Daughters of the Greening presents

Kuan Yin

By Mehitabel

Gadon draws attention to the portrayal of the Goddess as the Mother, the source of love, care and compassion, an image that is repeated many times in many cultures. Prime among these are the images of the Virgin Mary (once considered a Goddess before the patriarchal religions took over) and of Kwan Yin, symbols of two of the most loved divine females in this world. This is the ideal place to start an exploration of Kwan Yin. Kwan Yin (also written Kuan Yin), is a goddess of healing and compassion associated with the Buddhist Path. Her story tells that her life was so pure and compassionate that the gates of Nirvana stood wide open before her, but the sounds of the suffering in the world reached her ears and she drew back from the gate. Those who reject paradise in such a way are regarded as Bodhisattvas, and first amongst these is Kwan Yin.  Her very name is an abbreviation of “one who hears cries from the Human World” and, like all bodhisattvas, she vows to withhold from paradise until all are ready to enter. Kwan Yin originates in India in the male form of Avalolkiteshvara, one of the great bodhisattvas of the Kama Sutra, who passed through 365 incarnations to attain this point. He was born on a ray of sun from the right eye of Buddha. The change from male to female arose during translation of the Indian texts to Chinese, for the virtues of compassion and helpfulness were considered to be feminine. Kwan Yin first appears in the Tang Dynasty, and by the subsequent Song Dynasty, her images are common in most temples. From the Quing Dynasty (1644 – 1911 CE), the infiltration of the Jesuits caused a melding of the images of Kwan Yin and the Virgin Mary.

Yet Kwan Yin has not remained in the East, and her teachings are found in Theosophy and metaphysical philosophy, esoteric subjects that aim to achieve an understanding of the divine. It is within the theosophy movement that the view of Kwan Yin as an ascended master emerges through the work of Alice Bailey who was in psychic communication with the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul.. Borrowing from the work of the renowned theosophist Helena Blatavsky, Bailey postulates that there is a group of ascended masters on earth who have a fundamental role in the spiritual development of mankind. Here Kwan Yin takes her place among others such as Jesus, Mary, and Buddha.

Perhaps curiously, Kwan Yin appears in many different forms and roles and Schenker offers us the thirty three images of Kwan Yin for contemplation. These images are intended to form a deep spiritual connection allowing us to seek and receive the help and guidance of Kwan Yin for the appropriate situation be it childbirth, anxiety, grief or other need. These images include Kwan Yin and the Willow Branch used in the ritual below; Kwan Yin and the dragonhead who brings us power to escape the prison of thoughts and emotions and Kwan Yin of Pure Water – source of blessings. The best way to ask for Kwan Yin’s help is through mantras and the foremost one among these are the classic om mantra “Om mani Padme Hum” “Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus” or the mantra that calls her by name “Namo Kuan Shi Yin Pusa” “I take refuge in Bodhisattva Kwan Shi Yin”. This latter is pronounced “nahmoh kwan shih yin poo sah”.

Sacred objects for Kwan Yin are the lotus flower, the peacock (an earthly manifestation of a phoenix), and fresh water. An altar to her might contain a carved image, fresh water in a sacred container, flowers such as peonies and roses or a lotus if available; peacock feather if available, silk flowers of the above types, a beautiful incense burner and an attractive altar cloth to set off the other elements to perfection. In daily devotion, contact Kwan Yin through the mantras above, or browse through Karcher’s collection of 100 poems of the Goddess. It seems fitting to end this article with one of these “how long your journey seems and how dark your future For no-one sees the jade hidden in the stone One day a clever stonecutter will saw it out And a priceless jewel will see the light of day”

However long the journey to find yourself, one day that precious pearl within will be uncovered. “Lady Kwan Yin, grant us your inspiration and guidance. Blessed be!”

A Poem to Kwan Yin The lotus flower stands tall and proud, above the sacred pond Its perfect beauty, pure and clear, tells of holiness and power. The lotus is a sign for us, a sign of hope and love For through this flower we find Kwan Yin, our sacred mother dear She comes to ease our trials and fears, to guide us on the Path If we but ask she stands by us through life and all it brings Our Lady of the Lotus Flower, Our Lady Kuan Yin Be with us now and evermore, Om mani Padme Hum

An Animal Healing Ritual to Kwan Yin, Goddess of all things. Kwan Yin is the Goddess of healing and compassion. She is a bodhisattva, one who refuses to enter nirvana so that she can come to the aid of others. She appears in many forms associated with different qualities. Tonight we will call on Kwan Yin with the Willow Branch. Let the circle be cast by the powers of all present, let the Guardians be welcome within. Let it stand as a place of safety and power. Let our work for this night begin. Guardian of Air be welcome this night, stand witness to our work herein. Bring us hope of success as we start our rite. As we greet you with love. Guardian Hail and welcome! Guardian of Fire be welcome this night, stand witness to our work herein. Bring us strength of purpose as we continue our rite. As we greet you with love, Guardian Hail and welcome! Guardian of Water be welcome this night, stand witness to our work herein. Bring us the powers our love will raise, as we reach the pinnacle of our rite. As we greet you with love, Guardian Hail and welcome! Guardian of Earth be welcome this night, stand witness to our work herein. Bring us stability and strength as we finish our rite. As we greet you with love, Guardian Hail and Welcome! Lady Kwan Yin with the Willow Branch, we greet you with love and with honour. Please aid our work and understanding in our work this night. Lady, we bid you Hail and Welcome! Join me now in a visualisation. Let me transport you to Ancient China, to a fantastic, unspoilt world of beauty, a world of fantastic plants and trees, of wonderful plants and animals, and exquisite artistry, and architecture. We come to this world at dawn, standing on a high outcrop looking over a valley shrouded in early morning mists to a pagoda standing tall on the other side of the valley. There is a quietness and stillness, a sense of expectation, a knowledge that something momentous is about to happen. Let us make our way down into the valley, following a deer track through the trees, and down into a thicket of bamboo. Look around and admire the wonderful vegetation, listen to the birds as they start to sing, and keep watch for glimpses of the shy animals of this land. We can hear the gentle murmuring of a brook, the bubbling sound of fast flowing water, and we make our way towards this as we come to the floor of the valley. We find ourselves on the banks of a small river, the water pure and clear, shining a beautiful blue in the early morning light. As the last of the mists dissipate, we are momentarily blinded by a flash of sun on the water. As our vision clears we see a globe of golden light above the rocks in the centre of the river. Within this globe we see the Lady Kwan Yin.. She is dressed in a flowing white robe and is seated on a rock. Her wrists and neck are adorned with gold jewellery and her dark hair is held up with an ornate, golden clasp. She holds a small willow twig in her hand. Her smile shows her pleasure in our presence. She starts to sing, and the sound of her voice transports us to a higher plane. Within her voice, feel the true glory of creation, experie"nce the joy of life in all its aspects, appreciate truly on all levels the gifts of the Goddess, gifts of beauty, food, warmth, light and of life itself, come to understand the divine power of the Goddess, embrace it and feel it fill you. Recognise the Goddess power within and learn how to use it. Spend a moment just absorbing all this wonder. As the singing stops, we find ourselves once again on the banks of the river before Kwan Yin, but the knowledge we have gained remains with us. Kwan Yin smiles at us, pleased that we have accepted her gift, and then, as we watch, she fades back into the globe of silver light, and is gone. Our journey is done, let us return to our circle, and here, let us draw on that Goddess power within, on the gift of Kwan Yin and use it to send healing to the animals of our world. To do this, let us use the mantra of Kwan Yin “Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus” “Om mani Padme Hum” to yourself or out-loud. Repeat this chant and feel the energy build inside our circle. See it form into a huge globe of silver light filled with tiny green and gold sparkles. Use the energy of the mantra now and let us together project this energy out into the world. See it spread out over the whole Earth bringing healing to all animals. See the energy doing its work and know it will be so. So mote it be! And now, return to normal consciousness as I prepare to thank the Lady on behalf of us all, by blessing the chalice of wine. Gracious Lady Kwan Yin, we thank you for the gifts of understanding you have given us this night, and ask you to accept this small gift as token of our love. Blessed be! And now, let us bring our ritual to a close Lady Kwan Yin, we thank you for your presence and gifts this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you hail and farewell! Guardian of Earth, we thank you for standing witness this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you Hail and farewell! Guardian of Water, we thank you for standing witness this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you Hail and farewell! Guardian of Fire, we thank you for standing witness this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you Hail and farewell! Guardian of Air, we thank you for standing witness this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you Hail and farewell! Let our circle be open, but forever unbroken. Let the gifts of Kwan Yin endure, and let love forever be with us Blessed be!

References: Gadon, Elinor (1989) The once and Future Goddess. Harper Collins  ISBN 978-0-06-250354-1 Karcher, Stephen (2001) The Kwan Yin Oracle. Time Warner Paperbacks. ISBN 0 7515 3531 1 Schenker, Daniela. (2007) Kwan Yin, Accessing the Power of the Divine Feminine. Sounds True Press ISBN 978-1-59179-621-3 Web Sources: Exotic Indian Art. Kuan Yin the Compassionate Rebel http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/kuanyin/ Geo-cities – Kuan Yin Compassionate Saviouress http://www.geocities.com/zennun12_8/kuan-yin.html Google Images of Kwan Yin  http://images.google.co.uk/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SUNA_enGB247GB247&q=Kwan+Yin&um=1&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title Holy Mountain Trading. Legend of Kwan Yin http://www.holymtn.com/gods/kuanyin.htm Wikepedia “Guan Yin” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guan_Yin Images: http://www.fire-serpent.com/cards/kuanyin.html  Fig 1 2 and 3

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