Discussion:
LEGEND: GUAN YIN AND THE THOUSAND ARMS
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Sisters Seminar
2007-01-25 04:06:19 UTC
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One Buddhist legend presents Guan Yin as vowing to never rest until he
had freed all sentient beings from samsara, reincarnation.

Despite strenuous effort, he realized that still many unhappy beings
were yet to be saved.

After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, his head split into
eleven pieces.

Amitabha Buddha, seeing his plight, gave him eleven heads with which to
hear the cries of the suffering.

Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokitesvara
attempted to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that his
two arms shattered into pieces.

Once more, Amitabha came to his aid and appointed him a thousand arms
with which to aid the many.

Many Himalayan versions of the tale include eight arms with which
Avalokitesvara skilfully upholds the Dharma, each possessing its own
particular implement, while more Chinese-specific versions give varying
accounts of this number.

In China, it is said that fishermen used to pray to her to ensure safe
voyages.

The titles Guan Yin of the Southern Ocean
(南海觀音) and 'Guan Yin (of/on) the Island'
stem from this tradition.
Sisters Seminar
2007-01-26 03:16:50 UTC
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Another story describes Guan Yin as the daughter of a cruel king who
wanted her to marry a wealthy but uncaring man.

The story is usually ascribed to the research of the Buddhist monk
Chiang Chih-ch'i in 1100AD.

The story is likely to have a Taoist origin.

Chiang Chih-ch'i, when he penned the work, believed that the Guan Yin we
know today was actually a Buddhist princess called Miao Shan
(劙善), who had a religious following on Fragrant
Mountain.

Despite this, however, there are many variants of the story in Chinese
mythology.

According to the story, after the king asked his daughter Miao Shan 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.

Miao Shan 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, Miao Shan pointed
out that a doctor was able to do all 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 very hard chores in order to discourage her.

The monks forced Miao Shan 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.

Miao Shan 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.

In one version of this legend, when she was executed, a supernatural
tiger took Guan Yin to one of the more hell-like realms of the dead.

However, instead of being punished by demons like the other inmates,
Guan Yin played music, and flowers blossomed around her.

This completely surprised the head demon.

The story says that Guan Yin, by merely being in that hell, turned it
into a paradise.

A variant of the legend says that Miao Shan allowed herself to die at
the hand of the executioner.

According to this legend, 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 Miao Shan down with arrows but they all veered off.

Finally in desperation he used his hands.
Miao Shan, realising the fate the executioner would meet at her father's
hand should she fail to let herself die, forgave the executioner for
attempting to kill her.

It is said that she voluntarily took on the massive karmic guilt the
executioner generated for killing her, thus leaving him guiltless.

It is because of this that she descended into the Hell-like realms.

While there she witnessed firsthand the suffering and horrors beings
there must endure and was overwhelmed with grief.

Filled with compassion, she released all the good karma she had
accumulated through her many lifetimes, thus freeing many suffering
souls back into Heaven and Earth.

In the process that Hell-like realm became a paradise.

It is said that Yanluo, King of Hell, sent her back to Earth to prevent
the utter destruction of his realm, and that upon her return she
appeared on Fragrant Mountain.

Another tale says that Miao Shan never died but was in fact transported
by a supernatural tiger, believed to be the Deity of the Place, to
Fragrant Mountain.

The Legend of Miao Shan usually ends with Miao Chuang Yen, Miao Shan's
father, falling 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, Miao Shan willingly offered up her eyes and arms.

Miao Chuang Yen 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 Miao Shan being transformed into the Thousand
Armed Guan Yin, and the king, queen and her two sisters building a
temple on the mountain for her.

She began her journey to heaven and was about to cross over into heaven
when she heard a cry of suffering from the world below.

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, Guan Yin was said to have stayed for a few
years on the island of Mount Putuo where she practised meditation and
helped the sailors and fishermen who got stranded.

Guan 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 Guan Yin returned to Fragrant Mountain to continue
her meditation.
Sisters Seminar
2007-01-27 03:54:12 UTC
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Legend has it that Shan Tsai was a disabled boy from India who was very
interested in studying the Buddhist dogma.

When he heard that there was a Buddhist teacher on the rocky island of
Putuo he quickly journeyed there to learn.

Upon arriving at the island, he managed to find Bodhisattva Guan Yin
despite his severe disability.

Guan Yin, after having a discussion with Shan Tsai, decided to test the
boy's resolve to fully study the Buddhist teachings.

She conjured the illusion of three sword-wielding pirates running up the
hill to attack her.

Guan Yin took off and dashed off to the edge of a cliff, the three
illusions still chasing her.

Shan Tsai, seeing that his teacher was in danger, hobbled uphill.

Guan Yin then jumped over the edge of the cliff, and soon after this the
three bandits followed.

Shan Tsai, still wanting to save his teacher, managed to crawl his way
over the cliff edge.

Shan Tsai fell down the cliff but was halted in midair by Guan Yin, who
now asked him to walk.

Shan Tsai 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, Guan Yin taught Shan Tsai the entire Buddha Dharma.
Sisters Seminar
2007-01-28 04:34:31 UTC
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Many years after Shan Tsai became a disciple of Guan Yin, a distressing
event happened in the South Sea.

The son of one of the Dragon Kings was caught by a fishermen while
taking 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 King, 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, Guan Yin quickly sent Shan Tsai 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 Shan Tsai was easily outbid.

Shan Tsai begged the fish seller to spare the life of the fish.

The crowd, now angry at someone so daring, was about to prise him away
from the fish when Guan 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 realising their shameful actions and desire, dispersed.

Shan Tsai brought the fish back to Guan Yin, who promptly returned it to
the sea.

There the fish transformed back to a dragon and returned home.

But the story does not end here.

As a reward for Guan Yin saving his son, the Dragon King sent his
granddaughter, a girl called Lung NÌ, to present Guan Yin with the
Pearl of Light.

The Pearl of Light was a precious jewel owned by the Dragon King that
constantly shone.

Lung NÌ, overwhelmed by the presence of Guan Yin, asked to be her
disciple so that she might study the Buddha Dharma.

Guan Yin accepted her offer with just one request: that Lung NÌ be
the new owner of the Pearl of Light.

In popular iconography, Lung NÌ and Shan Tsai are often seen
alongside Guan Yin as two children.

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