page_title: Guanyin
section_title: Lotus Sūtra
hierarchical_section_title: Guanyin / Depiction / Lotus Sūtra
caption_attribution_description: English: The Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion and Mercy, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, in Chinese called Guanyin pusa, sitting in a lotus position. The damaged hands probably performing dharmacakramudra, a gesture that signifies the first sermon in Sarnath when Buddha put the wheel of learning in motion. Painted and gilded wood. China. Song/Jin period, late 13th century. This is a photo of an artwork at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Sweden with the identifier: NMOK-510
context_page_description: Guanyin, Guan Yin or Kuan Yin is the most commonly used Chinese translation of the bodhisattva known as Avalokiteśvara. Guanyin is the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion. In the East Asian world, Guanyin is the equivalent term for Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Guanyin also refers to the bodhisattva as adopted by other Eastern religions. She was first given the appellation of "Goddess of Mercy" or the Mercy Goddess by Jesuit missionaries in China. The Chinese name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World." On the 19th day of the 6th lunar month Guan Shi Yin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated.
  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 said in the Lotus Sutra and Karandavyuha Sutra.
context_section_description: 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. This Chapter also places Avalokiteshwara as Higher than any other being in the Buddhist Cosmology stating that "if one were to pray with true devotion to Avalokiteshwara for one second, they would generate more blessings than if one worshiped with all types of offerings as many Gods as there are in the grains of sand of 62 Ganges Rivers for an entire lifetime". As a result, Avalokiteshwara is often considered the most beloved Buddhist Divinity and is venerated in many important temples including Shitennō-ji, the first official temple of Japan, Sensō-ji, the oldest temple of Tokyo, Kiyomizu-dera and Sanjūsangen-dō which are the two most visited temples in Kyoto.
  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.
  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. 觀世音經), 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).
caption: Guanyin Bodhisattva, sitting in the lotus position, the damaged hands probably performing dharmacakramudra, a gesture that signifies the moment when Buddha put the wheel of learning in motion; painted and gilded wood, China, Song/Jin period, late 13th century
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