Guān Yīn or Guān Shì Yīn (觀音 or 觀世音 literal meaning: "Observes the sounds (of the world)"), also written Kuan Yin, Kwan Yin, Kwan-yin, Kun Iam and Kwun Yam, is a bodhisattva of compassion, worshipped by East AsianBuddhists. Guan Yin, especially in the female aspect, is also reverenced by ChineseTaoists as an Immortal. In Japanese, Guan Yin is called Kannon (観音) or more formally Kanzeon (観世音).
Guan Yin is believed to have developed from the bodhisattvaAvalokitesvara, covered in a separate article.
With Buddhism, Guan Yin's worship was introduced into China as early as the 1st century AD, and reached Japan by way of Korea soon after Buddhism was first introduced into the country from the mid-7th century. This bodhisattva was introduced into Tibet (called Chenrezig) in the 7th century
Representations of the bodhisattva in China prior to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) were masculine in appearance. Images which later displayed attributes of both genders are believed to be in accordance with the Lotus Sutra where Avalokitesvara has the supernatural power of assuming any form required to relieve suffering and also has the power to grant children. (Thus, Avalokiteshvara could be transgendered.) Because this bodhisattva is considered the personification of compassion and kindness, a mother-goddess and patron of mothers and seamen, the representation in China was further interpreted in an all female form around the 12th century. In China, it is said that fishermen used to pray to her to ensure safe voyages. The titles 'Guanyin of the Southern Ocean' and 'Guanyin (of/on) the Island' stem from this tradition.
Avalokitesvara as portrayed in Tibet has a wide variety of manifestationss, more popular ones including Sahasra-bhuja (with a thousand arms) and Ekadasmukha (with eleven faces), as well as the Dalai Lama. In China, however, Guan Yin is more usually represented as a beautiful white robed woman, a descendant of the original Pandaravasini form
One Buddhist legend presents Avalokitesvara as vowing to never rest until he had freed all sentient beings from samsara. Although with strenuously effort, he realized that still many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After comprehending the great demand, he became overwhelmed and his head split into thousands of pieces. Fortunately, a Buddha assembled him back together again. With eleven heads gazing to the front and sides, Avalokiteshvara possesses the unique gift to see everywhere at once and reach out to the needy.
Another story, possibly Taoist in origin, describes her as the daughter of a cruel father who wanted her to marry a wealthy but uncaring man. She begged to be able to enter a temple and become a nun instead. Her father allowed her to work in the temple, but asked the monks to give her very hard chores in order to discourage her. The monks did that: they forced Guan Yin 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. Guan Yin 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. After she died she was made into a goddess for all of her kindness and began her journey to heaven. She was about to cross over into heaven when she heard a cry of suffering back on earth. She asked to be sent back and vowed to stay until all suffering had ended.
At least one version of that legend says that, at the point of Guan Yin's dad's execution of her, a supernatural tiger took Guan Yin to one of the more hell-like realms of the dead, but, instead of being punished by demons like the other inmates, Guan Yin played music (or simply stood around) and flowers blossomed around her - and she managed to completely surprise the head demon. Guan Yin, by being in that hell, turned it into a paradise.
Due to her symbolising compassion, in East Asia Guan Yin is associated with vegetarianism. Chinese vegetarian restaurants are generally decorated with her image, and she appears in most Buddhist vegetarian pamphlets and magazines.
During the Tokugawa shogunate period in Japan, when Christianity was banned and punishable by death, some underground Christian groups worshipped the Virgin Mary disguised as a statue of Kannon; such statues are known as Maria Kannon. Many had a cross hidden in an inconspicuous location.
There is a Chinese oolong tea (pinyin wulongcha 烏龍茶/乌龙茶) named Tie-Guan-Yin 鐵觀音/铁观音 (at one purveyor's) which has been translated as "Iron Goddess of Mercy".
There is a legend associated with this name. A peasant farmer often passed by an abandoned temple with an iron statue of Guan Yin inside. Saddened by the lack of care, he took it upon himself to sweep and clean the temple whenever he passed by. In thanks, Guan Yin visited the peasant in a dream and told him to look for treasure behind the temple. When he woke from the dream, he rushed to the rear of the temple and found a small tea shrub. The leaves of this shrub produced a particularly fragrant brew and the peasant became rich by cultivating and selling his "Iron Guanyin" tea.
