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Guanshiyin (Kwan Yin) is widely regarded
as an omnipotent deity who helps the needy, eliminates evil, gives the
childless offsprings and brings fortune.
According to Buddhist scripture,
Guanshiyin was Buxu, the eldest son of a king in India. His father,
younger brother and he were Buddhist monks and followers of akyamuni,
the founder of Buddhism. Sakyamuni changed his father's name to
Amitabha. He renamed the younger brother Dashizhi and gave him the
name, Guanshiyin.
When Buddhism spread to China, the
character shi in Guanshiyin had to be dropped because the Tang emperor
then was Li Shimin and it was taboo to use the names of emperors.
As time passed, the prince's identity
became vague and eventually developed into female form, which is the
image of Guanyin, or Goddess of Mercy, worshipped today. It is
recorded in Buddhist scripture that Guanyin could make 32
transformations. Guanyin assumed different appearances when helping
all living things and the female image is one of them.
Buddhism flourished during the northern
and southern dynasties (AD 420-550), which saw an increase in the
number of female worshippers. The female image of Guanshiyin emerged
among the Bodhisattvato enable women to practice Buddhism and ascend
to Sukhavati (Western Paradise) after their death.
With this change, Guashiyin's original
identity of a prince was gradually forgotten and the common people
created another past for Guanshiyin according to their wishful
thinking.
During the Northern Song Dynasty (AD
960-1127), Guanyin was said to be the third daughter of King Chu
Zhuang of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). The girl, called
Miaoshan, was a devout Buddhist who wanted to be a nun. But her father
objected and had her killed eventually. However, Yama, the King of
Hell, brought her to life. She then went about helping people who were
in need. When King Chu Zhuang fell ill, Guanyin gouged out her eyes
and severed both arms to make medicine for the king. The king
recovered and, conscience-stricken, ordered a statue of quanyen
quan shou Guanyin (Guanyin with a thousand eyes and arms) instead.
material: Pewter
dimension: height
9ins x width 5ins x depth 2.5ins
weight:
2.4kg
price:
U$199.00/piece |