Hey Ayi,
Last week you went off about gods but you didn’t mention the goddess
with hundreds of arms that I’ve seen in tem-ples all over China. Who
is she and what’s her story?
Signed,
Disarmed
Dear Disarmed,
You should be ashamed of yourself. You are referring to the mother of
all kind ayis, the wonderful goddess of mercy, the beautiful and multi-armed
Guanyin. She is the most important of all Chinese and Japanese Buddhist
divinities due at least partially to the meaning of her name: "One who
hears the prayers of the world." Metaphorically, guan means looks on,
yin means sound (of prayers). Guanyin is a savior and deliverer, a sea
goddess prayed to by sailors in a storm, the bestower of children and
the idealization of all that is considered gentle, graceful and compassionate
in women.
Guanyin is usually thought to be a Sinified manifestation of Avalokitesvara
who was an Indian bodhisattva - the Buddhist equivalent of a saint,
a compassionate being who puts off enlightenment to devote her or himself
to the enlightenment of all other sentient beings. Another famous incarnation
of Avalokitesvara is Chenresig, the principal deity of Tibet who is
manifested in every Dalai Lama.
According to Chinese accounts, Avalokitesvara was manifested in Guanyin,
the third daughter of King Zhuang of the Spring and Autumn period (770-460
BC). Her father wanted her to get married but she wanted to become a
nun. The old man punished her for her willfulness by making her clean
out toilets in the temple but she would not relent. So he ordered her
execution by sword. The sword broke into a thousand pieces so her father
ordered her strangled to death while she was sleeping. This approach
finally worked but Guanyin’s arrival in hell caused the underworld to
turn into a paradise. Yama, the king of hell, did not appreciate this
renovation at all and sent her back to the land of the living. She was
transported to the tiny mountain island of Putuo Shan off the coast
of Zhejiang Province. Guanyin lived on the island for nine years, healing
the sick and saving mariners from shipwreck. Putuo Shan is consequently
one of the sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism and still attracts pilgrims
from all over Asia. While Guanyin was doing good deeds, her wicked father
fell ill but the ever-compassionate Guanyin cut off her arms and plucked
out her eyes to use as ingredients for a medicine that saved the old
codger’s life. To show his gratitude he ordered the construction of
a statue in her honor telling the sculptor to make the statue quanshou
quanyan meaning "with completely formed arms and eyes." The sculptor
was probably from Henan and he misunderstood. He made the sculpture
with qianshou qianyan "a thousand arms and eyes." From that day on,
Guanyin has been represented with a lot of arms and eyes.
Should you wish to pay your respects to Guanyin, your ayi recommends
you take a trip to Putuo Shan. Even if Guanyin doesn’t reward you with
children, happiness, health or wealth you will have a great weekend.
The island is a serene retreat from modernity where you can happily
spend a few days walking on the mountain and investigating quiet temples
and holy caves.
PUTUO SHAN:
AYI’S MINI TRAVEL GUIDE
Getting There From Shanghai
Fast Catamaran: (4 hours, including bus trip) ¥167
Slow Boat: (11 hours) ¥130
Ticket Office: Southwest Corner of The Bund and Jinling Donglu, Shanghai
Tickets are easily booked through CITS Shanghai: Telephone: 021-6323-8750
Accommodation
Sanshengtang Hotel
Housed in a beautiful temple-style building, rooms start at ¥235 (double
room).
Telephone: (0580) 609-1277
Ronglei Yuan
Overhung by giant trees, this quiet hotel sometime accepts foreigners
and sometimes doesn’t. Double rooms are ¥150 and up.
Telephone: (0580) 609-1262.
