Quan Yin / Kuan Yin / Kwan Yin
Quan Yin is one of the most universally beloved of deities in the Buddhist
tradition. Also known as Kuan Yin, Quan'Am (Vietnam), Kannon (Japan), and
Kanin (Bali), She is the embodiment of compassionate loving kindness. As the
Bodhisattva of Compassion, She hears the cries of all beings. Quan Yin enjoys
a strong resonance with the Christian Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the Tibetan
goddess Tara. For centuries, Kuan Yin has epitomized the great ideal of Mahayana
Buddhism in her role as "bodhisattva (Chinese "p'u-sa)--literally
"a being of bodhi, or enlightenment," who is destined to become
a Buddha but has foregone the bliss of Nirvana with a vow to save all children
of God. Quan Yin carries the Goddess and Divine Mother aspect of Buddhism.
The same Goddess and Divine energy carried by the Virgin Mary in Christianity.
In the Egyptian mysteries it is carried by Isis. In Hinduism it is carried
by Shakti, wife of Vishnu, by Parvarti, wife of Shiva, by Radha, wife of Krishna,
and by Sita, wife of Rama. She is most frequently invoked as a Goddess of
compassion. Back
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