Gyun Yin

* Human
* Powered up
* Dragon

**Gyun Yin** is the Goddess of peace, mercy, compassion, kindness and love.

## Appearance

Yin has long, gunmetal gray hair that extends just past her shoulders which shines silver under the sunlight. She has a pair of round, gleaming teal eyes set in a small pale face. She has a small perky nose and her facial features are described as "*carefully molded gems that look surreal, almost phantasmal work of art*." She has distinct pointy ears. She has two braids tied together on the back of her head and along with two braids that hung from behind her ears. She opts to wear white-washed skirts or dresses along with slip-on sandals as casual wear. During outings, Yin is seen wearing floral dresses paired with a small sun hat along with outerwear sandals. Her ears are pierced and she wears a pair of gold studs. She is really feminine and is described as a beauty by others.

## Personality

Gyun Yin is the goddess of mercy, compassion, and unconditional love. She loves you, will always be there for you, and asks for nothing in return.

## History

Before becoming a Goddess, Gyun Yin was the daughter of a cruel king, Miaozhuang Wang, who wanted her to marry a wealthy but uncaring man. The Gyun Yin now was actually a princess called Miaoshan. 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.

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.

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 labor and reduced her food and drink but this did not cause her to yield.

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.

Miaoshan allowed herself to die at the hand of the executioner. 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.

Finally in desperation he used his hands. Miaoshan, realizing 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. She voluntarily took on the massive karmic guilt the executioner generated for killing her, thus leaving him guiltless.

Miaoshan, in fact, never died, but was in fact transported by an illuminated tiger, believed to be the Deity of the Place, to Fragrant Mountain.

Miaozhuang Wang, Miaoshan's father, then fell 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 Gyun Yin, 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 Ascim 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.

After her return to Earth, Gyun Yin was said to have stayed for a few years on the island of Mount Putuo where she practiced meditation and helped the sailors and fishermen who got stranded. Gyun Yin 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, Gyun Yin returned to Fragrant Mountain to continue her meditation.

### Gyun Yin and Shancai

Legend has it that Shancai was a disabled boy who was very interested in studying the dharma. When he heard that there was a teacher on the rocky island of Putuo he quickly journeyed there to learn. Upon arriving at the island, he managed to find Gyun Yin despite his severe disability.

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

Shancai, seeing that his teacher was in danger, hobbled uphill. Gyun Yin 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.

Shancai fell down the cliff but was halted in midair by Gyun Yin, 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, Gyun Yin taught Shancai the entire dharma.

### Gyun Yin and Longnü

Many years after Shancai became a disciple of Gyun Yin, a distressing event happened in the South Sea. The third son of one of the Dragon Gods 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 God, was unable to do anything while his son was on land. Distressed, the son called out to all of Heaven and Earth.

Hearing this cry, Gyun Yin 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.

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 Gyun Yin 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."

The crowd, realizing their shameful actions and desire, dispersed. Shancai brought the fish back to Gyun Yin, who promptly returned it to the sea. There the fish transformed back to a dragon and returned home.

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

### Gyun Yin and the Filial Parrot

In one story, a parrot becomes a disciple of Gyun Yin. The story focuses on a family of white parrots who nest in a tree. One young parrot in the family is especially intelligent, and can recite sutras, chant the name of Amitābha, and is even able to compose poetry. One day, the father parrot is killed by hunters. When the mother parrot goes to see what happened, she is blinded by the hunters. When the intelligent young parrot goes to find cherries (sometimes specified as lychees) to feed its mother, it is captured by the same hunters. By the time it escapes, its mother has died. After it has mourned the death of its mother and provided her with a proper funeral, the Earth Goddess suggests that the parrot worship Gyun Yin. Gyun Yin, moved by the filial piety of the parrot, allows its parents to be reborn in the Pure Land.

### The Precious Scrolls

One day when Shancai is walking down a mountain path to visit his father, he hears a voice crying out for help. Upon investigation, it turns out to be the voice of a snake trapped in a bottle for the last eighteen years. The snake begs Shancai to release her, upon which she turn into her true form, that of a monster, and threatens to eat him. When Shancai protests at the snake's behavior, she makes the argument that than *ēn* (恩, a kind act) is repaid by a feud, and that is the way of the world. However, the snake agrees to submit the argument to three judges.

The first judge the argument is presented to is the human incarnation of the Golden Water Buffalo Star, who agrees with the snake, given its past experience with humans. The Buffalo Star relates how it never wanted to descend to earth but was pushed out of the gates of heaven by Kṣitigarbha who took pity on the toiling masses. Kṣitigarbha vowed that if the humans did not repay a favor with a favor, his eyes would fall out and drop to the ground. Because of the Buffalo Star's fall to earth, which was face first, it lost all of its upper front teeth. It suffered greatly at the hands of humans; after years of toiling for its master, it was butchered and eaten. Because of this, Kṣitigarbha's eyes did indeed fall out, and transformed into the snails that the buffaloes now trample on when it plows the fields.

The second judge they encounter is the Taoist priest Zhuangzi, who also agrees with the snake, citing an experience he had when he resurrected a skeleton who then immediately took Zhuangzi to court and accused him of stealing his money.

The last judge they meet is a young girl. The girl tells the snake that it can eat her as well, if the snake could show her how it was able to fit into the bottle which Shancai had released it from. As soon as the snake worms itself back into the bottle, it is trapped. The girl then reveals herself to be Gyun Yin. When the snake begs for mercy, Gyun Yin tells it that in order to be saved, it must engage itself in religious exercises in the Grotto of the Sounds of the Flood on Mount Putuo.

Three years later, Shancai formally becomes an acolyte of Gyun Yin along with the Filial Parrot. After the snake has submitted itself to seven years of austerity, it cleanses itself of its poison. It then transforms and becomes an acolyte of Gyun Yin.