Statue of Kwan Yin at the entry to Chuang Yen Monastery
Guan Yin is the Chinese name for the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. However, folk traditions in China and other East Asian countries have added many distinctive characteristics and legends. Avalokiteśvara was originally depicted as Buddha when he was still a prince, and therefore wears chest-revealing clothing and may even sport a moustache. However, in China, Guan Yin is usually depicted as a woman. Additionally, some people believe that Guan Yin is neither man nor woman. In China, Guan Yin is usually shown in a white flowing robe, and usually wearing necklaces of Indian/Chinese royalty. In the right hand is a water jar containing pure water, and in the left, a willow branch. The crown usually depicts the image of Amitabha Buddha, Guan Yin's spiritual teacher before she became a Bodhisattva. In some Buddhist temples and monasteries, Guan Yin images are occasionally depicted as a young man dressed in Northern Song Buddhist robes sitting gracefully. He is usually depicted looking or glancing down, symbolising that Guan Yin continues to watch over the world. There are also regional variations of Guan Yin depictions. In the Fukien region of China, for example, a popular depiction of Guan Yin is as a maiden dressed in Tang dynasty style clothing carrying a fish basket. In Chinese art, Guan Yin is often depicted either alone, standing atop a dragon, accompanied by a bird, flanked by two children, or flanked by two warriors. The two children are her acolytes who came to her when she was meditating at Mount Putuo. The girl is called Long Nü and the boy Shan Tsai. The two warriors are the historical character Guan Yu who comes from the Three Kingdoms period and the mythological character Wei Tuo who features in the Chinese classic Canonisation of the Gods. The Buddhist tradition also displays Guan Yin flanked with the two said warriors, but as bodhisattvas who protect the temple and the faith itself.
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Photo credit: © Eugene Nikiforov / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: autumn, buddha, entrance, entry, guan, kannon, kwan, kwannon-sama, leafs, nikj, point, reborn, reincarnated, sculpture, shih, shiva, stones, trees, yin
