觀世音菩薩成佛
Bodhisattva Guan Shi Yin’s Attainment of Buddhahood
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On the19th day of the sixth lunar month Guan Shi Yin’s or Avalokiteshvara’s attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated. Guan Shi Yin, or literally the “Observer of the Cries of the World” is considered to be the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Original a male deity in Buddhism, called Avalokiteshvara, he has transformed into a female deity of the Daoist pantheon [1]. Her centre of worship nowadays lies on Mount Puo Tu [普陀山], which reaches its peak of festivities on her birthday, the 19th day of the second lunar month. Furthermore, she is also one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas, namely herself, standing for Great Compassion, Manjusri Bodhisattva [wen shu pu sa文殊 菩薩] representing Great Wisdom, Ksitigrabha Bodhisattva [di zang pu sa地藏 菩薩] signifying Great Vow and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva [pu xian pu sa普賢 菩薩] symbolising Great Practice.
The following post is based heavily on my collated notes from four years on White Horse Mountain.
The words disseminated by Guan Shi Yin [guan yin pu sa观世音菩萨] carry a simple, yet deep message:
诸恶莫作，众善奉行。
All evil, do not do,
[but] pursue multitudes of meritorious deeds.
As the cultivation of the Dao is a process starting from minor compassion and transforming it into major compassion, how could one study to be like the Bodhisattva Guan Yin? Li Shifu advises, that “when you encounter a problem, ask yourself, how she would deal with it. Ask yourself, what Jesus would do in the same situation. If you were exactly the historical Buddha, what would he do?”
三界都亲。万物同体。天人合一。
The Three Realms are all relatives.
The Ten Thousand living beings share one body.
Heaven and Humanity unify.
Questioned whether Guan Shi Yin was lower than other deities since she was still a Bodhisattvas, Li Shifu responded that this was not the case; although Shakyamuni went immediately to Nirvana. her pledge and vow [yi yuan 意愿] were different. She made a promise to free all living beings from suffering on Earth, while the Bodhisattva of the Earth Treasure [di zang pu sa 地藏菩萨] vowed to deliver all living beings from the Earthly Prisons or the netherworlds.
Let us close this article in the Spirit of the Bodhisattva Guan Shi Yin’s admonition that only the NOW exists:
大智发于心。览心无处寻。无得亦无失. 无古亦无今
Great wisdom comes from the Heart.
Gazing at the heart, nowhere seeking.
Without gain [and] also without loss.
Without past [and] also without present.
[1] For more information as to the historical and geographical reasons of this gender shift, see Palmer, The Kuan Yin Chronicles.
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