Daily Buddhism

The Sangha Situation: Nowhere to Go

4 Comments

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A Reader recently wrote:
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I’ve been wondering, since I’m in a non-buddhist area, what could I substitute?

So I’ve started going to church, Christian church, so that I can get involved in a religious society and serve for the better.

I haven’t told anyone at the church yet that I’m actually a Buddhist, and I’m deciding the best way to do this.

It’s a non-denominational church so I think they would be more open.

It just seems I need to have sangha to complete the 3 jewels. Any suggestions?

Thank you

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My Response:
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Many Christian churches wouldn’t support that; some might even outright condemn you. Some churches may accept it, but only you are in a position to judge. If you do tell them, don’t be surprised if they give you the cold shoulder. They may not, but you have to consider that they might. If they do accept you, then you have to work on reconciling the two systems (Christianity/Buddhism) in your own mind, but that’s a post for another time.

This “Sangha Situation” seems to come up a lot here in the West. There just isn’t anywhere for a lot of Buddhists to go. The wide availability of books, broadcasting, and the Internet are causing Buddhism to grow in places where the tradition Buddhist support structures just don’t exist.

“Taking refuge in the sangha” does not necessarily mean you have to go to church every week.

Technically, the word “sangha” translates to “community,” not necessarily “church,” although it’s often interpreted that way. You can do your service in nearly any capacity that serves other people. There are almost certainly many opportunities to volunteer in your area that don’t have anything to do with a church. If you are helping remove suffering in some way, there is nothing more Buddhist than that.

It would be nice if you had a regular Buddhist group to meet with, but that’s simply not possible in many areas in the West. For Buddhist discussions and community, many people turn to the Internet. It’s not a perfect substitute for “live” contact, but you can learn and teach and support others, and that’s really what a “sangha” is all about.

Good luck, and let me know if I can help further. If anyone reading this has further suggestions, please post them below.

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Daily Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews

CD Review: Koyasan Reiki Sound Healing

2 Comments

CD Review: Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing
Artist: Deuter
Publisher: New Earth Records
Run time: 8 tracks, 64 Minutes
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LV62DC/?tag=askdrarca-20

Koyasan is a mountain in Japan, and is the home of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Link: http://www.koyasan.or.jp/english/index.html. There are hundreds of temples in the vicinity, and overall is a beautiful place to visit. I have placed a picture of the rock garden at the Kongobuji Temple on the website.

Reiki is a fairly modern invention, also originating in Japan, which explains that there is a limitless life force (‚ÄúKi‚Äù) in the universe that can be controlled with the proper conditioning of the mind and body. Reiki has no obvious connection to Buddhism, so I’m not going to go into it here, but it is an interesting ‚Äúspiritual‚Äù practice worth a look if you are interested..

So what do these two terms have to do with us? They set the stage for Deuter’s latest instrumental/meditation CD, Koyasan. Deuter’s music has obvious Eastern influences, with Japanese instruments such as the shakuhachi flute and koto, as well as others from mainland Asia, such as the Tibetan singing bowl. There are, of course, piano and more traditional instruments included in the arrangements, but if you want to meditate and pretend that you are sitting on Mount Koyasan, you can do that.

As I did my research for this review, I found that Deuter has put out dozens of CDs similar to this one. I am not going to comment on whether this is better or worse than his other work, simply because I am not familiar with his other CDs. I would go so far to say this is an excellent “first meditation music CD” to pick up, and I plan to pick up more of his work in the future.

Kongobuji Temple, Mt. Koyasan
Kongobuji Temple, Mt. Koyasan

The eight tracks on the CD are all fairly long, running 8-10 minutes each for the most part. There is no noticeable tune or rhythm to any of the songs, yet everything feels right, and sounds good. It’s relaxing without being distracting or jarring, and makes an excellent backdrop to meditation. If you live in a noisy area, playing this while meditating can block out the noise without being too distracting. After a few moments, you stop mentally hunting for a tune and just go with the sounds, gently, calmly, taking whatever comes, and letting it go again.

Will the music heal you, as Reiki practitioners suggest? I have no idea, but I have covered the positive health benefits of meditation here before, so maybe there is something to it. I will definitely recommend the CD for a soothing, relaxing backdrop for meditation, or even just a quiet soundscape to enjoy.

Daily Buddhism

Setting Up A Home Shrine

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A Reader recently wrote:
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Do you know anything about setting up a Buddhist shrine like if there is a specific way to set it up, what offering to have/statues/pictures ect.

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My Response:
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Much like conversion ceremonies, there is no single set requirement, although some groups do have specific arrangements. I’m sure there are plenty of opinions and recommendations on the Net. This is something you really need to research yourself depending on what style of buddhism you are practicing. You can get by with a simple photograph and a candle, or get extremely fancy and pay a fortune for one. I just did a quick Google search on the topic, and found a company selling a cabinet for $2500 that looked more like an entertainment center than a shrine.

I once knew someone who took one of the photographs I took of a Japanese Buddha statue and used it in a little shrine. Personally, I don’t have a shrine or even a Buddha statue; I haven’t found one that really appeals to me, and my place is pretty small. I guess I could use a photo as well, but it’s just something that I keep neglecting. I can meditate just fine without one, and I’m not really comfortable with the idea of offerings. Then again, that’s MY choice- as always, it can be different for each of us. My thinking on this subject just about mirrors my thoughts on conversion ceremonies as we discussed a few days ago: Whatever makes you feel as if you are doing the right thing for you (i.e. relieves suffering) is right. This is one of those areas, though, where my Zen background may not mesh with other groups; Tibetans are heavily into rituals and offerings, which are a crucial part of their tradition.

No matter which ‚Äúdenomination‚Äù of Buddhism you practice, you can set up a shrine if you want; it’s certainly not prohibited for any of them. If you do decide to set up a shrine, you’ll need some representation of Buddha or one of the Bodhisattvas, as well as perhaps a photo of your Master, Lama, Rinpoche, or other teacher. If you learned last week that you’ve actually been using a Budai/Hotei statue in your shrine, it doesn’t hurt anything; it’s the right thought and right intention that matter; otherwise, it’s just a chunk of stone, wood, plastic, or whatever. Then again, if you’ve gotten in the habit of rubbing his belly as you walk past, maybe you need a more serious representation for a shrine.

Some sects of Buddhism, for example, Tibetans, make offerings on their shrines. They will set up seven bowls, and fill each one, left to right, with water while doing a chant. It’s not unusual to use an offering of incense, tea, candles, flowers, or cookies too. Depending on the group, there are many various rituals which can be performed. The idea is to gain merit to increase one’s karma through making offerings.
Once again, though, if you choose not to have a shrine, that’s perfectly acceptable.

And now a request: Do YOU have a shrine already set up? I’d love to see photo of it. Email me your photo and next week, I’ll make a post showing all the readers’ shrines. It’ll be fun!

Daily Buddhism, Reviews

Book: The Kindness Handbook a Practical Companion

Book: The Kindness Handbook a Practical Companion

By Sharon Salzberg
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Publisher: Sounds True, 175 Pages, ISBN 9781591796558
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591796555/?tag=askdrarca-20

“For kindness to be more fully realized, it needs to be distinguished from being ineffectual or meek. It also needs to be infused with wisdom, supported by courage, and threaded with balance” — Sharon Salzberg

This is another relatively small book, with many small sections. Although the books has chapters on “The Foundation,” “The Entry” (Kindness towards ourselves), “The Expression” (kindness toward others), and “Closing,” There are dozens of small stories, verses, anecdotes, and short scriptural passages. One section is a self-quiz to measure yourself on the “self-compassion scale.” Like other books we have looked at this, one focuses on loving-kindness, but this one barely touches on meditation. It concerns the application of loving-kindness in everyday life.

The stories are wonderful; my favorite was one about an illegal immigrant, crossing into this country, who happened across a boy who, along with his mother, had just been in an auto accident. The mother had died in the crash, and the 9-year-old boy was alone out in the wild. The illegal immigrant stayed with the boy, comforting him, until help arrived the next morning. The man knew that by staying, he would be caught and deported, but stayed anyway, because the little stranger needed him. How many hopes and dreams would we be willing to give up to comfort a child?

This is not one of those books that you can read cover-to-cover. A small bit goes a long way, and rushing through it would be counterproductive. I would suggest sitting it on the nightstand and reading a small section every night; this would take about a month and give you something to dwell on before sleep. Perhaps a quick re-read the next morning would make an excellent way to start the day.

This book has little to no Buddhist theory or history, but that’s OK. Learning the facts and ideas are useful in understanding the philosophy of Buddhism, but this book is really what it’s all about. The sub-title of the book, ‚ÄúA Practical Companion,‚Äù says it all. This simple, down-to-Earth book is all about the practical, proper, and realistic way to treat ourselves and each other.

Daily Buddhism

The Return Of Buddha Boy

6 Comments

This one wasn’t really on the schedule for today, but it’s worth a look:

Ram Bomjan's followers are convinced he is the reincarnation of Buddha
Ram Bomjan's followers are convinced he is the reincarnation of Buddha

A reader pointed this out to me yesterday:

“Buddha boy in Nepal re-emerges after a year”

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/international-32/122641285714400.xml&storylist=topstories

‘Buddha boy’ reappears in Nepal”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7722011.stm

At first, I was going to make a snarky comment about seeing the Virgin Mary in a piece of toast on eBay, but after reading the link, I remembered reading about this boy a couple of years ago. The kid does at least have some history, and it’s not an out-of-the-blue story. The article doesn’t really give much in the way of evidence about his Buddhahood, but who’s to say he’s NOT a reincarnation of some bodhisattva?

Here are some old links:

“Scientists to check Nepal Buddha boy”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4479240.stm

“Nepal’s ‘Buddha’ boy goes missing”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4797064.stm

From the last one:

His followers claimed that Bomjan did not take food or even water throughout his 10 month-long meditation.

They refused, however, to allow any independent investigation about the health conditions of Bomjan saying that “it would disturb him.” The authorities also did not intervene to avoid hurting local feeling. While critics accused Bomjan’s followers of fooling people, the young boy continued to hog media headlines.

Tired from the decade-old armed conflict that has already claimed more than 13,000 lives, followers of Bomjan claimed that he was an incarnation of Lord Buddha who was born in Nepal more than 2,500 years ago.

They are still hoping that Bomjan will reappear somewhere deep in the forest and continue his meditation.

Obviously, I’m VERY skeptical, but if I swore up and down that it was impossible or that it was a scam, that would be contradicting the basics of Buddhism. And Buddha did say:

“And the Blessed One said to Ananda, I am not the first Buddha, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Holy One, a supremely enlightened one, endowed with wisdom, auspicious, embracing the Universe, an incomparable Leader of Men, a Ruler of Devas and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths, which I have taught you. He will establish His Law, glorious in its spirit and in the letter. He will proclaim a righteous life wholly perfect and pure, such as I now proclaim. His disciples will number many thousands while mine number many hundreds.”

Nope, don’t know what to say on this one 😉

Check out http://www.dailyreligious.com for current events and breaking news in world religions. It’s updated regularly with dozens of news articles daily.

Daily Buddhism, Meditation

Four Foundations of Mindfulness

2 Comments

Four Foundations of Mindfulness

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A Reader recently wrote:
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I was recently reading something and the author mentioned the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness.” What are these? The same as the Noble Truths?

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My Answer:
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No, the four foundations are not the Noble Truths, but they may look familiar to something we’ve seen before.

Theravada Buddhists use an ancient text called the Satipatthana Sutta, which means “foundation of mindfulness.” Other groups that rely heavily on meditation also use these teachings. The teachings contained in that sutta is more commonly known as the ‚ÄúFour Foundations of Mindfulness.‚Äù The full document is too long to include here, but I will include it in this week’s ‚ÄúWeekly Buddhism.‚Äù As usual, though, you don’t need to read the entire thing to learn the basic idea.

The four foundations are different types and sub-types of contemplation subjects to consider while meditating. Yes, it’s another ‚ÄúBuddhist List‚Äù:

  1. Contemplation on the Body, which includes contemplations on in-and-out breathing, posture, clear understanding, impurities, elements, and nine stages of corpses.
  2. Contemplation on the Emotions
  3. Contemplation on the Mind.
  4. Contemplation on the Teachings/Dharma, including contemplation on hindrances, aggregates, sense bases, enlightenment factors, and the Four Noble Truths.

If you want to compare these to the 40 meditation subjects we covered last month, you’ll see there is a lot of duplication. It’s essentially a different sect’s viewpoint on the same basic idea.

40 Meditation Themes Part 1 & 2:
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/229
http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/231

Read the Satipatthana Sutta at: http://www.buddhanet.net/imol/mahasati/index.htm or next weekend in Issue #6 of the Weekly Buddhism.
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Religion News & Headlines, updated all day: http://www.dailyreligious.com

Daily Buddhism

Women In Buddhism Part 1: Maya

6 Comments

Maya Dreams of the White Elephant
Maya Dreams of the White Elephant

Women in Buddhism Part 1: Maya

Last week a reader posted a question on the blog beneath the ‚ÄúBuddha Boy‚Äù post. She asked whether or not it was possible for a Bodhisattva to be a woman. It was an innocent enough question, but ended up with me explaining how sexist the ancient East was. Another reader added that there were indeed powerful women in Buddhism. I then countered that by stating that at least in the ‚Äúmythology‚Äù of Buddhism there were strong women, but for the most part, nuns and lay-women were rarely, if ever, treated seriousness of male monks. I’m all for Buddhism, but I see no reason to look at history through glasses that are too rosy; there are skeletons in every closet, and sexism may be one of Buddhisms.

The situation is nowhere near resolved even in modern times. Here in the West, some of the most influential Buddhist writers and teachers are women, and that’s great, but in the East, the typical nun is still a second-class Buddhist. There’s not much we in the West can do about it (is there?), but we can at least look back over the famous women of Buddhism. So over the next few days, I’ll be introducing some historical female Buddhist figures, and then we’ll finish up with a couple of modern-day female Bodhisattvas.

Read the comments that led to this topic: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/569#comments

Maya

The first woman we’ll talk about was in fact the first woman involved in the life of Buddha: his mother. She is known by various names, Maya, Mahamaya, Mahadeva and Gytrulma. She was a Queen, the wife of King Suddhodana, and the sister of Mahapajapati, who we’ll discuss later.

Quote from “Daily buddhism,” http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/147 :

Around 2500 years ago, King Shuddodana Gautama of the Shakya clan ruled in northern India. He built a great castle and ruled his people well. One night, his wife, Queen Maya, had a strange dream wherein she saw a white elephant enter her womb through the side of her chest. She soon found that she was indeed pregnant. The people of the kingdom were thrilled that there would soon be a royal heir.

Planning to have the child at her parent’s home, Maya traveled there before the birth. On April 8th, on the way to Queen Maya’s ancestral home, she stopped to rest in a garden. Reaching for a blossoming branch in the garden, she suddenly, painlessly, had the child. Unfortunately, a few days later, Queen Maya died.

She named the baby Siddhartha, which means, “He who accomplished the goals.”

The name Maya means “Great Illusion,” and the idea that all of reality is a great illusion is an important Buddhist concept.

There’s not too much more to say about Maya, other than she was supposedly chosen by the gods to deliver the great savior of the world. She had visions and there were various miracles that occurred when he was born. She must have been special to have been chosen.

Trivia:

There are groups who claim that Maya had a virgin birth, but that belief is not widespread. There are many other similarities between the birth of Buddha and Jesus, but that’s for another time.

There are also scholars who connect the name Maya to the goddess Maia from Greek mythology, especially since that Maia had a son named Budh. There may or may not actually be a connection between the two stories, but bear in mind that Buddhism pre-dates much of Graeco-Roman culture, and there was significant trade with the East, even in those days. “Borrowing” of myths and stories went on all the time, and I’m not sure that it’s possible to rule out a connection.

Above: Painting from http://www.pbase.com/dhammakami/buddha_life

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: Gisho’s Work

Gisho’s Work

Gisho was ordained as a nun when she was just ten years old. She received training just as the little boys did. When she reached the age of sixteen she traveled from one Zen master to another, studying with them all.

She remained three years with Unzan, six years with Gukei, but was unable to obtain a clear vision. At last she went to the master Inzan.

Inzan showed her no distinction at all on account of her sex. He scolded her like a thunderstorm. He cuffed he to awaken her inner nature.

Gisho remained with Inzan thirteen years, and then she found that which she was seeking!

In her honor, Inzan wrote a poem:

This nun studied thirteen years under my guidance.
In the evening she considered the deepest koans,
In the morning she was wrapped in other koans.
The Chinese nun Tetsuma surpassed all before her,
And since Mujaku none has been so genuine as this Gisho!
Yet there are many more gates for her to pass through.
She should receive still more blows from my iron fist.

After Gisho was enlightened she went to the province of Banshu, started her own Zen temple, and taught two hundred other nuns until she passed away one year in the month of August.

Daily Buddhism, Reviews

Book: The Moon In the Water, Reflections on an Aging Parent

Book: The Moon In the Water, Reflections on an Aging Parent
By Kathy J. Phillips
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Vanderbilt University Press, 140 Pages, ISBN 978-0-8265-1586-5
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/082651586X/?tag=askdrarca-20

Yesterday, we talked about Kwan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. I mentioned that there was a vast assortment of artwork based on her; one style of painting involves Kwan Yin sitting on some shore watching the moon in the water. Why is she looking at the water? What is she thinking about? That’s for you to decide. Sometimes she is sitting on the bank of a river, sometimes she’s on a jutting outcrop of rock over a stormy sea, sometimes the moon is all but hidden behind clouds or trees. But the same theme runs throughout many different paintings, drawings, and wood block prints.

This book is a collection of vignettes about the author and her aging father who sells his house to come live with her in Hawaii. As the book progresses, the father gets worse and worse until the inevitable end. Some of the stories are funny, some are sad, some are very poignant. There’s a real struggle going on, but the author seems to have limitless patience in dealing with her father, something she credits to Quan Yin (the spelling used in this book). Each of the vignettes is somehow tied in with an image of Quan Yin and a Moon in the Water image. Some of the stories have a reproduction of the original picture, but many do not.

The Good:

The author takes a difficult, heart-rending situation and manages to imbue it with spirituality and compassion throughout. She sees Quan Yin in herself, she sees Quan Yin in the nurse, in the pharmacist, in the neighbors, strangers on the street, and anyone else who compassionately helps her father in his unwinnable struggle. She finds solace in Quan Yin, and maybe the reader will find solace in knowing others have been in the same situation. If you aren’t dealing with an aging parent yet, this book may help you know what kind of things to expect. If you are dealing with this situation right now, it might be comforting to know you are not alone. If you’ve been through it, you’ll see a lot here that rings familiar.

The Bad:

The pictures are reproductions of Quan Yin’s Moon in the Water imagery, but they are all in black and white, and the reproduction is not well done. Some of the pictures are little more than hand-drawn images by the author, and others are too-light scans of wood block prints. The book would have been better (although more expensive) with full-color reproductions, or perhaps with no pictures at all. In addition, some of the vignettes really don’t have any connection to the specific Quan Yin image shown or descrribed in that story’s opening. Some of the vignettes feel like the Quan Yin stuff was just tacked on for consistency.

Dealing with a parent who is degenerating is taxing, both physically and emotionally. Compassion and patience can be hard commodities to find at times. Quan Yin is the very embodiment of compassion, and she fits in well with the struggle depicted here. If you are dealing with an aging, failing, parent and are looking for something to help you through the emotional roller-coaster, this might be the book for you. I wouldn’t really recommend this one ‚Äújust for fun,‚Äù but if you are in a situation similar to the author’s or know that you will be someday, it’s worth picking up.

Daily Buddhism

Women in Buddhism Part 3: Kwan Yin

8 Comments

Women in Buddhism Part 3: Kwan Yin

Previously we talked about two very respected historical women. Now let’s talk about a full-fledged bodhisattva, or depending on your point of view, a goddess. Kwan Yin is also known as Kwannon, Guanyin, Guanshi’yin, Kannon, and many other names throughout the East. She’s the bodhisattva of Compassion and Mercy. She is considered the female manifestation of the male Avalokiteshvara, who is the male bodhisattva of compassion. Many people believe Kwan Yin to be both a man and a woman, depending on the situation at hand. It seems likely that stories and pictures of the originally-male Avalokiteshvara evolved over time, possibly merging with or being influenced by similar female characters in China to create the being we currently know as Kwan Yin.

She’s often shown as a beautiful woman in robes, sitting in a meditation position, either alone or with another bodhisattva.

There are hundreds of stories, legends, prayers, and styles of imagery for Kwan Yin, but the most common story of her own origin is that she was sentenced to death by her own father. There are many, many versions of the story; here’s one copied from Wikipedia:

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.

Brian in Kyoto at Kwannon's Temple
Brian in Kyoto at Kwannon's Temple

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.

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.

Brian in Kyoto at Kwannon's TempleShe is also the protector of fishermen, and it is not unusual for someone going out on the seas to pray to her for protection. She is possibly the second most-often represented character in Buddhist mythology, after buddha himself, of course. If you see a Buddhist statue the looks feminine, it’s probably some version of Kwan Yin. I’ve included pictures of several paintings, and one giant statue that I came across in Japan. Yes, that’s me in the one photo.

Order “Bodhisattva of Compassion: The Mystical Tradition of Kuan Yin (Paperback)”
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0877731268/?tag=askdrarca-20

Plain English Guide to Buddhism