weapons, training and procedures with those of the British Armed Forces.


title: SA80

text: The L85 is also in use with the Jamaica Defence Force. Various African and South American countries also received SA80s as part of wider military aid packages.


title: SA80

text: Soon after being adopted for service, problems began to surface during troop trials held between 1986 and 1987. Components were found to be insufficiently robust, the LSW's bipod lock often failed to hold the bipod legs in closed position, the plastic furniture was melted by insect repellent, metal parts were quick to rust in jungle environments, and the weapon's mechanism was highly susceptible to dusty and arctic environments.


title: SA80

text: These problems were not helped by the production process. The SA80 series was produced from metal stampings; while RSAF Enfield had previous experience in manufacturing stamped-metal firearms, this was only in relation to weapons such as the Sten submachine gun that had relatively loose tolerances. The tighter tolerances required by the SA80 would soon lead to production delays and high wastage levels. There were also issues with regard to working practices and employee attitudes at the Enfield site which were exacerbated by its closure in 1988 and resulting redundancies; one worker was recorded as saying that "Having been shafted by BAE and our own management, we thought why the hell should we care if [the SA80] worked or not. All we wanted to do was see the last of the bloody things and leave." While production at the Nottingham facility was supposed to result in better-quality weapons owing to the use of newer manufacturing methods, few of the staff working there had any experience of firearms manufacture and only 15 to 20 components were actually produced inhouse (compared to the Enfield site's total of 230) with the rest being outsourced to subcontractors; since the plant kept low stocks of pre-produced components, significant delays were incurred if subcontracted components were late in arriving at the Nottingham site or did not meet required tolerances.


title: SA80

text: When the L85A1 and L86A1 were first sent into major combat during the Gulf War, individual performance was appalling. The L85A1 proved unreliable in semi-automatic mode, and slightly better in fully automatic mode, while the opposite was true of the L86A1. Specific complaints included: the poor quality plastic furniture fell apart and the gun was damaged easily; the magazine release catch was easily knocked accidentally and dropped the magazine; the catch on the top cover over the gas mechanism was too weak and constantly popped open, so it had to be taped down; only 26–28 rounds could be loaded in a magazine because the springs were weak (something that was also mentioned in training manuals, at least with regard to earlier Colt-produced magazines), and it also had to be kept very clean and the lips checked for dents. The magazine was made from aluminium and would deform if grasped too tightly. During firing this could choke the flow of rounds and result in a jam; the LSW had a small magazine capacity for its role and overheated after 120–150 rounds fired in bursts; the weapons were difficult to strip and reassemble, with the gas plug easily jamming in place and requiring an armorer to remove; the firing pin was too narrow and would snap; the back of the trigger surface was flat which with snow or dirt accumulating behind it would prevent the trigger from pulling back all the way and firing the gun; and ergonomic issues related to the safety catch, cocking lever, and the location and stiffness of the fire selector switch. During Operation Palliser and other intervention operations in Sierra Leone, it was discovered that the version of the safety plunger used for production weapons was made from cheap injection-moulded plastic that swelled when wet, potentially rendering weapons inoperative if they had been left on 'safe'. The SA80 initially gained a poor reputation amongst British soldiers as being unreliable and fragile, a fact picked up by the UK media, entertainment industry, and members of the House of Lords. Special Air Service sergeant Chris Ryan regarded the SA80s as being "poor-quality, unreliable weapons at the best of times, prone to stoppages, and it seemed pretty tough to have to rely on them".


title: SA80

text: Immediately after the Gulf War, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) commissioned the LANDSET Report, into the effectiveness of the L85A1 and L86A1. This report criticised the acceptance of the weapon into service. Neither weapon had managed to pass the sand trials and both frequently jammed. The mechanism of both weapons needed to be well-lubricated as the weapon became prone to seizure if fired "dry", yet in a sandy environment the lubricated weapon became unreliable due to the lubricant attracting sand into the moving parts. The LANDSET report identified in excess of 50 faults, most notably the magazine release catch, which could easily be caught on clothing and accidentally release the magazine; the plastic safety plunger which became brittle in cold climates; and firing pins that were not up to repeated use, and prone to fracture if used in automatic fire mode. The report concluded that "It is, however, quite clear that infantrymen did not have CONFIDENCE in their personal weapon. Most expected a stoppage in the first magazine fired. Some platoon commanders considered that casualties would have occurred due to weapon stoppages if the enemy had put up any resistance in the trench and bunker clearing operations. Even discounting the familiarisation period of desert conditions, when some may have still been using the incorrect lubrication drill, stoppages continued to occur."


title: SA80

text: The report was leaked to the press, at which point the Ministry of Defence claimed that it was fake; while it was later admitted that the report was a genuine document, the MOD continued to downplay its significance, and only seven of the 50 faults identified were addressed by subsequent modifications, meaning that complaints over reliability in service continued. The MOD finally began to take the SA80 family's issues seriously in 1992, but procuring entirely new weapons was considered too expensive.


title: SA80

text: As a result, a more extensive modification programme was executed. In 2000, Heckler & Koch, at that time owned by BAE Systems, was contracted to upgrade the SA80 family of weapons. 200,000 SA80s were re-manufactured at a cost of £400 each, producing the A2 variant. Changes focused primarily on improving reliability and include: a redesigned cocking handle, modified bolt, extractor and a redesigned hammer assembly that produces a slight delay in the hammer's operation in continuous fire mode, improving reliability and stability. Both the rifle and the LSW underwent modifications, and the programme also saw the introduction of a carbine variant. The Ministry of Defence describes the A2 revision as "producing the most reliable weapons of their type in the world". Armed Forces trials indicated extremely good reliability over a range of climates for various operational scenarios, though with a decline in reliability in hot, and especially hot and dry conditions.


title: SA80

text: The L85A2 achieved an average reliability rate of 25,200 mean rounds between failure, and the L86A2 achieved 12,897 mean rounds between failures. Both weapons have higher reliability rates in cold/dry, temperate, and hot/wet conditions, but lower rates in hot/dry environments. The minimum expected life of A2 components is 10,000 rounds, meaning they might never suffer stoppages during their lifetimes. Mean rounds between failure was the measure of the average number of rounds that are fired between failures of a battlefield mission test. A battlefield mission was counted as a failure when there was more than one stoppage that the soldier could clear immediately on their own or there was a stoppage that required an armourer or a tool to clear. The Individual Weapon fired 165 battlefield missions, each comprising 150 rounds over a period of 8 mins 40 secs. A total of 24,750 rounds fired and suffered only 51 stoppages. Out of 165 battlefield missions, the A2 passed 156; the nine failures stoppages were easily cleared and not mission critical. The L85A2 achieved a 95% success rate, above operational requirement of 90%, and its nearest rival of popular choice achieved only 47%. Originally slated for introduction in 2002, the first A2-style SA80 weapons were rushed into action in Afghanistan in December 2001, and all 200,000 were converted by February 2006. Three to four thousand weapons were converted per month. Despite the modifications, reports emerged that the L85A2 was still jamming; in reality, there were few jams and problems were much less serious than they were made out to be, since they stemmed from isolated cases of soldiers not cleaning their weapons correctly. The modified A2 variants are distinguished by the "HK A2" marking on the top of the weapon just forward of the buttplate and the distinctive comma-shaped cocking handle (shaped to aid the ejection of the empty round casing and prevent stoppages).


title: SA80

text: Continued testing of the L85A2 in adverse conditions demonstrates its reliability over contemporary rifles, including the M16. Although it is heavier than most conventional and more modern bullpup rifles, its full-length barrel gives higher muzzle velocities and better terminal performance than both the American M4 carbine and M16 assault rifle. Rounds from an M4 will only reliably fragment out to 50–100 metres, while the L85A2 and M16 allowed fragmentation out to 150–200 metres and the L86A2 has an even longer fragmentation range. Despite these modifications, the L86A2 was supplemented with a belt-fed machine gun. British troops were issued with FN Minimi machine guns to add suppressive fire out to 300 metres.


title: SA80

text: A further upgrade including the provision of Advanced Combat Optical Gunsights (ACOGs), a Daniel Defense-designed Picatinny rail (RIS) handguard for the L85 rifle (with optional Grip Pod downgrip), and a new vortex style flash eliminator was introduced as an Urgent Operational Requirement; initially introduced for use by selected units in 2007, the upgrade package was subsequently rolled out on a more general basis from 2009 onwards.