Transcript
Page 1: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Bodhisattvaof Compassion

The Mystical Tradirion of l{uan Yirt

' ' a l

. . ,

John Blofeid

SHAMBFIALABoulder 1978

Page 2: Bodhisattva of Compassion

t '/ ' t . l r I

b,j Y ''.,

' C \ iI t , iL - \ - i

S}JAMBHAI-A PU L]LICATIONS, INC314 L)ar tnrouth St reetRoston, \ lassachuset ts 021 I ( r

i 1977 John I l lofelc' lI-'trLrli shc'cl Lrl' a rra rr gcnrcn t rr'i thCeo rge A l l en & U r ru , i r r L td . , Lo r rdon .ISIJN 0-S7773-12(r -ELCC 77-q:3i?

Dis t r i l ru tc t l in thc Urr i tec l Sta te s bv Ri rnc lonr l lousc.I ' r i r , tcc . l i r r the Uni t , :d St . i te s o i A.n icr ica.

Page 3: Bodhisattva of Compassion

A c knouledg emen ts

. } l r ' * 'arrn*st rhanks are c lue ro se'eral people w,ho wentto g rear r roub le rc supp lv me rv j th va iuab le marer ia ls inEngl ish an'J Chir :es: and rv i rh i l lustrat ions, especial ly the\ ' ' e i :e rg : : ! {suan Hua and h is d isc ip le s a t Go ld Mounta inr\ i lona: ic* ' , San Francisco; and my good fr iends shojunBan' , i ' , Hirofumi Ando (rransraror of t t re tour l i t t leJapancse pi lgr im scngs), Gerald yorkc, David Kidd andGa:y Thomson. I am very grateful, also, to the Brit ishNluscum aurhor i t ies and to Major w. H. Edmonds forallorving me rc reprociuce photographs of paintings andst. i tues rn rheir col l :ct ions. F ' inal ly, I acknowledge mydebr ro rhose r lvo outstanding reference rvorks, d.r ty 'sGods ttf Narrhem Buddhism and, Edmunci s' pointers indClu;s to Subjects i r , Chinese and Japanese Art .

Page 4: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Contems

FOREWORD

I The Enigma

z Some i lan i fes ta t lons

3 Kuan Y in 's Ind ian and T ibe tan Genes is

: | Miao Shan and Other Legends

5 Some Buddhist Conceprs of Kuan Yin

5 Sacred Rites

7 Contcmplat ive Yogic Medrtat ion

I Dreams, Rever ies and Speculat ions

ATTpENDIX ' I 'he

Pr incipal Iconographic Forms

of the Bodh isa t tva

GI.OSSARl '

page 13

r 72 5

3 8658z

98r r 8Y ^ /r J +

r19r 5 7

Page 5: Bodhisattva of Compassion

I llustratiotts

between pages SeEI

r Kuan Y in vo1 'ag ing upon a g ian t lo tus pc ta l ,au thor 's:ol lect ic.r t )

z Wooden image of Kuan Yin f rom a f isher i : ran's iunk(court t : -^, ' o: f K.E. Srez,ais)

3 S ta tue t r i Kuan Y in , her r igh t hand ra ised in b less ing(courr ; :^ , ' of Br i r ' ish A4useun\

4 Gi lded rr ,ooden statue of Avaloki ta (coz,rrr i - \ \ ' of MrDauid Kidd anrl ,VIr Yasuvoshi hforimoio)

5 Nepaiese bronzr- Ststuc of Tara \courtes), o_f Br i t ishMusewt t )

6 Paint ing of the Thousand-Armed Avaloki ta \courtes),o.f Brirish Museunt)

7 Mongol ian image of Tara in bronze (courresT, of MrWongchindorj)

8 (a) Kuan Yin as giver of of fspr ing(b) Shan Ts'ai , Kuan Yin 's male at tendant(c) $7'ooden image of female attendant, Lung Nu(.courtesT' of K. E. Stet'ens)

g Kuan Yin holding the vase of 'srveet derr ' ' anci thewish-fulf i l l ing gem (corffteg) of Brit ish Mu-reum)

to Amitabha Buddha (courresy of Brit ish Museutn)I r AmitEbha Buddha as rhe Guide of Souls (courtesy of

Brit ish Museutrt)rz Kuan Yin bear ing the vase of 's l l 'eet dew' (courtesy of

British tlfuseuni;I3 Kuan f in in the pose of ' lordly ease' (courtesy of Br i t ish

Musetunl14 Kuan Yin bearing a sy'mbol of fecundity (corrrtesy of

K. E. Ste'u-ens)I5 Statue of Kuan Yin f rom the T'ang Dynasq' (courtesy

af Brit ish lvluseutn)r6 Statue of Manjusr i , embodiment of Visdom (courtesy

of Brirish Aluseuni)

Page 6: Bodhisattva of Compassion

F-oreu,ord

Radianee, spotless and effulgent,Itlighr-dispelling Sun of Wisdom!

Lotus S[ t ra

This is in part the story of a quest, of gradual progress towardsthe heart of an enigma. Confronted some forty years ago bythe charming figure of Kuan Yin, known to many as the ChineseGoddess of Love, I came to wonder whether it was rvholly sym-bol ic or whether Kuan Yin could, in some sense, be said to &e.The adventure started one night when, by the uncertain l ightof votive candles, I had made my way alone through the

shadows to the back of a temple hall. Tbe fitful gleams playing :amidst the darkness conjured up an atmosphere of mystery ' AsI s t o o d g a z i n g u p a t a t a l l b r o n z e S t a I u e o f K u a n Y i n , o d o o rseemed to open in my mind and the goddess, so I could have

sworn, deigned to address met lmagination ? That may well seemto have been so, but who under such romantic circumstancescould resist the hope that she had really spoken? ThenceforthI was her devoted follower, which does not mean, however, that

I quite believed in her. Drawn by a fascination having nothing

to do rvith belief or its .onu..rl, I delved ever more deepll

beyond the guise she weari for s imple fo lk and present l ) ' camc 1to have some dim apprehension of her s igni f icance as a celest ia l

Bodhisat tva) a k ind of beingless being represent ing cne of thc

most exal ted concepts of Mahayana Buddhism. Perceiv ing hcr

to be much more than a graceful myth expressing the yearning '

of the poor and lonely for compassion, I had al l the more reason

fcr loving her; yet th is new vis ion'of her as the embodiment

of divine love rvas somervhat marred b1' the miraculous po$'ers :

at t r ibuted to her in the sutras. The passages descr ib ing them

seemed at f irst to detract from rather than enhance her sub- ,l imity, for they struck me as too fanciful and more becoming .to a fo lk goddess than a celest ia l Bodhisat tva. This, of course)was just a personal v ierv.

Page 7: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r 4 Bodhisattva of Compassion

Years later, wi th an insight stemming from the teaching ofmy Chinese and Tibetan masters, I came to understand u'harI st i l l th ink is her t rue s igni f icance - or parr of i t . Shc is rcal- oh, not as Artemis and Aphrodite \vere real in thc e1,es oftheir worshippers, but in a sense more secret and profounci .However, in trying ro inake this point, I have nor sought tcrconvert others to my way of th inking. I .shal l bc happv i f thci 'come to love her, even i f she remains for them just a beaut i f 'u lidea. To give colour and l i fe to my portrai t of her, I havc rc- latct lmany chinese and Ti t retan tales rvhich reveal hcr at rvhat ma1.r ight ly or wrongly be cal led the lon'er and middlc lcvcls oiundcrstanding. bre s idcs set t ing dou'n somc of hcr mantras andappropr iare excerpis f rom sutras and manuals of contcmi l lat ivcmeditat ion. Also I have had much to sa1' of Kuan f in ' i rhrccprogeni tors - Avaloki tesvara (Chenresigs) and Tara, t rvo dci t ie swarmly cher ished b1'Tiberans, and the Chinese pr incess MiaoShan, for Kuan Yin is m1'ster iously al l of these rogethcr I

Perhaps the portrait wiit f ind favour not only with some rvh.are interested in Buddhisnr and Chinese and Tibetan yogicpractice, but also r,r ' i th those who have come upon temples andshrines to Kuan Yin r,r 'hile sojourning in Asian countries, anciwith the many lovers of Chinese arr who have fallen captiveto her charms both as a benign mother goddess and as a srveetlvsmi l ing maide.r dei ty. I should have l iked ro say more of hc.rfrom the viewpoint of Chinese and Japanese art, but researchfacil i t ies in Bangkok are l imited. As it is, the pith of what I havewritten is mystical rather than aesthetic; I hope it may encour-age those who, without necessarily subscribing to an establishedfaith, have glimpsed the effulgence of what Lao-tzrj called theNameless - thar which once inspired certain Greeks to erecra wayside altar to 'The Unknown God' and led wordsq'orthto perceive a supernatural radiance suft-using the rvorld aroundhim. The Nameless is as i i is and qui te beyond the rearm ofconceptual thought; yet there are t imes when one neecs to hintat i t symbol ical ly. To my mind, Kuan Yin 's gent le form is aworthier symbol than the figure of a rortured being hangingfrom a cross or of an awesome father god. Trivial and inaccuratr-as al l such symbols are in comparison with the rcal i ty thel 'clothe, they have their importance and should be chosen rvirircare. I f rve are to preserve our sani ty amidst the mind-shatter inq

Page 8: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Foreu'ord r 5horrors of the modern lvorid, it is rvell to har-e an intimationof serenel-'* abiding beauty underlying thc grim fagade visibleto our senses. Could we but choose our own symbol of thatbeauty (and why indeed should 'we not ?), it rr-ould be hard tof ind a form lovel ier than Kuan yin 's I or , i f rhe chinese con-ccpt ion of the gcddess seems just a t r i f le too sedate, \ \ .e couldopt for her Tibctan counrerpart and rrv in, th: compassionateand sly ly playful Tara !

joHN BLOFELD

Page 9: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Chapter r

The EnigmaNo loaer of fair utslonsBorn of mind and caughtBy the painter's brttshOr caraer's handCan zpell resistKuan Yin's enchantment.

I,,lo follower of the WayBeyond the Hiddert GateBut longs to read the secretReflected in her eyes,To know zuhat lies behindHer enigmatic smile.

Whence rose that shining being,Diaine embodiment .Of pure compassion?Whence came such faithIn Kuan Yin's powerTo ferry sentient beingsAcross satnsara's ocean?

Where did she first appearAnd hoz:t acquireHer mellifluous name- Kuan Shih Yin,Hearer-of-Cries?

Among these quest ions, the last is soonest answered. Kuan Yin(or Kuan Shih Yin, to give the name its proper form) means

She-Vho-Hearkens-to-the-Cries-of- the-World, and is a t rans-lat ion of the Sanskr i t name of hcr chief prcgeni tor , Avaloki tes-vara (o rAva lok i ta ) . In Korea and Japan and, above a l l , in Ch inabefore the Red f lood engul fed hi--r tcmpics there, Kuan Yin has

been popular ly revered as a goddess for a thousand years ormore, though in t ruth she is not a goddess but a celest ia l Bodhi-

Sattva ancl rvas tbrmerly 'embodicd in male f , - r r r t , as is somet i r r resthe case tc l th is day. By the learned i t is knoivtr that she is notto be found among the dei t ics of mountains, groves and streams,or to be numbered among the high div in i t ies of heaven. Thatshe has lo^rg been venerated as a goddess by al l k inds of

'people,

ranging from iisher-folk to Taoist sages in their rnountain her-mitages, as wel l as by Buddhist laymen geleral iy, is because

Page 10: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r 8 Bodhisatnta of Compassion

of the irresistible appeal made by so compassionate a deity toa race intimately acquainted with poverry and oppressionthroughout its long history.

Until recently, shrines to Kuan Yin stood in all kinds ofplaces throughout the length and breadth of China and inseveral neighbour ing countr ies as rr 'e l l l wherever possible, theseshr ines were placcd near running water or over looking a lakcor sea) and she is often depicted by' painters as seated on a rockgazing out across thc water, or standing upoir a f loat ing lotuspeta l . Hcr d rvc l l ing s tands on a sea-g i r t i s land and many Ssher -fa lk and boat-people have come to ident i f l ' her wi th their or i 'npatron goddtss, so t l - tat c 'ach dei t f is somet imes credi ted rv i thcharaeteristies of the othcr. I think it bcst to introduce hcr asa goddess of f ishcrrnen, for that is the guise in which I mysel ff i rst saw her in a temple of her o\r 'n.

Oftcn during a journey in South China, having halted at atorvnlet about an hour before sunset and arranged for a night'sIodging at an inn, i f I st ro l led beside a r iver or along the seashoreI would come to some pleasant spot in the outskirts where stooda temple to Kuan Yin. Set amidst c lumps of t rees or near thetop of some rocky crag would be a Eateway where, suspendedbeneath the curving eaves, would hang a lacquered board in-scribed in gold call igraphy with characters bearing someallusion to her narne. Beyond 'x'ould l ie a courtyard, so narro\l,in some cases as to be called a 'sky-rvell ' and then a fantasticall l 'roofed temple with walls of grey brick and doors of lacqueredwood. The first t ime this happened, the temple proved to bescarcely more than a shrine-room about the size of the chapelin some modest old Cathol ic house in England, or smal ler . Thegoddess was represented by a crumbling plaster statue fromwhich the colours had long faded. A clumsily built table daubedvrith flaking scarlet lacquer did duty as an altar. The place,though redolent of poverty, had an air ot' being much fre-quented. I had barely had time to take in the ancient beams,the faded call igraphic inscriptions, tattered banners and coarsechina furnishings of the altar when I heard the sound of man-"-footsteps in the ccurtyard. I. lot rvishing to be in the way, I wouldhave left, had not the caretaker, an old man clad in shabbl'trrluse'rs of blaek cotton and a singlet grey rvith long use, givenRrc an understanding smi le and gestured for me to stay.

Page 11: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Th; Enigna i9

A group o f boat - rvomen came hur r ' i .g in . Dressed inp .v jama-su i ts o f cheap, b lack c lo rh . some had broad-br immedbamboo hats strapped to their backs. rvhi le othe rs . -arr icci theirbab ies there comfor tab lv seated in cocoons o f c r ims. .n c lo th t iedto the i r mothers ' jacke ts . legs rv ide apar r anc i , Jang l ing . G lanc-ing someq'hat askance at rhe tai l forc ign dcr- i l f rom :hc- \ \ resternocean. the l ' sa :k to thc i r knees and kor i ' ro rved th r . -e r imes r r ' i th? gr?cc' I had nor expe crc-d f rom people of such CC,trSr- . appear-ance ' coarse ' i s pcrhaps roo s t rong a u . 'o rd to bc- 3F: l c r Ch inescpcasants , bu t :hev cer ta in i r ' lookc-d i i ke pcop lc r i ' he ' r led harc ll i vc : ' , Soon t i : : r ' rose t iom thc i r knces , e l :cc .p r to : one \ ,oungc i r l i r . aR advn lccd s ta ta o1 'p reer .anc l ' rv i ro remai : :ed rv i th hcrface r . the f loc r -cush ion . I - ighr ing inccnse-s 'L icks and cand lestakcn from a rablc ncar the door. thev chantccl a rr ief and far:f rom tuneful r -=lodr ' , thcn rcpeatc( l their Ls11;[q)\ ' , 'S and hurr ieca \1 'a1 ' led bv the pregnant s i r l . Thr= u 'ho le per fo r rnance took peri r o p s t h r e c o r l o u r m i n u t c s .

' \ { :har r1 'as that abour?' I asked the caretaker in ml. st i l l rudi-mentery ch inese, though I scarce ly needed to be to ld .'The young one has happ iness in her . D id you nor see? Theothers are her relat ives. Thet ' came to pra-v tha. t the chi ld r . , , i l lt re d boy. '

'And she u ' i i l sure ly ge r a son T ' I sa id,'Kuan Y in i s k ind . '' I see. And rvhar musr the mother do

s m i l i n g .

to earn Kuan Y in 'sfavour ?'

'Do? wlhen her son is born, she r .v i l l come to gi 'e thank.s, 'I t r r -as as s imple as thar. Larer. a chinese fr iend explained

that i t \ \ :as not customarl ' for suppl iants to bargain rr . i rh the god-dess. No need for the mother ro promisc to be good or uncertakethat her son r l -ould requi te rhe favour in anr- \ r 'a]- , Kuan yin,Lreing eompassionare, r 'ould natural ly be happv ro grant sucha n ' i s h . ' E u t s u p p o s t r - t h e g i r l h a s a d a u g h r e r ? ' I i n s i s t e d .'Then the g i r i -babv rv i l l bc des t ined to a s ingu la r lv fo r tunatecx is tence" The qoddess rvor . : ld no t dcnv so harmless a reques tu' i thout good r-ason.t

-

Perhaps m1' f r iend rvas bcing i ronical . bur whar he said cer-ta in l l ' accordei rv i th rr 'har the boat-rvomen bel ieved. TheI r l?nsants ' < -onc=pt ion o f Kuan f in \ \ ' as uncompl ica ted . Shesnr - r ld be rC l icC. i in ( rn I ' r r h , .h r r ' . - l i [g a f 'ond l r - indu lsent Daren l .

Page 12: Bodhisattva of Compassion

20 Bodhisam,rj. _. Cornpassion

prov ided on ly r l - .= : one 's * ' i sh $ ,as no t ev i l in i t se l f . No spcc ia ldegree.o^f p iety ' c: . : r ic t conciuct \ \ ,as required of the pet i t io.crsLreyond f i rm bei i=: . 'n Kuan Yin 's por. , . i to aid. such fairy god_mothers, I ref le: : ;d sadry, , can surery not exist outs ide srorybooksi but i t u 'e i . : ice ,o- i i - , ,nk of , r r . lov"" i , ra co*fort f isher_f* lk and farmer: :er ived from rhc- i* i*pt . uer ief . As a prep_school k id of erc ' . ' : : r or so, fear that God wourd get back at meby some such m;; : ls as ensur ing that my schoor report woulc ibe bad enough. r - . ingcr rny' fat*rer had ;;J. me a good dearmor.-= v i r t l lous th: : : I * 'as b1: nature, causing me to te i l the t ruthar highl ; - inconr ' . : : icnr rnomenrs ancr be sure ro empry mybowels-euery da1' . ==r the afhrmat ive t icksl p.nci l l .d in a certainbook should not :-Jrrecr my actuar performa.ce. t was graci tcrknow that Kuan \-in ,r,r, -*r.h

Ieis .*r. i ir.,g.: J'o rrly everlas::::g regrer, I did not whiri in china visit p,uT'o shan (or p 'u- : 'u- to] t 'a l , Iountain), an isrand of f the che_kiangcoasr which :akes i ts name from , i r . s*rkr i t rvord potara,mea, r ing Kuan \ ' : : : ' s Parac l i sc ' . For tha t i s , t . r ro t i . s t p race inrhevror ld to de 'o r : i : s o f the goddess . one or the s to r ies re ra t ingro i t te l ls of an I : : . : , ian

"r . . , ] . who, alr iu i r - ,g- there dur ing theT',ang Dy'asty, : ' : i t€fed the sacred ch,aolyin cave (cavc,-

1vf1re-rne-voice-: : - the-Tidc- is-Heard) and burnt of f a l r h isrngcrs as an of f r - r : : : ! : ro Kuan yin I How singularry rr .upp*p. i_t te ! o f a l l the de : : : l s o f rh is un iversc) th .J . - i , none so averse. ' bnrnt of fer ings =s rhe Go,- lcress cf Mercy. I t is preasanter toIccep.t another prr ; j lar accounr of the is lancl 's ear l iest c la im rcr;anc t i t y , f rom rvh : : i * 'e rearn rha t Kuan y in v ls i ted i t in pers 'n- an evcnt o f w 'h i ; : p ic ru rL 'sque c -v idence rcmains in the fo r rnrf her footpr int c: : - :cdcicd in rhc- rcck cai led Kuan yin,s Leap,ts dcp th be ing d- : r t - r thc m.mcnrum o f hcr jump f rom thcrc ighbour ing is la : . - t t r l ' I o C i r ia Shan.l n a n o r h e r s e n s ; . r i c o u r s c . K u a n Y i n p e r r n a n c n t l v i n h d b i t s) ' u T ' o I s l a . d ( u : . ; s : s h c h a s r c c c n r l r . r r l t i r t o a v o i c i b c i n g s u b _' :c tcd to the thou- : - - - i : r ) f \ lao Tsc- rung) - - rn . . .

a rc innumcr_b le s to r ic -s o f her l : ' . ' i ng man i f r .s rc t r h t - - rs , : r f r ' p i rg r ims, usuar r r i: r thc Ch'ao-\ ' i r : , _: . , .c: i . r . I such t i rncs, horr . . i . . . . ,h. ; ; ; ; ; ; ,. i v i s ib le to any o t ' - : - - r ' i s i to rs r r -ho ha 'c sc - r ious iy t ransgrcsscdgainst the dictares : ' . cornpassion. At high t ic ie t i re cave is f i i lcdr i th rvaters so turb. : rent i l rat , f rcrm t ime to t ime, a ge_y-ser twentv:et h igh sporrs t i . rn a holc i . rhe roof ; , ; ; i l ; r " i * ; ' i ; ' , , ; j ' ; ;

Page 13: Bodhisattva of Compassion

7-he Iirtt ignru 2r

'n"'ait unti l the tide is lorv if they desire to be received in audience.It is said that the compassionate arnong them behold rhe sandsmvsteriously transformed into a carpet of v,'hite lotus. rvhencea pink lotus oI enormous size arises to form a throne for the;1oddess. I t is casy to be scornful of such sror ies, but I am sr l rethe atmosphere in the cave has a haunting quality g'hich dis-poses one to expect every kind of marvel. I know from my ownrsper iences in s imi lar p laces how easi ly normal scept ic ismLreeermes suspended. That Kuan Yin is actually seen rvith thee1'es in one's head I doubt, but with the inner eye ? Some whoclainr to have had this vision are people whose truthtulness isbeyond question. If one feels compelled to doubt rhern, themost that can be said is that pilgrims keyed up by high expecta-tion and worked upon by the place's curiously eerie atmosphgremay have thought they perceived what they ardently desiredto see. Personally I think there was rarher more to it than that,but there is a whole range of experience that would be diff icultto classify as pur-el! objective or subjective, so each of us hasto interpret such phenomena in the way that seems best ro him.

I was to l ive in China for some time before conring to under-.stand correctly what my more learned Buddhist friends meantbf insisting that Kuan Yin is nor a goddess but a celes'cial Bodhi-sattva. This was first explained ro me by a Mr P'en, rvho knewsomething of Sanskrit and was quite an authority on ChineseBuddhism. One day, hearing me refer to Kuan Yin as a goddess,he said reprovingly: 'Don' t speak of Kuan Yin l ike that , Ah

Jon. You sound as though you supposed rhat, if thcl ' happento be Buddhists) even scholars - "book-perfume mcn" as wecal l them - share the s imple bel iefs you f ind runong peasants. '

Having but the vaguest idea of h is meaning, I ansrvered,smi l ing : ' I sha l l be de l igh ted to ca l l her a ce les t ia l Rodh isa t tva ,but isn ' t that just another name for what might i r revercnt lyLrc cal led a super-goddess, that is someone nearer the top oftht- celest ia l h ierarchy ? I real ly don'r see rhar i t makcs muchdi f le rence. '

He could not help laughing; bur, prescnt ly, speaking ser i -ously, he went on to give me a metaphysical explanat ion thattook some grasping. His Engl ish, though very good indeed, wasnot quite up to the task and, at one stage, he ran upstairs fora dict ionary. That proved to be scarcely any help at a l l ro some-

Page 14: Bodhisattva of Compassion

22 Bodhisatna of Compassion

one trying to render from one language to another the termin-ology of Mahayana Buddhism. Here I have set down his dis-course (with the help of a fair degree of hind-knowledge) notas it was given, but as I think he intended to give it.

'You must realise first of all that cur minds are not sep3ratefrom'lvi:,nd, which, if you have read any Ch'an (Zen) works,you wil l know to be the sole reality. Knou'n in its quiescentstate as the Great Voici or what you English people call UltimateReality, it is sirnaltaneously the realm of form, "the matrix ofthe myr iad objects", as Lao-Tzr j puts i t . 81' no means mustthey be thought of as separate. The Great Void and the realmof form are not rzlo.' Therc is no going from the one to the other,only a transrnutation of your mode of perception. Mind is l ikea boundless oeean of I ight, or infinite space, from which streamsforth Bodhi, a man'ellous errergy that produces in us an urgetowards Enlightenrnent. But to attain Enlightenment, you needvast stores of wisdom and compassion in perfect union. Wisdomineludes full and direct perception of your own egolessness andof the non-existence of anything l ike "own-self in any object.Compassion is the prime means of destroying all cl inging todelusory selfhood. From Bodhi emanate particularised streamsof l iberating energy - the energies of wisdom, compassion, ofthe pure activity needed to combine them, and so forth. These,in turn, subdivide and thus become more tangible to mindsdeluded by the false notion of self-existing egos and self-exist-ing objects. In some marvel lous way, these streams'and sub-streams become embodied in forms like those which divinit iesare thought to have, the primary streams as what've call celestialBuddhas, the secondary streams as what are called celestialBodhisattvas.

'Amitabha Buddha embodies the primary l iberating energyof compassion; Avaloki ta Bodhisatrva embodies i ts secondarvemanat ion. This doctr ine is der ived f iom a 1 'ogic t radi t i t rntarrght at Nalanda Universi ty in India almost two mi l lenia ago.As to Kuan Yiu, our pecul iar ly Chinese embodiment of com-passion, she was or ig inal ly ident ical rv i th Avaloki ta and there-fore v isual ised as pDssessing male character ist ics. Some peoplcsuppose that the change in sex at t r ibuted to the Bodhisattvaoccurred only after a lcgendary Chinese princess called MiaoShan became integrated rv i th that being through the powerful

Page 15: Bodhisattva of Compassion

7- i t t Enigma 23

influence of our native folklore. That is certainlv nonsense.Educated people do not seriousl-"* accepr the Miao Shan legends.Besides, you can hardly suppose rhar rr 'e chinese Buddhists,after scrupulously preselving rhe doctrines, practices and sym-bols carried back fi:om India by monks rvho hac made fearfuljourneys through burning deserts and icy mountain \\ 'asres,would have permitted such a change in sex ro come aboutthrough mere carelessness ! The key to the mystery- \\'as taughtme by my teacher's teacher during a visit to Ntc.,ngolia. Therehe came across images of Tara rvhom Mongols and Tiberansrevere as a female emanarion of Avaloki ta. Later on. my teacher,who loved to v ier .v col lect ions of ant ique paint ing: i ) came uponseveral yery old ones in which Kuan Yin rvas porrraved as beingalmost ident ie al wi th Tara. In other words, for rvhatever reason.we Chinese deeided to combine Avaloki ta and Tara into a sortof female Avaloki ta, whom rve cal l Kuan Yin. '

Well, whether or nor Mr P'an lvas exactl-r- righr about theorigin of Kuan Yin's portrayal in female form, the Bodhisattvais far from being a figure of poetic whimsl'. Yogically she corre-sponds to an actual energy permanently latent in the mind.though it may be that the forms in whic-h she is envisag.a

"rJdeliberate human creations. Sti l l , I think that the artists rvhohave best succeeded in capturing the magic of those forms musthave beheld them in their meditations, for onlf in the sti l lnessof one-pointed contemplaticn is such perfecricn.often revealed.The'real i ty 'of the Bodhisattva is not hard to accept, once onerecognises that even such solid-seeming objects as eiephantsand mountains are all creations of Mind and therefore on a parr,r ' i th dreams, imaginings, visions - l ike everything else in exist-ence. A mental image of Kuan Yin does not differ in an ultimatesense from the floor and ceil ing of the room v,'here one sits medr-tat ing.

' Ih is is a myst ic 's v ierr ' , but one that nr; \ - come to be

rVids- lY accepted nt-rrv th; . t t [ . . - [h i r i l i l l r5pi ' ' Icrs u1. i ; . ] r ] 's ic istS l l rcveer ing in the direct ion cr t bcl ieving rhat thc w'htr lc universe isa mental creation.

This br ief explanat ion of the nature of celest ia l Bodhisat tvasf f idy, a las, be far f rom lucid. In deal ing rv i th ' , r 'hat pertain5 tomyst ical percept ion, explanat ions are' seldom sai isfactory, scgreat ly do words distort and diminish the real i t i ' rhey are usedtT eonvey. We *ny, for the momci l t ) put asic ic t i re quest ion of

Page 16: Bodhisattva of Compassion

24 Bodhsarna o_f Compossion

Kuan Yin 's real i ty; the sheer beauty of the concept of an exqui-s i te ly lovel l - being u 'hose chief at t r ibute is pure, unwaver ingcompassion is in itself appealing enough io claim our admira-tion. Even r', 'hen brought dow'n to the level of a goddess - andit is thus that painters and sculptors often portray her - KuanYin is unique anlong the heavenly hierarchy in being utterlyfree from pride or vengefulness and reluctant to punish eventhose to whom a severe lesson rvould be salutary. The cursingof the withered fig-tree and the rvhipping of the temple money-changers u-hich so rl isfigure the otherwise beautiful gospelstories are *-ithout counrerparrs among the exploits at:ributedto Kuan f in.

Page 17: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Chapter z

Some Manifestations?

To hear her name and see her formDeliaers beings from eaery ri)oe,

Lotus Sfrtra

The embassy of the boat-women to Kuan Yin's temple rveil

exemplif ies how peasants in China and neighbouring countriesconceive of her. Seeing her as a benevolent goddess into whose

nature it would be discourteous to enquire, they rejoice because

she is lovely in herself and generous in heeding supplications.This uncomplicated attitude is not l imited to i l l i terate followers

of ancient folk-religions, for even among the general run of

Buddhists in China and Japan, the distinction betrveen deities

and celestial Bodhisattvas is blurred. Horvever) more erudite

Buddhists see her otherwise. The following account of an ex-

perience significant to me personally prefaces two other stories

that wil l serve as a previerv of some of the ways in rvhich Kuan

Yin is conceptual ised. One, though i t does iust touch upon

the Mind Only doctr ine l f ing at the root of the celest ia l Bodhi-

Sattva concept) reveals her in a guise very s imi lar to that of a

go'Cdess, whereas the other carr ies uS to a high metaphysical

leve l .One of the three main annual fest ivals of Kuan Yin, Hearer-

of-Cries, falls on the nineteenth day of the sixth lunar month

(about July) . For centur ies i t .has been celebrated by gather ings

in her honour,' some of which assemble on the twelfth of the

month and spend no less than seven days on rites and contem-

plative meditation centred on Kuan Yir^. Alas, in recent years

ihe ranks of her followers have been thinned. For all I kno'w,

Page 18: Bodhisattva of Compassion

26 Bodhisatna of Compassion

such fest ivals st i l l take place in Japan, Korea and Singapore,but hardly in China or Viet-Nam.

Quite soon after my arrival in China, while sraying ar amonastery nest l ing among clumps of lychee-rrees on the sunnyside of a minor sacred mountain, I heard that 'Kuan Yin 'sBir thday' was going to be celebrated that evening at a neigh-boui ing temple overwhich she presided, so at sunset I set of fin that d i rect ion. By the t ime I arr ived, night had fal len. Scud-ding clouds obscured the moon, but peach-shaped lanternssuspended from the te:nple gatervay's elegant ly curving roofcast a pool of cr imson l ight that could be seen from a distance.Beyond iay a courtyard thronged rvith u'orshippers r.r,hose faccswere i l lumined b,v thc rirys of perhaps a hundred candlesstreaming through the shr ine-hal l 's rv ide. f lung doors. Mostwere lay-people, but a spr inkl ing of bald pates shorved thatsome monks and nuns from neighbouring monasteries \\ 'ereamong them. All were craning their heads rowards the shrinewhere Kuan Yin 's statue rose bel i ind a lavishly carved andgi lded al tar where stood innumerable candle-st icks, a greatbronze incense tripod and an array of porceiain vessels piledwith offerings of fruit and florvers. No animal flesh or cups ofwine yvere to be seen, for even the peasants had some inklingof the difference between Kuan Yin and the more gluttonouslocal deities; besides, rhe keepers of the shrine would havereiected such offerings as impure and displeasing ro the Bodhi-sattva - though not monks, they would hardly have acceptedthem even for themselves.

The night air, drenched with the mingled perfumes of burn-ing sandalwood anf,of jasmine and champak flowers, quiveredas the mallet thudded upon a large hollowed block known asthe wooden-fish drum; its throb was puncruated by the clangand tinkle of bronze and silver instruments used to mark therhythm of the chant. Though rhe same few word s, Namu ta-rzil ta-pei Kuan Shih Yin P'u-Sa (Homage ro the greatly com-passionate' greatly mercifui Kuan Shih Yin Bodhisattva) ! wereintoned repeatedly, the ardour of.those taking part and frequentsubtle changes in rhe rh;'thm dispelled monotorryr so that themusic l ifted me inro a realm of beauty and enchanrment.

Taller than the rvirl southerners pressing all about me, I hadan unobstructed view, Thc tsodhisattva was depicted as a

Page 19: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Some t\Ianifesradons 27

gracious young lady with smoorhlv rounded cheeks and chin,sitt ing very informally upon a rock-like throne, one knee raisedso high that the elegant l i t t le s l ipper peeping from beneath herrobe was on a level wi th the other knee. One slender hand tcyedwith a rv i l low spr ig, the other held a vase of 'sn 'eet dew' s-vm-bol is ing the nectar of compassion. To ei ther s ide, s ' rought on asmal ler scaie, stood her atrendants - Shan Ts'ai , a smi l ing bo! ' ,and Lung Nt, the Dragon Maiden. rvho was holding oul a giantpear l . These statues can hardl-v have been the i , r 'o:k of locai ar t -i s ts ; the-v \vere f ,ne ly scu lp ted and had a p leas ing l i ve l iness ,though I couid, have wished them less ornate. IJut tor her dis-t inc t i ve pos ture and the na ture o f the s ! 'mbo ls in her hands ,thc spl ' :ndidly robcd and bejewel led f igure couic i 'a)niost haveLreen mistaken for that of N{ary arrayed as Queen of Fleavenin t t re nlenner of South Europe. Superf ic ia i l l ' at leasr, her robesand ornaments resembled art i facts f rorn Bvzant ium. Struck bl 'th is lavish eosrume, I s 'ondered how this empress- l ike beingcsuld be made to f i t in rv i th the gent iy ausrere teaching c, f theBuddha; for I had st i l l to learn that the external forms takenby Buddhism in di f ferent counrr ies, though str ik ingly var ied,entail no real departures from its doctrines.

Fresent ly a gust of wind senr incense*smoke bi l lowingupwards in heavy clouds that momenrarilv blurred the Bodhi-sat tva's features, creat ing the i l lusion of a l iv ing being q 'hoseexpression no\l ' altered and took orr unimaginable beauty.As though chiding my churlishness in the :narrer of hercostume, she seemeci to fix me u'irh her e-n-es and gentiy shakeher head.

Aware that th is was no miracle. I rvas nevertheless entrancedand tried hard to believe that the goddess had taken norice ofme. What is more, there seemed to hover just beyond the thres-hold of my mind a teasing recol lect ion of somethir lg or someoneonce greatly loved but long faded from m!' memory'. The effecrwas so poignant that I u^anted both to laugh and to cry" I ameonvineed that i t was this eiusive recol lect ion rather than thetriek wrought by the incense smoke that produceci u'hat seemsin rctrqspeet a magical effect; in thar moment I conceived arcverence for the Compassionate One rvhich, far from fadingrvi t i r the years, was dest ined to intensi fy, a i though for a longt ime i t remained no rnore than a pieasant rvhimsv. In those davs

Page 20: Bodhisattva of Compassion

28 BoChisatr:.a af Compassion

I had not the ri' isdorn to reconcire deep devotion ro a deity ,"viththe knorvledge rhat deities are not !

I was roo mo'ed ro pay artention to what iolrowed. No doubtthe long period_of invocation gave place to recitation of the p,uYd" chaprer of the I-otus sfitra or of Kuan yin,s Dharanr ofGreat compassion. The rite must have ended with an inspiringcrescendo of c1'mbals and drums succeecled by an eerie silenceas the off icianrs prostrated rhemselves; U"t UV then I hadslipped arvay to b_egin m' rvalk thro.rjt ir,* arrtness ro rrremonasrery where I lodged. To this dry I recall my pleasrr..l 'the eool night arr so free from croying ,..rr,r, rh* cr..k of bam-Foqr srvaying in ihe wind and the r."rrrving of smail crearuresin the u-ndergroi'rh- Throughout the *"ik I indurgcd the poericfancy that the goddess had wished to remind *. of somirhingimmensely imporrant to my happiness. Such a mood is not diffi-eult ro susrain rvhire stroiling by *oorrii;h;;" the slopes of amountain where immortar biings have bien worshipped sincebefore rhe dawn of history; rhe very atmosphere is vibranr withintimations of their presence. ro rb"rr

"il iv mind which toldme I was being absurd, I put up strenuous resistance, beingloath to rerurn Io an ugly world which, .u.rrl those days, wasfast comi'g under the ,Obmination of monste* airgrised as in_ventors and te.hnicians. Having disposed of cavill ing logic, rnyrtrind snared, ie ading me to a state bordering on ecstasy. I hada foretaste of the rvisdom born of full realisatTon that only mindis real; the dernons.of duarity were remporari ly vanquished sothati t became possibre to .ni. . ,ain simultaneousry two oppos-ing facets of truth.

Back at the monasrerv, *'hile_ rvaiting for the sreepy porrerto admit me, I became a\\'are of a dericLus fragrance which Isupposed to ha'c- a supernaturar origin untii, looking up, I sawthat the gatewa!' \r'as o'erhung uy irre uo"st, of a tree calledirr chineseyeh-lai-hsiang (nigh-t fiagranc.) irti.r, pours out itsperfume during rhe firsr t"ut.h., oflne nijnr. rhe great courr-yard was in darkness, rhe monks bging J,il i ,*ry cerebratingthe festival or else retired ro their cetts i3 ,r;;;;, meditate unrirsummoned for rh-e morning rite an ho,r before dawn. Noticirrgthat lamps still glimmer.o i.t the deserted shrine-hall, I felt aydfgn impulse ro enrer and make my *rv lo""d behind theBuddha statues to where it was customary in chinese monas_

Page 21: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sorne Manifestatiotts z.g

teries to house a statue of Kuan Yin. There she was, standingupon a shelf at about the Jevel of my chest. It was an imageof fine bronze some three feet high, with the right hand raisedin benediction, the elongated eyes half closed in contemplativebliss. The itumps of votive candles stil l guttercd at her feer,rvhereas the incense sricks lit in her honour had burnt *lownto the stubs leaving behind a sour staleness. It seems sad thatdeities have to enrlure this odour when their worshippers haveretired for the night. Perhaps the truth is that it is the worship-pers themselves who enjoy tenrple offerings. Lighting fresh in-eense) I stood before her in silence until, suddenly carried awayby exaltation, I whispered: 'Compassionate One, be pleased tospeak and convince me of your reality'!

How foolish this must sound and how ashamed I shouldbe to write of it, were it not for the sequel. Even with the wordsupon my lips I reflected that a sane man should know betterthan to attempt holding converse with a statue ! Yet perhapsI had some excuse; for, apart from being then in a special stateof mind, I had recently spent much time in the company ofcertain Chinese Buddhists who, despite being men of obviousgood sense and erudition, would have found nothing surpriiingin such conduct. As it turned out, no justification was needed,for the plain truth is that the statue answered me at once, saying:'Look not for my reality in the realm of appearances or in theVoid. Seek it in your own mind. There only it resides.'

I wish I could make the story even more extraordinary byaffirming that the bronze lips moved, that the beautifullymoulded throat gave forth melodious sounds. It was not so. Nosound or movement stirred th.e silence. The enigmatic wordsentered my consciousness as thought-forms, but so palpablythat not even sound itself could have made the effect moreelectrifying or their sequence more precise. It is hard to b:lievethat, at a time when my knowledge of Mahayana Btrddhism wasso slight, I cculd have summoned such a pronouncement fromwithin myself. I did not really.kno'v then what the first sentencemeant. I felt sure I had received an intimation thar Kuan Yinexists - to the extent that 'exists' is a fitting description of hersubtlc nature. Using thd word thus is perhaps ro overstare thecase, just as to say that she does not exist would be to understateit. My experience was not imaginary. Such intuitive perceprions

J .I

Page 22: Bodhisattva of Compassion

30 Bodhisanz;a of Compassirm

are too direct, too penetrating to be mistaken for ordinary im-aginings. Yet for years I hesitated to speak of it, excepr to mvChinese friends, who understood its nature; bu.t now I havccome to recognise that no good purpose is served by concealingmarvels merely because people nowadays are apt to disbel ievcthem. In truth, such a man'el is not magical to those whorecognise mind's sovereign power over phenornena of even'kind whatsoever.

Chrysanthemum s are goldTo those who see them so.- Red goLJ is jusr a metalTi l l thought- forms give i t rvorth.

There is a modern shorr story about a t imid knight s 'ho,armed with a magic rvord te make him invulnerable, slelr ' f i ft1'dragons as easily as cockroaches. Unfortunately, rvhile c'ngagcciin s laying the f i f t ieth, he suddenly real ised that he had beentr icked by his teacher into putt ing fa i th in a made-up nonsense-word. Needless to say, his fifty-first dragon gobbled him up inno time at all ! Yet can one say rhar the magic rvrought by hisfaith in that nonsense-word was nor real ? It stood him in farbetter stead than his ' real ' armour and 'object ively exist ing'sword !

A Brit ish-educated Chinese friend of mine once told me astory that fully bears out this view of reality.

'As you know, though my mother was a Buddhist, I receivedall my'pre-university education at Catholic schools, was bap-tised at sixteen and later took a Catholic wife. For years I wasas devout a convert as could reasonably be expecteci of a manlike me, a geologist. Then came the war which sent so man),of us fleeing westward before the Japanese advance. My narivccity suffered cruelly from indiscriminate rape and slaughter. Icould not think of my old home rvithour rears. My work fora goveinment prospecting enterprise took me to some rvild andlonely places in Kweichow province and oncc I was sent to lookfor wolfram in a mountainous region six or seven da.ys walk fromthe nearest motor-road. One day, an hour before our usual stopfor midday rice, I mistook a mule-track for the path we werefollowing and wandered far away from the men- carrying mv

Page 23: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sdrr: . ' A4art i - f : : t at iorrs 3 I

luggage and equipment. Kncn' ing I was lost , but hungry andconvinced by occasional f resh pi les of mule dung rhat the t rackmust lead to human habi tat ions, I pressed fonva:d. LJprvardand upward I \ \ 'ent unt i l c louds \ \ 'ere srr- i r l ing atout me anCI could hear w'hat sounded l ike the weird cr ies of g ibborrs highup in the t rees. At every turn I hoped in vain tL1 come uponat least a wccdsman's hovel , but I had n'andered tcs far by ' thento feel i t wise to turn back. I needed foo. l and sc:re local manto guidc me to u 'here my porters \ \ rere l ikely tu r3 found.

'An icy u ' ind came tcar ing do* 'n f rom the hig-r pcaks ancidusk was closing in. Eer i : sounds \ \ 'ere al i abtr ' . : i me) somerecognisable as the voices of u ' ind and st^-eam, o ' i ; : : rs inexpl ic-ab le and mourn fu l as the c r ies o f wander rng ghos :s . Wi th eachstep I grew more afraid and the mists srti i l ing &rr.u-::g the rocksgrc\ \ 'denser and rnore opaque. Fears t - r f * ' i ld b:asts rose tohaunt me; as for bandi ts, of w'hom the local Er€t f le had toldmc sinister ta les, I longed to meet a fe l lon'-human le ing, bandi tor not. At last terror brougnt me to mv knees beside the pathand, teeth chatter ing, I poured out a pra! 'e r tcf mv latron saint ,St Bernadette, begging that srveet chi ld .as I tht ught of her)to appear and lead me to a place of safety. Bv rvhat l ightremained, ff iy eyes sought for her among the rocks. I believedthat i f she did not come, I should lose my sanin ' . i f not mylife !

'Then she u'as there, standing on a small f lat rock, her fl imsyblue robe hardly ruffied by the fierce and bitterl i- cold wind.She was smiling, as I could see well, for arounc her gloweda nimbus of soft l ight. Gradually'I took in that thc're was some-thing unexpected about her face. Then I realised g'hat it rvas -

she was'a Chinese Rernadette ! Her high-s* 'ept hair . rhe jewel ledornaments c lasped about her throat, the whi te s i lk t rouserspecping through a blue robe sl i t to thc th igh , . r 'e: : those of anoble Chinese maiclen many centur ies ago.

' "Come, Elder Brotherr" she said, speaking niel ' , rd ious Mari*dar in in a chi ld ish voice too voung to i ra ' , 'e belor iqed to Berna-de ttc qven at the tirr:e of her first meeting rvith the Holy Virgin,"I shall shsw you a place where vou can rest safel'. ' ancl tomor-row al l wi l l be very wel l . "

'Shc icd'me a short d istance to a shal io\ \ ' cave , . ' . ' : l l protectedfrc;m rhe wind. I ts f loor was as sof t aS thc- sof tes: of beds and

Page 24: Bodhisattva of Compassion

32 Bodhisarn,a of Compassion

I arn near ly sure I ca'rght s ight of a s i lken pei-zuo (qui l t ) sruf fedn,: doubt wi th warm si lk- f loss, iust as I fet t asleep in the veryact of ly ing down at her command.'The next day I ar.voke, after a long, deep sreep, to find thesun high in the sk,"-. There was no sign of bedding-and thc floorof the cave, far from being soft, wis 'ugged and strewn withpebbles, bur I had slept as rvel l and *ui i - t ty as in the room Ionee shared r ' i rh my mother in my beloved nrt ive place, nowa ttrousand li a*'ay. while I rvas washing in a nearby stream,a train of mules L:ame down the rrack, driven by three mountedlo-fu- I easi15- persuaded one of these mule-drivers ro sell mesome eold steamed bread-he would have given it withoutpayment, I arn sure - and, with his help, I wis able to rejoinmy parry by noon the following day.'For more rhan a year I believed I had been saved by St Ber-nadette, though I could nor account for her extreme youthful-ness and chinese appearance. Then, one day, I hajpened totake shelter from rhe rain in a disused temple not far fromchengtu and rhere, in a small chapel, I came.rio., a faded frescoshorving Kuan Yin clad in a simple robe of blue corton withouther usual ornaments. Seated bv the ocean, she was attendedas usua! by Shan Ts'ai and Lung Nii. In great astonishmenrI recognised in Lung Ni: my "Bernadette" ! Even the blue ar.sland rvhite trousers were the same, but now there were no jewelsclasped abour her throat.

-fhinking about those jewels roused

a memory of a s imi lar p icture that used to hang in my mother 'sbedroom, sho*'ing both Kuan yin and Lung irl i . i .dorned withsplendid ornairrents. so rhar u,as it I you .orrld say that the ladywho_saved m)' i i fe on rhar frcczing nighr rv?s neither Bernadettenor L 'ngNir . iusr a chi ldhood memoiv l ight ing up a fear-crazedrnind. And you rvould be r ight - part ly l s i i t t , . i r i ta i r r , memoriesdo not guide people ro unknown caves, make rocks and pebblesbccome fine rnatircsscs. conjure pei-?.L,os from the air or driveaway deadly ' coid.

' } 'es, in a r 'av you \ l 'ould be r ight , I t a,cs that memory. I twas also Lung \ u hersel f , sent out of p i ty by Kuan yin. Havingsince rhen srudied the profound Nlahayana doctr ine of Mindonl-v*, I accepr no contradiction bet*een those two. Driven tothe e 'dge of reason, I sought div ine aid, and div ine aid cameinstant ly - in a tbrm that accordecr wi th the contenrs of mv mind.

Page 25: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Some Manifesratiorts 33

It was as a mental apparition that Lung Ni1 appeared and

brought from my mind the warmth and comfort that made mephysically able to withstand great cold. Would you dare say that

iur* .tn, a-rniracle wrought by the Bodhisattva I had worshippedas a child? All miracles are so-working through mind' True,

the Bodhisattva did not come herself. Having too much delicacy

to appear before someone calling on a foreign goddess, she sent

l-ung Nii who could be taken for the child'saint I was expecting.Attributing my good fortune to the marvellous workings of my

owo F.tiridlnd aecepting it as the intervention of the Bodhi-sattva are two ways of expressing the same truth"

I have often pondered on the mineralogist's wisdom-openingexpcrience. Hi; penetrating understanding of it explains many

similar occurrences, bridging the gap between magical andpsychological. Yeers later, I chanced to hear-at second hand-

anlther *ory, different in purport' but also illustrating the

identity of miraculous intervention from'within' and'without'

the minC. To understand what the narrator tells us' one must

know that, whereas Kuan Yin, though often depicted as a

member of a triniry with the celestial Buddha Amitabha in the

centre and Kuan Yin and Ta Shih-Chih'Bodhisattvas standingonei therhand, isa lsoworshippedindependent lybymi l l ions,this is not the case with Ta Shih-Chih. The latter seems to have

faded from human consciousness' being rarely invoked in his

own right. I am told the narrator was a very old gentleman called

Mr Cli'tn, who had spent the last forty years of his life as a

recluse.,In my young cays, preparing for the imperial civil service

examinaiions was, for cultivated youths, the most importantthirrg in life. Everything depended on success*not iust rank

and wealth, trut the honour brought to one's family and thepower to serve society effectively. You cannot imagine how hard

we used to work at the ancient classics, straining our eyes

through reading late into the night by the pitiful glimmer of

a wicf floating in a saucer of rril. No wonder so many of us

became stooped early in life with all that poring over books !

For me and my four brcrhers it was especially bad. My father,who loved the Buddhist Sutras even more than the Confucianclassics, made us spend much time on those as well ! I do not

know whether we grudged the extra trurden more or less than

t ,

i

Page 26: Bodhisattva of Compassion

34 Bodhisatwa of Cornpassion

we came to love the splendour, vastness and depth of theirphilosophy. "You must", my father often said, "pursue thesestudies unti l the neaning of the four characters FEI K'UNGCHIH K'UNG (voidness of the non-r 'o id) is as c lcar to youas the orh of the sun blazing down from a cloudless autumns k y . "

'On some rrights rvhen I n'as especially wear)/, I l iked toirrragine that the compassionate Kuan Yin appeared before mgin the l ibra:y in a blaze of l ight . This never fa i led to wipe a\r /avmy fat igue, making rxt l as alert as in the mornings. AfterrvardsI could read the sutras quicki l ' , easi lv and rv i th greater undcr-standing. I do not sa] ' that I t ru ly ' sarr . her. unless diml l ' rv i thmy mind's eye, but I kn.:u' u'hen .trd [s-ru' su'ceti1' she smiledor when she rvas displeased w' i th a feel ing I somet imes had thatreading so many sutras was an intolc-ranle chore. My fourthbrother, rvho was sickly and the onlv one of us to fa i l the ex-aminations, was extremely fond of me. \\ 'hen \\ 'e were alonc,we put aside the formal i ty that had to be shon'n in publ ic byjuniors to seniors, even brothers almost of an age. Once w'henI had been descr ib ing what I l iked to cal l the Bodhisattva'spersonal manifestat ions to me) he said. laughing: "How youflatter yourselfl Second Brother. Such things don't happen,I f they do, why is i t a lways Kuan Yin and never Ta Shih-Chih who appears ? The picture in our shr ine-roor l coniainsboth of them; rhey get the same amount of incense, bowingand the rest. Why doesn't Ta Shih-Chih do his share ofhealing you? It is because -vou forget him that he plays nopart in .your imagination - for it is imagination, whatever yousay . "

'His words set me thinking. I did not agree with his mainpoint, but he had made me feel guilty towards Ta Shih-ChihBodhisattva, to whom none of us paid reverence except as oneof three. I began offering him special prayers. For severalmonths I never went to sleep at night without f irst sitt ing cross-legged on my bed and visualising Ta Shih-Chih. But when Iinvoked him instead of Kuan Yin, there was no result. Neverany result at all. At last I spoke of this to my father. Unableto explain, he sent me orT to a monasterl ' lying a few /i beyondthe city wall and overlo<lkirg a streanr bordered with ancientrv i l lows-Kuan Yin 's emblem. On learning rvh-v I had comc)

Page 27: Bodhisattva of Compassion

, .S . r l l t . ' , , \ f a r l i l . ' . i ' j i l t ) / l . s 35

the elder l_v Tr ip i taka Master u 'ho presic ied therc smi led andsa id : "You a lone cannot evoke h im. "

" 'You mean, Venerable, that the Bodhisatn 'as rrc- rnereh-forms in people 's minds ?" I protcsted, fu i l of u,on.-1er to hcara mcnk speak so. Seeing him vigorousi" ' shake his heaC, I u 'enton: " I f they are real , what nced of manv nr inds 1. . g ive therrrpower to appear?"

" ' \ \ /hat an ignorant young schoiar l 'ou rnusi l ' rc ! " hcansu'ered, laughing. "Surelv i 'ou knclrv therc crrc ' : rL l t man\ 'n r i r rds- ius t A{ ind . A l l the IJudd i ras and L lodh is r r i l vas , a l i ih . . :myr iad objects r-x ist in th is onc l , l in51. f [sru ' corr ld : : be other-r v i s c ? \ \ I h a t i s i n ! ' o u r r n i n d i s n a t u r a i l r , i n N ' l i n d r t s c l f : c v c i lso) u t r t i l 1 'ou havc d iss iparcd thc g rce t n ro ' rn ta i r rs . , - . i c ,bs . u ra-t ions cons t rue ted b1 'karma carned in p rcv ious I i r ' . ' s . 1 'ou r r ' i l lr rq: t havc the porvcr to cal l for th a rcsponsc to thc fce bi : thoughtsyou pu t there . \ \ ' i th Kuan Y in , thc casc is o thcru . isc becausc-so mant ' mi l l ions of beings invoke hcr. \ t ) \ r ' do vrru under-sLand ?"

' "Vcnerab le S i r , th is u 'o r th less d isc rp ic c rn ca tch someth ingof the pro found purpor t o f 1 'our cn l igh tcn ing tcach ing , " IanswerL=d formal ly, though b1' no mcans sure I d iC. Sat isf ied,he raised his tea-cup in dismissal

'That night I sat up later than anl ' of mv brcthcrs The l i t t lel ibrary-boy, who had ordcrs f rom m1' fathcr to ' ; tav rv i th in cal lunt i l the last of us had handed him the books ihe, t neededputt ing alvay, replenished mv tea-pot thrcc t ime: before Ircmcmhrered to te l l h im to go ofT to bed, prornis ing: io put the{1imsy volumes very carefully arvay in their blue bosrs rvith ni ', 'own hands. No sooner had the chi ld * 'a lkcd of f s leepi l -v thanrhe far end of the dimly l i t l ibrary rvas i l lumined bv a sofr l l 't r r i l l iant radiance and, as I fe l l to my knccs, a s l im. niajest ical l l 'ta l l , r ichly garbed f igure, rvhom I took to bc Kuar Yin u 'asrnani fested in the centre of that c i rc lc of r -erv br iq: : t but notdazzl ing l ight . The garments of thc t rvo Bodhisat i r -as beingsrmi lar €xcept for the head-dress, i t took me e fe ' . i ' morncntsir ' ' reeognise Ta Shih-Chih encirc lcd l iv a nimbus of goldendarne.

' "Old T\ \ 'or" he arrrrounced i r r a thr i l l i r :g i r ' [ r ;au: i fu l voice,rr . r r i iddre ssing me informal ly bi ' thc nicknainc uscd b] ' rny father; rnd une ies . " the Venerab le Tr iB i taka ̂ \ las tc r c r rc i . Knon ' tha t

Page 28: Bodhisattva of Compassion

36 Bodkisat".a of Cornpassirm

your mind is in itself immeasurable, the container of a myriadmyriad universes, each of rhem vast beyond your compre-hension. All the i l l imitable power thar exists in rhose ;rryriadsof universes would be yours in full, i f 1'ou had wisdom enoughro use i t . The sarne is t rue of ever senr ient being. Becauseyour ta i th in rne r las nor rvei l developec. I have come ro youalways es Kuan Yin - nor as I am no\l.. Can ;-ou suppose weare two ? Two in ihe grear ]l inc rvhere no r,vo exist ? Can a Bod-hisattva feel *'cuoced b1' :egiecr for as bng as any other Bod-hisat tva is e al le l upon ? \c, t to speak of Bodhisarrvas, when asinglr: be: sucks ^no::e'r a.1 beings in rhe myriad myriad uni-ve rses suck hoc:1'; when a worm is crushed, all beings in thoseunir-crses are -cnrshed. Remember the source of all power l iesr'ithin yourself and cease rhis foolish longing to behold mererrranifestatisns-"

'The lovely vision faded and was gone. since rhen, I have

never dared to call upon such beings, excepr as it should bedone during medi:ation. Seeking from them power bey-rnd theinfinite power of our ov/n mind, which is l imited only by ourown dark karmic obstructions, is l ike what the sutras call "look-ing for a head upon your head" ! when, at those previous times,Kr:an Yin assuagec my fatigue, it 'was becar:se my minc wil lecit;rat fatigue ar. ' i ' / , but needed the stimulation of the Bodhi-sr t tva's presence tc funct ion thus.

'Bel ieve me, the Bodhisartvas are as real as earth and sky andhave inf in i te power to ald beings in distress, bur they existwithin our corTunon mind, rvhich, to speak the truth, is itseifthe container of earth and sky.'

Both the mineralogist 's srory and old Mr ch'€n's i l lusrratea concept not eas)* ro grasp and perhaps nor fu l ly graspable unt i lEnl ightenment is won; but they c lo make i t c lear that , , ,vhenKuan Yin is regarded b1' some as a menral creation and b_vothers as a being hardl i ' d ist inguishable f rom a goddess. thereis no question crf rhe one vierv being right, the other wrong.She is both an abstract ion and a goddess; horv one sees l ier c le-pends upon one's expectat ion and at t i tude of mind. Al l suchmental attitudes, though one may think of them as 'high.er' or' lcwer ' in the sense of exhibi t ing more or less wisdom andunderstanding, are probably so far from the ultimate trurh thatdifferences in onc's levei of rvisdom becomes negligible. Nor

Page 29: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Some hlanifestatiotts 37

is it certain that to perceive a Bodhisattva as a god- or goddess-like being does in fact demonstrate a lower degree of wisdom.All talk of high and low, except in relative and provisional con-texts) is beside the point .

To the frogs in a temple PoolThe lotus-stems are t; l l ;

H ffiff*"::#;int Everest

Page 30: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Chapter 3

Kuan Yin's Indian andTibetan Genesisl.l'/ or I d- H ono ur t: <1 Lb r d a r t d I ) a r f ,: ; r () r t r:,I pray thae rrczc declarcLY,'herefore this holy BodltisatIs known as Kuart Shih Yir t

Lotus Sr-r t ra

Wlren the Red t ide su'ept over Cir i r - ra, Buddhism u'as not ther.tnivt- 'rsal faith thcre, as it is in Thailand and some othercountries. Perhaps one Chinese in ten was Buddhist and, eventhen, not exclusivel l ' so in the sense of re ject ing othcr rel ig ions.' fhe

educated elasscs, r ,v i th only a fa i r number of except ions,tended to be Confucian, following an agnostic ethical traditionthat looked askance upon religious manifestations going beyondreverence for Heaven (as a moral principle or natural force) andperforming memorial rites for the spirits of the ancestors. Theordinary people rvorshipped ten thousand gods n'hom the-venvisaged as resembl ing humans, though exist ing on a muchgrander scale. In the popular mind, Kuan Yin stood apart f romthose thronging dei t ies cnl l ' on account of her inef fable sweet-ness and merci fu l d isposi t ion; Bodhisattvas \ \ 'ere not conceivedby the uninstructed as di f fer ing f rom the gods in k ind. Thepicture that cmerges from the last stor! ' in the prcvious chapterreveals her as she appeared to the relat ivelv smal l number ofhighly educated Chincse Buddhists. Having seen her thus, u,emust now examine her Indian or ig in and account fcrr the strangetact that , though once ident ical n ' i th t i re male Bodhisattva,

Page 31: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan Yin's Indian and Tiberal Gcrrcsis 19

Avalokita, she has long been depicted in China and neigtr-bouring countries in womanly form.

I t is possible that confusion in the popular mind benveenBcdhisattvas and local gods and goddesses permit ted MiaoShan, a legendary Chinese princess with extraordinary- compas-sion, to become assimi lated to Kuan Yin, but personal l l ' I doubti f th is assimi lat ion took place unr i l af ter the Bodhisartve hadcome to be regarded as fernale. ln anv casc, rvhc'n co: :s idcr ingKuan Yin in the l ight of or thodox Buddhism, ' , \ .e can crsregardihe Miao Shan accrct ions.

' fhe sutras introduced from India account metalrhrr ; :cal ly for

the or ig in o f the var ious Bodh isa t tvas . Thus . i t i s r i ' r i i :en tha tAvalokita, bearing a lotus floq'er, u'as born tionr a ral ' ,--rf l ightthat sprang from Amitabha Buddha's r ight e1'e; and lhat th ismiraculously born being straightwa-v* urtered the sf i la 'o les OMMANI PADME HUM. This is perhaps a poer ic \ \ 'a\- err sayingthirt Avalokita is a secondary emanarion of the energl' oi com-passion and that th is is the mantra by r t 'h ich she shouid be in-voked.

As Avalokita rvas widely venerated in India during rhe cen-tur ies n 'hen the Universi ty of Nalanda was at the height of i tsglory, it came about that his worship spread to Tiber in theseventh century AD as soon as Buddhism was introduced thereby Padma Sambhava (the Lotus-Born Sage), tondll ' known asthe Precious Guru. Before long Avalokita Bodhisattva wasadopted as Tibet's tutelary deity and his mantra achieved widepopularity. By most Tibetans he came to be regarded as theBuddha's earthly representative and as chief guardian of theDharma (Sacred Doctrine) unti l the advent of -\ laitrayaBuddha in the aeon next to come. They never depic i h im orvisual ise him in female guise and, qui te recenth' , F{ is Hol inessthe Dalai Lama (who, as an emanat ion of Avaiokira- shouldsurely be a great author i ty on the subject) inforrnei r r re thatit u'ould be though: wrong to do so b1' Tibetar',

When, as ear ly as the f i rst centur] 'AD. the pract ice oi :nvokingAvaloki ta f i rst reached China, no one thought of Cepicr ing himas t tmalc=; mcreover, the Chinese pi lgr ims Fa Hsien and Hsi . jan' fsang,

u,ho vis i ted India in the f i f th and ser-enth centur iesrcspect ively, reeord no such depict ions ei ther in Inci ia or China.Yct, bv the twel f th centurv, female images of the Bonhisattva

Page 32: Bodhisattva of Compassion

40 Bodhisarna of Compassiort

!vgr: well-nigh universal both in china and Japarr. why ? Theevidence of scholars sheds no i ight ; their . . t l - r , .s cf ' rhe dareat which the first of rhese female images appeared vary f.ori,the seventh ro thirteenth cenruries ! i{oimuch credence is givento the one or rwo people who a\-er thar such images \,vere wor-shipped in Inciia and Nep al belore rhis happened i,-, Chirr,I and,rvhen the crrir e,l- lvalskita (under the r*. l-okesvara) spreadfram India to champa and cambodia in the ninth and tentheenruries, his form rvas sti l l male - as it is in Tibet and Mongoliaro this day. No, the change seems to have occurred in chinaitself, cerrainly not much earlier than the eighth century ormuch larer than the eleventh.

There are good ps]-chorogical grounds for envisaging com-passion iu womaniy form I but, though these must certainlyhave exercised dreir influence, they do not, I think, provide thewhole solution. The Saddharma pundarika Sr.rtra affirms that,of Avalokiteivara's 337 earthly incarnations, all were maleand all human except for one, (This refers to the occasionwhen the'Bodhisattva was incarnated as the Balaka horse andrescued an incarnation of the future Buddha from a hordeof RdkshEsha demons who $'ere besetting him in alluringfemale guise.) Bearing in mind that r,vhat iJ said of Avalokitain the Lotus sfrrra merely credits him with the abitiry roassumc female form if need be and does not affirm that heever undenvent reLtinh as a \\ 'oman, the conundrum maybe stated thus:

Avaloki ta 's form is male;Kuan Yin has for cenrur ies been concei 'ed of in female form;Yet Avalokira and Kuan yin are respect ively, Indian and

Chinese nanes for the same belng.Sure ly someth ing rs amiss?To my mind, Mr P'an r,r 'as right in supposing that the solu-

r ion involves an Indo-Tibetan terr iar-v cmboci iment of compas-sion, Tara, a beaut i fu l femalc dir- in i ry able to manifest hersel fin tu'enty-one dift 'erenr tbrms for rhe sake of succouring sentientbeings. 'Born of a tear shed by Ar-aloki ta in sorrow for the wor ld,(that is to say, emanaring from the compassionare Bodhisartva),she is immensely popular in Tibet and Mongolia where herdevotees credit her rvith two main functions: rescuing beingsfrom prrsent \\,oes and assisting thern to rid themselv", of

Page 33: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan Yin's Indian and 7'ibetan Genesis 4r

the delusions binding them to samsara. But those are the veryfunctions attributed to Kuan Yin !

Novr Tara is not widely known in China or Japan (exceptamong people familiar with the Tibetan tradition) and ferv Taraettgies are to be found there. Yet such an attractive being andone supporred by sound canonical backing would surely havebeen eagerly welcomed, had not some other means of portrayingcompassion and its l iberating porvers in r,vomanly form beenclevised. In my view, that is exactly what happened ! TheChinese have always been disposed to envisage fr iendly div in i -t ies in ideal ised human form. As amusingly i l lustrated by oneof the stories that follows, they do not t 'eel at home '"vith themulti-armcd, multi-headed representations so dear to the In-dian heart . Alas, a l l Avaloki ta 's forms are incl ined to be bizarre;now he appears wirh eleven heads to symbol ise s imultaneousperception of suffering and a thousand arms to succout 15s vic-

tims, now with three heads side by side, or rvith one head butfour arms, and so on. To the humanist ic Chinese, such forms\'/ere alien and unsuiteC to the portral-ai of rhe 1'earning compas-sion a mother feels for her chinC. The lovel-v Tara, appearingnow as a sweet- faced matron, now as a '* insome maiden, u 'ouldseem inf in i te ly more appeal ing to the Chinese mrnd. For rel i -g ious reasons, Chinese Buddhists could hardly reject ( ! ) wor-ship of the Bodhisattva Avaloki ta; on the other hand, s ince the

forns Hhsn by drfies depend somewhar upon the medirarorand rhe arrist, ih.r. could b. no obiection to visualisi lg Avalo-

ki ta in a form simi lar to Tara's1 and, i f that were done, what

need of both embodiments? so the t rvo became one, thus pre-

p a r i n g t h c * ' a r - f o r t 1 . e a s s i r n i l g t i o n o f P r i n c e s s M i a O S h a n - -

a compassionate being enioying the rank of goddess'

Al l of th is may seem a pr ivate rat ional isat ion, unsubsfant i -

atcd. But there is persuasive evidence, as I \ ' l /as recently able

to conf i rm. Vis i r ing Japan this year at the r ime when the beaut l '

of thc hardy plum-blossom seen against a background of snou'

gives place-to the f ragi le cherry-blossom, I chanced upon three

ear l1, 'pairr t ings of Kuan Yin, or Kwannon-Sama as she is kno"vn

in rhit country, For several reasons there could be no doubt

that rhc figure depicted zras Kuan Yin, but her posture and the

mndras t 'ormed by the fingers of both hands were those of Tara !

Moreover, in the l l r i t ish Museum there is a paint ing in which

Page 34: Bodhisattva of Compassion

i: Rodhisatna of Compassion

L)iagrarn t '. Genevs

.TARA

ll i vr nr-. enr anat itlrier f the l lodhisat t r 'a

( fetmale '

I l iagram z: Est i ter icSigniJtcance of that GertesisirNLl G[{T'lil ' iMI]1{'l 'I}'{ LATF.}'IT I;OR.NI

JBOUNDLESS LIGHT,

its act ive principlc

ASS I

COMPASSION'SSAVING POV/ER

visual ised asmother/maiden(The celest ia lBodhisat tva

concept)

whcff<:n l

K Y I N

: ire ccntral f igure is clearly that of Kuan Yin, for she is accom-panied by her Cbinese disciples, Shan Ts'ai and Lung Nu, butaqain her posture is Tara's ! Clear ly these paint ings belong toan cra when the forms of Tara and Kuan Yin began to merge.

Viewed esoter ical ly, the sex at t r ibuted to celest ia l Bodhi-.at tvas is unimportant, s ince they are regard, :d as mcdi tat ion: . - ' rms not of beings but of what might bc cal led cc-snr ic f t - r rces.

atiort of Kuan \/ i r t

7 I i lAO SHA\and ot i rc r svmbols

t r l ' t h , ; l l r gc t ( )conlpassl( )n

f l en ra le r

of the Fenzale RepresenrBODHI

J-AMITABHA

BUDDHAPrimary cmbodiment of

compassion

+

,,n vAL()KI'rA

,t' IIODI II SAT'I'VAScc. rndarY cmbod in tcn t o f

compass lo r l( n r a l c )

t , /\ 1 , /

\ 1 , /\ t . /- \ 1 , /\ v /

KUAI.{ YIN(femalc)

I ENERGI')USCS'ards

O Naro

tow

l..n'IIIII"

o

.1L U

N

PI

E

COM

ment , URGE TOSACRI FICE

one's joy for others(T'he humanBodhisat tva

concept)

r ichbrtl igh

UA

Page 35: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan \" i r t 's Indiat t and Tibc: tar t G;nesis 43

To scholars and art- lovers) on the other hand, the detai ls oficonography are of great s igni f icance. I shal l be del ighted i f m1'interpretat ion of a puzzl ing enigma sr imulares fur ther studv ofear ly paint ings and statues of Kuan Yin ro determine more pre-cisely rvhen a change in the sex at t r ibuted rc hc-r r taok placc.

Kuan Yin, though she has assimi lated Tara iand \1i :o Shan).rctains in the minds of her Chinese devotees ful l ids 'nr i t1- r i ' i thAvaloki ta, so rvhat is said in the sutras about him is, as i r n 'ere.said of h,- ' r . That Bodhisattva, as wL'havc sccn' is cre; i ted u ' i thhavrng takcn birrh in a rar- that sprang from thc r ight eye oiArni tabha Buddha, so hc \ \ 'as presumably a celest ia l Btr .Jhisat tvafrom thc f i rst . On the other hand, the Sr l rangama Suira relatesthe ston' of h is Eni ightenment in a rvay n 'h ich suggests tharhc did not at ta in Bodhisattvahood unt i l later. Horv the twoeccounts are reconci led I do not knou' , but the pas:rage in thesutra has a bear ing on Kuan Yin 's name, Hearer-of-Cr ies, fori t has much to do rv i th the facul ty of hear ing.

I t opens with the Bodhisattva test i fy ing, before a grearassembly ' of beings human and div ine presided over by theBuddha, how, many aeons previousl-v, he had at ta ined Enl ight-cnment through meditar ion on sound. Mental lv detachinghcaring from its object and then eliminating both those con-cepts, he had at f i rst perceived that borh disturbance and sr i l l -ness are i l lusory and next came to real ise the non-existence evenr ' ' f that rar i f ied percepr ion. 'As non-exisrent, borh subject(hearer or hear ing) and object ( ;ound) are merged in the Vcidand a\ \ 'areness of vcidness becomes al l -embracing. Whena\\ lareness of both existence and non-existence vanishes, Nir-r , ' ina supervenes. ' Thus Enl ightened, Avaloki ta (Kuan Yin)acquired two meri ts - the profound compassion that proceedsfrom Bodhi and svmpathy rvith every kind of being flounderingin samsara's ocean of delusion. Moreover, i t is recorded thathe at ta ined the po\\ 'er of manifest ing himsel f in rhir ty- twobodily forms, the berter to succour different kinds trf beingsrand also the pou' t - ' r to bestow fourtecn kinds of fcar le:sness. Al l\ \ :crrr f ru i ts of Enl ightenment at ta ined by using ' i l lusory hear-ing' to de vr ' lop 'Absoiute Hear ing' . When the Bodhisattva hadspoken, the assembl i ' agrecd that, of rh, : tweniy*f ive merhodsfor eontrol l ing mind n,hich thev were then de bat i r rg. meditat ionr:r i t l ic Frroeess of hear ing \ r /as best sui ted to untrained minds.

Page 36: Bodhisattva of Compassion

q4 Bodhisatn,l. ;"f {)n.fnp :;:t:rio*

ch 'an (zen) Masters somet imes quore th is pr .ssagc in re lar ionto the koan merhod of meditat ion rvhich empio':s 'erbal for-mulas, and the sarne is true of Masters bclonging ro the pureLanci sect, since the faculr-v of hearing is inr irnately connecteclrvith the praetice of aorr..n,raring

"r ' rn.- ' ra.red name,.

Like Amitabha Buddha. from *.honr he emanares, Avalokitais chrerished on a?counr oi niS ' , .o* ' to renounce Nirvdna,s f inalpeace f-or as long as rhere a:e sentient beings st i l l lost amidstsarf isara's ocL-an. To b: irei 'e:s, this is a stupendous vow) for i t:inl,c !::= iL'r 5a:::-ia:a lor in---aiculable u.o.rr. No rvonder Avalo-s: ia K ' ; :1 . : : :s a;ored b1 'mi l l ions! Even so, humans, being=: r le" ' ; :- . Er5i olten eni isi rhe Bodhisarrva's aid in banishing::' ':= :=-=:i:are afrliction rather than in escaping from sam_:. i i i l : : . .= . e ! 'en rhough the Buddhists among them must be:.i ' i--= :i-,e;, until sarnsara .s transcended, affiiciions are bound. - : : . . a ; :op ious ly as ra in !

-{:oiher surra pertaining to Avalokita is much more deeply=riaph'sical and accounrs for the reverence paid to him uy ine---ained. ,\lany Buddhists in china and Japan solemnly ,r.,d.r-:aki to recire this Hearr of Highest wiiclom sutra .ir*rv a"v'-'f rheir lives. Though but a single paragraph in length, it sets:orth rhe quintessence of the entiri boJy of ,wirdom Teach-ings' which are elsewhere contained in verses running intohundreds of pages. Terseiy it demolishes the ultimate delirsion,the error of errors, the basic cause of our wandering aeon uponaeon from birth to dearh and death to rebirrh - uellef in a realanrl permctnent ego. Not until the illusory narure of itre ego isactually perceived can Eniightenment be won and Nirvina'speace attained I In order to shock the hearer into sudden appre-hensicn of chis truth, wh.at is said to Kuan Tzu-Tsai (a namefor Kuan Yin) in rhe sutra apparently demolishes, blow by blow,the most *'idely knorvn, revered and fundamental of all ,ir. pr.-' icus teachings of rhe Buddha. But, rvhereas) to a tradit ional lyminded Buddhist hearing i t for the f irsr t ime, irs impac, -ui,bc immense and horri fying unti l he suddenly grasp, the under-lying import, ro someone unacqua:nted wittr n"aorrist doctrinethe. text by itself n:ight seem quite tame. so, with a view togiving at least a hint of its dramatic quality. I present it some-rvhat in the form in which it is expoundecl bifore assembliesof lavmen by learned Tripitaka Maiters. Imagine, rhen, a thin,

Page 37: Bodhisattva of Compassion

45

grey-robed, shaven-headed figure seated cross-legged on hispreaching throne, eves alight with eagerness to communicatea truth of supreme importance to those with ears to hear.Placing his hands palm to palm, he first intones the sutra'sname: 'Mahaprajnipdramita Hsin Ching !' (Sutrr. of the Heartof Highest \Wisdom !). Then, starting to speak in gentle toneswhich grorl' louder and more tbrceful as he proceeds, he says:

'Disciples of the Buddha, as you know well, the Blessed-Onehas taught that there is no self, that each living being is no morethan a conglomeratiorr of five skandhas (aggregates) - fcrm,sensation, perception, discrimination and cortsciousness ofthese. Bur hear nor1.' the h:gher teaching he proclaimed in thet{eart Sutra for men and women with deep unCerstanding:" Kuan Tzit-Tsai Bodhisattaa, uthile engaged in deep practice ofthe Highisr Wisd,om, perceiued that all thefiue aggregates are'aoiri,and thereby passed beyond all forms oJ suffering." The Compas-sionate Bodhisattva reached supreme attainment by recognisingthat even the five aggregates have no realiry, being.but bubbles,drearns, mirages. Herein lay her supreme wisdom. " O Saripu'tra," continued the BlesseC One, addressing his disciple, "formdiffers not from aoid, nor aoid from form. Form IS ztoid; aoidI S form. With sensation, perception, ,Tiscrimination and conscious'ness it is the same. Sariputra, all these are marked by emptiness,neither comittg into being nor ceasing to be, neither foul nor pure,neither increasing nor diminishing." YOu have learnt, too, thatbeings and objects are taught by the Buddha to derive theirappearances tiom a combination of eighteen "sense-realms",meaning the six organs of sense (including mind), the six kindsof sense perception and the six forms of consciousness to whichthese give rise, but in the Heart S[tra the Blessed Oneannounces : " Therejore within the aoid there is no form, no sensQ-tiotl, perception, discrimination or consciousness ; no eyest ears,nose, tonguc, body or mind ; no form, sound, smell, taste' touch orthought; nor any of the otl;ers from eye-consciousness to mind-cortsciouslrcss." Such was the deep perception of the Bod!:i-sattva Kuan Yin u'hich won the Blessed One's praise.

'You have heard that beings must suffer birth after birth insarnSara because bound by a twelvefold chain of causation, lead-ing from primordial ignorance, through becoming and the otherlinks to decay and death, and thence round and round again,

II

Page 38: Bodhisattva of Compassion

46 Bodhisattva of Conryassion

but in the Heart Sutra the Blessed Onc proclaims: "Thcre isneither ignorance nor extinction of ignorance) tror an1' of t ltt othersdown to decay and deatft." You all knorv rvell the Four NoblcTruths I f irst, that existence is inseparable from suffering, in-cluding fr.ustration, discontent) gricf. pain. bc-rcsvelxent and scfr-rr th l second, that suf t -er ing has for i ts cause inordinate dcsire;th i rd, that the remcdy is cessat ion f ro;n inordinate dcsirc:iburth, that th is remedl ' rs ef fected bv t rcading thc \oblc Eight-t 'old Path. But the l{cart Sutra proclaims: " T-ltera ts no ntft 'erine.t l . ) causej r to remedy, no Path / theret t t , . " You havc heard thatt l i rough wisdom is Nirvdna at ta ined, but the SDtra says : " Thereis r towisdotrr 'no at taznment. Because t l tcre is nothi t ry to be artatrrcd,Ilodhisattuas relying on rhis Highest l\t'isdotl', of knou'ing thereis rto wisdom, ruo attainment, " arc fret .from hindrancrr.r rrf nind.Being rid of these hindrances.^ they hate no fear, ure frec.t'rom allupsets and d.elusions, and in the end attain i{iruana. It is h_t' relyingon this Highest Wisdom that all Iluddhas of the past, tht presentanC the future achieae Suprente Enlightentnent."

'Why does the Blessed One thus refute the core of his owndoctrine ? Does he not in this very sutra negate the foundationsof everything he taught ? Ah, but, for as long as you remairl atthe level of ordinary consciousness, for as long as you are sti l ldeluded by the differentiated realm of forr' into believing inthe reality of the self, you must abide by those teachings u'ithoutfail. Only when you reach the high level of perception attainedby the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin wil l those teachings lose theirvalidity for you. Only when your perception soars so high that

)'ou perceive with full clarity the voidness of absolutell ' every-thing there is, wi l l you be able to understand that even theBlessed One's own teachings ale ul t imately void, s ince thereis no entity, no concept whatsoever that is not void in its or.vnnature. In that profound sense, there t ru lv cannot be Nirvdnaor any beings to at ta in i t ! When understanding dau'rrs. r otr rv i l lknow that ord. inary teachings, no matter hou' exal tcd. must beiaid aside, for how could.Nirvdna -- that pure state be1'ond beingand non-being - be accessible to those rvho cling to differentiatedconcepts, however holy ? To use the concluding rvords of theHcart Sutra -" Therefore do we knozu that rhe IItghe st lVtisdonti.\ d great and sacred mantra., a great mentra o.f knorcledge, a matb'rd unsurqassed, uneEtalled. It catr tcrn?htatc all vr.ffering trtt l l , '

Page 39: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan Yt 'n 's Indiart and Tih; tan Gertesis 4i

artd urtfailingly. Therefore utter this t\'[antra aJ IIighesr lY;isdontthus - Gatb, gatb, paragatb, pdrasamgatb, bodhi, suaha!" (Gone,gone, gone beyond, whol ly gone beyond ! Enl ightenment !Svaha !)

'Ah, but what is meant by ut ter i r rg th is manrra ? I t is not amatter of reci t ing a few syl lables in the language of the Brahma-country. "Utter ing" means " l iv ing" the mantra b1' perceiv ingthc voidness of a l l concepts, ent i t ies and beings u ' i thout onesinglc except ion. Only when their voidness dau'rs br ight l ; , 'upon the cye of y 'our mind may you abandon the teachings giventrcf i r re and rest in the br i l l iant , u i twaver ing pc-rcept ion of pure.t round lcss , sh in ing vo id ! '

T-his exposi t ion of the profound percept ion at ta ined by KuanYin, or Avaloki te ivara as the Sanskr i t version of the sutra hasir , carr ies us into the realm of h ighesr mysr ic ism, and hclps toexplain the reverence felt for that Bodhisartva in Tibet, Chinaand Japan, not only by the common people but by m1'stics andse holars as well l for, according to the surra: ir was Kuan Yin(Aval<:kita) who first penetrated beyond the exoteric teachingsof the Buddha and caused ttre Blessed One to ret'eal their mean-ing at a level infinitely more profound. Horvever, n'hat is saidhere needs to be rounded off by the kind of story that circulatesabout the Bodhisattva at the popular level l i t u'ould not do toSuppose that mystics and sages are extremell ' common arnongthe Far Eastern peoples. For every individual able to under-stand the inner meanin.g of the Heart Sfitra, there mLlstbc a hundred who revere the Bodhisattva for very differcntreasoRs. As this chapter relates to the Indian genesis of thatbeing, I have chosen the only folk story I knorv relating to Ava-loki ta, that is to say the male aspect. Tales of Tara and theri 'omanly Kuan Yin aspect are very much easier to corne by;for, arnong Tihretans, rvith whom the original Indian traCitionsr i l l l ingers, Avaloki ta is revered as too high a being ro bethr:ught of as playing the kindly pranks dear to Tara or mani-fcst ing himsel f qui te as readi ly as the gent lc Chinese Kuan Yin.'T'his

rcfle cts what was said earlier about the srreams of compas-srorr qnergy becom:ng more tangibie wi th distance from thesourcc. The one story about Avaloki ta ivhich has stal 'ed in myr lcnrory has just a touch of harshness. Most Bcdhisat tvas ( in-r i r r r l ing ^ ' {uan Yin in her Chinese form and even the smi l ing

Page 40: Bodhisattva of Compassion

+8 BoChisatttta ;.f Compassion

Tara) are credired with shOr,v ing srern displeasure uponoccasion, though this is rare and, lvhen i t bccornes nccessarytor such beings ro seem harsh, they punish soleiy ' to teach rv is-elom to those chast ised. - fhere

is no resemblance to Jehovah'sprocl iv i ty for vengefulness) no cal l ing on people ro present theirsons as burnt of ier ings, even though i t be only to tesr theirobedience; a Bo'dhisat tva's rvrath is directed always at errori tsel f , never at c-rrdnt beings. The story, of rvhich i have haclto f i l l i n most o f lnc de ta i l s . as I reca l l on ly i t s essent ia ls , runsas fol lorvs:

I i r the lovely Blur ' Lake province of China, where the sett ledinhabi tanrs are mosr ly of r ibetan srock and Mongol nomadsgraze their f locks in lonely pasturesJ few Chinese used to l ivesutsicle rhe cit ies and it sometimes happened rhat an isolatedchinese peasant family woulcl be found ti l l ing a few mou of landin : viciniry where rhey and their neighbours had no comr;ronlanguage. so it * 'as with the chiangs, new arrivals from Sze-ehuan, a family consisting of an elderly couple, their two sonsand daughters- in- law and a smal l brood of granclchi ldren.About an hour's journey from their farm stoo,l a Tibetan vil lageclustering around a temple to Avalokita v,herein stood a tallimage rvith eleven heacis and a thousand arms. Though theChiangs sometimes vis i red th is temple r .vhen arterrding t j re v i l -iage rnarket nearL, ' , ' , i t ncver entered their heads that the bizarre-iooking siatue represented a form of their belor-ed Kuan yin IThc women-fbik. especial l l ' . \ r 'ere a* 'ed bv i rs appearance;ignorant of the cornfort ing meaning of i rs svmbol ism and clui tcunab le to ques t ion the T ibe tans about i t . rhe_v supposed theheads betokened F.o. ."er to see rhe evi l in even. heart ; the hancis,power to inf l ic t se\-ere retr ibut ion.

'w l ta t sor t o f peop l r - can our ne ighbours be? 'exc la imed thet 'o luble old lacl ' . ' Imagine ador ing such a gocl and nor beingupsct by the s ig i r r . r f a l l those heads and their star ing cves ! 'Lcrver ing her voice. she added : ' I 've a queer sort of feel ing thatgod only l ikes

- I - iL,erans. Thel ' say rhose people wanr ro dr ive

us chinese from r-l:e province. Anyone .rn ,.. they think theycrr'n it. If rve wake up ore day' with our throats cut, don't sayI d idn' t warn you. I f they haven' t done i t a l ready, i t 's becausethey are rvaiting fbr a sign from the god !'' i hope vou'rc- r ight , ' remarked her husband dr i ly . ' I f thev

Page 41: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan Yin's Indian and Tibetan Genesis 49

g,ait for that, our great-grandsons wil l be l iving here safely. An

ordinary household cat can give a signal for revolt more easily

than a many-headed image. ''Hush ! ' exclaimed the old woman, shocked. 'The surest way

of stirring up gods and demons is to make fun of thern.''May Old Eleven Heads do his worst ! ' cried Chiang' and

rvent out laughing,'

Half out of her mind with fear of the consequences of this

blasphemy, Mrs Chiang got not a wink of sleep. Up before

dawn, she cooked some food-offerings for the maligned deity

and, as the sun rose, set off with her younger daughter-in-law

for the temple. Pausing to buy the best incense in the outer

courtyard, they entered the shrine-hall and) more than a trifle

arved, presented their offerings - a fine roast chicken, pig's

knuckles and a few thimblefuls of Szechuanese ta-ch'iu'wine.

While they were drranging them upon the aitar, a Tibetan monk

happened to come in. Staring at the altar in astonished disbelief'

he-shouted to the rvomen to be off with their impure offerings.

For demons and guardian deities one provided meat and wine as a

matter of course, but for the compassionate Avalokita ! ! ! As these

stupicl women made no effort to complY, he resoried to violentgestures. The offending offerings were hurriedly removed.

'You see ! ' cried Mrs Chiang indignantly, the moment they

were safely outside. 'Now you know what I mean about cutting

our throats. That sort of god is bound to enjoy roast chicken

and those barbarians are atiaid we shall win his favour and pro-

tection. Somehow we've got to get the chicken and pig's iegs

to him-never mind about the wine-anci then vre ' l l be safe. '

It is not related how they managed it, only that baskets of

animal f lesh wcre found the next day, tucked beneath the

trail ing ends of long silk scarves suspended from some of

Avalokita's thousand arms.On the yu'ay home, Mrs Chiang was in the best of humours.

\Vhenever the two women encountered parties of Tibetans,

theycould hardly suppress their merriment at the thought that

these barbarians were blissfully unaware that a couple of de-

fenceless Clrinese women had stolen a march on them.'Be sure it wil l workr' the old woman chuckled. 'Long before

they discover the offerings, the gods will have inhaled their

essence. Who cares what they do with the flesh and bones ?'

Page 42: Bodhisattva of Compassion

5c Bodhisatma of Compassion

on a moonless night later in the monrh, masked men in bulkyfibetan robes .descended upon the farm-house and, havingdriven the family out into the night, burnt it to the ground.The chiangs fled to the districr town, g,here they pressed themagistrare to punish the miscreants, but obtained no sat isfac_t ion. wi th only a meagre force of chinese soldiers in the neigh-br lurhood. the magistrate had no wish to st i r up a local upr is i"ng.' \ \ /ha t i s morc , 'he s rern l l , ro ld the Ch iangs ; . r .ou har . . yo , r r_-.1 '" ' rs ro blame. \ r 'ho in al l the lards und,:^.hear-en *,ouid of fer:h t : f lesh o f s laughrere i l an ima ls ro Kuan y in? '

'That fearful- looking_-I mean, that srern and noble- looking:rr1nE!r : , Kuan Yin 's ? ' shr ieked old Mrs chiang. .oh whati r i c r r ib le s in ! Hou 'cou ld I knou,? Norv we sha l l a l l end upi r i h c l l ! '

I t is r r bc hoped rhar hcr fami ly \ \ :L-re able ro con' incc- herihat a s in commit ted in ignorance would never br ing dorr-n retr i -hut ion f rom so compassionate a goddess as Kuan yin; but whati rappened to the fami ly is not recorded. This is a Tiberan srorvand the Chiangs, having plal 'ecl their part, are allowed to fadeuut at th is point .

Meanwhi le, Avaloki ta Bodhisatt \ /a \ t r ,as displeased.The u'inter that vear \\ 'as severe and, for an inexplicable

reason, the templc 's supporters were much less tavi ih thanusual with their offerings. Hunger drove rhe two monks and. three novices to the district torvnship where they applied to themagistrate for relief.

'what are your afrairs ro me?' demanded the ,Father-and-Mother.of the District '. 'No srare of famine has been declared.No considerable body of people have failed to make provisionfor the rvinter. Your unenviable condition is a privaie matterrv i th which the Governmcnt can have no concern. Besides'-hc added sly ly - 'would you l ike ever-vone to knorv that Tiberansrreat Buddhisr monks so shabbi l l ' that they have to rurn to thechinese authorit ies to keep them from hunger? If a story l ikethat got about, you people from the pious land of Bod rvouldlosc a lot of face, don' t you think ? '

Abashed, the monks srrode away and, the Bodhisattva relent-ing somewhat, they soon found a' f ibetan merchant wi l l ing toiodge thern for some davs. For the rest of the winter, they l[ednrecar iously, staying with one fami ly af ter another, never fa i l ing

Page 43: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Ktto,r t Yi l 's I t td iar t . t r td 7 ' t t . . . - . : i r Gclr i r r . , _\ I

to rece ive due respec t , bu t se ldom much gCocr t - rs l i r . . T imes \ \ -e rehard . when spr ing came, the l i r t le Far rv r l :u rned to the i rtemple and se t about repa i r ing the ravaqcs ca :scd b1 . monthsof neglect . The of fer ings f rom round abour i .cr thcm fromactua l want , bu t they se ldom had a rea l l r - sar : . . : . , . ing mea l .- I 'o rvards

the end o f spr ing camc a nr inor i l : : : r 'a l in hon: ru ro f Ava lok i ta Bodh isa t tva . Foroncc [hc- r . \ ' r . \ \ ' es : ] s :dd i i l a rnnn-ncr no t c lemanded b l ' cusrom, Thc ch i . ' imr , rnk . : . : r . ing ions agocr )nc l r rded t l ia t 5o ,n . ' l ' 1o ' . r 'o r o iher rh . : ' , na i i i i ^c - : : - : i th l Bc , ih i -sa t iv l ] ' : d isp leasr r rc . r i cc r r - r 'd a spc .c ia l cc rcmoi . . , . - a i ' ru r i i c : r r lon .E, i ' c i r hungr ie r rhan usua l t rccause rh r ' : i t c c ic l - - : . : lded prer - iousal ' rsr i r rcnee, thev sat fheing cach othcr. t \ \ 'o ()r r - . : rc s ic i t - ' . thrccon the o thcr , in i r r - rn r o f thc a i ta r . Summonin , : : : rc remains o ith r i r s t rcng th , thc l ' bea t the c l rum. c lashed . . - . . . , . -L .a ls anc- iehantcd lus t i l_ " - , bur rhe hc 'a r ts o f thc voung. j r t - l rS cs i rgL l r l l r .\L 'cr t . r not in i t , Then gradual l r ' the 1 'c- 'g ic r i te , ' , : , -aught i ts sprei iand they wcrs-. able to v isual ise, \ \ ' i th rhc urrnc-. ' : . c lar i t r - . u.hi tcl ight strcamirrg f rom a Buddha form nrcntal l r ' . ' : r ' isaqe, l abo,, ' t :their heads, enter ing threir bo, l ies and r ' rpci l in: :hroigh e\ ' ( ' r \ -pore and or i f ice a stream of f i l thf impur i t ies n 'h r ;h fe l l s t ra ightinto the mouths of the hungr l ' demons r i 'a i t ins rcr th is horr idLranquet in a hel l -p i t varvning bcncarh rr 'hr . r t . ih.r \ ' \ \ 'c-re s i t t ing.Taken up u ' i th th is inncr v is ion . thcv ucrc hu : . : i v an ' l r rc r r t ' thcgrcat eleven-headed, thousand-armed st?tur. u 'h ich domi-nated the shadorved hal l f rom behind an al tar : ro\ \ ' laden rv i throws of butter- lamps and r i tual rcr tna of t 'er in ls.

For" a long space of t ime, al l w,as u 'e l l * , i th , t - - ; but . as rhebl iss of meditat ion faded, the_v- one b1' onc becamc uneasi l r .aware that something strange and g'hol l -v un:onnected rr . i ththeir v isual isat ion rvas taking place. Though the g:cat doors \ \ 'e ict ight shut and no breeze could enter, rhere canl3 a st i r r ing andf lut ter ing, a t inkl ing and cl inking from rhe ol . je--rs held in thcs ta tue 's many hands. Soon the n 'o rds o f thc n ra i r ra d ied uponthcir l ips and they glanced fearful l l ' ar cach rr i i ler , their arveincrcasing every moment, for i t \ \ 'as not ro bc : :n icd that thcstatuc had begun to glou'u ' i th a sof t i ight thar rr-as gradual i l 'increasing in intensi ty, and the broad chest bc:rath the gauzysi lk brocades rose and fel l as though in r i :spc. , r rs: io deep, calmbreath ing ! The rays emanat ing f rom the Br rdh : r : r tva 's personnort ' formed an ever br ighter halo and nimb:. of coloured

Page 44: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sz Bodhisati,:a of Campassion

fi.ame ! Greariy thou.gh they adored the compassionatc Avalo-ki ta, th is mani i 'estar ion of h is actual presence iuu, *ore chi l l ingthan welcorne and awe gave place ro terror. Hurriedly they pros-trated themselves, heads to the stone-flagged fioor; and. as ttr.yeiid_so, a deep voice came echoing meloli-o.rsly across tire hall.'o foolish arrcJ unheeding *onks forgetfui of your vow roguecour sent icnt beings and show compassion ro one and al l ,the season oi rny displeasure is at an end. I t is wel l vou hadthe wit to pur i tv vourselves of murky error. I have

"" i p"" i r i i .a

you severell ' as you deserved, but neither did I stay my han,cfrlm chasrising )'ou enough to make you t-eer its rveight, io, yo,.,wil l make no progress along the path unti l you have learnt thatthey who seek compassion musi themselves be compassionateto.every being alike without either chil l iness or special favour_stiil less vengefuln*:ss/ Now the end of your lean days has come.Tomorrow's l-estival wil l bring food-offerings in plenry. Bcgrateful and he.ceforth be diligenr nor to iir..r, my sorrow.It wil i go i l l rvith those who err a seconci t ime.'

These last words, uttered slo,*,ly in tones of solemn admoni-tion, macie the rno.nks stare suspicibusly at one another, suppos*ing that one of rhem had done a great evil unknorvn to theothers. At last the Abbot, summo'Irrg .orrr"g., said fearfull.v:'compassionate

Lo'd, we have tried ,6 r..rr. ]ou well and keepto the rerms t-rf our vow ro piry all beings uiit.. whereirr l iesour error ?'

' In you mosr of a l l , ' the belr-r ike voice repl ied. .Have youso soon forgotren causing misery and loss to ignorant folk whosought only- ro do rveil by bringing to my tJmple rvhat theybelieved to be rhe most r.."p,.bte or off 'eiings ?,'B-but,

compassionate Loi . l , , srammered t te Abbor in deepcistress, ' i r r 'as not we who burnt down their d*.el l ing. I r wa'done without our knowreclge and, when it became kno''n tous, we took those men to task. ''s i lence,

old ma' , ' answered rhe Bcdhisat tva chi i l ingly. ,youspeak only of the effect. The cause lay with you, the m.nks anclnovices of this ternple_. vho spread word of what those ig'orantpcople had done to show reverence to me ? In rvhat t.r*, *r,their folly made known i who *,oulci have set f ire to their.dwell-ing if 3tou had nor incited them to wrath ? Evil l ies rvith thosewho set an evil chain of causation in morion, not with those

Page 45: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan Yir/s InCian anci Tibetan Genests 53

caught up in the effects of the causes. Meditate,on this. Shodldyou forget, your penance wil l be memorable.'

Norv \\'ere the monks abashed. As they bowed down in contri-t ion, the breeze playing about the Bodhisattva's garments diedaway; the tinkling and clinking ceased; the bright rays werewithdrarvn, and all was as before. To calm themselves, themonks returned to their recitation of the mantra of purif icationwith deep concentration. And so the night passed. In the morn-ing, crowds of peasants, made joyful by the early promise ofa rich harvest later in the year, came to the festival with offeringsmore generous than was customary on rhat occasion. Thence-forrvard the monks, full of holy inspiration, gave themselves tomeritorious deeds and became renowned for kindness bestorvedwith firm impartiality. The fame of that temple spread far andwide and its supporters flourished. .

Thus Avalokita as seen by the pious story-tellers of Tibet. Asto Tara, it is said that she was born of a tear shed by Avalokitain piry for the sufferings of sentient beings. In appearance, sheis far frorn awe-inspiring. The Chiang family would have hadno difficulty in recognising her as a form of Kuan Yin, for sheresembles an exceptionally lovely human being in everythingbut colour and splendour of her ornarnents. Vhether visu-alised as a sweet-faced matron or as a winsome sixteen-year-cldmaiden, she has two principal embodimentr known as theGreen Tara and the l$fhite. They are much alike except that,from her seat upon a moon disc supported by a giant lotus, theGreen Tara extends one foot as though about to rise from medi-tation, whereas the White Tara sits in meditation posture andis further differentiated by having a visible 'rvisdom eye' in tirecentre of her forehead as well as eyes set in the palms of eachhand. With both forms, the head is charmingly incl ined, thebodl" a trif ie arched so that the left shoulder is perceptiblyhigher than the r ight ; one hand, held c lose ;o the heart , formsthr: murlra of protection and the other, resting l ighuly Llpon theknee, forms the gesture of bestowing gifts. A long-stemmedlotus rises from the crook of the left arm. Heavy ornaments ofgold adorn the high-pi led hair , chroat, wr ists and ankles; thefilm1'garments - bright gauzy silks fluttering from the shouldersand a series of many-hued silkcn skirts - leave the slender torsoand smoothly rounded breasts uncovered in the manner of

Page 46: Bodhisattva of Compassion

5t Bodhisatna of ComPassi,m

ancient India. The whole effect is so ravishing that she mightrvell arouse the very passion she is frequently invoked to calm,\4'ere it not that she inspires the kind of exalted reverence apalace guard might be expected to feel for a young and lovelyprincess entrusted to his care. No doubt there have been palaceguards who, placed in such circumstances) have had to dis-:;cnrtrle a more earthll ' passion; not so r.r ' i th Tara, for she ' is

i rnbued with the power to vanquish lust as easi ly as sorro\ \ ' .Though sweet ly digni f ied'* 'hen evoked dur ing meditat ion,

'f 'ara's nature is as fun-lsving and mischievous as that of an1'

r-r f rhc s ixteen-year-old gir ls she- so of ten resembles. Tibetanssa1' she is somet imes to be seen seated tombo-v*-sty le astr ide atream or rooCtree I she has been known to laugh gail-v at thingsrhat str ike her as r id ieulous and to restrain thought less mis-behaviour try uttering a rvell-t imed 'Humph !' or scornful' I leal ly ! ' Al together she is the most lovable of a l l the Buddhistdeiries, Kuan Yin included, exccF't that they are reall-v* one I but,rvhen shrc is seen as Kuan Yin, th*' tomboyishness is absent,for anr ies weleome to the fun- loving Tibetans are apt to str ikethe rrtore staid Chinese as not entirely decorous in a goddess.

There is also a set of 'Twenty-One - faras' , u,ho are somet imes

portraycd as identical with the Green Tara apart from their dis-tinctive colours, but at other times r,r ' i th differences of facialcxpression and symbol ic ornament. In the lat ter case, one ofrhe Twenty-One may appear in the fierce daemonic form suitedto encounters with the turgid powers of evil.

Lovable and deeply loved, Tara is close to the hearts of allTibetan, Mongolian and Nepali Buddhists. Indeed, in thePeople's Republic of Mongolia, I often saw her image standingwith Lenin's a l itt le to one side, in the place of honour facingthe doorway of a herdsman's yurt ( tent) ! Stor ies of her exploi ts,sometimes amusing always merciful, are legion and very similarin content to Chinese tales of Kuan Yin, Year after year ne\\ 'ones are heard in the most unl ikely places. For instance) re-cently a Kargyupta monk from Nepal, rvho had spent somernonths among the mainly Chinese population of Ipoh,Malaysia, to ld me he had frequent ly been asked by hard-headedmodern-minded businessmen to invoke Tara's assistance instrch matters as persuading a run-away daughier to return homeor a business partner to be less domineer ing - never) so he

Page 47: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan Yin's Indian and Tibetan G.;rtesis _<-s

assured me, unsuccessful l .v. Tara is a neq'comer among over seaschinese communities, but they have onll- ro knos- of her toenjoy invoking Kuan Yin in Tara form. Horr-ever, in the conte\rof the Bodhisattva's Indo-Tibetan progeni tors. the r \ \ .o musrbe regarded as in some sense separate and i t seems appropr iate.to select a typical ly Tibetan story of Tara's po\\-ers. I t is oncthat seeins ro me especially touching.

some years ago' there dwelt in a Himalal'an hanilet a you.qcouple who, with a child already stirring in the lac1.'s rro-'o-.rvrested a l iv ing f rom a rocky holding with soi l so shal lorv thar .the ba: ley they sowed could scarcel l ' take root. Er-en in the besrof years the crop was meagre and stunted. But ?brlr.e thcrn rc.,scrhe sky's azure dome and on al l s ides gleamed rocl(s . r f the , f i r .e

eolours ' interspersed in spr ing and summer g ' i th r ichl i - r ,crdanrpatehes of grass and r.r ' i ld f lowers, so they could 'r ir-idil- imaginethe beauty of rara 's sea-gir t paradise. one year rr-hen peopiehad incurred the mountain gods' displeasure, sno\r- fell endlesih"upon the fields, blizzardr tot* the roofs from the monasrerv inthe lower valley and the mountain passes abo..'e \\-ere bloctedfor rnonths on end. wi th the spr ing came f loods that, besidessweeping away the shal lorv soi l , caused the east rr -a l l of theyoung couple's house to crumble and dro',r 'ned their only beastof burden-an aged, much-beloved -vak. Al l that those two hadstruggled so long to bui ld now vanished in the space of weekslike a beautiful dream from which the drearner arvakes rofind himself in pit iable circumstances. \\t i th their granan-empty, the last of the seed-corn consumed as food, theirhouse fall ing about their ears and their patient 1'ak gone tneway of all sentient beings, they had nothing in the rvorld but sorneragged garments and a few old farm implements no onervould care to buy.

'Pema, ' s ighed the husband, ' for us i t is the end. In a vear

l ike th is, even the monks wi l l be hard pur ro i t to i i r -e throughto the next harvest. There must be many others l ir-ing ,orr"dabout who are as much in need of char iq ' as vve, and, though,our neighbours are kind, there is not a famill ' rvithin ten dafs'rvalk rv i th food ro spare. I t is wel l our chi ld is not }-et born s ince\\ 'e ourselves are going to die.'

'For shame, Norbu ! You must be out of vour senses to ta lkso rv i ld lyr ' answered the young matron rv i th spir i t . ' \ 'ou knon.

Page 48: Bodhisattva of Compassion

56 Bodhisatn;a if Cotnpassron

well enough that Tara the saviouress succours all rvho call uponher, heart full, mind one-pointed.,'You women are all aliker' observed Norbu loftily, ,lettingyourselves be taken in by fables. Did we or did we-nor burnincense upon the family altar every night for as long as therewas incease to burn ? Did v/e or did rve nor offer butler-lampsat a time when thr-re was not butter enough to put in gur or.vntea? call on Tara, if you will. It can do nei-ther good nor harm.,'Indeed I shall call on her - and rvith faith enough for us both.Help will come and I shall wish ,o rt o* o". gtrtirude fittingly.come now and join me in a solemn uo*-* frr.r.rr, our son ro,h-*-_T??a-srery rvherr he is old enough to be-admined.,'we'll do nothing of the kinci,' her-husband answered sourly.'why, Norbu ? As you are sure rve have no hope, such a vowshould not rrouble you at all. According ro your we shall bothbe dead and the chilcl unborn, so rvhat differlnce can it make ?,

-'Have it your_own way. I'll join you if trtai', any comfort, buttake care to inform the precious bnes that our son will enterthe monastery's service only if there .ur b. no possible doubtthat any help'we receive comes from Tara. Iiaid comes owingto chance or accident, we shall orve Tara nothing. Agreed ?,- so ih.y made their vow, kneeling side by side before thehousehold altar, N'rrbu gr:owing restlEss as pema's prayers wenton and on, and stai:ing on his knees only because he knerv ofnothing else to do but iie down and wait for death. while, ro-wards the rite's end, they were reciting Tara's mantra for rhesecond or third rhousandth time, pemi envisaging the lovelyhaloed figure in _her mind, there came a din oi ,iou,ing andhammering on the door.

Horsemen, speaking in trre uncouth accents of Kham, hadcome riding through the pass ,,vhere deep snow had given \\.ayto foaming cararacrs. Though thel' had hoped for tbod and hottea, these burly :Tlen \\'ere kind enough to take such viands asthey had from ih..ir saddlebagr ."0 share them with rhe starvingcouple. From their talk it soon appeared that they rvere the rem-nant of a band of resistance f ighters badry maured b1. adetachment of rhe Chinese Red ^l,r-y. on

-Nlorbu,s eagerly

agreeing to join rhem, they gave him a ntrr. to share with p.*uuntil, several days larer, rhey were able to leave her rvith somedistant maternal relarives who lived close to the Lhasa road.

Page 49: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan Yin's Indian and Tibetan Genesis 57

In so cloing they were just in time. No sooner had her husbandridden offwith the others rhan her labour pains began and pres-ently she was delivered of a sturdy son.

'O l)olrnar' she whispered, calling Tara by that name, 'this

boy is the fruit of your compassion. You know, dearest One,h,: is vowed to the service of the monastery. Teach him. to bedevout and deeply learned in our sacred Chos (religion).'

Trvo years later, Norbu, after many fearsome adventures,rejoined his wife and the three of them fled southwards intoIndia, where they settled down in Darjeeling an.j learnt to earna living by carpet-making. When the child rvas five, Pema said:'Soon you must take hirn to rhe monasrery in Kalimpong.Tell them he is vowed to the Three Precious Ones, ask formallyfor him to be admitted and enquire at what age he should begiven into their care.' o

'Fool!'sho,rted Norbu in a voice of fury. 'Vtrar had Tarato do with us ? Those Khambas were already half way downfrom the pass before you as much as mentioned. vowing.ourson to the monastery !'

'Yet they stopped at our wreck of a house instead of ridingon to the monastery or the village store. It was Tara who guideCthem. There must be no thought of going back on our promisenow that we are warrn, comfortable, well fed and safe from theChinese. Even you could not be so impious and ungrateful.'

As Norbu was obdurate and Pema could not arrange for thechild to be admitted rvithout the father's consent, her bestresource lay with Tara. The next time her husband left heralone with the boy, she ran to light incense and cried fervently:'Dolma, dearest One, I have not forgotten. This child willbecome a monk, I promise; but please do something to makeit easy for us. You alone can smooth the rvay.'

That night, having made stormy love though still too angryto speak to her, Norbu fel l asleep. Presenrly a bright l ight fel lupon his eyes and, starr ing up in alarm, he beheld Tara seatednegliger:,tly on the table, srvinging her legs like a child with moreenergy than she knew rvhat to do with. Horvever, even as heleapt up to prostrate himself, her body began to glo'uv with light.The rvindorv behind her was dissolved in these rays and, in itsplace, he sarv the peak of a lofty hill covered with lush greengrass '"vherein glittered innumerable points of lighr as rhough

Page 50: Bodhisattva of Compassion

_58 Bodhisatna of Contpassion

i t rvere bestrewn rv i th gems. Bey'ond and srrerching to the hor i -zon was an expanse of deep blue water capped b1' magnif icentrvhi te waves which, breaking on the shore below, emit ted rain-bow-coloured clouds of spray. These clouds, r is ing to thehi l l top, f i l led the air q ' i th mi l l ions upon mi l l ions of g l i t ter ingpart ic les l ike mult i*coloured jeq'els. r \ teanrvhi le, the tablehad become a moon disc rest ing on a huge and manl ' -petal ledlotus, wh:reon Tara sat, st i l l ncgl igcnt lv and u' i t i r the air ofa young gir l having f i ln, but now clad in shining si lks andgolden ornamcnts l ike rhc daugir ter of thc Emperor of rheSky, shc rvas snr i l ing ar him u' i th a mixture of archness and(.tl-lRtempt.

'wel l , i {orbu ? ' shc enquircd rv i th a smi le so dazzl ing rhat hisheart a lmost burst rv i rh joy, 'Do you regrer mv saving I 'ou f romdcath ? fjo you regret having tl 're love 11' pema safely ar )-ourside ? Do 1'ou regret having rnone5, fbr tea and as manv of pema,smeat dumpl ings as you care to L-a[ ? Do you rcgret promisingyour son to the servicc of the Thr, :e Precious Ones ?'' l *1o, no: no l ' er ied l {orbu in an ccstasy of devot ion. ,Al l

shal l be as rhe Excel lent Dolma commands.,'command.r, lr lorbu? Did I command you? If so, it is r-ery

stranger for commanding is not my way. Somehow I thoughtit was' you and Pema who pra yed for these things. I thoughtyou uished me ro prorect you and cause you ro prosper. \*asit not so, Norbu ? can you provide your son with a better fururethan wii l be his as a pious and learned lama rvith perhapshundreds of d isciples? Just say, i f you rhink you can. ''No, no, no ! Indeed I cannot ! I shall take him to Kalimpongtomorrow-Dor today at sunr ise. '

'That is well, Norbu. A prornise is a promise. you u,i l l behappy to rvatch your son grow up ro be a help to others anda faithful guardian of our sacred Chos. Later he must l ive rr. ithhis teachers, bur no one wi l l h inder your going ro see him asoften as you wish. Now get offyour knees, Norbu, and sit facingme . '

L last i ly he assumed the pos(ure of meditar ion, but q ' i th hisheacl reverently ineline d,, i,azzled by her radiance. Then did ablinding ray shoot forth from Tara's hcart and, enteringt i r rough his crou'n, f i l l every parr of h is bodv u' i th l ight rvhireithan sno'*r or camphor dust. Cool was rhat ra\- . vcr l ike a n 'h i te-

t{

Page 51: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kttan Yi t t ' : Indiar: ar t t l ' f

i r , . - j , r Gclr i . . ; . , 59hot rr :o l ten stream i t burnt a\ \ 'a ' thc et i 'ects c-r i h: : karmic c-rbscu-rat ions, bcstorving ecstat ic bl iss. Then rhe r- isr . . : : faded, lea' ingh im sca ted c ross- legged in the darkness c : losc i t r rhe s leep ingPcma, ro w'hom he ionged to speak oi t i rc gic.- that had de-scended from Poraia 's peak.

Thc morning \4 'as not far advanced r 'hci- l . - - : and his son,f?enrLra, reached Kal impong bi ' the t : l r i l - bus. Hurn, ing tc-rhrnr. , l laster] ' , he i rnplorcd the m0nks trr s iccpI t - . . . - , : . - . , f thcrn therear:d then.

'L loes tht- c i r i ld have no mrrther?' asked tr . : novice-rnaster

eent ly. Afrcr enquir ing in se-rmr- detai . i ' ro r i i : . . , . -hole af ia i r , heagreed to take rhe chi ld but nor the father. ,S: : : - -e

th is is 1,61r.oi ia ' son and he rv i l l be cominq to us t \ \ .o year. : :om no\\ . . -youhad best go back and mak. .-ih., sons. for ,-.. -. u,ife,s sake ifnot your o\ \ 'n. As for th is bor ' , s ince he comci io us as a gi f tfrom Tara, his name in religi,--rn wil l be one ri-;::ch carries tharmeaning. I shal l g ive some thought to i t . Te-- l -our * . i fe, bytfre way, that if she ferventlr. r 'hiip.t= Tara's :arne rvhen vouarc making children rogethlr, you are sure r,-. have a lovlly,i r igh-spir i ted d.aughter. Be sure ro cal l the ;h i ld r .ara-orDolma, i f I 'ou prefer. '

Much of this beauriful sron', if provided ,uvit: a chinese ser-ting, could be related of Kuan Yin. There a--r hundre,cs ofstories about her so close in spirit to this one as :,--, leave no roornfbr doubt that they are essentially one and the sa:re being. Suctrsimilarit ies are all the more striking in that f,=-.i. s1fugrlgrr.,of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon are suff--ienrly aiite tosuggest different forms of the same being, erc-.!r in the sensethat all of them are emanations whose ultima:: sorirce is theGreat VoiC - i l l imi table Mind.

of the methods of invoking Tara, some are : imple. Indeed,shc is saic i to respond upon the instanr shoulc : te do no morethan cry aloud her namc just once q'ith h=,,.: i-felt fervour,though i t is general ly considered morc ef tecr:- . . - ro cai l a loudirer rnanrra--oM TARE TUTARE TURE -s'r-AHA! on rheothcr hand, mantras are held to be ful i i ' ef f ica*- : r ruS oDiv g,henone has mastered their use bv f requeni reci ta i - , : : l accompaniedb1 ' the appropr ia te v isua l i sa t ion . s incc . in th* : : se o f a zudc lenrmerg..-ncy, there ma] ' not t re t ime to El i r rnciat ; . - j ten svl labies.5ornc adcprs are taughr to use oM TARE TA-\ : s \ IAHA I uoo.,

Page 52: Bodhisattva of Compassion
Page 53: Bodhisattva of Compassion

6o Bodlt isrztfr. ;r t ;r [_-, i ; ;_; -,-_-,.

s -L r ch occa - i : . - : ) . : - - 1 - \ , . : : - : - : : : : ; : i : ; - o r seed_man t ra t ha t con_t ; i : : l T . : : . : : i _ . : : ; = .\x 'hen rhr pi-:rposc is a rnore exarted one, that of makingprogress ro*'arcis Eni ightenmenr and attaining Tara_l ikepo\*'er to succour sentient beings, a rite of visualisalion i, ,.gu_larl' pcrformecj to enabre the meditaror to draw upon andbecome absorbed b1' cc rnpassion', tib"iaii 'g po*.r. The fornrsused for this rite vary fronr simple ,o .rruoirte, but essentiaill,thev are alike.

,a,ft1 iaking r.f.,je;";;i;ipte Gem (Budciha,Dharma and the Sacred Lorrrr'urrity), renewing one,s vorv rosuccour all sentient beings, offering ,"trtution to -fara, confess_ing and abjuring str.ortcJmings.i"ig, ,"J p-r*uio.rs rives, erc.,one summons ro mind a sacred syilabre that seems to hang inthe air on a revel with the mediraror,s eyes. In a f lash i t is trans-forrned into a rotus surmounted by trr. air., of sun and moon,

:l::*"," appears a second glorving rvii;;i. *,hich instantrygives place ro Tara's.image. Ey the;;;;i manrras, mudrasand ski l led visuarisation, i"r. i , , ,r*-o;;J;" manifest herserfwithin this image. which suddenry u.gi.r, io shine with super_natural radiance. Hundreds of ,.p.titi-or* oi tt. mantra foilowand presentiy Tara conrracrs iTo_a ,l"v J.i"g no rarger thana thurnb, but glowing like emerald fire. Entering the meditator,sperson by way of the secrer gate\1,ay at the crown, she descendsinto his hearr, causing his Jrvn body to contract in turn untileach tiny figure is cotirminous w'ith-the other and they are noionger two, bur one. The meditator 6;,-;;"e may now say)'rara)

continues ro conrract unrit nothinl *-.ir,, but a shiningsyllable that had_ first appeared sending forth rays from Tara,sheart; this s1'llable noiti r,vithdrarvs iito itself until nothingwhatever is lefr.bur rhe pure, undifferentiated krrightness of thei i l imirabie Voi,JSome- devotees, if rheir way of rife is sufficientry stainress, areboid enough to rerain Tara *,irhi., ttr.-r.lu.s as they go aboutthe business of the <1a5' (the harmless burin.r, oI ' monks orrecluses free from mosr occasions of errori wi,n rhe passingof years, rhel' becorrte so cloself identified'wirh her rhat theynotict-'ably rake on some of her .h"rr.t.;i;;;, ; perhaps even thefacial contours rr:;-d.ergo a change so that, as is the case with

Taly sain:ly uld.lairras-iirnong Tibet"rrs, it .y ..rse ro be eitherdisti-*ctively mare or femal.] Lur, in tir. uii., of aimosr ur-

Page 54: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuar., '.:'in's Indian and Tibetan Gene:;is 6t

ceasing meditation, such a person develop:; wisdom and com-passion so profqund that Enlightenrnent is won within a singlelife-span; thereafter he enters upon the Bodhisattva's task ofsuccouring sentient beings, aeon upon aeon, throughout themyriad world-systems of samsara.

As an example of the tales told of Tara, the story of Norbuand Pema has one failing; it does not do iustice to Tara's speciaicharacteristic of impish humour. So, feeling sure Kuan Yin willexcuse me for keeping her off-stage a little longer (all the moreso as Tara is herself Kuan Yin in another forrr,), I shall relateanother story which brings this humour out. I had it from aTibetan in Kalimpong and will try to tell it as he did.

'Near our village in Tibet there stood an isolated cottagewhere lived an old fellow called Jigme. He was in his ninetiesat the time, but hale enough for a thirty-year-oid. As d boy Iwouid see him going up the path behind our monastery in allkinds of weather, taking provisions to the cave of our localhermit. His end, when it came, was sudden - two days of ailingand he was gone with a smile. Since long before I came intothe worlcl, he naO been renowned as an eccentric, forever sing-ing songs to Tara, making offerings to Tara, meditatin$ onTara-always, always Tara. We boys used to make fun of himamong ourselves, for he reminded us of an elderly husbandmaking a terrible fuss of a teenage wife for fear she might runoffwith someone else. Our elders thought the world of him andthe monks gave him a splendid send-off, banging away at theirdrums and chanting for a good three days before taking his oldbody up the mountain as his final offering to the birds andbeasts, who probably didn't mind its being a bit tough. Whenwe had got used to his being gone, lve put him out of mindmost of the time, but we shall never forget the stories told abouthim on tle night before they took away his body

.vhen yo.rttg, Jigrne .had been noted for three things -

strength, good looks alC a blazingly hot temper. As a petty

t;adei who had dealings with the monastery) he once got intoa scrap with the layman who worked as cook there. They'd beencirinking in the monastery kitchen-only chang probably, butthat can be strong enough. lTithout quite knowing how, JigTemanaged to kill the *ttt and ran off leaving his body sprawledu.totS the kitchen flagstones. The authorities took as lenient

7 -v

Page 55: Bodhisattva of Compassion

6z Bodhisanzta of Compassion

a view as rhey could and Jigme rvas senrenced to be rockerc upin the monastery'dungeorlor a time. From the moment thedoor clanged behind him, he started yelring like a madman andbattering the wood with his fists ,o itr., hTs- sn".tr., ,rg iit.cymbals clashing. Just after nightfall rvhen ir \!,as too earrr. forJigme to think of sleep, a suddin sirence f. l ' ; ;J;; ; ." ,r ;r ; .of rhe monks wenr crown ro see ,if the *..,.i,.i;;^;il ir;"1.0himself' IrJo one who knew Jigr" could imagine him just gir-ingup' on his way to rhe cei,1h.. monk ririp.o shorr, har-ingcaughr the sound of voices. F'irst .*-,.- li l lr. ', uoic. sa'ingficreely "T*r, yes. Ail rny life, I promis..,,' i:f,.];rr*";;;i:.Lrrought the ord, monk in the passage to his knees, forehead rorhe ground. In rones genrry mockiig ;;il;; of inconceir.abresweetnessj someone repried: "Then see to i i r yigme dear. othcr_*.i3e yo! might be herd to it in ways you wourd find uncomfort_able-" who courd doubt that those #..trii lo.tirrg rones \\_crcHoly Tara's ? Not daring to intrude, rhe ota mont trembringrypradded off in search ofltre Abbot.'The next morning, Jigme was not to be found in his cerr.-l-he

door and window seemed much ,, u*"r, but the fettersIying on his bed had been wrenchea ur""o.. rir.e bits of dough_eake- They found him rater sitting dazed and peacefur in hisown corrage. werr, there was no quistion of dragging him backand making him serve his sentencl after that. who wourd dare ?Yet there was plenty of excitement. The ,rii lrg"., kept peepingthrough his window in the hope ,trrt i.?, would appearagain. she did nor, but she had .q..,.d li;;; such fame tharthey rnade him chief contracror to the *Jrrrrt.ry and, doingvery well indeed, he graduaily began to ror. his new air ofpeacefulness.'Now and then business took him to a nearby township - oh,nor more than three g.yr' ride from our vilrage, if you'had-agood horse like ]igme's. once, whire pu,ilng

"p'at the inn there,he got into a fight yi,l a ccupr.e of -.n d; Derg6. Fellingone with his great fist, he was-abou, ,o .rrrrif tr,. other u.herra raggedly dressed girl came running in fromit o'. quite kneu,where, crying "Jigme dear, for shame ! That's the rvay to mil-dew good barley !" Then she was gone, but Jigme, trembri.gIike someone troubled by a ghost, ?.opp.a r,is hands and retthe second man from Dergeliu. hi-

"^ *igrriv rrouncing rhat

Page 56: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kuan Yin's Irtdiatt tutrl Tibt:.rl Genc,.::. 6jleft him unconscious on the floor. That \\:as nor the eni of it,cither. A consignlnenr of barlel 'he had bought tor nraki ng .lro,rgf9r a monastery festival due in a fes' davs turned out to b. ,odamaged bv a mysterious dampness that i i"r. Abb,ot orcierec himto take it arvay and give him back his monev j'A

l ' .ar or so latcr , J igme r 'as defraucied i . r 'o- . *-ar- gy gclorh merchant. Finding ever] 'one agreed that he was i : r ther ight , he decided ro press charges thar * 'ere l ikel ' to ct-s i thefel lor 'more rhan he possessed. some people t i i . rught h:-- toorurhlcss torvards a poor wretc i r rv i th u f .* i i ' ' io suppo:r . soI l* l ' r r i ld ro ger him to u ' i rhclrau,or mocierar i tne charge.. i lo,J igme I o fT hc rode * ' i rh h is man-servan i ro the d is t r i i t : rag i_strate 's srat , a placc'on thc bordcr of Khrm r,r-he re the au:hoi i -t ics are chinesc. In the outskir ts of the town, rnding , . . , i ryblockeel b1' a c lumsv carter, he raised his * , i r ip. Before- thc olo*.eorr ld fa l l , a \ :oung gir l darted from thc cror i .d. cry ing: . .1-akecarr vour horse docsn' I t i re of carry ing such an oaf ! " E, ; rhenthe * 'ay u 'as c lear and Jigme prcssed cr. , r t as f ast a t ror- . , i t .* ' idth of the srreer al lowed. Al l of a suclden, a length ol c lothhanging up in a dyer 's yard bi l lor .ved our in the *- i 'd- The horseshied and Jigme fel l on his head hear- i ly ene-rus:h ,o.rr . t -h l ,skul l . By the t ime he had reco'ered from the accidenr, rhe c lothmerchant had fled with his family to anothcr n:ighboui;rood.Nothing more was heard of the lar,l, suit.'After

that, all went well for several \rears unril Jigm-- tookit into his head ro ride off with his man on a pilg.imag. ro Krrm-bum Monastery. At a wayside inn, he fell to*quarieli ing *,ithsome ruffians and drew his s*'ord. They ran off. trnly to .i-a-n-layhim further along the road *' ith a doien or so mounrec i.rp_porters. In the fight that follorved, three of them \\.ere u.ouncecibefore Jigme and his servant were secured. rlal.be the,.. haclmeant onl l ' to rob Jigme and give him a good be at ing, bu: rheirblo.d \r 'as up and it was decided to make 3rr c-nd of him. \\-hilepreparat ions were going fbru 'ard to "have a i i t t i : Iun' , r r : :h thet\r 'o captives, an elegant young rnsrr rvith pir-\ ch.:ek= andmaiden-soft skin came galloping up, leadirg i.,..o spare ;:orseson a rein. "J igme, my dear: yor are dul le. tha" a yak. ' ' cr ieda rvc l l -kno \vn vo ice . "Be sure th is i s the ven ' ias t t ime. , ' w i ththese * 'ords. ' the youth drew a deep breath r . , . . c lo*, ins i t outcf f r : r t lcsclr ' , caused the dust to . i r . in c louc: . \ 'c l lor , . r iqht

Page 57: Bodhisattva of Compassion

54 Boihtst:.ttva ql t ,;,mpess.ion

:J?'ii::-t? f;j[:"tir long arrer the captives had ridden orr

'The Jigme',,tho haci reft for_rhar pirgrimage was nor rhe sameas the Jigme who reru.".J.-From Kumbuir he brought backa precious srarue of Tara ;;.

"r,rl"v'"ri,..o *i,r, gold, andmany prerrv things for furnishing.a ;h;i";-;;o* in her honour.Gradualrv ierinqursnic rrl,'ir.iine u.r,i.r;, he .spent moreand more rime.ai home"ana-roo., turned into the pious recruseknorvn to rne il -v_uoillo} l. rrppor;'; one ever learnrthe whore of rhe iniir', b;1,obody ot"t'" that Tara wasinvolved ar every srage- I shourd like tf r.rroJ *rry she favouredthat ill-te*p,,r*d v""-"g r.iffi yrre than any of the pious forkln our vitage' 4t sorne-ti*. in rri, .rrirfi# or soon after, herrtust ha'e lvon her heari it'**e great,cieed of compassionH:i,has

neve. been *."ri... r *irt,l il;," how to do the

Page 58: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Ci'tapter 4

Miao Shan and OtherLegendsWere you with murderous intentThrnst within a fiery furnace

Lotus Sfitra

Having breathed for a momenr the rarified atmosphere ofmysticism represented by the Heart Sfitra and descendedthence to the lower spurs of Kuan Yin's holy mountain whereonAvalokita and Tara shed their radiance on men and women pfordinary perception, we have still to explore another of thelower peaks where Kuan Yin sits enthroned as a folk goddessworshipped by millions upon millions. These, ignorant ofBuddhist metaphysics, love her in the uncomplicated mannerof the fisher-folk, recognising in her the protective power andrewarding nature of compassion. Images of her in rhis aspecrare ubiquitous in China (unless swept away by the surge of theRed tide) and neighbouring countries. Smilingly, she gazes onthe rvorld frorn behind the altars of Taoist temples and hermi-tages, to say nothing of tens of thousands of wayside shrinesand grottoes, or of the innumerable dwellings in which somequiet corner is set aside for this most beloved of all divinities.In these days, one fir,ds in Korea and Japan gigantic staruesof her so piaced as to be visible from afar that people may callto mind, amidst the pitiless struggle for rnaterial gain, thebeauty of compassion; but I wonder if Kuan Yin welcomes akind of publicity so reminiscent of cinema billboards and sexyadvertisements for toothpasre or bikinis ? Her presence is feltntore strongly in those little images of clay one comes upon

j . ,

Page 59: Bodhisattva of Compassion

66 Bodhisattva of ComPassion

ensconced in some dim and cool recess hard by a miniature

waterfall in a garden rockery'Rocks,wi l lorvs, lo tuspoolsorr t inn ingwaterareof tenindica-

t ions of her presence. In the chime of bronze or iade, the sough

of u.ind in the pines, the prattle and ti.nkle of streams, her voice

is heard. The fresht.. , oi derv-spangled 19:": leaves or the per-

fume of a single siick of fine i.^l.*r'tt. recalls her fragrance' Not

for her the gaud:y rpl."Jour of the retl-faced lyar God, the mag-

nificent p"nnpiy il,,o"'Aing the Jade Emperor or the selfish

luxurv of the W"rt*rn Rbyai Motirer who once fed upon the

vital essenee of a rhorrsand youths. Even chang O, chaste God-

dess of ttre Mol;;;, ioo r"rtidious in her cold virginity _t_o be

congeniar to f<Lu" yi,,. Alone among ten thousand gods' Kuan

yin is warm in her compassron, refin1d in her sinaplicity. If she

is sometimes a".r.*a in golden ornaments, it is only because

the1. are empl;y;J;, u lp..i.l symbol for denoting celestial

Bodhisattvahood.As a folk-d.;;;Kuan Yin embodies in herself, besides Ava.lo-

kita and frr",-i 'f,flegendary being' Milo- 91t""' The follorving

l e g e n d , t h o u g h i t m a k e s n o m e n t i o n o f M i a o S h a n b y n a m e 'may be the proio,ype of the.tales concerning that princess. \\'ere

one so un-chinese in spirit as to cavil that it relates to quite

a different person, the answer would be a tolerant smile accom-

p a n i e d U y r o * . s " c h w o r d s a s : ' K ' u a n Y i n m a n i f e s t s h e r s e l fin countless fornrs to succour sentient beings. why should.not

t h e l a d y i n t h i s s t o r y b e o n e o f t h e m ' M i a o S h a n a n o t h e r ? '.It is not ,:ecorded in which reign the following events took

place. Ma.ny ;;,".i;2go, the goicrnor of.a certain provinte'

h a v i n g n o s o n s , f e l t a s p e c i a l l y " d e e p a t t a c h m e n t t o w a r d s h i sonly daughter. Ne'ot'thtie", Uiing a proud and irascible official

and a ,.*rr.h' rrpt otaer of ifre Confucian virtues, he kept her

under nr- ,.rtirint, so that she rareiy had opportunities to

glimpse the great worldbey.ond the wails of the gubernatorial

mansion. Ori.",rte would iit beside the peach-shaped window

o f h e r c h a m b e r g a z i n g a t a n e a r b y h i l l w h e r e s t o o d a s t a t e l ymonasrerv, **[.ri"i what sort of rites and austerities were

practised uv ttt" r"i"tt-y inmates. There seemed to be some sort

o f m y s t e r y r b o . , , t h e p l a c e r f o r n o s o o n e r d i d s h e m e n t i o n i tthan someone would be sure to switch abruptly to another sub-

iect, leavingh., words hanging in mid-air ' Though normally

i

.--.-,-' lx:q'' l i[

Page 60: Bodhisattva of Compassion

, Miao Shart and Ori i : r l . .egertdi 67

such rudeness to the daughter of a govcrnor \ r ' t ru ld be unthink-able, she had to put up with i t t ime and t ime again. Hcr cr , r r iosi t -vmounted unt i l i t could be borne no longer. Certain that l icrfather could never be pcrsuaded to al lou' her tcr ' , ' is i t the moi- ias-teryr shc dccided to go there on her o\ \ 'n, rhrr ' :Sh thc mcrcthought of the impropr iety of her r ' , 'a lk ing urra. : rendeci bc1'onr lthe u 'a l ls of the rvomen's courtvards ivas cnou:h tc- l makc hcrb lush . Though modest to the po in t c f shynr -s : . s i rc p r )SSt -sscdmuch o f her fa ther 's de termina i ion anC s t rcng ih o f rv i l l .

E,ar ly ' one f i rorning, when her at :endants \ \ 'c . rc L]rcakfast ingin an adjoining chamber, she sl ipped out l ight iv disguiscd andlef t the fami ly compound by a gatc rarely r i : tchcd, i r Lrc i r rgadjacent to the servants 'pr ivT and used only f r r r carrv inq au,avi ts contents to manure the f ie lds. Hurry ing across the pasturc-land, she set of f up the hi l l . A stone-f lagged path brought hcrto a ta l l gatehouse rvhere the gateman, perceiv ing that a r ichyoung lady had come to offer incense to the gcds and mightbe prevailed upon to offer gold besides, u'elcome d hercourteously and straightway led her to the great shr ine-hal l .Overrvhelmed by the magnifrcence of the statues of the ThreePure Ones-the central t r in i ty of Taoist dei t ies-and charmedby the sacred song now flooding the richly appointed hall, shecongratulated herself in hat' ing come upon a community ofsaint ly men.

Litt le did she know that saints in that monastery were ferv,that the greater part of the recluses \^/ere fonder of swordplavby day and the art of 'bedroom warfare' by night than of servingthe gods they worshipped. In her ignorance sire thought it nohaim to wander about the public rooms, visirirrg the man]'shrines and garden pavil ions which were connected r-rne toanother by narrow corridors of lacquered woodrvork rvhereindaylight f i l tered dimly through the papered u'indc\vs. In onrsuch corridor, she had to pass a group of three or four grey--robed recluses who, seeming to make w&)-, suddenll ' sur-rounded her and pushed her roughly into a dari:ened chamber,her sereams being drtwned by the clash of cerernonial cvntbal:;coming from a hall nearby.

By this time, the governor, being apprised of his claughrer'sdisappearance) had sent his servants scurry ing in al l d i re ct ions;but i t \ . \ ras not unt i l short l t 'before dusk that lnforrnat ion \ \ 'as

Page 61: Bodhisattva of Compassion

68 Bodhisarn.a of Cortpassion

received to the effect that a richly garbed young rvoman haclbeen seen earl l- in the morning walking up the hi i l towards themonastery. The mounted servants whom he now despatchedto escort her home presently returned u'ithour her, saying thatrhe young ladl' had certainly been at the monasrery earlier inthe day bur rvas apparently there no longer. Night fil l. By norvthe governor rvas in a fury. Not stopping to ponder rhe iikeli-hood of his daughrer's being held at ihe ho.r"stery against herrvill, tre had made up his mincl that a girl so abandoned as toventure unattended into a place ',vhich had long been knownfor hermits of ertl repute was capable of any vilenlss. No doubtshe was at that 'ery moment lying in the arms of some lusryparamour. There could, he thought tempestuously, be only oneway of expungin.g such dire disgrace. posting a hundred arlhersround the monastery with orders to slay whatever livingcreatures venrured fonh he sent his soldiers in with lightedtorches to burn that den of evil to the ground. Since .ro or,.could escape, rhe guilty child and her pata-our must surelysuffer the fate rhey so richly deserved. Ai the buildings, exceprfor their foundadons and tiled roofs, were constructed of lac-quered wood, rhey were an easy prey to the hungry flames. Nota man - or a lvornan - escaped the fire within and rain of arrowswithout !

Hiding the hurt to his pride and wharever regrer he felt forthe fate of his once beloved daughter, the governor, as w'as hiswont, spent the hour after dawn strolling in his private gardento enjoy the earil '-morning freshness of the flou,ers. Suddenlythe likeness cf rhe dead child materialised before his e1'es andthe apparirion spoke these rvords: 'Farher, though you had nopity on an innocent gir l who barely escaped being violatedagainst her *'i i l. I cannot help being sad for )'ou, childless asyou must no\\'remain. Therefore I have come to biing you somecomfort. Knon' rhen that Heaven, which often seems as pitilessas you, was moved by my undeserved suffering. As the femesadvanced, I rr'as enveloped in a rainbow and rvafted above theclouds to the abodes of gods and immortals. Therc, by rvay ofcompensation for rny cruel fate, I was promoted to the rankof goddess. h rvill be my rask to comfon the aflicted and rescr:ethose in peril - a task I am peculiarly qualified to perform havingso recently plurnbed rhe depths of iear and suffering. Hence-

Page 62: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Miao Shan and Other Legends 69

forth I shall be known as Kuan Shih Yin, Hearer-of-the-Cries-of-the-Vorld.'

Among the many versions of the Miao Shan legend (whichmay have been inspired by the tale of the governor's daughter)the following is tyPical:

In the eleventh year of the Chin T'ien epoch (around 2590ne), there was a king who, on account of demerits stemmingfrom a former life, was denied the blessing of a son. Accordinglyhe sought husbands of rare accomplishment and fine presence

for his ihtee daughters, hoping to breed outstanding grandsons,

the best of whom would be well suited to inherit his kingdom.His youngest daughter, however, reiected all talk of marriageand, on reaehing puberty, begged permission to reside at therJ7hite Sparrow Convent, there to engage in a life of pious.cqn-

templation. 'Agreed !' laughed the king, thinking that' thisgettily nurtured girl would soon long for deliverance from harshmonastic austerities and could then be given the choice ofremaining where she was or marrying some well-chosen prince'

Alas, the austere life suited her all too well and the king' hispatience at an end, embarked upon a series of measures markedty increasing severiry to bend her to his will. Rage mountiilgday by day, he finally had her dragged from the conv€nt andimprisoned in a tower, there to be nourished on unspeakablyrevolting food. In vain ! Drinking to drown his chagrin servedonly to increase it, until one day he shouted to his henchmen:'A monstrous child so lost to filial propriery as to deny her father

his dearest wish pollutes all under Heaven. The earth must be

cleansed of this foul example of disobedience to loving parents,

lest the fashion spread and corrupt future generations. See toit this night ! '

Sorrorifully his attendants led the little princess to a lonely

spot where the headsman awaited her, rveeping but not '* -b.

deflected from his duty. The child was made to kneel and the

headsman, grasping with both hands the terrible s'ruord that had

drunk the blood of many a brutal criminal, was preparing to

strike when a blinding tempest arose. In a momcnt the starswere blotted out, thunder roared and a dazz\tng ray fromHeaven shone down upon the kneeling victim. Ere the heads-man could regain his couraEet a gigantic tiger borrnded fromthe darkness and carried the swooning girl into the nearby hills.

Page 63: Bodhisattva of Compassion

70 Bodhisattaa of Cornpassion

In all the world no tiger of that size existed; the trembling party

of executioners Swore to the king that this supernaturally pro-portioned beast was no other than the tutelary god of that

region, who had been known on more than one occasion to

assume that dread feline form.From a cavern in the hi l ls , whi ther the dei ty had borne her,

thc Irrinccss N4.iao Shan now dcscended into hell and there, b]'r l :c po* 'cr of hcr ursul l ied pur i ty, compel lcd i ts ruler to release

cve i 'v onc of the shivcr ing wretches del ivered to him ior punish-

t 'nf r t t in re qui ta i of t i re i r evi l deeds. Yen Lo Vang, as that dci t l 'is cal lcd, was aware of h is duty to place the inexorable c la imsof justicc befeirc ?D| niltural inclination to inercy and, as man)'

trave diseovered, was not !o be deflected from that duty unlessby a br ibe of qui tc extraordinary proport ions; but rvho couldforbrcar thc srveet pleading of a princess q'ho valued puriry more

rhan l i fc i tsel f?Returning to the dwell ing of the tutelary deiry' Miao Shan

received the signal honour of a visit from Amitabha Buddhain person ! Assuming the splendidly shining form knorvn as theBuddha-Body of Reward, he abjured her to seek safety on sea-girt Potala, known to mariners as the Island of P'u-t 'o. 'Around

that isle, dear child, l ies a dragon-haunted ocean into whichnone but the pure in heart, least of all your father, dare set sail.Therc you wil l be able to devote both day' and night to blissfulmeditation and thus at last attain your pious wish to becomea Bodhisattva empowered to succour errant beings. Take nowthis miraculous peach from the garden of Heaven. Besides pre-

serving you from hunger and thirst for one fuli year, it wil l ult i-mately ensure your eternal felicity. ' So saying, the Buddhawithdrew.

An island deiry, summoned from Potala, carried the prirrcess

to her new abode, travell ing more srvift l l ' than the wind. Fornine full years Miao Shan, when not engaged in meditation' per-fsrmed deeds of compassion rvhich, crowning the meritsacquired in previous l ives, completed all that remained toenable her to attai,r the status of Bodhisattvahood. It was atthis time that the charming youth Shan Ts'ai (Virtuous Talent)became her acolyte. Thereafter, by virtue of her Bodhisattva'sall-seeing eye, she beheld one day a calamity that suddenlybr'fell the third son of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea.

Page 64: Bodhisattva of Compassion

rtf iao Shan and Orher Legends 7r

wandering the ocean joyously in the form of a fish' he had beencaught by a fisherrnan and was being carried ro the ma;ket ina pail heavy with rhe l iving victims of that day's catch. InstantlyShan Ts'ai was despatched ro purchase those unhappycreatures and return them to the sea. His Maiesry the DragorrKing, apprised by his son of his deliverancei sent Miao Shana lustrous jewelknown as the Night Br i l l iance pear l , by the l ightof which the Bodhisattva rvould be able to read Sacr€r1 booksto her heart's conreirr, no matter how dark the night. The giftl1'as carried by his own grand-daughter, Lung Nu (DragonMaiden), rvho was ro enr.ranced by the virtue and loveliness ofher uncie 's del ivcrer that she vowed therc and then to dedicatchcr l i fe to the achievemcnt of Bodhisat tvahood. To this end,she entered Kuarr Yin 's scrvice and has e\ /er s ince been seenin her compan\ ' .

some years larer, the Pr incess Miao shan. c l ivest ing hersel fof her Bodhisattva's glor-v, returned to her o\\.n country for aspace and there converted borh her father anci her mother. en-rol l ing them as disciples of the Buddha.

Thus the storv ends.Another version of thc legend speaks of the princess not as

lvliao Shan but Miao Ch€n, the daughter of a ruler during thechou dynasty (r rzz to 25s ec). The ear l ier evenrs are much thesarner but in this case thc headsman is foiled b}' the miraculousshatterirrg cf his srvord. The irascible king is doubly punished,being strangled by a demon and then carried down to hell,whither his daughrer follows him and is overcome by the grislyReture of his torrnenrs. F:inding Yen Lo \l{ang adamant aboutthe neqessity of the sentencd being carried out in full, she praysto Amitdbha from the depths of her pure heart. Instantly hell 'sloathsome caverns are transformecl by a shower c.,f i ;elestial lorusllowers into a beauteous realm where the spirris of those sen-tenced to punishment may live in joyous ease. \\-hereupon yenLo wang, sadly put out by such interference r' i th rhe courseof iustice, implores the prineess to return forrhg'ith to the upperworlcl, f irst releasing her father as evidence of his good wil l.A eelest ia l venic le shaped l ike a lotus awairs her at hel i 's garesand carries her more swift iy than the wind to Potala Island.There she reigns as the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin. devot ing hersel ftei the rescue of suffering sentient beings.

Page 65: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Tz Bcrlhisetna af Compassion

In scme o:her legends Kuan Yin, losing most traces of herBuddhist origin, is identified with anorher and very differentdeiry, Niang Niang, the Heavenly Mother of rhe Taoist pan-theon. Unable to recollecr any of the earlier stories of this kind,I offer a rc-latively modern one, perhaps not more than trvohundred years old, since there is internal evidence relating itro rhe ch'ing dynasty. It may be thought an unsatisfactoryexample, but. to my mind, there is no doubt that this storybelongs to the Miao Shan cycle. In many versions of the MiaoShan legend, the episode of her escape from the execurioner'ssword is replaced by an account of how her father orders thedestruction by fire of rhe tower wherein she is confined, butthe victim escapcs the flames by soaring above rhem in the formof a graceful rvhite bird. The late origin of the story that follorvsmakes it all the more interesting, for it indicates that in thepopular minci, Kuan Yir. continues to undergo incarnationsreplete with Miao Shan-like episodes. I relate it at some lengthas the details are stil l fresh in my mind and it possesses muchof the charm characreristic of the whole Miao shan cycle.

At one time there resided in rhe city of Ch'ang-sha-fu apromising young scholar by the narne of Kuo Hsiang-Hsi, ayouth rvell-versed in the Four Books, Five Classics and the artof composing an eight-legged essay. However, his stock ofdemerits accumulated in former lives was forrnidable enoughto hinder him on two occasions from obtaining his hsiu-ts'aidegree, leaving him unqualified for an official appointment tharwould have brought honour to his family and supported himcornfortablv for the wLr.ole of l.is ..*lorkine, tife- Co'.rered *-irL,shame, he bore his father's strictures as best he could and rnadeup his mind thar, in one wdy or another, he would carry ourhis fil ial obligations to the full. One day a letter arriverlsummoning him to appear before his uncle, elder brother rohis father anc a high oftrcial in the provincial administration.' \ { te l l , neDhe$' r 'exc la imed Commissioner Kuo when theyoung man hurried round to rnake his obeisance, 'you har.ecertainiy been prompr. Let us go to my library anci talk for awhi le . '

The uncle led him to a wide pearwood couch furnished witha tray of exceprionally elegant opium utensils. Gesturing to hisnephew to make himself comfortable, he lay back against the

Page 66: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Miao Shan and Other Legends 73

cushions and set to rvork cooking a small ball of opium over a

niigi.. famp with a silver needle. When the pipe was ready,

he"hancled it to the youth who, in soTe embarrassment'

exclaimea: 'Xo, U".f., thank Your no' I fear I have no head

for opium or wine.',Berrer and better,' cried the uncle delightedly: lI perceive

yo;are just the kini of level-headed youth I had hoped for.'

putting the pipe io rri, 'wn lips, he added .jovially: 'Virtue. in

rhe young i, -uch to be desired, but in all things the sage avoids

extremes. I hope you rvill ,tot r.i.rte a little treat I have arranged

for you tonighi. iarely sixteen, she is the latest and most succu-

i.rri..qtisit-ion of . ..truin Mother Ma, an agent of the House

of p.-.tual Spri"g - ilr..sts like ripe peaches (I mean the girl's,

nor Mortrer l4a;s)l golden-lotus fiet-unbelievably tiny,. moth

.yebronus, willow- *titt. In short, perfection",Thank yor irrd..J, Un.ter' murmured Hsiang-Hsi, blushing

from chin ro.y.bro*r. 'I -vrell, as yo-u know, IJncle, I recently

wedded tfre ttrirJ daughter of itre Wang family and I - I -'

'Spare your bt.rst.s,-*y dear boy. I understand perfectly and

was but ,.rting vo;. N"; I am sure you are exac:ly the right

person to undiriake an important miision of great delicacy' It

is a task thar demands just such innate virtue as yours' withcut

i t , t ha t l i t t l em inx ,yournewes taun t ,wou ldsure lyge ta roundyou with her wiles-'

Puffing forth what some poet once called 'scented clouds of

sweet oblivionl, Co-*issioner Kuo explained that his fifth coll-

c u b i n e r w h o a t s i x t e e n w a s o l d e n o u g h t o b e h a v e w i t h s o m edecorum, had vanished less than

"tt ho.tt before she rvas due

to arrive at his residence and commence her marital duties'

A l m o s t a s b a d , * * . o f h i s b r i d a l p r e s e n t s h a d v a n i s h e d w i t hher. Inst.*O oi welcoming his generosity in saving her, a poor

scholar's au"gttt.., fto*- abiect poverty and placing 9veryluxury ano eteEance rvithin her r.u.ir, she had reportedly eloped

rvith a penniless young man' a scapegrace called Wu who

resided near her father', ho.tr". It was-said they had run off

to the siopes of Nan Yeo, an important sa-cred mounrain, and

set up house ir, ^ Air"sed shrin. tr."t its foot. Naturally they

could U. .rr.ri;J ;;a punished as the enormity of their crime

demanded, uut Commissioner Kuo had a benevolent wish to

hush tt. -"ttl, .ro, provided the girl returned to hirn and

Page 67: Bodhisattva of Compassion

74 Bodhisatrua of Compassiott

promised to behave with the decorum expected of the minot

rvife of an important official.'So you see, nepherv, I have sent for vou, tested you and

found you exact ly the r ight sort of person to undertake this del i -

eatc commission. As a c lose relat ive, You can be depended upon

to observe the diseret ion essent ia l to our fami ly 's reputat ion.

You are empowered to of fe r hcr seducer a Sum of monev payabie

the day he leaves for some distant province of h is choice. \ \ rho

knotr '5, I might e! 'en s ' r i te to the author i t ies there and procure

him some sort of r :mployment. Should he prove obst inate, I

shal l eount upon you to despatch him to the realm of ghosts

* ' i th as l i t t lc fuss as possible and, above ai l , rv i thout your new

eunt ie 's knorvlcdge . I t rvould be disagreeable to havc her shed-

ding tears or harbouring something of a grudge against herloving husband. Such unseemly behaviour would disturb thetranqui l l i ty of rvhat you wi l l observe to be an unusual lyharmonious household.'

With these instruct ions, informat ion pertaining to the route)A purse of money and a pair of f ine horses-one of themequipped with a leading rein, Hsiang-Hsi was despatched todo his uncle 's bidding, though not rv i thout intense reluctance.'His

sympathies lay wi th the hapless gir l and he would soonerhavc sent his uncle down to the wor ld of ghosts than depr ivethe poor chi ld of her lover. I t revol ted him to th ink of a s ixteen-year-old gir l being forced to bear chi ldren to a man who mightwell be a good deal older than her grandfather. On the otherhqnd, he owed to his father's elder brother and head of the entireclan a fi l ial duty scarcely less absolute than if the hateful oldman had been his father. Having failed to bring honour to thefami ly by passing his examinat ion, he must on no account actin a way that might cause an estrangement between his fatherand far too po\\ 'erfir l uncle. N{.oreover) according to the Con-fucian pr inciples by rvhich he himsel f sct great store, the gir lwas much at fault. If u'omen \\ 'ere allowed to choose their orvnhusbands, c iv i l isat ion rvould inevi tably per ish ! Persuaded bythese stern and honourable reflections, he hardened his heartanci resolved to carry out every detai l of h is uncle 's instruct ions,short of murder.

The journey to Mount Nan Yeo took several days; r id ingone horse and lea.ding another is not the su' i f test mode of pro-

Page 68: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Miao Shan and Arher Legend. 7_s

gress along an unevenly flagged road. It was evening g'hen hereached the foot of the great mountain; its temple-dotted slopesand cloud-piercing peaks were lost in mist . Though the aban-doned shrine where he expected to find the errant pair g'as norfar off, i t would not do to come upon them locked in each other'sembrace; indeed, i t would be best i f he were ro arr ive at a t imervhcn only the girl was l ikeiy to be at home. Thus reflectingand looking around for a shel tered place ro pass the nighr, hccame upon a smal l temple dedicated ro thr ' goddcss NiangI.{iang. Going in to invcstigare, he found to thc' ieft of the courr-yard a cel l equipped with a rvooden sleepirrg-plat form. s i raw-stuffed bedding grey from long use and some p,rirnit ive cookingutensils. Hcwever, long after night had fallen tirere was no signof the owncr so, having seen to the horses tethered in the court-yard and supped off some cold meat dumpiirrss carried in hissaddlebag, he thre, ,v himscl f dorvn to s leep,

He awoke abruptly from u'hat musr surely har-e been a dream.Very clearly he remembered getting up ro rrace the source ofa beam of br i l l iant l ight streaming through cracks in the i i l -f i tt ing door. His expioration had led him to the shrine-roomwhere, in place of the shabby, crumbl ing i rnage, he had behelc ia gloriously apparelled lady whose head and body emitted raysof shining l ight. Even the u'ords she had spoken remainedv iv id ly in h is mind :

' \Waste no t ime on ceremony. Onlv l is ten and obey. Knou,that, t imes without number century after century, I haveappeared among men) sometimes as now u'ith a celestial bodycomposed of l ight, sometimes as a human bei.:g and more thanonce as a noble horse. Often I have been man.ifest in a numberof guises simultaneously in several of the innumerable rvorld-systems. Known by many names, arnong them Niang Niangand Kuan Yin, I have often sufrered mutilation sooner thanaccept impious embraces; for , as far back as the middle era ofa previous wor ld-system, I vorved mysel f to chast i tv lest mypower tt-r rnit igate suffering be impaired. If thar deluded being,your uncle, has his wav, mv vow wi l i come ro nought and withi t wi l l be sh: t tered mv po\ l /er to save an ocean- l ike number ofbeings as yet unborn. Therefore har. 'e I chosen vou as the insrru-ment to accompl ish m]" purpose smoothly. '

'What a beaut i fu l d reami ' Hs ians-Hs i re fec ted . ' I r i ' i sh I

Page 69: Bodhisattva of Compassion

76 .lorliti::atfr)a of Cunpassion

could recai i the ending. Natural ly i t can be at t r ibuted to m-vbad conscience about that poor gir l . Even so, I am bound toperform m1' f i l ial duty. But was it truli just a dream ? Even nowI can detect something of the fragrance of the goddess as thoughher perfume st i l l c lung to my robe, ' As these thoughts passedthrough his mind, the exquisite fragrance seemed to growstronger and he hurried to the shrine-room hoping for evidencethat it had been more than a dream, However, nothing was tobe seen besides the decaying statue fronted by a r ickety al tar .Presently he fell asleep again, to ar,vake at dawn with the con-viction thar he had been foolish to confuse the dream-worldwith realiq'.

For all that, he ser our on the last lap of his distasteful jour-ney in a ehastened mood. The dream had accorded too wellwith his private thoughts to allow him to proceed with an un-troubled corrscience to carry out his family obligation.. Twohours later. he rode into the small grove where stood the aban-doned shrine of rvhich his uncle's informant had spoken.Though the shrine itself was small, there was a shed attachedto it which doubtless afforded the errant couple shelter. Therewas no need to investigate; for, seated on the door-sil l ,was a sinpiy dressed but very beautiful young' lady rvhowas eyeing rrim in some alarm. Of her paramour there rvasno sign.

Reining in at a sui table distance and dismount ing s lowly soas not to increase her alarm, he exclaimed: 'F i f th Lady, r amhappy to make your acquaintance. This insigni i icant person ,snamed Kuu. Hsiang-Hsi and is your worthless nephew by mar-r iage. Uncie has sent me ro escort you safely home. Be sureyou wi l l be u 'e lcomed as though no tr i f l ing delay in celcbrat ingyou: nupt ia ls had occur red . ' See ing her f lush , he added gent ly :'Please cau:: i no di f f icul tv. i f you do, someone dear to you rv i l lsufrer. ' So saving, i rc al lor . r 'ed his glancc to t ravel to the srvordhanging fr t -m his saddle,

'There is no one dear to me i r : th is v ic in i ty, ' she ansrveredcoidly, 'ur i less you propose to s laughter rhe chaste and holynuns in the convent higher up this path. Be sure they are blame-less. Sooner tiran bring your uncle's wrath upon them, I havedecided to stay here on my own untilthe matter has passed fromhis r.rind. If, on the other hand, you refer to the generous young

Page 70: Bodhisattva of Compassion

A4iao Shan and Other Legbnds 77.

man who risked his life to escort rre here, you will look for himin vain. He knew of my wish for a peaceful convent life too',vell to linger here once his task rvas done. It is not in your powerto do him harm. As for me, I shall die sooner than surrendermyself to that lust-deluded old man. If he desires my corpse,you must arrange things as you think best.'

Lest she do herself an injury tbrthwith, Hsiang-Hsi leapt to-rvards her and, with as much gentleness as the circumstancespermittedrdrewheronto his second horse, where he secured herperson to the saddle in a way so cunning that no one would detectthe silken cords masked by the folds of her garments. Thus sheneed not endure the shame of being recognised as his captive!nor he submit to being questioned by officers or ordinary travel-lers they might encounter on the road

'Best not call for help, Fifth Lady. I have a warrant foi yourarrest issued by Commissioner Kuo and a document stampedwith his seal authorising me to effect it. No one who sees themwill dare render you assistance. The chief result would be toinvolve yourself and my uncle in unnecessary shame.'

'Virtuous little lily-faced scholarr' was her swift retort.'Think well what you are doing. My death might not burdenyour conscience, but it would provide you with a load of evilkarma with effects reaching through many lives to come.'

Mounting his ttorse, to which the leading rein of hers wasfirmly fastened, he replied: 'Vhatever the cost, Fifth Lady, Irrrust perform my filial duty. If you struggle with your bonds,I shall be compelled to mount you on the crupper of my saddle-an undignified way of travelling you would greatly dislike.' Urg-ing the horses to a trot, he set out on the homeward path.

When they reached the wayside temple where he had passedthe night, she begged so prettily to be allowed to enter and payher respects to the goddess that he could not well refuse, thoughdeterm:ned not to let her out of his sight. Horvever, while hishands were busy tethering the horses, she slipped into theshrin-'-room; running after her, he saw a sight that made himfall to t^is knees and touch his head to the floor, all thought ofresponsibility forgotten. The decaying statue had vanished, asin his dream, but this time to be replaced by none other thanthe Fifrh Lady herself. Encircled by a glowing nimbus, shereclined upon a vividly coloured lotus throne, flanked by two

Page 71: Bodhisattva of Compassion

78 Bodhisatnta of Compassion

shining spirits - the easily recognised Shan Ts'ai and thcDragon Girl, Lung Nii !

'Homage to the Greatly Compassionate, Greatly MercifulKuan Shih Yin Bodhisattva Mahasattva !' gabbled the terrifiedyoung scholar, repeating it many times for good measure andhoping that the honorific 'Mahasattv3' might dispose her:o par-don him more readily.

'Oh cease your Inuttering and pay attentionr' cried the Bodhi-sattva: in the ve ry tones of the Fifth Ledy whom she so perfectll 'resembled. 'Not altogether urunoved by your simple-mindednotion of fil ial pie ty, We have been pleased to manifest Ourselfto you in this holy plrrce to Save you from a grievous error thatwould other-wise hang like a stonc about your neck for manl'l ifetimes yet to come. Having beheld Us thus with waking eyes,it is not fitting that you return to th: world of dust. I..lot foryou its lusts, its hatreds and its follies. Either you rvill take Usback to the shrine whence We were so rudely abducted and,proceeding thence to the Lotus Calyx Monastery, there takemonastic vows and live until this life is past I or else I shall returnto Ch'ang-sha-fu as your captive and let the events that willcome to pass take their predetermined course - for you, a sad<ine.'

Most eagerly Hsiang-Hsi agreed to do her bidding, all stuffynotions of filial piety now fled. In a flash the effects of twentyyears of Confucian training had been dissipated by the powerof this radiant being.

The Bodhisattva, withdrawing in some mysterious way fromthe'body of the Fifth Lady, who again became an ordinaryhuman being, now vanished. Hsiang-Hsi escorted his 'aunt'

back to her shrine and himself continued up the path to seekadmission to the monastery. This was accorded readily and inthe course of time he was ordained.

Meanwhile Commissioner Kuo, fearing his nephew had beenmurdered or abducted, rode at.the head of a troop of soldiersas fast as their horses would carry them to Nan Yeo. Findingthe wayside shrine cieserted a.nd learning from some localpeasants that the beautiful lady had recently removed to theConvent of Sweet Dew, he furiously ordered his men to folloq'him up the moun:ain. Investing the nunnery from all sides, the-v*fircd its sacred buildings; and as the terrified nuns, driven back

Page 72: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Miao Shart and Orh;r Legends 79into the inferno by a rain of arrorvs, cro*'ded pireously beneatlran archway that afforded a momentan' respiie. CommissionerKuo gazed triumphantly at the face olthe girt ,.,,-ho had eludecihis lusts only to suffer a cruel death. Bur, *h.r, the flames hadburnt out and the soldiers had collected the charred remainsof the victims, though ail the eleven nuns werc accounred for.no trace of the pif th Lady could be discovered. This circum-stance so added to the Commissioner's rage rhar a f ierce heatmounted to his.hcad, causing him to fal l upon rne ground andtlr.cre cxpire. His f inal agony passed unnoti ied b:- tr i i fotto*.ers,whose cyes $/erc fixcd upon a beautiful white bir<J thar flervround the monastery rhrec t imes befbre ascending anci, f l1. ingEver higher, vanished Lreyond the gold and crim-son gates ofheaven. Nor was that the only marvel they beheld, for ihe con-sciousness-componenrs of the slaughtered nuns, rising fromtheir pitiful remains, ascended heaven*.ards in the wakelf thatsoaring bird !

so ends thc story - obviousry a version of the r,l iao shan stor].brought relatively up to date. what is not absr:lutely clear iswhether the Fifth Lady, besides being possessed in the shrine-Igom by the goddess, was or was not an actual incarnarion ofKuan Yin. The monk from whom I heard the story did notknow.

A slighter and more trivial srory, related ro me by a _voungnsvice vowed as a thank-offering ro the monastery whiie stilla child, brings Yilo shan right into the twentieth .."t"rv, ,rrr,is if those who beheld the apparition of Kua' yin wer. ,igh,in supposing that the exceptionally youthful form she assumedwas thar of Miao shan. In some ways the tale is closer to thoserelared of the youthful rara than to the Miao shan cycle; forwhich reason I had some hesitation in placing it in its p..r.",context,

'My parents', declared the novice, '\,owed me to the serviceof the Buddha at rhe time of Elder Brorher's il lness. He *,aslying at the point of death, you see, when Kuan yin's mercysaved him. when the physician told us rhere was no hope, myeunt shooed him from the house and rook over. calling ali theneighbours in, she ordered them to spend the nighi'i" o",house, reeiting the Dhiranl of Great compassion until da*,n.The harvest had heen brought in safel1,, orherr..ise they mieht

Page 73: Bodhisattva of Compassion

8o Bodhisatrua tl Cornpa^:sion

have been less doci le, though my aunr is not a person one caresto cross. Torvards midnight Elder Brt-rther, w'iro had been lyingali day in a corna, srartled us by raising his head and shoutingweakly: "Look at that girl l" His eyes \\'ere fixed upon the rafterswhere, to our great astonishmenr) sar a fairl '-l i l '.e girl in longantique robes. (Several people said later that she was rhe veryimage of rhose picrures of Miao Shan one sees in those old-fashioned eartoon books n'hich srill follorr- the style of theCh'ing dynasry. That meanr nothing ro me, for I had not seenthe cartoons or ever heard of Miao shan, but rhat is what theysaid.) I would nor say that rhe girl 's form was very clear, onlythat it was too ciear for anyone to suppose it to be a trick oflight and sha'Jow. Besides, she was laughing and rve all heardthat. In her hands was a kind of vase like the one in which KuanYin stores the dew of compassion, as ir is called. She was playingwith it like a prankish child and suddenly tipped it sharply sothat some liquid fell right on my brother's head. Then she wasgone and everybody burst out talking at once. What a ncise !My aunt rn-as jubilant. After taking a good look ar my brother,she said there was no need ro go on rvith',vhat she called thecure, meaning the mantra recitation. Within a couple of days,Elder Brother was on his feet. The physician was speechlesswhen, within less than a rveek, Elder Brother walked over tothe ne,ighbouring village to offer him a basker of fruit ! Oh, Iforgot. It svas when they began to recite the mantra that myaunt persuaded my parents to vo\l' me to the monastery as athank-offering for their eldest son's recoven'. I am glad theydid. I l ike it here.'

As Kuan Yin, under the name Krvannon-sarna, has achievedmuch the same degree of popularitf in Japan as in China, Ishall relate one Japanese srory that is ar once like and yet dif-ferent from. its Chinese counterparrs.

The binh of'Chujo Hime, daughrer of the noble Fujiwara'Toyonari (eighth cenrury ro) unforrunately cost hrei morher'slife. (Her mother, by the \\.ay, is reputed to have been an in-carnation of Krvannon-sama.) The girl ir-as distinguishedthroughout her childhood for her l;ve ly piry for people and ani-mals in disrrersr yet hcr step-mother ill-treated her rvith relent-]ess c:r.reiq', ei,en going so far as to make anempts upon herlife ! Poor Chujo Hime fled to Mount Hibari in the province

Page 74: Bodhisattva of Compassion

:i

i : d,,i

rt, : 4

,EF

")"*" tH!

I f,,- t

i \ . l l ( i l . i ! i s t . s | l r , l ' ( i l i t r i l ^ _ r , i j \ , . . : l l

Y i t t v o t ' l t g ; l ' i : L r l ) ( ) r ' ) r . r t i u n i l o t u : : , c i : r l\ l oc l c rn . Aurhor ' s co l l cc t i on )

z \ \ /oot icn imagc of Kuan Yin. f 'oma Sou th ( .h ina f i s i r c rman 's j unk( l {cccnt . ( .ourrcsv of iVl r K. I lS tcvcns )j Staruc of Kuan Yin, r ighr hanclra ised in b lessing, f rom Yunnan Prov-incc , Sourh - \ \ ' es r Ch ina ( l 3 th c . Cour -t csy o f the Br i r i sh Museum)

\ 1 . '' ? .

' ' : {

, l '* fr, r - i * { r,i

'i+ii I'L"if ;il.'*t

i: , l:'

4\ t :;

Page 75: Bodhisattva of Compassion

4 Exceedingly fine Chinese gilded u'ooden

statue of Avaloki ta, Kuan Yin 's main Indianprogenitor, almost half l ife-sizc ( r 3th c. Cour-tesy' of i\{r David Kidd and l\ '1r Yasul'oshiA' lor imoto, rvhose Japancsc palace i t long

adorned)

5 Nepalese bronze statuc of' ' lara,

Kuan

Yin 's second Indian progcni tor , rvho is gcner-

al ly depicted in a s i t t ing posture ( t t - t : th c.

Qsurtes! of thc Br i t ish Ntuscum)

I

Page 76: Bodhisattva of Compassion

6 Paint ing of the - fhorrsand-Arrncd

A'a loki ra f rom rhc - I -un Huang

q- i r ' rsr sho\r ' inB srronq I r rcto- ' l ibctarr inf uencc rr . 7th r ' , oourrcsr . ofth . ' B r i t r sh Mus . -u rn

Flil

Page 77: Bodhisattva of Compassion

- A , l a g n i f i c c n t . , . . i , : . ; . : . , ; - . . t . _ - : . .b r o n z c i r n a g r ' r t l J : : r : : \ . = , : l t . : p a l a : t

"\ . 1u sr- ' u m i n t h c R.:r r : b, : ; ot- ̂ \1trng., I iaI T t h c . C o u r r c s v t - r r . \ i r \ \ ' o n g c h i n -

i j t-rr i i

8a Porcelain inrage of Kuan yin as aGiver of Offspringb Wooden image fronr Amoy, SouthChina, of Shan Ts'ai, Kuan Yin's rnalearrendantc Wooden image from Canton,Sourh China, of Lung Nu (thc DragonMarden), Kuan Yin's female attendant(All rccent and from the collccrion ofIlr K. E. Stevens)

Page 78: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r!g

I . : ! , l

L*i/

9 Sratue of Krran Yin holc l ing rhe vase of'swcet derv' and thc rvish-fulfi l l ing gem (a.n.

595. Courtesy of thc ' Br i t ish Museum)

I o Painting of Amitdbha lJuddhir, of rvhonKuan Yin is an emanat ion, t rom thr : TurHuang caves (T 'ang Dynasty,6 j th c. Cour.tesy of the Br i t ish Museum)n

n

i

Page 79: Bodhisattva of Compassion

aa

l/

a

JI

I1t'tiat,t,!

i,l

t

I r Pr i t r t ing of Amita[ ' 'ha I ]uddh.ras thc Guidc of Souls f icrnr thc

' l - r . rn

Huatrg cavcs (PcrhaPs - l - 'arrg

< ^ - t C ^ - . . - . - . . - . - . t ' F .

I )1 'nas t1 ' , Fg th c . Cour tcsv o f : i r cI l r i t ish Nluscunr)

(,

- ! ' l j

t . -

Sta tue o f Kuan Y in ho lc l i ng the vasc o f. ' . : t dcrr ' ' ( l - iao D1'nast) ' , I2th c. ( iourtesy

: r - I l r i t i s i r \ l uscu t r t

Page 80: Bodhisattva of Compassion

: S ra tuL 'o f Kuan Y in i n a ve ry charac tc r -. i r , ) \ e kno r tn as ' l o rd l y ease ' ( r2 th c . Cour -- , r f t he Br i r i sh Museum)

I . t S ta tue o f Kuan Y in ho ld ing a f i sh bass1'mbol of f t 'cundi t ) ' care and provcnancckno" r ' n . Cour tcsy o f \1 r K . G . S tc rcns )

Page 81: Bodhisattva of Compassion

I 5 Cur ious , s ta tuc o f Ku ln Y in (T 'angDynasty, 6*9th c. Courrcsl ' of thc Br i t ishI l uscum

t .I

f::.{.t : C ^ . '

r ' { \

Page 82: Bodhisattva of Compassion

I

I

Ii:I

iI

Miao Shan and Other Legends

of Kii, causing grear suffering to her father, who searched twolong years before finding her.

'Beloved childr' he exclaimed when their transporrs of joyhad subsided, 'I bring you the best of news. A marriage haibeen arranged for you - oor do not interrupt - to no less a perscrnthan our Tenno, Son of Heaven and Emperor of Japan !''Poor Fatherr' replied Chfiio Hime sorrowfully, ,though youhave set your heart on this, it can never be. You must pray HisMajesty to excuse me, for I have vowed before the Buddhaio re-main single all my life, so as ro devote my whole time to the attain-ment of Bodhisattvahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.'

Thereafter, unshaken by her father's anger or his sadness,she entered Taima-deva Convent in the province of yamato.There she undertook a long series of rigorous austerities, dailybeseeching Amidabutzu (Amitdbha Buddha) to appedr andvouchsafe her an omen of success in the attainment of Bodhi-sattvahood. Receiving no response, at last she cried: 'Holy Ami-dabutzu, until you kindly manifesr yourself, no food shall passmy lips and you will be responsible for my dying of starvatibn !'

Thereupon an elderly srranger arrived at her door and, aftersome converse, promised to show her Amidabutzuts paradise,provided she would accept some unusual instructions from theMother Superior. Soon afterwards, she was commanded togather a hundred loads of lotus stalks and carefully separate thefibres. This she did and, still in obedience to the MotherSuperior's instructions, placed them in a well which had mir-aculously appeared in the courryard. On contact with its purewater, the fibres took on enchanting colours of rainbow-likevariety. This marvel accomplished, there now appeared a youngwoman with a loom who, in rhe space of a mere six hours, wovean exquisite picture of Amidaburzu's Pure T.and, which wasall the more miraculous in that the picture was somehow muchlarger than the room which contained it ! Deeply moved, ChfiioHime bowed her head to the ground before it; wherear, ro herintense joy, the eiderly srranger and young weaver revealedthemselves as Amidabutzu and Kwannon-sama !

One episode in the charming little story - the one where theyoung girl actually dares to threaten the Budriha(!) strikes meas peculiarly Japanese. No Chinese devotee would be so lost totire dictates of propriety !

zIL7>,,

ff

Page 83: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Chapter 5

?

I

f l i t

' l l

Some Buddhist Conceptsof Kuan Yin7-o the perfecdrrn of lzer ntcrits,LVorshipping, zue ttozu ,rilr head:;

Lotus Sutra

I have always been intr igued by those masterpieces of Chineseivory carving comprising a large number of exquisitely carvedbal ls revolv ing one within another. Being intr icatelvdecorated, the outer layers largely conceal those rr' i thin;though one gazes long and hard, it is nor easy to discern theinnermost ball or even to distinguish clearly one middle layerfrorn another. so it was with my perception of Kuan yin, someof her more and less mater ia l is t ic aspects seeming to be inextr ic-ably intertwined. This was especially true of the levels of under-standing at which she gradually exchanges her goddess-likeattributes for those of a Bodhisattva. The guise she wears forthose who burn incense to her in wayside chrines and.mountaingrottoes or i:r the temples of the fisher-folk and boat-drvellersundergoes no startl ing change when she presents herself to theless erudite members of chinese and Japanese Buddhist com-munities. True, they know her by her proper tit le, Bodhisattva,but some would be hard pur to it to explain in what mannergods and Bodhisattvas differ. The Mahayana surras chieflyprized by the Pure Land Sect to which many of her devoteesbelong do not easily yield their hidden meaning. Indeed, theyresemble the profound tantric works revered by Tibetans inthat, if taken literally in the absence of oral instruction from aMaster, they may repel rather than attracr most western

Page 84: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sonte Buddhist Conceprs of Ktuztt yirt g3

students of the way, who ma1' deem them too ful l of marvelsto mcr i t ser ious at tent ion.

werc the approach taken here to understanding Kuan yin 'strue signi f icance to be made ful ly consistent. i t ivoul . l be neces-sary ro set for th the Pure Land teaching and pract ices as ther-appear to thc uninstructed and reserve their esotcr ic meaningf i r r a la re r chaptc r , Hou 'ev , l r , tha t i s no t qu i te hon- I came upont i r r - , - i l r : rvsel f l thanks to thc guidance of some Chin. .se f r iends.I bcga ' to h .a 'c a t l cas t a 'aguc concept ion o f thc eso ter :c mean-rRg \ lh i le s t i l l near rhc ou tsc l o f rn l ,s tuc i ies and I ha i .e o rderedmv €xpos i r ion ae cord ing l l ' . L ikc a fa i r numbcr c f o th r r ves ternIJudr ih is ts , I begar : b1 ' sh ' r .g awav t rom r 'ha t cou l , l be secn. r f Fure Land prac t ice a l l about me in sout i r Ch ina . be ing un_alr le as ye'r ro reconci lc i r r i ' i t i r thc Brrddhi : i t teachrng far i i l iarto me. Though i ts manifestat ions \ l -ere aln 'a1's beaut i fu l , I d idnot bcl ieve thel ' had much relat ion to real i iv .

Br ief ly, the doctr ine in i ts l i teral form is that the Buddha.foreseeing the onser of a decadent age ( in the mi ist of whichwe no\\, f ind ourselves today) and recognising horr. diff icult itrvorrld be forthe beings born in that age to pursue Enlightenmenrby the means he had expounded hi the rro, compassionately pre-sented a much easier way. He del ivered some sJtr"n (discol ises ianenr celestial Buddhas such as Anirabha and Bodhisattvassuch as Kuan Yin, each of whom had mental i l , created a spir i -tual realm (Pure Land) wherein all beingt t i 'ho aspired io itearnestly could secure rebirth under conditions ideali l- suited tomaking progress towards Enlightenment. profit ing b1, the vastmerits of the crearor of their chosen pure Land. iuch beings,however great their demeri ts, could easi ly at ta i ' rebir th in, forexample, Kuan Yin's Potala and thus escape rhe dreary roundof birth, suffering and d-eath endlessly reneg'ed rvhich is sam-sara. Furthermore, rhose celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas\\ 'ere portrayed as wielding miraculous po\\-ers \,, 'hereg,ith thel-could instantly avert danger or affi iction fror-n anl- being whocal led upon them with absolute s incer i ty; thus, e vr--r i should onebe kneeling beneath an executioner's sword alrea,l l- raisecl tostr ike, a s ingle heart- fer t cry to Kuan yin Bodhisatrva wouldcause the blade to fall shattered to the ground I

wel l , th is teaching, though couched in rerms of rhe utmostbeauty, struck me as too good to be true. roo redolent of

" i. l

rl-ifl;€t

Page 85: Bodhisattva of Compassion

S; BoClisamsa of Cunpassion

pr imit ive concept ions of heaven and of fa i ry godmother ta lcs

l ike Cinderel la. However, my Chinese fr ie;rds advised me not to

dismiss the teaching out of hand, but rather to seek i ts inner pur-port. Soon after my arrival in the East, I had struck up a warrn

friendship with a most unusual man) a Chinese physician

and keen Buddhist about ten years my senior. I rvas irnmediacelyattracted to him for scveral reasons, not the least of rvhich u'as

his fondness for tradition as exemplif ied bl' his garb - instead of

a Western-style business suit, a mode of ciress already becomingcommon in Flong Kong, he wore a graceful silken robe sur-mountcd by an old*fashioned skull-cap of stiff black satin witha tinv scarlet krobble at the crown. Being fond of the more eso-teric fcrrns of Euddhism, he had first mastered the Shingonform recently brought bsck to China frorn Japan and thenembarkeC on a l ife-long study of the Vajrayana taught by Tib-etan lamas; and, with regard to the Pure Land Sect and others,he r:etained the typically Chinese attitude which the VenerableT'ai Hsu once sumrned up in the words: 'All the sects are l ikebeads on one rosary.' It was to Ta Hai, my physician friend;that I tool.. some doubts about the Pure Land teaching whichpersisted despite my feeling a special affinity to Kuan Yin.

'Elder Rrother, since having that odd experience, I have beenthinking much about Kuan Yinr' I said one day, handing himan openeci copy of the Heart of Great Compassion DharanlSfitra and pointing to the words:'should any being recite andcleaae to the sacred DharanT of Great Compassion and yer not btreborn in my Buddhaland, I aow not to enter upott SupremeEnlighterirnent. '

'As you ki{or.v ' , I cont inued, ' there are many passages in the

Sutras u 'h ich State that one who cal is upon her name w' i th greal

s incer i t l ' o l reci tes her mantra f rom his heart rv i l l sureiy be

reborn in her sacred Potala and there be trained to achieve

Enl ightenment. Drres that not str ike vou as too eas) ' to be true ?

Elservhere the sutras stress again and again that the seed of

Enl ightenment late.r t i r r every being must be u 'atered by se! f -cultivation, that no teacher, human or divine) can cio the work

on our behalf. Granted that those descriptions of Pure I-andsfuli of jewelled trees, gem-studded lotus pools and birds warb-

ling the sac:ed teaching can be understood figuratively and put-

ting aside the tact that such descriptions come oddll ' from the

Page 86: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sorne Buddhist Concepts of Kuan Yin ES

lips oipeople who share our belief in the A,l.ind'Only doctrine,there is another obstacle. How can you reconcile the need forself-power (tzil-li) with the Pure Land Sect's reliance on other-power (t 'a- l i )? I t seems so very i l logical. '

Ta Hai laughed delightedly. 'I think, Ah Jon, you are stil lforeign-devil-man and cannot learn to think like Chinese. Whyyou care about logi':al, not logical ? Truth have plenty faces.As you see things, so things are. As you expect things, so thingscome. t$/hy ? Because your mind make them so. You dream longtime of jewelled paradise, you surely take rebirth there. Youthink wisdom help you reach formless world, you surely takerebirth there. You have learnt to recite Heart Sfltra, yes ? Soyou know very well "Form is void and void is forml form notdiffer from void, void not differ from form." Then why youworry these nonsense things ? I and my friends tell you and tellyou and tell you that appearances are all in mind. Why you notunderstand ? Outside mind - nothing !'

'Yes, but - ''Listen, Ah Jon. Pure Land teacher say fix mind on sacred

name or speak sacred mantra many, many times, then ygurmind becon:,e still, yes ? All obscurations disappear. That s'ty,you know, plenty people get objectless awareness which is firststep to Enlightenment. That is very good, nol' So why you carchow they get it? All of us Buddhists are looking for goal higherttran man can see or imagine. You agree? Good. Suppose mypicture of goal is dull and your picture seems to you muchclearer, you know quite well that both those pictures must bea long, long way - a million miles and more - from truth picture.\X/e go one million mile walk; you start one inch in front ofme not help you much, Ah Jon. Your tirlk about tztt-li and t'c-/f sound very good, very clever, very wise to you ? To me, allnonsense ! You want to study Buddha Dharma, you must studymind. Oniy mind is real, but now you try to p:rt front doorand back door on i t ! Sel f? Other? Ins idel Outs ide? How canbe ? Some people look for Enl ightenment in mind. Some peopleIook for Bodhisattva. You find them different ? Never can be !Wh-v? Because whole universe live inside your bony skull.Nowhere else at all. Amitabha Buddha in your skull. Kuan Yintsodhisattva in your skull. Ch'an (Zen) followers seek Enlight-enment frorn mind. Pure Land follorvers seek i: in Pure

Page 87: Bodhisattva of Compassion

, l r ' ,

86 Bodhisattva cf Ccrmpassion

Land. What difference ? Two thoughts; one Source. You arephilosopher, so think one way. Your friend iust love KuanYin, so think another. Different, yes ! Vrhat Cifference ? Trvofaint ideas, same shining truth.

'You seek stirring of compassion in mind, soon you find. Seekshining compassion-treing l ike Kuan Yin, soon you f ind. Sup-pose ! 'ou run out in street no\\ ' , te l l everybodl ' must usc' sclLpower. not other-power; -vou think they understand? or t l - re1'stanC there gaping ? You ought to u 'e lcome compassionatcBuddha's thousancl w'a-vs of teaching thousand kinds of pt-oplc. '

I bel ieve I learned more from Ta Hai than from an] ' othcrman, but i t was not al l p la in sai l ing. His Engl ish rvas worsc t i ratrI have represented i t here and my Cantonese no better at thatt ime. \ \ /e managed to tackle al l k inds of abstruse subjects, heip-ing out the words with gestures, drawings and Chinese rvr i t tcncharacters, but relying greatly on the kind of telepathic unde r-standing by which close friends can surmount most languagcbarriers. With others of our group it was often easier, as somespoke English very well indeed. Asked why many Pure Landfollowers seemed to prefer evoking Kuan Yin rather than Ami-tdbha Buddha of whom she is but an emanation, one of themrepl ied:

'Like you: they feel drawn to her. It is because of your nature.If you were a horse, you would be sure to invoke the F{orse-Headed Hayagrrva, who is also Kuan Yin. I f a lobster, youwould choose a lobster deity, just as nagas invoke serpent divini-t ies. Picturing compassion in the form of a lovely woman is areasonable thing to do. Amit6bha Buddha is compassion seenas a noble qual i ty, shining and majest ic; Kuan Yin is compas-sion seen as intimate and a counterpart of gentle pity. Not hav-ing many heads in the Indian manner nor necessarily sharingAmitdbha's vastnessr she appeals to humanists l ike you and meand f i ts in wel l wi th our Chinese concept ion of d iv in i ty. '

From all of this I began drawing a conclusion that provedabsolutely wrong, for when I voiced it they opposed it vehc-mentl! ' and I perceived that the waters u'e had entered \^'credeeper than they seemed.

'Do you mean', I asked, 'that Amitabha, Kuan Yin and theirvows tr succour sentient beings are really myths used to pcr-suade unlelrned people to concentrate upon their names and

Page 88: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Some Buddhisr Conceprs oJ' K'uan yin E:

thus achieve one-pointedness of mind even thor-r . th unable roperceive i ts proper purpose ?'

Before the words were well out of my mour^h. I realise,l Ihad ut tered an enormiry. They glanced ar one another inconsrernat ion-nor, I th ink, because l ike Jovians in a s imi lars i tuat ion they expected a shower of thundlrbolrs to greet th isblasphemy, but because they were aghast that their \ \ .av of put-t ing t l i ings had led me so far asrray, or perhaps ther- rvere- justbeu ' i ldered bv mv ob tuseness .

'Make ne i mis rake , ' c r i cd o id Mr Lao sharp l l - . speak ing inCantonese in h is eagerncss to se t the recorc i s i ra igh t . , th "

Budd i ras , the Bodh isa t tvas and the i r vo \ \ :s a re re a l . I t r -ou dou 'o ii t , vou r . r , i l l be bey'ond their heip l '

' I l u t - ''Look at th is biack' , " 'ood desk. Is i t rcal , do 1 'ou think?,- 'Yes, of course - real in the l imi ted sense that anv pheno-

menon is real . You can see and touch i t . ''Good. How about, say, just ice ? We are to lc, for example.

rh.at Britain's legal system ensures you people a g,:e ater measureof just ice than is to bc had in Hong Kong. Is yust ice reai ? '

'Ye-es. I f vou put i t that rvay. Just ice can be quant i f ied rosome extent and seen to exist in one place but not in another.It would make sense ro say that all justice had been banishectfrom such-and-such a country.'

'Excellent. Though you cannor hurt your hand by bangingit against justice, you do agree it is real. But a,/r1, ir it reai ?Because mind conceives i t . I f human beings were mindless enr i -t ies l ike motor-cars, rhere could be no such thing as -justice.Whatever the m;nd conceives thereby achieves realiq'. Supposcit were found that, after all, our narional sage) Confucius, haCno historieal existence, would it alter the fact of his overrvhelm-ing influence on our country ? Conceived of in the way heis, he would have become a reality and his reported wordsand actions, as the causes of great effects, w'ould also havereality. Be sure that Kuan Yin's vow is real, rhat if vou earnesrly'desire rebir th in her Potala paradise, you n' i l l take binhthere . '

Such were the conversat ions Ta Hai and his f r iends mosrenjoyed and great was my bewi ldered admirat ion of their r r ' is-dom. The quest ions and ansrvers reported abo\-e may seem

jI

Page 89: Bodhisattva of Compassion

88 Bodhisamta of Cornpassion

obscure uniess one has a background know'ledge oi MahayanaBuddhism. The crux of the matrer is as fo l lows:

According to that teaching, it is not profitabie to spend timeon such questions as whether there was ever a beginning to thesuccession of universes that have been arising and reaching theirend for innumerable aeons, or why sentient beings must revolveendlessly from life to l ife in this sad realm of samsara. Whatis needed is to direct one's attention to the present, thinking:'This is horv things are; what is ts be done about them?' Itis taught that reality has two aspecrs - the realms of void ancforrn - but that, due to obscurations arising from primordialigrrorance and from evil karma accumulated in past lives, wefail to see that nothing can exist independenrly of everythingelse, that all entit ies (including people) are transient, murable,unsatisfying and lacking in own-being.It is the i l iusion of pos-sessing an ego that leads to such obscurations as passion, lustand inordinate desire. From these in turn spring a longing farcontinued indiaidr.ral existence which keeps beings revolving inthe round of birth and death, reaping over and over again sor-rorv, frustration, disappointment, griet adversity. Could onebut be rid of all ego-born delusions, ne would see himself asa shadow pursuing shadows and eagerly seek an end to theround-norin extinction, but in Nirvdna, the glorious apothe-osis in which i l lusory egos are no more. The way our l ies withineach sentienr being's mind in the form of latent wisdom-com-passion energy (Bodhi). This is so because so-called individualminds are not truly apart from Mind, the Plenum in whicheverything exists forever and forever in the form of 'no thing'.When entit ics vanish, nothing is lost, for they had no ultimateexistence in the f i rst p lace, being nevertheless real because notdivorced from the Void.

Liberat ion is achieved by Enl ightenmenr, the f ru i t of t rans-cending al l r -go-delusion. A powerful rechnique fo. at ta in ingi t is meditadon (better cal led conremplat ion) rvhich resul ts ina turning o\-s-f of the mind upon itself, the e:<pulsiorr of obscura-t ions and recogni t ion of onesel f and al l beings as being rvhol lyrvithout self or anything describable as orvn-being. Thus theeffort has t.; \,e self"efforr. No wise guiu, no high diuirriry ..rtaccomplish chis revolution on one's behalf; it must occur ofitself. No*' comes the surprise and seeming contradiction.

Page 90: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Some Buddhist Concepts of Kuan Yii; 89

A,Jherents of the Pure Land School seek a way out through

rebirth in a 'Pure Land' ',vhere they can give themselves over

to the great task of seeking Enlightenment under ideal

conditions, there being no hindrances, but only powerfull l '

iavourable influences. Exoterically it is taught that the Buddha

Amitabha (l ike some others such as Kuan Yin) vowed to save

all beings who call upon him wholeheartedly by admitting them

to a I 'ure Land, this being his compassionate means of assisting

those weak in self-power or too ignorant to understand horv to

use it Esoterically it is recognised that the Pure Land is no other

than Pure Mind, the condition of all minds when purged of

ego-born obscurations. But this distinction between the exo-

teric and esoteric understanding of the doctrine is not simple

or sharp-cut. Even exceedingly erudite Buddhists such as Ta Hai

hold that the various Pure Lands, including Kuan Yin's Poiala,

do in a sense exist aS places, since mind has thus conceived

them. This seemingly startl ing departure from logic is some-

rvhat less puzziing 1f one accepts that a// entit ies' are mental

creations, 1.rone uliimately more or less real than any other.

A devotional approach, l ike that cf Pure Land followers, is

currently out of ituort in the 'West,

being too reminiscent cji

the Christian and Jewish faiths which many people no lolger

find acceptable. Few Asians share this antipathy. Even Thera-

vada (southern) Buddhism has a greater element of devotional

practice than is generally recognised by W-esterners' The samc

i, trrr. of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism, many of whose most ardent

followers (including rhe great Daisets Suzuki) have affirmed thc

validity of the Pure Land doctrine and regard Pure Land prac-

tices as a parricularly efficient means of attaining E,nlightcn-

ment. Even today, the Pure Land School has a much greatcr:

following among Japanese Buddhists than any other, as it haci

in china pr ior to the submergence of a l l re l ig ion beneath thc

\\,aters of the Red flood. Under present circumstances, Pu":

Land pract ice may nor be rvel l sui ted to the west; nevertheless,

i ts cr i i ics among Western Buddhists would do wel l to pondcr

ihe implications of Mahayarra philosophy more deeply beforr:

dismisiing Pure Land teachings, as they sometimes do, as

being .onttaty to the spirit of traditional Buddhism' As Asian

Buddhists have alwayJ understood, different kinds of peoplc

need to make widely different approaches to the same truth'

Page 91: Bodhisattva of Compassion

go Bodhisamta of Compassion

This is possible because one is not dealing with understanding,

which is to some extent governed by the rules of logic, but with

a practice that, if properly performed, wil l achieve results how-

ever one may init ially conceive of it. A man who preSSeS an

electric l ight switch wil l succeed in turning on the l ight, even

i f he happens to be under the impression that he is switching

on the radio.To return to Kuan Yin. I bel ieve my fr iend's point about

invokrrrg the tsodhisattva ernbodying rvisdom-compassion in a

form rvel l sui ted to a people 's c l t l tural t radi t ions was a good

one; but, i r r my opinion. there may also be another reason for

the pref t - - rence given to Kuan Yin by people whose bel iefs are

general l -v in l ine rv i th those of the Pure Land School . - fhe

v isual-isat ion prescr ibecl for meditators in the Amitayus Sutra is ven'

diff icult to perform in comparison with the popular manner of

meditat ing upon Kuan Yin. When engaged in the sutra-type

meditation, one has to builci up a complicated picture involving,

for example, the mental creat ion of e ight pools f lowing into

fourteen channels, each u' i th the radiant colours of seven jewels;

in each pOOl there are 6OOTOOO lotuses, each with Seven jer,"'els

and each possessing a gir th twelrre t imes the distance coveredby an affny in a day's march ! Arnitdbha's height equals thatsame distance mult ip l ied by the number of sand-grains in s ixt1,thousand rnil l ion mill iort rivers each of them the size of theGanges ! I t is wr i t ten that al l th is, and very much else besides,has to be visualised as clearly as one sees his hand before his

eyes! The mind boggies-which is iust what is intended, fcr ,

as with Ch'an (Zen) koans, the purpose is to exhaust the mindto thc point where i t is jerked into a ncw dimension. When suc-

cessful ly perfot 'med, th is type of v isual isat ion leads to a suddentransformation of consciousness, thereby opening up ne\l '

realms hitherto far beyond the uttermost bounds of perception.

St i l l , the task is daunt ing. The simple contemplat ion of Kuan

Yin descr ibed in the chapter on meditat ion may perhaps be less

effective, but is certainly bctter suited to the l imited competenceof ordinary meditators.

This v i rw of the matter \uas suggcsted to me by a pamphlet

I discovered in the very embryonic l ibrary of the schcol-roomfor novices in the Hua T'ing Monastery near Kunming. Locall l 'pr inted, i t was the rvork of a strange - looking man who occasion-

Page 92: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Some Buddhist Conceprs of Kual Yin 9 r

al ly paid us v is i ts. Carelessly dressed, much given to laughtcrat unexpected moments, he rvould have impressed me assl ight lv demented, but for h is repurat ion for rv isciom-a greatnlany holy men in China's history are reputcd to have rnadejust such an impression cf daf tness on rheir r lor i ' s ta id con-ternporar ies. Unable to recal l more rhan thc gencral purportof the pamphlet , I have had to f i l l in the detai ls f ro i r r mf imagin-at ion, but my version is fa i thful in spir i t to rhe or ie inal .

I t hrcgan withr some informat ion regardine rhr-- rvr i icr 'sident i ty, b i r th-place, fami ly and so forth, ancl then pror-r 'ededt ln Lhc ! , r - r l low ing l ines :

'r\ty father and grandfather, Confucian scholar:, of thc oldscl iool , looked on Buddhists wi th disfavour, bel ier- ing rhcm rodelude people r . r ' i th lur id ta les of magic. I t rvas through mI 'rnother - an unusually highly l i terate woman frorn a i ' i l lage nearTa Li- that I came upon the profound doctr ine kno\\ 'n as " thevoidness of non-void". Not that she hersel f hao much interesrin such profundi t ies. A devoted fol lou'er of thc Pure LandS:hco l . she cared no th ing fo r metaphys ics , bu t i t u 'as her cus-: -= : : ' - ' . ' ' . , . ' :a : : . , -3 : B ' :dCh is t n 'o rks the ped lar n 'ho supp l ied- - : . : : r ' : r . : t r - : : : : g . \ s a s n a l l c h i l d I l e a r n e d t o r e c i t e t h e: : - r - : : , : = - - . . H a : - : : - i , : : - l : : l : h a B u c c h a l m a n v h u n d r e c l s o f

: :2. ; : - -" : -g: =- ' . ia- . -s l l t s .arei :or iear of m1, father 's- - I - - * . ' - . = . : : - - . : : : : - : : i ' 3 ; : h a - o : i e - p c i n t e d r e p c ' i i t i o n o f t h i s' - - - : ' : : j : . : - ; : - - - : : : : : ! e l : : c e n s u r e l i b e r a t i o n f r o n i t h e r o r : n d

: . - - - - - : , : : :a: : . O:;e rvhen m1' c lassmates in the middlc- - . . - .= : : j = : :o i : i f i r vok ing Ami tabha Buddha they jeered

.- :- : r . --.: irrt.:. ' ihat: to rvin back their esteern, I tcok to bring-. : : - , : i , - c l BuCdh is t rvorks wh ich they had to admi t rvou ld

:r i : : :3 ulCerstanding of erudi te scholars. Pretending I under-::; '{c l i iese rvorks rrr}self, I came to study them in all serions-r . - -SS. I bei ieved then that the Pure Land pract ice s 'as sui tabler:11' for g 'omen, peasants and simi lar ly i l l -eciucatec p,gsple, andr.aC turned instead to such works as The Pure Conscior,snessTreatise, the Avatamsaka and Lankhvatara Sfitras. lt 'hey'availed me nothing, their oniy eflect being to disturb my mind,,so I returned to invcking Amitabha Buddha, bur not u ' i thoutref lect ing smugly that my understanding of th is pract ice\\ 'as now at a "higher level" than my mother's ! Hor',- ignorant Imust have seemed to her ! "H igher " and " lower" . "deep" and

Page 93: Bodhisattva of Compassion

8,..;, --;gg n'a of C omp as s i ott

^- ' .a ' ' , ' ,ha: ha' , 'e these duai isms to do with knorvledge,

"Gr-*4:s:a::;:::3 ?. ' f : - - r . "5-r '^ l is : :n tc a lecture on Pure Land contempla-

TH

t ion by a famous Tripitaka ^\' lasier w'ho fired me with ambitionp ilSudi.rr if,n2['t of un;,nag)nab)e vastness. This, to, got me

nowhere. Having paintui l l 'bui l t up a huge and gl i t ter ing back-

grouncl r : f immens:, heavi ly bejer.vel led t rees and lakes, i had

to set abour ; reat ing images of the Three I Io ly Ones. No sooner

l ':sd I starts--d on Amitabha Buddha than the background slipped

atvay; start ing on Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, I lost Amit6bha;

$tart ing on . \ , lahasthama Bodhisattva, I lost Kuan Yin. I t was

all heyin,i *y po\r'er. Only conceit hindered me from going

back' to s imple reper i i ion of the sacred formula, which my

mother had rrever for one day abancioned''One night I dreamed of being shipwrecked, of c l inging to

a Spar in a furiously raging Sea. Mountainous waves curved about= - : - : k = . ' l ' r i t b r i n g d r a g o n s \ l n t i l ) a t r a s r > r w a s c a s t u P o r r a s . r l o r e

siHnEerrhly heaury, 0yerlooliing rfie roc,lry L0fiti; n ljil Sf fI]I-queire rg;e 1rom a iore,:r of jade that was watered by foaming

casca<)e-s of nzilk-w']zic,: gz<tricy. 7'he *+.itzgs of birds and insccts

l - :d a jeg'el led sheen; rhe spotted deer had coats of whi te anderimson fur. How could I doubt that i had come upon the sea-girt paradise' Potala ? Awed, but joyous, I cl imbe.d swift ly to-rvards the cresr of the hi l l .

' I had been observed, for a young girl came running Corvnthe slope ro greet rne. Her charming litt le feet seemed scarcelyto touch the rocks over rvhich she sped. When she turned andsignal led rre to fo l los ' her, I had di f f icul ty in keeping up andwas i rked to not ice horv torn she was between good mannersand an urgc to burst our lauqhing. On our reaching the n:outhof a great turquoise cavern, shc ran in and soon disappearedfrorn rzjerr', )esving rrte to fdlos- a-s bc'.sr I codd. \X/e had come,o. fir place by skirring a iake cf-gofd-flccked blue, an erm 0frvh ich ran inro rhe ca 'e , i ts c iu : , . \ .a ter h idden beneath massesof p ink and i i 'h i re Io iu . T- : r - : : : : : r . : : : ' : r s - . r : l r ight penet ra tecrbcy 'ond rhe e i r r rar- . - . i . - . : - r - . , . i : . . . -=: : :a tec. . i r rough bybright sunshine and a dericate fragrance f i l led the air. rn tnecentre was a throne-shaped rock. Though ir had neithercushions nor occupant, I knerv i t for the Bodhisattva,s own and,kneeling, bo*'ed my iread to the gleaming si lver sand at i ts foot.

Page 94: Bodhisattva of Compassion

gz BoChisatna of Cornpassion

"shal low", \ ' /ha[ har-e these duai isms to do with kno,uvledge,rv isdom, understandi ne ?

'once I * 'ent to l is tcn to a lecturc on Pure Land contempla-t ion by a famous Tr ip i taka Master rvho f i red me rv i th ambi i ionto v isual isc scenes of unimaginable vastness. This, too, got menowhere. Having painful ly bui l r up a huge and gi i t ter inf back-ground ' : f immens.: , heavi ly beje*,el led1r. . , rnd l .k. i I t tuoto set iberur - 'rearing images of rhe Three IIoly ones. No soonerhad I started on Amitabha Buddha than rhe trackground slippedatvay; starr ing on Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, I lost Amitdbha;starting on lvlahasthEma Bodhisattva, I lost Kuan yin. It wasall beyond my power. only conceit hindered me from goingback'to simple repetit ion of the sacred formula, whicf, mymother had never for one day abandoned.'one

night I dreamed of being shipwrecked, of clinging toa spar in a furiously raging sea. Mountainous waves curved aboutme l ike wr i th ing dragons unt i l , at last , I was cast upon a shoreof unearthly beauty. over looking the rocky coasrr ahi l l of tur-quoise rose from a forest of jade that was watered by foamingcascades of nri lk-white purity. The wings of birds r.rd i.,r..,,had a jer . re l led sheen; the spotted deer had coats of whi te andcrimson fur. FIow could I doubt that I had come upon the sea-gir t paradise, Potala? Awed, bur joyous, I c l imbed swif t ly to-rvards the crcsr of the hi l i .' I had been observed, for a young girl came running corvnthe slope ro greer me. Her charming li i t le feet seemecl scarcelvto touch the rocks ovc-r rvhich she sped. when she turned anis ignal led me ro fo l lor i ' her, I had di f f icul ty in keeping up andwas irked ro notice horv torn shc was between good hrrr.r.r,and an urgc to burst c-rur laughing. on our reaching the n:outhof a grear turquoise ca.u 'ern, she ran in and soon disappear"dfrom vierr',, ieavrng rnc to foilor,r, as best I could. we had- cometo this place by skir t ing a lake of gold-f lucked blue, an arm ofrvhich ran inro rhe car-e, i ts b iue rvarer hidden beneath massesoipink and i i 'h i te lotus. Though no direct sunl ight penetrateclbcyond rhe elrrancc, the cave was i l luminated as ihough bybr ight sunsir ine and a c le l icare f ragrance f i l led the air . In thecentre was a throne-shaped rock. Though i t had nei thercushions nor occupant, I knerv i t for the Bodhisattva's own ancl ,kneel ing, bo* 'ed my head tc the gleaming si lver sand at i ts foot .

Page 95: Bodhisattva of Compassion

5' , . ' SuCdhist { : incePts of Kuan Y:" t 93

As I did so, my name wac spoken by a voice as melodious as

the t inkl ing of jade ornaments' the syl lables dist inct and long

drawn out."'Cheng-Li, when my vow was uttered many aeons ago, I

thought I had made things simple. Why do you srriae? Let go !

The ivhole Mahayana Canon contains no greater wisdom than

thre wisdom of leiting go. This is also called d-ana, giving."'There calne a swJetly ioyous laugh, then silence. I knerv I

\\,as now alone in that shining cave. Already the magical colours\\'ere fading into porvder-fine coloured sparks ttrat vanished one

by one. Darkness followed and, stretching out my hand, I

brushed it against the gauze curtains hung around my bed..Now I hive done with sutras and pious practices. Day and

night I recite the Bodhisattva's sacred name) reioicing.in the

beauty of its sound. Not for me its recitation in multiples of

a hundred and eight, as though it were a duty. Does the runnercourit his breaths or the poet his words' or the stre€un its ripples ?

You sentient beings who seek deliverance, why do you .rol -

let go? When sad, let go of the cause for sadness. When wrath-

ful,"let go of the occasion of wrath. When covetous or iust-ful,

let go olthe object of desire. From moment to nloment, be free

of setf. Where no self is, there can be no sorrow, no desire; no

I to weepr rro I to lusr, no "being" to die or be reborn. The

w,inds ofcircumstance blow across emptiness. Whonl can they

harm ?'Like many writings of this kind, it concluded with verses

conveying the .rr.ni. of its meaning. I remember that the.v

\\,ere 6ealtiful and made much of the magical setting - the

gold- flecked lotus pool, the turquoise mountain ringed rviih a

io..rt of jade lea,res and the 'dragon-curving wav..es''. The

Chinese language lends i tself to poetic descript ions of this sort

and its *o,rorfllabic character saves the verses from being

heavy or ornat;. The verses went on to epitomise the quali t ies

,pert; ining to e Bodhi-mind or heart of cgmpassion and, at the

end. came some such l ines as:

Wrathful, banish thought of selfhood;

Sad, let fall the cause of woe ILustful , shed lust 's mental obiect ;

Vin al l bY simPlY let t ing go'

Page 96: Bodhisattva of Compassion

94 Bodhisattva of Cornpassion

However, I am sure the original concluding verse was a greatdeai more arresting.

Having received litt le personal instruction from TripitakaMasters of the Pure Land School, I am not confident of havinggrasped the profound inner meaning of its teachrngs. I! doesnot do to conceive of Kuan Yin and her ?otala in the material-istic terms acceptable to the unlettered, who fully expect to

behold physical splendours when the Bodhisattva, in responscto their frequent invocations, comes to succour them at theRtoment of death; but nor should one treat the Pure Land sutrasas rvholly allegorical, or suppose that the Pure Land practice

is cf value only unt i l thc devotee'enters the Potala ' in the senscof recognis ing i t to be h ' is own mind purged of obscurat ions.One must avoid an over-mater ia l is t ic concept on the one handand a purely allegorical interpretation on the other. Were you

to say that Kuan Yin and her Potala exist objectively, you would

be scolded for talking nonsense; but claim that she is whollya creation of your own mind and you wil l be taken to task forarrogance or laughingly reminded that the Bodhisattva existeda long time before you were born. Perhaps full understandingis a fruit not to be won without intensive Pure Land practice,

forthere is certainly no logical solution to the riddle.A recent exposition of the main practice of the Pure Land

Sect - sustained recitation of one of the devotional formulas -

is to be found in the writ ings of the Venerable Hsiian Hua,Abbot of Gold Mountain Monastery, San Francisco. It doesnot solve the riddle just discussed, for the Master was not eluci--

- ' dating that point, but it does reveal that the purpose of recitingthe sacred name is very different from that underlying most ofthe theistic practices with which it has been erroneously con-fused. Speaking of the recitation of Amitabha Buddha's namejhe says: ' I f you maintain your reci tat ion morning and nightwithout stopping, you may recite to the point that you do notknow you are walking when you walk, you feel no thirst whenyou are thirsty, you experience no hunger when you are hungry,you do not know you are cold in freezing weather, and you donot feel warmth when -vou are warm. People anJ dhar mas (enti-t ies) are empry and you and Amitabha become one. "AmitabhaBuddha is me and I am Amitabha Buddha." The rwo cannotbe separated. Reci te s inglc-mindedly and sincerely vr i thout

t ,

!I

I

Page 97: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Some Buddhist Concepts of Ku,.zn yin 95erroneous thoughts. Pay no attention to woridll- concerns.when you do not know the time and do nor kno\,\. the dav. r.oumay arrive at a miraculous state.' He also says: ,I)a]. andnfuhtrve recite the Buddha's name and with each sound. rve thir* ofAr^ritabha. The phrase "Namo" means "homage". To rvhomare we paying homage? Ultimately we pay homsge rr-r ourselr.es !on the day when you entirely forget vourself, rhe Arnitabhaof your own nature wil l appear.' These quotations l1ie of courseapplicable to the similar invocrtion offered to Kuan yin, n.hichmust not be mistaken for a crude endeavour tc win a div in in, 'sl ivr:r.rr by flattery, but recognised as a po*'erful rechnio.r* io,Lranishing ego-born obscurations and coming face ro face tr-ith-Mind .

Anorher i l luminating saying by the same Tripiraka lvlasterruRs: 'As I have told you many times, the Dharma-door ofBuddha recitation is false, and so are (those o0 d1'ana (Zen)meditation and the Teaching School, the Vinaya .Discipline)Sehool end the Secret (Esoteric) School. you neecl r_rnly believein it and false beeomes true; if you do not beliei-e, then thetrue becomes false. . . . Everything is created from rnind alone.'on the faee of it, this seems absurd. How can the false becometrue just by believing it ? Yet to the mystic it makes exceiientsense: for he recognises that any picture of what lies beyond therange of conceptual thought is bound to be too poor an approx-inration to have intrinsic worth; therefore all ways of piituringthe path and goal are of value only as convenienr sraid-ins foruse unti l direct intuit ive perception is attained. \-ierving thematter thus, one can ffrore easily understand wherein l iei theeffieaey of the rites for invoking Kuan yin.

Yet, even should one concede this point in rclatic_rn to recira-tion of the sacred name or of the Dharanr of Grear Compassion,ire may have diff iculty in accepting whar is written in the LotusSiltra and also in the sutra expounding that dhararu concerningKuan Yin 's power to save beings from indiv iduai per i ls suchas shipwreek, f i re, storm, wi ld beasts, devi ls and er-en l i t igat ion.It must of eourse occur to orre that, were rhese po\i-ers real ina l i teral senst: , then a smal l body of devout bel ievers, of whornthere are many, eculd have stopped the Japanese i r rvasion of(-hirra or the subsequent advarrce of the Red Arnr..- by causing\r 'L-apons ro fa l l to pieces in the soldiers ' hands ! So, short of

Page 98: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r l

,';.

96 Bociisattaa o1 ComPassion

reject ing lhe c la ims macle in those sutras' one is temptcd to seek

some les: i i reral interPretat ion.Do those brave g'ords Inean perhaps that cal l ing upon Kuan

Yin wi th one-pcinted mind makes one impervious to cold, i reat ,

hunger, lhrrsi, erc.) and leads to such total freedom from thc

bonls of 'sel f , such pert 'ecr ic ient i f icat ion of the indiv idual 's

minci rvirh Mind, rhai l i t igarion and death by shipwreck a_ in

a tiger's rnaw are to be ieared no mJre than dreams ? This

rat ional isat ion is convenient, but i t does not take account of

t i iere har ing been too manv instances of people be ing l i teral ly

saved froin disast . , in the nick of t ime by cal l ing on Kuan Yin

for one to be able to discount them all as fabrications' What

then? Can it be that absolute faith coniures from within oncself

such po*-erful reserves in the face of danger that seemingly

miracuious escapes do in fact occur; or is something more mys-

ter ious, E!ore'magical ' involved?Personally I l ike to think that the inner purport of th-e,pass-

ages abour- Knttt Yin's saving powers may be, in part, as iollows'

Sustaine,J contemplation of the Bodhisattva as the embodiment'

of pure ccmpassion inevitably affects the devotee's whole being'

Seet<ing rro ,drr"rrtages for himself, Celighting to put himself

out for others when urged to do so' he comes in some \ /ays

[o resemble the Taoist tug. t of o ld - men so ungreedy, so e asi iy

satisfied u-ith simple ioys, so loath to take oflence or put them-

selves fonvard unless pressed, so far removed from every kind

of aggressive behai ' iour and fact ional ism that they rverc ablc

,o prtr their l ives in serene obscur i t - r - . At t ract i l lg no un'uvelcornc

attent ior := t iom robbers, goyernment author i t ies or pol icemen)

mak ing ; :o enemies , harbo l r ing no grudges- in shor t , ca t rs ing

not the i :ast of fence to humans, animals or ghosts, thcy l ivecl

f rom da1- to da1' untroubled by savage beasts or extort ioncrs,

safe f roE rhe pr isoner 's I r ranacles and strangers to the gl i t ter ing

horrOr o: rhe execut ioner 'S sn'ord. Thesc were the ' Immortals

, , r -hom ic=- could not f reeze nor sunbeams scorch' . Calamit ies

rarely it- er.er carne their wat'. But r,vhether this interpretation

presents :t:Iore than a fraction of the Sutras' truc mcaning, I do

not knori-.In a commentary on the Dharani Sutra, the Venerable Hsiian

Hua relares a typiial srory of Kuan Yin's saving power. A cer-

rain der- t , . . of h.r t was passing the night at an inn where the

Page 99: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Some Buddhist Concepts of Kuan Yin 97

landlord rvas in the habit of administering drugged wine ro rhervayfarers who sought his hospitality and stealing into theirrooms by night to rob and even murder them. This particularguestr however, was too faithful a Buddhist to touch wine; norbcing drugged, he awoke to find the landlord advancing uponhim knife upraised; but at that very moment came a heavytianging at the front door. Hurriedly withdrawing, the iandlordopened up to find a burly policernan-like individual wiropol i te ly asked him to convey to one of h is guests-the very onehe had been on tlte point of murdering - that an old friend ofsuch-and-such a name desired him to drop by in the morning.'I-rernblingly

discarding his fell intention, he delivered this.message soon after it was l lght. The wayfarer, though he gaveno sign, had no diff iculty in recognising the syllables cf the visi-tor's 'name' as a quotation from the Dhdranr of Great Compas-sion. In other words, the policeman-like individual had eitherbeen Kuan Yin herself or a being sent by her to prorecr a goodman rvho had long madc a practice of reciring that dh5ranT !

Thar the Venerable Hsiian Hua should in one place equarethe celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with the devotee's pwnmind and in another relate a factual srory of Kuan Yin's savingpower rvell i l lustrates the diff iculty of arriving at a satisfactoryconcept ion of the nature of those celest ia l beings.

Page 100: Bodhisattva of Compassion

FFl L l :

' - +

- - t

Chapter 6

Sacred RitesT.he nrysterLezts sotn td o{ Kt ta t t Y i r t 's l ta t t t t l

Is ho ly l ike t lze occent 's i lnutc lc r -

I{o orlzcr l ike ir i r t rhe z. ' i t r l t l . l[ - t r t us Su t r l

During my early years in China, I once journeyed dou'n theCassia River, having taken passage on a w'ooden vessel muchlarger than a sampan but not so large as to be properly cal leda junk. On the f irst part of the tr ip the sai ls u'ere mostly furled,little canvas being needed to carry it through those swift \4raters.stil l fess the great sweeps lying along the gunwales to either side.The powerful current had becn a curse and was now a blessingto the crew (a grandfather, his two sons, their wives and severaichildren) for, old and young, they had performed the up-riverjourney trudging doggedly along the slippery bank, bodies bentdouble as they hauled at the ropes harnessing them likedraughrl-horses to their boat. Setting out from Kweilin b1'moonlight, we arvoke to find ourselves amidst the weird beaut-vof Yang Su's grotesquely convoluted mountains, of wtrich aChinese proverb says: 'Though Krveilin's scenery is unequalledin this world, Yang Su's is even better', which may be takento imply that Yang Su is part of heaven. If so, then heaven isa place very well worth visiting.

Among my fellow-passengers was a black-gowned, shaven-headed, *izened little person who looked so wise that one mighteasily suppose him a great Tripitaka Master rather than an ordi*nary monk. Inspired by this man's charm and the magic of thoseextraordinary surroundings, I spoke to him freely of the affinitythat had drawn me to Kuan Yin. mv doubts about the claims

Page 101: Bodhisattva of Compassion

l1 r I

t

a . .

;S.2. ' ' .--i Riics gg

rnade in some of the rexrs reci ted in her honour a; : i mr. Lreino: 'af i leci b1' the varying accounts of her t ruc natu.- . u"r : i " ; - i i . - :: cned a t renr ive iy , he rep l ied :

. \ 'ou th ink too rnuch. ' Then, i ro ld ing up a lotus i lo*.er hchad p icked a t darvn fo r h is de 'o r ions , he ex . la imcd: -Kuan

\ - i .rs here in t i ' on t o f vour nose. Smel l ! '- I -hough

he sa id no more on the sub iccr . I rcc , . : : t rscd rhart) i l t l sc l l tcnce as the most imprcssivc sernton I i ra. i - . - . . hcai*1 l' l -hat

thc f r . 'shness ar is ing in thc car l t 'nr , - - . , rn ing f rc, : : : Jc*. i r . i rghcav i l l ' upcrn thc g ian t leavcs carpc t ing a l t t tus p , . : : j i s Kuar1\ ' in ' s f ragrance, o r tha t thc lo tus -spot less p . ,u r i t i . . , - : i s ins i romt i - rc t id ' ru t i - i s p re-eminc-n t ly her symboi . had. t . , i . L i , r r . .es much as enrered his head. Quite s implr . he hac toic mq. that ,in order to kno'r her, I shor.r ld y ie ld m' *-hoie hrci^rg ro J i r ,_,ctrxpcr iencc) ro the sacred r i tes , fo r example , to the chant ing o frhose passages I doubted, to the sonorous cla.g c l f r ronze.-rhcstaccato throb of the u 'ooden-f ish drum, the golden ca;rdle- l ightplaying upon her image and z,uhateuer else night rn,itt i_f;st i i i ;ct.fto a mind proper ly recept ive; i f a l lowed to ivork rh. i i r magicunimpeded. thesc u 'ould best reveal the Bodhisart 'a 's reatnature.

His advice recurred to me through the 1'ears as oF.\portunitiesfor follo*' ing it arose. Now and then, , i-h.r, left 'ro ,r* or.l 'devices in some house where I r . l ,as a guest, I woui , l bc .struckb} 'a sudden int imat ion of Kuan yin 's presence and kno*- r i - i th-ou.t looking that, behind a screen or in some recess or cornerpartly concealed from the rest of the room, stood a shrine toher. Perhaps i t would prove to be a t r i f l ing af fa i r - iust a foot_*' ide altar-shelf or a glass and blackwood .rbi.r.t no larger thana fair-sized tea caddy containing a small srarue of her in sno*r,porcelain, a miniature incense-burner, a pair of t :n1. candle-sticks and a couple of l i tt le f lo\^,er-\,ases ro match. i,o*-ers anda ferv prettv trif les reminiscent of the sea such zS t-rrrarn€ntsof 'pcar l or coral . Even i f smoke \r ,ere st i l l ar is ing f rom an incensest ick l i t for morning or evening devot ions, I ivoulc kncrr- thartha. l 'as not the reason for my apprehension of i ic i presence,since house-shr ines may ccntain a l ikeness of anv onc of china'sinnumerabie dei t ies and yet arouse no sense of a broodingprcsence

At t imes the exper ience wou ld be so por r .e r fu l ih : : . hac she

Page 102: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r oo Bodhi.s;ma of Cornpassion

sudden ly ' r ra rer ia l i sed , I wou ld havc deemed tha t a lmost less: : - : := : : -ou : : ran rhe fac t o f her ac tua l l y bc ing there and ye t no t; : . la : .e to -1 iv senses . Th is occur red more than oncc dur ing=- ' . . ' . ' : s i t s :o p iaces knorvn as 'ha l l s o f v i r tue ' -a g rca t fea ture: : 5ourh Ch ina . Serv ing occas iona l l y as homes fo r the agcd,but more ofren as dwel l ings for communit ies of men or womenliving in ser,ri-retirement from the s'orld, rhey were to be foundrn the subrrrbs of manv ci t ies, as they are ro th is day in rhoseparts of Sc'utheast Asia rv i th large Chinese communit ies. onecomes upon an ornamental gateway giv ing access to somepleasant spor rvhere upw'ard-sweeping roofs peep frorn amonga grove of trees. They are in fact small temples backed by court-yards rvith dormitories or rows of cell- l ike rooms occupied byrecJuses who may be dressed in sober monastic gowns. one'ssense of Kuan Yin's acrual presence has nothing to do with theappearance ciher shrine or the architectural features of the sur-roundings, because very similar places may give one the feelingthat she is nor and has never been there; she is dra',vn, I think,by the purity of the inmares, their unassuming simplicity, theirendeavours to l ive compassionately thinking no harm to thesmallest insecr let alone eating animal f lesh, and the gentlenessof their ways ro one anorher and all about them. one has butto look into their eyes to know the fruits of devotion to KuanYin .

This attirude of joyous devotion is also prevalent in Japan,where Kuan Yin Bodhisattva goes by the name of Kwannon-sama. My favourite memories of a recenr visit to rhar countryare of bands of pilgrims plodding on foot from one holy placeto another in a pleasant ly wooded, mountainous region..Theirrvhite pilgrim surcoats gleamed like patches of snow against thesombre green of giant pines and cedars towering above a gre)fexpanse of massive curving roofs. In those sol i tary places,except for th.- ;ries of birds or the soothing sound of water rum-b l ing down a s lope, a marve l lous s t i l l ness re igns-a s t i l l nessmade al l the more impressive by contrasr wi th the occasionalboom of an age-green temple bell cf vast proportions. But v-riththe pilgrims comes a sudden spare of cheerful noise - shuffi ingfoot-falls, the thud of pilgrim staves upon rhe rugged path, therinkle of the bells they carry suspended from their garmenrsand the laughing charter of simple folk who feel pcrfectly

Page 103: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sacred Ri i ; - , : : :

assured that every step of'the way brings them nearer to rebirth

in Amida (Amitabha)'s or Kwannon-sama's Pure Land. Thejoyful serenity of their faith is often expressed in tiny fragments

of rotrg known as waka, which are longer than haiku but iustas richln delicate allusions. These include Some songs in honour

of Krvannon-s€una, of which the appropriate one is sung on

arrival at each of thirty-three temples containing notable images

of that Bodhisattva. For example:

'The spirit wishing for the next life may be light.ll lor so the Buddha's pledge, firm as a rocky mountain.'

or'Having left our native place and come at last to this Kimiye-dera temple, how close are we now to the Capital !' lwherein the

last utord, though seemingly signifuing Kyoto, meQns in fact the

Pure Land to which Kwannon-sama will surely lead theml

Another oithese little songs implies that Kwannon-sama, bYgraciously transforming ordinary appearances' provides pil-

[rims wiifr a foretaste of the beauty of her Pure Land. It runs:

'Looking again this morning, I realised it was but morning dew

upon the rnoss in this Oka-dera temple garden - it rvas just likes h i n i n g : c 4 r s t a T ! '

Yet another, addressed to Jundei-one of the many-armedforms of Krvannon-sama - stresses absolute conviction of thereliability of her vow to deliver all beings, no matter what theirfai l ings:

'However great our load of evi l karma, i t surely can be remediedby prayer-so f irm this Jundei Hall ! '

I am sure Japan contains many erudite Buddhists who shdrethe more subtle Chinese interpretations of l(uan Yin's nature)but I know too little of them to be able to adduce as manv com-parisons with the Bodhisattva's devotees in China as I couldwish.

To witness a full-scale performance of Kuan Yin's rites, itis best to visi t a large temple, whether in China or Japan or

Page 104: Bodhisattva of Compassion

ro2 Bodhisatrua of Cornpassion

one of the neighbouring countries, during any of three grearannual festivals which fall respectively on the ninereenth- d",of the second, sixth and ninth l.,nar months. First .o-., h.,'birthday' (a surprising tern when one reflects that she is not.r historical personage but born of a ray of l ight issuing f.omAmitabha Buddha's eye) I next comes the feast..celebrar[rg hcrvow to rerounce Nirvana's f inal peace * 'h i lc any beings- st i i l* 'ander in samsara's r .ound; and then fol lo*,s the i 'east cJebra_t ing hr-r ass'rmpt iorr of Bodhisath 'ahood. once I was fortunatcenough ro u ' i tness such a fesr i i -a l at a large temple on the sea_eoasr in the v ie in i t l ' of Amol ' , a place iv i th th. . r r . r" l lovelvchi 'esc *ofs but notablc for r , r 'a l ls bui l t of recl br ick insteai' f gre '1 ' . c leanl iness b.- ' ing conside red an essent ia l .o. , r r , . .p*,of inner pur i rv, the Hai l of the Thrce Buddhas and the specialshr ine to Kuan Yin had received_r. ,+ a sweeping and a scour ingthat not a speck of dust \4'as to be found trrere. Moreover, th'cl!.tr and lay-re:iuses u'ho had come in from round about tojo in the monks. in celebrat ing the fest ival had made a point oftaking a rituai bath - but 'u'hether or not in the ,.", I do notremember.

when the time came for the great evening rite, candlesblazgd, clouds of perfumed smoke rose from a dozen censersdisposed throughout the pubr ic parrs of the temple, and thealtars were decked r' irh a rich profusion of fruit ,rri f lo*,.rr.Those takjng part beronged to forrr separare communities -rnonks wirh jade-clas ped kasa (togas) of brown silk or f ine clothwoin over full-sleeved go*'ns of black cotton in a fashion tharrecalled the yellow robes \l 'orn by Buddhist monks in tropic"lcountries; nuns' also sha'en-headed and in black robei uut wittdiscernible hints of gleaming *'hite under-jackets at throat andsleeves, an unwonted smartness appropr iatc to the r : rccasion:fernale reeluses in ecremonial robes oipt"i ' white; ,.0

"-rJ-rryqqonle l ike mysel f , dressed for rhe most parr in t radi t io,ralchinese si lken gowns, but nor r i . i thout , ,pr i r rkt ing of - .n i 'wesrern-sty le sui ts, Ai l but th is rast group h"d cer ia i" l t ; ; ;f ied rhemselves not merely bl ' abruti6ns, but arso by a periodof siient conrerrrplation to-banish *,orldiy rhoughts and everyorher kind of thought extraneous ro the i it"r. T:he app.rrrrr.Lof the whole assembly was clean and r ichly sombre, ,her. t , . i "gno osteRtat ion of anv k ind.

Page 105: Bodhisattva of Compassion

J'.2.'r. ' . i Rrrc.t I 03Summoned by the thunder o f a g ianr , . j rum. : r i de 'o tces

\ \ 'ent to their appointed places, monks on the : lghr oi -u.

assembly $ ' i th the ord inar l ' l aymen beh ind them. i tuns on thelef t backed by the rvhi te-gowned recluses. Each. t rn reachinghis kneel ing cushion, fe l l thr ice to his knec,s roucning head tothe ground; and,. when a s ignar rang out f r t rm rhe br. .nze sound_ing-bo* ' I , th is t r ip le obeisance was repearcd in unis. . r - , . f i ,o.rgi ,at ieast t r 'o hundred people took part a.d the t rL.eisance is acompl ica ted one) the i r movements \ \ ' r . rc bcaur r iu l i ' s 'n_chronised to accord * ' i th s ignals madc br sc 'cr ' f f i , r i . . - , t -* . , r ,L r r . rcuss io ' ins r rume ' t . so in days g 'ne br . i rad th . . n ra . t la r i ' sprostratcd thernsel 'cs bcfore the So. of i - i "nr .*r- , : . . . ihc t la*. 'l cvec in thc Forb idden C i tv .

Nor' a s\r'rct and_ ling_ering note was srruck; t,_- i ir.. t irr.L.,, of-ar l cr l . r rnous rvoodcn-f ish drum the i 'cc 'sc pr i r r i l arL)se. ar ' lcmn succession of long*drawn cadences ,r ,o. . , , l r r , . i ' r r - r r r , ,chant and ye t no t qu i te asong. Addressed no t :o K , ran y in bu tro the Dharnra Lord ( the Buddha), i t p lac, :<1 the i i rcs in theirproper pcrspecr ive; for , to her Buddhist fo l lorvers er lcasr. KuanYin is not the central deity of a scparate cuh antl hr,r ,,;o;;hi;conforms in al l respects

"wi th the tea.hi . ,g

"ni pract ice ofMahayana Buddhisnr.

Excellent fragrance,Glorving in the nrecious tripoci,Pernreates the universe,An offering to the Dharma Lortl.Mry he' b lessedly endureFor as long as sky and earth shal l lasr !May he blessedly endureFor as long as sky and earrh shal l last I

Hai l to the BodhisatrvasIJorne upon these perfumed clouds J'fhc

effulgence of holiness ancl virrueMay be l ikened to these spreading clouds.- ' I -hr=

Bodhi-Mind, immeasurablv u"r t ,Spreads forth i ts shining f i laments.We pay reverence to the Dharma Lord.Praying that al l may be auspic ious.

r lI

. f l

I ,t

. . . : i

, a , ; E

:,".,*'ffi

Page 106: Bodhisattva of Compassion

ro+ Bodhisi.:tnva oJ Compassicvt

I{ail to the Bodhisarrvas\\'ichin this canopy of perftimecl clouds !

At various stages of the rites came other chants conduciveto the stare of mind rvhich they were intended to promote. poss_ibly they included a curious iittle paeon consisting of ten briefcjaculations used with mantric forte to make

"., i iopr.t at thelevel bey;rnd discursi'e thought, each consisting (in ihe originar

ehinese) of from rr1'o ro four rerse svi lables:

Kuan Shih yin !Hail , Buddha IIn him, a cause !In him, an outcome!Buddha-Dharma_ S angtra outcome !Lasring joy, ego cleansed !Morning, think Kuan yin !Ever.ing, think Kuan yin !Each call from mind !No call not mind-born !

clearly' one ;oald dra*' some kind of con^rected meaning fromthese ejacula: ions, but i t rvould be ludicro"rry i .r .pt and conveyno idea of rhe effect ar rvhich rhe word, "..

aimed.. P19sentl1' si lence fel l and the assembly made ready. ro recirethe P'u Men chapter of the Lotus Sitra, * 'hich everyone surel,r-kne*' by heart as i t is custornary for devotees to recite i t everyda1' of their l i " 'es. Firsr comes a section in prose which relatesho*'rhe Bochisa.ttva .\ksayamari marle a foimar enquirv aboutKuan Yin's saving powers) co rvhich the Buddha repl ied atlength' Nexr Aksayamati recites some stanzas rvhich summarisebolh his quesrion and the Bressed one's , .prv. As the p*r.and 'erse sections co'er more or less the same grouncr, I shal lgive only the '; '.-15* portion here, having translate.i it f.o. Tripi-taka } laster Kumhra;T'a's chinese t i"o..r.rg of the originalsanskri t , made in the third cen:ury AD. In monosyi labic

chinese, the lines contain oni1, five syllabres each; reciredrhythmicalll ' and rapidly with great fervour, they produce aT".-! ''ors porverful effect than can be hoped for from theEnglish version. The c-erie sounds beating .rpo' the ear, the

Page 107: Bodhisattva of Compassion

ll

!{I

Sacred' Rite: r c-i

bri l l ianr I igirts , lpon the altar fadirrg into fl ickering shadows be-neath a lofty roof and the heav-v odour of f lowers and incensecombine to create a rnagical atnrosphere in rvhich the miraclesrecited appear more credible. Towards the end, the rhyrhmquickens and, when the passage commencing'True I(uan yin !Pure Kuan Yin ! ' is reached, it changes from five equal beatsto a rapid -- l l t t u-which has a thr i l l ing sound whenpoundeiupon a grear block of carved and lacquered wood that gives fortha deep, hollow resonance. As rhe short l ines with a stronglymarked caesura sti l l follow in rapid succession, there is a feelingof mounting ecstasy:

World-Honoured Lord and Perfecr One,I pray thee now declareWherefore this holy Bodhisar

'

Is known as Kuan Shih Yin?To this the Perfect One repliedBy ut ter ing th is song:

The echoes of her holy deedsResound throughour rhe world.So vast and deep the vows she madeWhen, after countless aeonsOf serving hosts of Perfect Ones,She voiced her pure desire(To liberate affi icted beings).

Now hearken to rvhat came of it -To hear her name or see her form.Or fervently recite her narneDel ivers beings from every woe.

Were you with murderous inrentThrust rvithin a fiery furnace,One thought of Kuan Yin 's saving powerVould turn those flames to \\ '?tc-r !

Were you adrift upon the seaWith dragon-fish and fiends around you,One thought of Kuan Yin's saving DowerWould spare you from the hungry waves.

Page 108: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r 05 Bodhisatna of Contpassion

Suppose from Mount Sumeru's peakSome enemy should cast you down,One thought of Kuan Yin's saving pow'erAnd sun- l ike you would stand in space.

\ \ 'ere you pursued bv evi l menAnd crushed against thc I ron Mounrain,

?l: ::?r-:ft*:l: J':: .'j"Jrg-io\4 er

\ \ 'ere you amidst a band of th ieves,Their cruel knives norv raised to s lay,One thought of Kuan Yin's saving po\4/erAnd pi ty must restrain their b lows.

Suppose the King now wroth r.vith you,- fhe

t readsman's su'ord upraised to str ike,One thought of Kuan Yin 's saving power\\:ould dash rhe su'ord to pieces.

Were you close pent by pr ison wal ls,Your wr ists and ankles bound rv i th chains,One thought of Kuan Yin 's saving po\\ 'er\ \ rould instant l i ' procure release.

Had you imbibed some fatal draughtAnd lay nou' at the point of death,One thought of Kuan Yin 's saving powerWould nul l i fy i ts poison.

Were you beset by raksa-f iendsOr noxious dragons, gibber ing demons,One thcught of Kuan Yin 's saving powerAnd none would dare offend vou.

Did savage beasts press al l aroundWith fearful fangs, ferocious claw's,One thought of Kuan Yin 's saving powerV/ould send them hel ter-skel ter .

I

iIItIi

Page 109: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Scrir ';. i Rrri.r r o-Should serpenrs l ie athu,arr ) ,our parhExhal ing noxious srnoke and f lamc.

91. thought of Kuan yin 's sar ing po\\ c, f

Would make them vanish fast as sound.

Should rhunder rol l and l ightning f lash.Or tearsome rains comc hissing . . lor i . r . r .Onr- . thoughr of Kuan yin 's , " i , i , . ,g f - )L) \ \ i iWou ld s t ra ighr rvay lu l l thc s rorm.

Though hreings opprc.ssed br- karmic \ \ . , . r r . rE,nd ure innume--rabl e sorr..,rr..r,Kuan Y in 's mi racu lous perccpr ionI lnables hcr ro purge them al l .

Imtrued with supernarural pou,erAnd wise in : - rs ing skir fu l means.In every eorner of the worldShe manifests her courr t less forms.

No matter what black evi ls Earhcr _

Yf" , hel l -spawned demorrr , savage beasrs.Wher i l ls of b i r th, age, s ickness) death.Kuan Yin wi l l one by onc desrro! rhc-m

True Kuan Yin ! pure Kuan yin IImmeasurably wise Kuan yin !Merei fu l and f i l led wi th piry,Ever ronged-for and r.rrer.d !

O Radiance sporless and effulgent IO night-dispel l ing Sun of \Xr i ic iom IO Vanquisher of storm and flame IYour glory fi l ls the world !

Your pi ty is a shield f rom l ighrning,Your compassion forms a wondrous clou, jWhich, raini r - rg down the Dharma*ne cr i i r .Ext inguishcs rhc f lames of rvoc.

Page 110: Bodhisattva of Compassion

roB Bodhisatn'e of Compassion

f 'o those enmeshed in l i t igat ionOr t rembi ing in the mids t o f hos tsThere cornes the thought of Kuan Yin 's po\ver,Whereat ai l harred is dispersed.

Th' ; myster ious sound of Kuan Yin 's nameIs ho ly l i ke thc- ocean 's thunder -No other- l ikc i t in the rvor ld !Ancl th.cr . ' tbre should rve speak i t of ten.

Cal l upon i t , never doubt ing,Kuan Sh lh Y in -sound pure and ho ly ;'fo

thosc u'ho stand in mortal fearA neve:-*'avering support.

To the perfection of her merits,To the ccnnpassion in her glance,To the innni tude of her blessings,Worshipping, rve bow our heads !

Even more irnpressive \l,as the recitation of the Dharanr ofGreat Compassion that fo l lowed upon the chant ing of the sutra.Known in Chinese as the Ta Pei Chou, i t is a mantr ic ut teranceand held to be the most po* 'er fu l means of invoking Kuan Yin.Like al lmantras. i t y ie lds very l i t t le connected verbal sense evenin the or ig inal Sanskr i t and none at a l l in the Chinese trans-l i terat ion of the svl lables - or , ar leasr, none percept ib le ro thevast major i ty of i i rose rvho reci te i t . The Venerable Hsian Huahas in fac t ex t rac te l a mean ing f rom everv charac ter , bu t pcrhapsto be taken as a l i s t o f ps-vch ic o r 1 'og ic cor respondcncesra ther than as a i rans la t ion . The apparent mean ing lcssness o fthe sounds is held to enhance rather than detract f ror , r a rnan-tra 's po\\ 'er , s in:e reci t ing mantras lead the mind to an cxal tcdlevel beyond conceptual thought at w,hich. rvere one to beoccupied rv i th meaning, the sonorous syl lables instead of pro-mot ing object less awareness would stand in the way of i tsattainment. T.' ie Sanskr't text that follows here is Dr Suzuki'sreconstruct ior i o i the lost or ig inal f rom the Chinese transl i tera-t i o n :

Page 111: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sacred Rites r09

Namo rarna-trayaya namah arya avalokiteivardya bodhisatt-

rayr mahasattvdya mahakarunikaya ory sabalavati Sudhanatasya

,ram "s

-kfl vanim'ary dry a avalok it J3v ara lar.ntabha namo riilakaf' -

it a S rimatr.put.Srmi sarv atodhuS uphery asiyuln sarvasada nama

thug, mabhatetu tadyatha or.n dvaloki lokate kalati elili mahd-

boclhisattva sabho sabho mara mara mabi maSi ridhayum guru

guru gamam ,.ri., turu bhaSiyati mahd bhaSiyati dhara dhara

IniiiAi ivaraya iala iala mama bhamara mudhili edhyehi Sina

lina elai;im bhaiaiari bhaia bhalim bharaSaya hulu hulu pra

hulu hulu ,ri sara sara siri siri suru suru budhi budhi budhaya-u"Jfr"vr maitriye nrlakantha trilarana bhayamaTa svdhd. sitaya

sv6ha maha sitaya svih6 siiayaye Svaraya svaha nrlakaqghi svdhd

pranita svdha 3n sidha mukhaya svdhd sarva mahd astaya svdhd

cakra asraya sv6ha padma ke3aya svah6 nllakarthe paqlalaya

svdha mobholi3""trr"v. svahS namo ratna-traydya ttt*4 lty'avalok-ita lsvaraya t.raha or.n sidhyantu mantra pataye sv6hd

so powerful is this dhdranr, especially rvhen recited under

such circumst"r.., as those I arn describing, that one's con-

sciousness, borne aloft by the flow of mantric sound, soars

uprvards to a sphere of marvellous luminosity. Its effect that

.i.ni"g made ii easy to believe the passage in the sutras assert-

ing that, when the Bodhisattva Kuan Yi', fi'st pronouned it

before the Buddha and his entourage of Bodhisanvas, devas,

humans, celestial creatures and ipirits, the whole earth

trembledTheh ighpo in to fKuanY in ' s fes t i va l ,however 'was the in -

vocarion of her name) a practice never omitted frcm rituals of

thar kind. Standing in serried ranks before the altar, the

assembly Uegan ,o Jh.nt Narno Kuan Shih Yin P'u-Sa (Hail

to Kuan shih Yin Bodhisattva) in unisorl over and over again'

starting at a slow and solemr, ,.*po that gradually quickened'

In response to-a note struck upon some Sweet-voiced chiming

instrument, monks, nuns, rvhite-clad recluses and ordi:rary

laymen in that order slipped_from their places to forrr^ a single

file for .irc.rm"*bulation. Like a great serpent coiling and

recoiling .tpo., iitelf, the long file wound its way about the

temple hall, sometimes ci'cling th9 altar' sometimes the

starues behind it, always turni"ng clockwjse. Presently the

rhythm grew r. r"biJ that the pattir of cloth-soled feet all but

Page 112: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r ro Bodhisatna of Cornpassiort

changed to a run, at u'hich point the wording of the chant wasshortened to a rerse and urgent Kuan Yin P'u-Sa, Kuan YinP'u-5a.. . . From the faces of the devorees, I judged that many,,\/ere expcriencing a manifestation of the Bodhisatn'a in theirminds. Then came another sweet chime, rvhereat the serpent inel ine diminished as, one by one, the members of each groupsl ippc'<-- l back to their lormcr placcs. The chant, mount ing toa crescendo, ceased abrupt ly amidst a s i lence loud enough tohcar. \ \ /ho eould say in how many of those present ego-bornt le lusion had given wrv to a glou' ing scrcni ty, a state of keenbur nbj t - - - ; t less awarcness as though a br i l l iant ray were shiningout uF. ln e vast cxpal1s,? of suorr '?

Strar igely, Eo o-rher pract ice rv i th in thc ent i re range ofnretlrods for arousing pra:j ira (supremc wisdom) has receivedrueh a host i le recepr iorr in rhe West as th is one, despi te the\l 'arm aeclaim of the Ctr'an (.Zen) Masters and Tibetan Lamasrrhom so many Vesterners revere. Somehou' i ts immense yogicr ,a luc has escaped them. But why I Ideal ly one would supposerhat ehi ldrcn of the West, wel l t ra ined in making a scient i f icapproach to the study of new subjects, u 'ould be eager toe xper imentwith al l theyogicmethods taught in the East, insteadof rushing to conclusions and voci ferouslv extol l ing some whi lerc ject ing others wi thout t r ia l .

I t is t rue, however, that in the Far Eastern countr ies wherethe value of such yogic reci tat ions is fu l ly accepted, opinionsas to how, why and under rvhat conditions the practice is effec-ti" 'c differ widely. For example, in China it is generally (thoughnot universally) supposed that invocation of the sacred name,unless accompanied by at least a firm determination to cultivatecompassion and, above all, to avoid causing pain or sufferingto cthers, wil l nor be effective I whereas in Japan there arcnumbers of devctees belonging to one or another of the PureLand sects there rvho hoid that the yoga owes i ts power solelyto the vast meri t of Amitabha tsuddha or Kuan Yin, as the casemav be, from which it follor.r 's that the moral srate of the devoteeis i rnmater ia l . That th is v ierv is somet i rnes held even in Chinais i l iustrated by the follou'ing curious story, r,r 'hich was told menot long ago by a Tairvan official during a visit to Bangkok.

'As a chi ld i was deeply at tachcd to mv mother, rvho easi lypcrsuaded me to rec i tc Kuan Y in 's ho lv namc hundreds o f t imes

Page 113: Bodhisattva of Compassion

t . '

. S a c r c C R r l e s I I I ; . .

o \ . e r a t d a u , n a n d s u n s e t , a S w e l l a s d u r i n g i d l e m o r n e n t S a t a n yr ime of day. I d id i t not only to please her, but because I took ; : .ior granted that anything she recommended musr t 'e excellent.S h e w a s a r r ' o n d e r f u l p e r s o n , b o t h a s w i f e a n d m o t h e l . T h o u g h-.hc had adored my father during the tu'enrv years or so of theirmarriage n'ith a love that grew rather than diminishe.i, she did ':

; r r ) t hesi tate to select for h im two un, lsual lv cha::r ing andialented concubines to give him the pleasure u 'h ich. : r her age, , . .she could nc longer provide herself. Fcrr months atlrr the tu'os i r i s a r r i ved . she used to joke ga i l y about the u 'av h : do ted on :I t re i r youthful eompany, wi thout a hint of jealousl ' . But * 'hen:;r fatuat ion drove him to the point of a l lorv ing the c ice i of these ,crr ls ro usurp the pr iv i leges of T 'a i -?" 'a i ( ts i rst LaC'." . she fel t , :- rue l i y hur t . Un in te rcs tcd in sexua l love herse l f , shre had sup- ; ,;., lsl 'd that nry father's attachment to her would remain un-; i ranged by' h is enchantment wi th mere beauty; b ' . - ides, hadshc not herse l f provided the means of that enchant i : lent as an :act of lovc ? Refore long, the eighteen-year-old concubine haci , l' , ' , ' i th Father 's connivance, made hersel f so imporia: t t in ' thel iousehold that mv mother \ /as f requent l l 'humi l iateci lefore thesirvants-or er:en v is i tors I Sadly recognis ing that Lie; husband:o longer loved her and feei ing she had nothing lef t to l ive fcr , , r ,. : te spent hours a da1'prepar ing for rebir th in a lotus -urat would r i ,

:e day ope.n in Kuan Yin 's paradise. To her jo1' , he: strength . ! ,i - , rn fa i led and, wi th in a ! 'ear or so, she passed as-ar-

'Natural ly Father took care to give her the elabcraie funeral , t , .r : l r t t ing the f 'a i -T 'a i o f a man in h is pos i t ion , bu : i be l ieve r l ': re only gr ief he fe l t u 'as on account of having to s ' .ep apart ": :om h is concub ines fo r a t im ' ' - as decreec b l ' the a : : ; :en t ru les

r '

- , : decorum by which the obsequies of the dead are g:o\ :erned.

.{s for me, my eyes \ \ rere red rv i th rveeping l but . nc: iar ing io . ,

. :ow anger against m,v father, I turned against Ku:: : Yini" 'Kuan Yin Bodhisattva," I u 'h isperei f iercei l ' . " ) 'ou have - .

: : i f icn awav my mother q ' i th your empt l ' b landishl :3r i ts ! You :

, : : r ,e no Purc Land and there is no such thing as cc:npassion , " .1: i thc wor ld !" Does this seem an extreme react ion: \ \ rhy had.i \ ' , 'omarr so good and kind, a faithful devotee of th: Compas- , ! i .i l o n a t e L - t r r e a n d a s b l a m e l e s s a s a h u m a n b e i n * e ; a n b e , t o

:ufTer so? \ \ ;hy had modern educat ion not opened .r1 'e l 'es to ,:he obvious truth that everything connected rv i th Kua: Yin * 'as

Page 114: Bodhisattva of Compassion

'( f ) . 4 . a , :tf ' ' .). - ' ' 'rt1?

pure supersr i r ion. , From the r ime of my mother 's dea:h, I aban_doned rep:r i t i 'n of the sacred name ln sheer disgust.' In thos: days_l * 'a.s l iv ing in canton, worki . t f i , - , the pro-' incial Bureau of Foreign Aft^iirs and r,raking a .rr*- for myselfby ski l fu l r randl ing of the Br i r ish auihor i r iJs in Hong Kong_me.n of ien r t1rgrn, torvards us chinese, bur easy to get thelret ter of r 3GBUS. ' of their ent i re lack of subr lety, when theyhectored u! . we used to raugh behind our fans. c in coming ourof mourning I was married off to a pleasant girl of the c1'c'family, chasen to cement a long-rtr.rding friendship betweenher fattier and mine. From be-ing serio"usly put out by myfather's refrrsal to permit me to r.l..t my own wife, I soonbecame fond of her-so fond that, as you *i l l ,.., I was readyto do extrene violence to a person whl presently tried to corriebetween us- This person) as you may have guessed, was no otherthan my second Mother, the uprt"r,

"concubine who had

besotted Farher and driven Moth.r to her death. pretendinga genuine afr-ection for my poor ying, that lovely and abomin-able creature did everything in her po*.r to undermine our loveand respect for each other. what made it worse was that thewoman had nothing ro gain from such behaviour. She rvas moti_vated, I am sure, bl- a perverse fondness for mischief-making

"ll fgl hurnng an]'one around her who happened to be vulner-

able. You know the sort of rvoman I mean. Hong Kong seemsto breed them. Did I tell you Mother had first come across heri1 Ho_ng Koag ? Brooding over the wretched business night andday, I becarne obsessed with the notion of ridding our famill,9f the prerq,- monsre'-r idding the , , r 'or ld of her, in fact j Al lI lacked was an absolutely safe means that would have no unfor-tunate ef fec:s on m\.sel f or y ing.

'The foi io* ' ing ) 'ear u,hen rh.- pure Br ight Fest i i .a l camc

rcund, our rr-hole fami lv dro 'e out of canion ro , ,s\ \ .c-ep rhctombs of ou: ' ancestors", g 'h ich lay at an auspic ious spor in rheneighbour inE hi l ls , occup-ving , , i r . rb le poi t ion of on, . of rhesmal ler cemerer ies t l rere. I t w.as our custom to la-v roast pork,boi led fowl and wine upon a srone table among the romts asan of ler ing rLr the augusr ancestral spir i ts, who sup upon theinvis ib le essence of such meats. Later * 'e would take home u, i thus the coarse remains of the food from which the essence hadbeen extractec and eat i t oursel 'es. Hc,, ,ever) on that day Fatht : r

Page 115: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sacred Rites I I3-.

clecided we should have our memorial feast close by in a fold

of the hil ls that offers a particularly f ine view, but is isolated

and out of sight of the crowds who flock to the cemetery for

the festivat. White we were sitt ing there eating and drinking,

we noticed a dozen or so rascally fellows in shiny black pyiama-

suits rvho looked like professional ne'er-do-wells. Standing

some distance awa)', they were observing us closely and mutier-

irrg to one another as though in trvo minds as to whether it would

hre safr: tO rob such a big party as ours or not. Presently they

bcgan elosing in uporr uS; so my father, smiling meaningly, sug-

ge sted to t*o of my uncles that they have a l itt le target practice-

Wine-jars were set up at a convenient distance and the three

old men, drawing revolvers from their robes, shot the whole

row to pieces with a single volley. By the time the echoep had

diecl t*;ay, not one of those black-clad rascals was to be seen !

They botlrered us no more.'S-hortly after that I decided to stroll about to make sure that

they ,u*r* not lurking out of sight somewhere. So it happened

thai, quite by chanci, I ..n e upon my Second Mother who

had apparentiy wandered towarcls{he lonely spot where I found

fr.r, ttlting for a tree or bush - there are very few of them in

those hil ls - behind which to relieve herself in suitably modest

fashion. There was no one else in sight and nothing to prevent

me from carrying out a plan that leapt fully formed into my

mincl, that of bat[ring those lovely feirtures into a. pulp, burying

hcr valuables and leaving her body orl the hil lside in full vierv

of anyone who happened to pass by. Under the circumstances'

no one woulcl douUt that she had bcen murdered and robbed

by the rascals ,uve had seen staring at us during our meal. A

long-so.rght cpportunitl ' to do a\\ 'ay u'ith her had been thrust

uv i6e g6ar inio my irands I Why do you look so shocked?

l i is thI p la in duty of a good son to avenge his father or

mother.'My'only pr<, ,b lem rvas ho'uv to get real ly c lose withorr t causing

her aiarm. Sft. must havc knon'tr very w'ell how I felt about

her and, were she to crv out) some of the others might come

running up before I had had t ime to dispose of her jewel lery

to make it seem that she had been kil led by robbers. As for a

weapon, there were plenty of stones well suited to such work'

Walking forward rv i th a smi le, I said: "second Mother, i t 's not

Page 116: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r r -+ Bodhisattva of ContPassion

safe for you to wander alone l ike th is ' Supposing those peoplc

ir'. ,r* iust now - "'While speaking I drew very close'and, with my eye) markec

rhe stone tl iat would do my work. I am certain my face betrayed

no hint of my intention-don't forget I had been a successful

diplomat for some years. Yet someho;v shc div ined what u 'as

passing in my mind and in turn communicatcd that knorvledgc

io * . .bh no, she dic ln ' t scream or drarv back - nothing of that

Sort. On the conirary, slre stood ver\r sti l l and, favouring me

ryi th a beaut i fu l smi le that momentar i ly took al l the hardncss

f rom her face , sa id p lac id ly : "Ch iu-k 'u -ch iu -nan Pu-Sa la i ! "

(Saye-from*Suffer ing-Save-from*Harm Bodhisattva - come !)'From l ips accustomed to mal ice th is prayer to Kuan Yin

seemcd so incongruous that I laughed as I made to seize her'-

or, rather, I opened my mouth to laugh and no doubt it stayed

open in sheer amazement, for an iron paralysis had seized me.

dands raised to imprison her in such a way that her mouth

would be tightly pressed against my chest to prevent her crying

out, I sto6d as though turned to Stone, unable to twitch an eye-

lid, much less carry out my plan. I have never Seen a woman

look so happy or so sel f -assured. Smil ing pleasant ly, shc

thanked me for coming to her aid and turned her back on me.

As she walked off to rejoin the others, her laughter sounded

like the tinkling of jade ornalnents. Within seconds I regained

my power of movement, but all thought of kil l ing her had been

shocked out of me forever. Who was I to pit Inv strength against

the Bodhisattva's ?,Yorf see how it is ? That rvoman was thoroughly immoral,

a creature full of malice amounting to cruelty, the very opposite

of thc common run of Kuan Yin's devotees. Yet she had

rriump|ed over death for no other cause than absolute con-

viction of the compassionate Bodhisattva's desire to save every

kind gf sentient being whatsoever. Had Second Mother been

a devilor a vempire fox, it u'ould have made no difference. Kuan

Yin's r-ompassion extends to the worst of evi l -doers, though of

coufs. , she never assists them in their pursui t of cvi l . Always

She enuic-avours to turn evil to good. For example, I resumed

rcci tat ion of her holy name that vcry day and thanked her on

rny krrccs for saving me from murder. What is more to the point,

but nru;h less to be expected, Second Mother madc no further

Page 117: Bodhisattva of Compassion

SacreC RirE.s r r_s

.1:rcmpts to estrange Ying from me and has more rhan once :

.hou'n Ying a k indness ar some l i t t le cosr to hersel f . I t may be i .: rar the Bodhisatrva has not only saved her l i fe but drar.r 'n her , ' :-. ' . ' . r! ' trom the path of cruelty and malice. I shall ne\-er get to .i ike that \ \ 'oman but, as far as mv knowledge goes, shc has com- .1

mit ted no further abominat ions s ince her l i fe \ \ -as spared. ' :

I iAthr ' r 's passion for her has cooled and I somet inrcs n,oncler' . r ' i - rcthcr i t is because she is probably a much nicer \ \ -L)man than . : .. i l t ' u s e r l t o b e . '

A mrrnk to * 'hom, q ' i thout rnent ioning narnL-s, i passed oir . l :

. i r i r 5t{rrv sLrorr '*d no surpr ise. 'we have dlg 'ays knorvn that i 'i i . r : : ; r f in :a ' r :_. . a l l k inds of being, ' was his quiet l l - spokcn- ' 3 r T : c : : t .

T : . : 3 : i snrora l a r r i tude to rec i ta t ion o f the sacred name is ' ;

. - : : . ' . , : . : . rcJ in China is exempl i f ied by a str ik ing comment' : . : - : - - - - : . : = ; r t : ' rhe Vcnerab le Tr ip i taka Master Hs i . jan- : : r : . : ' . : i ' - : : : :g lhe Heart of Great Compassion Dharani :

' - ; . - , : . : : : i ' * : :s lhe Charanl of that name, The sutra , ,- - . : : . : r : . : : e : : : i : les o f a g rea t assembl l , o f the

, - : - : : : : : : : - : : - -=-a: 3nC SuFernatUfal rvhiCh tOOk I

_ - : : . ' ' _ : - : . - .? ' - - . l : s : : : : . :o ' lac i f , ' and Ce l igh t , a l l' : . t : ! . : * : - - - - : : : : - .= . K-= : 1 ' : : - := : : :eJ go lden ravs rvhose r /

- - ; * ' - " : - : : , . : - * - - : : - : e : : = l - : : . a :C. g ' i th the B leSSed r , ; '

- : i ' l - - i : - : - : : - : - : : - . : .= . - - - : : : :g - - : : iea : a : :C i . : lS l l ing a l l- ; ' - a , ! : . : : : : : - : - : 3 : : - : . i . = - - - . ' a 3 : : : a _ a l . s : ' l e n : : s e l f . o r r , .

- - - : . . : .a : - - . : : - - - l : : - - l : - : :=- =: T1:: :a: : -R.a1,-e,1-Tat i ragata- |, . . - - ] ' ' . = " . i - t . . - S : : . - : - : i : - : . r - : s ; : : : ; - \ 1 : : c ? . i : a C i m m e - " '

- . : . : . ' . . . = : : : : : = . : : - " i - : r : : t = i e : g : t : j t s : e g 3 o i a B o : n i s a t t v a ' s: : - : : : ! ! a : : : : . : : : : ' t : - r i ; iessed lh ls no i l ' \ l - i sh , ' I f in t imer t - t r : : r : I .= ic . : :a: : po' , r 'g; io benef i l a l l beings: nlav l norr .,-.- --l ioi ' ..c-' i .,r ' i t.t i a :housand hands, a thousand e1-es', a wish: :ar had been instanr ly fu l f i l led. She rhen declared to theassembly that those g'ho cleave ro the dharanl r .v i l l henceforthtgke rebir th f rom a lotus ( i .e. in a Pure Land), never f rom a l ,' . " ' r r r r i t r , but that c leaving to i t entai ls voic ing ten aspirat ions,: :amel1' that rn a very shon t i rne one wi l l : become acquainted , , , ' ,r l r rh al l rhc l luddha's teachings; at ta in the e1'e of l r ' isdom; fern 'i r , i - r r=irrgs safel ] ' acrclss samsarag perfect a l l manncr of ski l fu l , ,: : - . ' . '11ns; crnbark on thc vessel of supreme rv isdom; cscape from

Page 118: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r r6 Bodhisatnta of Compassion

samsaric existence; attain to perfect conduct, perfect concentra_tion and the wayl ascend Nirvana', -o,, . ,rain; be free fromconditioned activity; and unite with rtre ot arma-Nature_Bo.9I. so saying, she made these vows before trre Buddha l'world Honoured, shourcr any being recite and creave to thesacred Dhiranl of Great compassioriand yet fall inro one oftlre three evil stdtes of cxistence, L,o* .ro, to enter uponSupreme Enligtrrenment.'shouid any being recitc and crea'e to rhe sacred Dharanrof Great compassioiand y., ,ro, be reborn in any Bucrctharand,I vow nor to enter upon

-Supr.*. Enlightenment.'should any being-recite and creau. in rhe sacred Dhiramof Great compass1"".""d t", ,ro, achieve the eroquence (bornof) limitless samddhi, I vow not to enter upon supremeEnlighterunenr.

^'should_any being recite and creave ro the sacred Dharanrof Great compassion and yer not obtain in this very rife thefrr-rits of all thar he desires, itr.., he canno, n.u. been (nroperryreciting and cleaving to) the Dharanl ;i ih. Flean of Grearcompassion. He strouta put away wrong-doing and put awayinsinceriry. 'I{aving thus vo'ared, she averred that, by creaving ro thedhdranT, one may avoid ail forms of untim.iy a.rtt and artainrebirth under co:nditions highry conducive to wise and virtuousliving and the artainme.r,lr Enrightenment. Then did shecornmunicare ro the assembry tf,. ;.r;; of the sacreddhdrani, whereat the earth undeiwent six .onvr,tsions, jerveiled

flowers rair-led down, the Buddhas rejoiced and evir beingsshuddered.Thc fruit ot 'uttering the dharanr, she continued, is a hearr(or min,l-- there is no dist inct ion in chin.r. j- .nr.acterised by:vast compassion, eq_uanimity, freedom from unconditioneda:ti ' ity, absence of all defilements and attachments, abilit-,. rocontemplate the Void, reverence, humirity, no confusion) nodisposition ro :li"q to (dualistic) views, anci a prenirude ofunexcelled Bodhi. However, one must first vow to deliver allsentient beings,. strictly observe the precepts and abstain fromthe flesh of sentient .ri"t.rres, for orriy rt J., *itt Kuan yin be_stow protection. The sutra then prouid.s instrucdons for themantric use of the dharanJ in combating specific evils, com_

Page 119: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Sacred Rfres r 17manding spirits, curing maladies and so forth. It closes wirhthe Buddha extolring the dharanl to a rejoicing assembly.. Th9 language is hauntingry picturesque, but the content,though it inculcates the loftGit ideals, *"yitrike present_day

readers as dwellingbverly on magic, until a-rr.y realise that, tikethe sacred tantras and othet *ysti..l texts, thl wording is op.r,to sc'veral levels of inrerpretation. The venerable Hsiiin Hua,,striking cornment ran more or less as follows: ,one *ho ,*.li*,the dhararrl but is not compassionate is in effect "r;;;;i,i;gthe dhdrani; whereas one *hor. hean is filred with .o-prrrio'

rs reciring it even though no words are uttered !,. one may object that this interpretation u.gs1lr. question, forit seems quite apparenr that people so .o-i"rrionate as to bedeemed to be reciting the dharani *..asingiy in the v..r.r.ut.Hsiian Hua's sense do nor in fact out"'i" the ,aur"irt.,promised by the surra. But do they not? In south.ast ariur"uta certain time of the year, many ttrousands of Budihis;;;;k,betake themselves one by one to the solitude of jungie o, ;;;;-tain, but never has one heard of their being bittJn uv ,n.r..,or mauled by wild animals. Benevolenr ro all-bei'gr, ,rr.yruiJ.in the jungles untroubred by thoughts or p.rir.

-so, too, ao",a layman by nature too unworldly to be capable of factionatism

gl of espousing political, religious or othei .u.rs.s, Iive out hisiife without having reason to fear the vite atientions of CIAagents) or of the authoriries who imprison dissicients ir, .or,..rr_tration _camps or 'l iquidate' them. In this sense, at reast, thedoors of prisons gape anci the executioner's sword is shattered.

Page 120: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Chapter 7

Contemplative YogicMeditation' l 'harefore

shattld the rnind be. constantly f ixed on herLotus Sutra

Sheltered by a horseshoe-shapcd hi l l in the heart of the Shan

rung orchard country is an ancient Buddhist temple I was

especially fond of visiting for long weekends. It is appfoachedby

" stotle-paved path that winds past mile upon mile of fruit

ti.es which, in spring, are clothed rvith many-coloured blossomand, in autrunn) are bowed by their loads of peaches, plums

and sha-lf pears.,One comes at last to the hill and recognisesits jagged ridge from a hundred Chinese paintings of suchscenery, for the Chinese eye delights in convoluted rocks andsees in them a whole menagerie of improbable animals - herea couple of shih-tzz lions sporting with each other, there a tigerplaying beneVolently with a turtle, somewhere else a handsomech'i encountering its lin, these last being respectively the maleand female of that extraordinary and illustriously omenedcreature, the Chinese'unicorn'.

The temple, once patronised by emperors, has long fallen onhard times and, in the nid-I93os, boasted but a single monk.Aged about fifty, he wore a roughly patched gorvn and, beingof Shantung peasant stock, might have been taken for an un-lettered countryman employed as temple caretaker, but for hiseyes) which told another story. So narrow that the irises werehalf-concealed, they shone with humour and intelligence andthe lids Lad besides an elastic quality, for suddenly the'eyesrvould grow round and surprisingly large like a demon's. I think

Page 121: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Contempla t t tc ) 'g r -g r ; ^ \ Icd i ia t io r t r r9

putt ing on a daemonic face gar.e hlm enjovir in i . b,es:Ces addingforce to rvhatever he happened to te impressirg t - r . St l r ' r leole.' fhe

f i rst t ime we met) I had recent iv Ctrn ' r i i :or : : S. :u: ; : Chinarvi th my quest ions about Kuan l ' in 's rrue : :a:- ie - : : :eso.r 'eJ, .One evening, af ter a meal of cooked vegelaa:--s. r r : : . . . - ' l scup ar.1coarse, reddish r ice. I spoke of m1' a. f i -ect ion lc: : :a: B.- : : : : :a: : ' . - :a r rd o f hor r - tak ing par t in her r i tes up l i f tec ; : .e . a . : ; : : - : ; : I . . i : .

n,rvcr l 'er ] ' surc rvhv that should be so.'Ri tes ! ' l te exciaimed, srni l ing as though ai somc S:,-Crci .u-k i

Recitation of the Lcrtus Srf,rra ? The Dharanr of Grca: Crrri.,.t3s-r ie ' , r r? In r 'ok ing the sacree l namc? A l l ver ] ' : \ ' en 'goo i i , i f i ' our i re lazy or= too i r r r .o lved u' i th the r tor ld of dusr tc undertakr-:h ings ser iously. l 'ou, s incc your at f in i ry u ' i rh rhe i lodhisatn-anr:st stem f rom f 'ormcr l ive s, should do betrer than that - unle ssi 'ou I ' ,nou' their r rur . s igni f icance and the manner of making thern:-*ar f ru i t - rhat , of course , is qui te another th ing. Meanu'hi le,. i l o l r des i re to knr , ' , r ' rhc Bodh isa t tva . med i ta te I Wi thout med i --s t l cn . s tuCf i : tg t : . : t su , ldha ' : teach ing is i i ke learn ing sword-: . . , : . . ' , ' . ' i l : . , j : : , t = . - ; .1 a : a i r : ck i l vour hand, l i ke learn ingi : - ^ i : ' i - . " . , . : :1 a s ; . : : : c : . j bou ' bu t no t an ar ro \ \ ' i n you f qu iver ! '

^ - - . = : : : : : : : . ' - : : : s ' . ' . ' € : ' - - i ind ignant l l ' , be ing your lg enough. - . - : , : : : . : : - : : : . ' . - : . : : :13 : :ng Of r . ha t I thOUght my ra ther- : - : . 1 t . : ; : : a : : ! : . : i ; s : : a . i f i f o n e m a d e a l l o w a n c e S f o r m v- - ; , - - . : . : - . : : - . - - - = a : : s t i l l f a i r l ] ' n e w t o s u c h t h i n g s .

-- : := : :=e:hei , pretending to be might i ly impressed.. : t - - - - : - - - - -T-:-e ronk venture to ask you, Sir , just how i t- " :.: - i::- a.. :agerness to learn from you.': - - : ! . : ' , ' : ;e; :ce. ' I remonstrated, stung b1' the harshness of

. : . : : :... ' . t ' i : proceeded to relate with moderare satisfaction horv- . - .=: : : :e; and discarded one method of meditat ion ?r id then. := : : : : ron-^ ano ldnunamethod tha t seemed to su i t me very we l l .

L{ : i is te i red, st i l l rv i th an i ronical expression, eyes f ixed in-. : : r : :1 'on my face as though ab le to read g 'ha t la1 'beh ind i t ,:hcir rw' inkl ing orbs gl int ing in the l ight of the table, lamp. I - I is: ianner i rked me and, in the s i lcnce that fo l lorved, I rvai ted for: : rs comments feel ing i l l at ease. His reply, rvhen i t came, wasai terse and uns] 'mpathet ic as i t rvas abrupt. 'Seven parts_cuod ! ' he shouted. eyes blazing and round as a long-tonguedicmon's. His meaning baff ied me, 'seven parts in eight ' beingihc Chinese id iom for 'n ine out of ten' . I sat mul l ine i t over

Page 122: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r2o Bodlisatrua of Cornpassi,m 'r

when, al l of a sudden, his foref inger shot out and was level ledat my face l ike a sword. 'only the eighth part counrs ' , he addedseverely and riren unaccountably roared with laughter unti l,seeing he hac hurt me, he said more gently: 'Good fi iend, goodfriend, no need to be startled by this boorish kno.,ir-nothing,brr t you do sec rvhy seven parts is just the same as no parrs. 'l {odding torvarcls rhe tea-kett le s immering on i ts charcoal stove,he added; "rhc water rhere may be seven parts heated, for a l lI know, but unr i l i t is just on the boi l , whar sort of tea coulc jyou make wittr it ? Yo,u meditate zealously, devotedly - I arn sureof it - but has Kuan Yin confirmed your success ?,'Wel l -ah- tha t

i s -you mean I shou ld expec t a v is ion?,'P'ei! 'he snortcd conremptuously. ' 'what use could you makeof that ! I mearrt do you know, now, who she is ?''That', f answered sadly, ' is just what I long to know and -'

artd hope I shall rell you,'he broke in playfully, ,as thoughlruman speech were deva language. well, I ' l l tell you how. Atryou have to do is leap across samsara's bitter ocean in onebound, as Monkey once leapt from the Buddha's finger, andpay a visit to your original mind. so now you know hozu. Asfor zuhere, that is more diflficult, for mind's abiding place isnorvhere, nor does it abide. Let the roll ing ocean of thoughtbe sti l led. \w'hen your inind shines sun-like upon vast empti-ness, the Bodhisattva wil l appe ar. You are the one ro accomplishthe eighth part, but don't forget to be grateful ro your daddyhere for reminding you ro throw away the other seven. Howwas your walk th is morning? Did you cl imb above the mist? '

This abrupt change of subject meant there was no more tobe gained from him. sr i l l , he had done a lor . I t rvas just as wel lto be r id of absr,rrd complacency about my 'progress' in medita-t ion. Unt i l the rvarer in my kett le boi led, i t might just as rvel lremain stone colcl. And yet ? To boil, i t must f irst get hot gradu-ally. or not ? \\ 'ho could f-athom his meaning ? Buddhists of thech'an (zen) secr had been talking about that problem for morethan a thousand years rvithout coming to any agreement.

what is special ly inrerest ing about our exchange thar nightis that here \\ 'as a monk obviously trained in ch'an who, insteadof sccrnfully dismissing a Pure Land approach, saw the twoas one. His remark about having to know the true significanceof Pure Land rituals reveals that he believed them fullv effective

Page 123: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Contemplatiae Yogic Meditation Lzr

if properly understood arrd performed. Throughout China, Ifouhd this same regard for all sects and methods as valid meansof coming face to face with truth. If this book has a particularmessage for Western Buddhists, it is: 'Do not fall into the trapof mahing distinetions that are menningful only at aaery superficialIeael. Ch'an, Pure Land and Vajrayana are not three paths tothe same goai, but three gateways to the s7me path, or euen onegateway seen in uarious lights,'

In bed that night, pricked by the stubs of fresh grass rvithwhielr pillow and mattress had been hurriedly stufred on myarrival, but enjoying their fragrance, I reviewed the progressI had made so far. Vhile in South China, I had begun byattempting one of the methods of medltation laid down in theAmitayus Sfrtra, only to abandon it as beyond my capacity (orbecause, chance having never led me to sit at the feet of a Mdsterof the Pure Land Sect, I had not known how to set about itrightly).

In that sutra, Kuan Yin appears as one of the Three HolyOnes who form the obiect of the eighth contemplation set forththere. One has to visualise three giant lotuses whereon standan image of Amitayus (a form of Amitdbha Buddha) flankedby those of Kuan Yin and Ta Shih Chih (Mahdsthamaprapta)Bodhisattvas; the rays of golden light emitted by their bodiesilluminate innumerable iewelled trees I and, at the foot of thesetrees, appear identical images of those three beings countlessin number. This feat of visualisation is nothing to what followsin the subsequent contemplations. In the tenth, for which theattention is directed wholly to Kuan Yin, her golden body hasto be visualised as reaching a height of eight hundred millionmillion yojanas or, according to some interpretations, eightythousand million million ! (Mr Charles Luk informs us that oneyojana is the equivalent of a day's march for an arny, but evenif it were only a few centimetres, the total height would be quite

bevond human conception.) Within the Bodhisattva's halo areto be seen five hundred Buddhas in Nirmanakaya form, eachrvith a following of five hundred otl:ers in Sambhogakaya formand an incalculable number of devas. Between the Bodhisattva'seyebrows is a curl of seven colours emitting rays of eighty-fourthousand hues, in every one of whicir are countless Nirmana-kaya Buddhas each surrounded by innumerable Sambhogakdya

Page 124: Bodhisattva of Compassion

: 12 Bodhisamta of Compassion

tsuddhas ! Each of the Bodhisattva's finger-tips has eighty-four:nousand very dist inct l ines-and so on!The sheer magnitude',,, 'as dismaying. Of course many people do perform such visual-rsat ions and i t may be that, had I been proper ly instructed at:hc time, I should not have been frightened away from them.I nor'. 'know that the figures are nor meant ro be taken literall_v,: r re purpose being exact ly t lat of Ch'an (Zen) koans, nameivi,r stretch the mind be1'6t 6 breaking point so that 'ordinary'

con-:eicusncss gives tva1z tr i extraordinary consciousness. However,rhis knowledge carne t( l me too lare wi th the rcsul t that I havencver made a proper study of that technique or learnt f rom a;c-rmpetrnt Tr ip i taka Mastcr whar rhe adept is rcal l i , ' expected.r-r dr : , At the t imc I had decided withour hesi tat ion that the:rchnieluc was not for me and had enquired di l igenr ly aboutn lo re s imp le ones .

l)ne- day, during a visit to Canton, I had had an opportunitl 'io quest ion an old nun who had taken up remporary lodgingin a dark cell rvithin the. precincrs of Ta Fu Szu Monasteryn'hich for some reason was no longer functioning. My speakingto her, possibly rv i th a touch of levi ty, about the hopelessnessof trying to cope rvith those vast numbers had earned me ascvcre glance; but, being a kind old lady, she had handedme a cup of tea and said evenly: ' I don'r know about that ,sir. The sutra puts it that wry, so you ma1' be sure rhere is a lotof sense to it. I do things orherwise because, being old andunlettered, I just have to do the best I can. You won't wantto bother your head about the methods used by a useless oldnun l ike me. '

'Wrong, Auntie. I am longing to know what you do. Myfriends told me you are devoted to Kuan Yin and so I havecome specially to learn from you.'

The rheumy eyes had peered at me ro see if I were mockingher, for she was as humble as she was old, a woman of peasantstock not used to being sought out by educated people, to saynothing of foieign devils i ike myself.

Satisfied, She had remarked: 'AS you r', ' ish, Sir, though I can'rthink why your fr: iends should have senr you ro me. I expectr-ou wil l be disappointed. Here, take this fan. The rea's madevou sweat. Fanning wil l help to keep off the mosquitoes, roo.Have you ever seen so rrrany? Canton is full of greedy people.

Page 125: Bodhisattva of Compassion

--lr

Conretnplat i t ' t \ rogic, \ Iedirat t , - t t : r23

That 's \ \ 'h i ' we have srrch s\ \ 'arms of mosqui toes, I somerimesthink. Greedy people reborn, you know. I t 's a punishment al l1ight. Mosquitoes seldom get enough ro eat and.. n'hen inev ciofind a good meal, the victim may squash them flat long beforethey've drunk their f i l l . whar was I going to sa! ' ) oh }-ei . medi-tat ion - that was i t . '

Talkar i 'c l ike many old people, she had embarked ulon arambl ing story about her 1 'outh, inent ioning tHe . , . - - and;tppraraRce of hEr nat ive v i l lage, thc nun:ber and character ist ics' r f her brsrhers anr i s isters, and a great many othcr th ings u,hi icI had fought a losrng batt l r - r ' i rh those wingeci incar 'a1r.ns ofg rccdy sp i r i t s i bu i g radua l lv my in te res t had qu ickcnec . As ai 'oung gir i she had bccn berrothed; the boy had been ki l leci in. : loea l squabb le and shc had comc to Canton to carn her i i r . ing.rs a servant. Nothing notabie had happcned ro her unr i l she

"r 'as wci l into her f i f t ies rvhen her current mistress. b laming her

:o r thc loss o f a jade brace le r , had g iven her a beat ing anc c r i r -enrrer f rom the house. After thqr Ah Cheng, as she n-as cal led,nad wandered about looking for u'ork some*,here too far fromcanton for the unjust charge of steal ing to carch up *. i rh her.one night she had taken shelrer in a temple dedicared to KuanYin rvhere two nuns resided. In the middle of the night sherad crept into the shr ine-hal l and addressed to the Bodhisattvaa prayer in which despair r r 'as mixed w' i th peasanr cunning.'Holy Kuan Yin, I 'm done. \*o money for the boat tonrorrow,:'ro strength to walk to the next to\l 'n, no mone]' to sta\- here.Nothing. People say you help. I am nor sure I b: l ier-e them..o jus t show me i t ' s t rue I '

while she was earning her breakfast by srveiping our the;ourtyard and doing var ious odci jobs the fol lorr- ing morning,: : r i rate- looking merchant came rrrnning in, shout ing to no one:: part icular: 'Those rascals have lefr w' i thour nlel rheiri ro lhers ' - ! Nor,v u 'ho's going to look af ter th is l i t r le mins ? Getsin the wa-v* al l day- long. I 'd leave her here, , i f one of vou u'ouldrake the pr ice of her keep and a bi t over to look af ter her t i l lI come back. An1' of you old black gowns wi l l ing, eh ? '

There had been a mix-up. This coarse-mouthed bur not i l l -ratured man had been stranded with some bales of c loth anca two-year-old niece a hundred / i up r iver f rom his desr inar ion.-\h Cheng volunteered ro go with him to look after tht chilcl

Page 126: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r24 IJocihisatr,,a of Compassion

and sat isf ied him so wel l that she remaineci in i r is service asnurse-housemaid unt i l h is death a few years later. Dur ing al ithat t ime she rvas treated as a human being and adequately paid INever ciid she doubt that all this was due to Kuan Yin's inter-vention or fail to do reverence to the Bodhisattva morning andevening.

'At f irst, you understand, Sir, I just recited Her name. Itrvasn't enough. I wanted to see Her. So I asked at the templein K'ai Ping how it could be done. A monk there taught mea fine method. You sit down on a hil l-top or anywhere highenough for you to see nothing but the sky in front of your eyes.Otherwise a blank wall wil l do. tWith your mind you makeeverything empty. There's nothing there, you say. And you seeit l ike that-nothing, emptiness. Then you say, ah but there issomething. Look, there's the sea and the moon has risen - full,round, white. And you see it l ike that-- sea, silver in the moon-iight with little rvhite-tcpped waves. In the blue-black skyabove hangs a great moon - bright, but not dazzling- a softbrightness, you might say. You stare at the moon a long, longtime-. feeling calm, happy. Then the moon gets smaller, butbrighter and brighter t i l l you see it as a pearl or a seed so brightyou can only just bear to look at it. The pearl srarts to growand, before you know what's happened, it is Kuan Yin Herselfstanding up against ihe sky, all dressed in gleaming white and*'ith FIer feet resting on a lotus that floats on the waves. Yousee Her, once ycu know hor.v to do it, as clearly as I see yousitt ing there with rhe rvindow behind you - clearer, because Herface is nct in slradorv, also Her robes are shining and there'sa halo round Her head, besides the bigger oval-shaped halo castb-v Her body. She smi les at you-such a lovely smi le. She's soglad to see you that tears of happiness sparkle in Her ei 'es. I f

1 'ou keep - l /our mind calm by just whisper ing Her name andnot t ry ing too hard, She wi l l s tay a long, long t ime. When Shedoes go, i t 's b1 gett ing smal le5. She Joesn' t go back to t re ing

a pear l , but just gets so smal l that at last you can' t sec Her. .Then you notice that the sky and sea have vanished, too. Justspace is lef t - lovely, lovely space going on for ever. That spacestays long if you can dc without you. Not you and spaceJ yousee, just space, no you. '

Towards the end of this, her eyes had closed; no doubt she

Page 127: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Contemplatiae Yogic Meditar.ion r25

was Actually seeing rvhat she described. It was one of the deeplyrnoving experiences of rny life. Seeing her lie back against thechair, eyes stii l closed, I had decided I must at all cosrs avoidbreaking in on her peace; so, leaving a little 'incense money'cn the table, I had slipped quietly awaJ'.

I suppose one could rvrire the instructions for performingthat sirnplest end mosr beautiful of the Kuan Yin contempla-tions in the form used in manuals of meditation, bur thar wouldcertainly be no improvement on the old nun's vivid description.It is a form of contemplation of u'hich I have grown fond,though I doubt if I ever perform it as successfully as she did.After some tbrty years of giving thought to ir, I cannot rhinkof a single word that would add to the excellence of her wayof putting it.

There are numerous conremplations similar to that on.. Fotexample, in Japan some Shingon adepts visualise a moon risenfrom the ocean very much as the old nun described it, in whichsuddenly appears the Sanskrit syllable HRI - Kuan'Yin's brja-mantra. From this HRI suddenly emerges the Bodhisattva andthe rest of the meditation proceeds on rather similar lines tothe one described. Clearly the most vital part-as with TibetanTara meditations - is the attainment of a state of void in whichadept and void are one and indistinguishable; for thus the adepttranscends the plane of relative truth and attains perception oftruth's ultimate aspect - the Great Void. Each time this is donesuccessfully, a further blow is struck at the persistent delusionof possessing a self. The longer and more frequently he abidesin a state of no-self, the firmer becomes his perception of self'sintrinsic voidness. In time, recognition of the delusory natureof the self is carried over into ordinary states of consciousness;so that, even when attending to the business of daily life, heretains that recognition in the depths of his mind. 'fhis, ofcourse, has a powerful influence o:r his conduct I whoever worksat his job in the full knowledge of selflessness is likely to perforrnhis tasks perfectly, with the work being done for its orvn sakeand no thought spared for any personal advantages to be reaped.Moreover, to act selflessly is to act compassionately, and com-passion is precisely what is embodied in the concept of KuanYin. It follows that Kuan Yin, for all her superficial resem-blance to the goddesses of other religions and to the Virgin

Page 128: Bodhisattva of Compassion

126 Bodltisatna o.l- CunPassion

Mar1l , is not real l l ' to bc thought of as a mother or a sovereignqucen, but as a pcrsonification of the beneficent forcc that f lou's

from Mind. Once this is grasped, the real point of Purc Land

Ilucldl 'r ism is understood and whatever distaste one has hitherto

fc l t for i t is bound to wane. 'The supposi t ion that, to use the

worr- ls c l f a lVestcrn u ' r i ter , i t is ' the ve ry ant i rhesis of Buddhism

as orel inar i l l * undc-rstood' fa l ls at i 'a1' .In the * 'orr ls of an iconoclast ic Tr ip i taka Master rr . 'ho I camc

r lp ( . )n ;L .a rs la te r in lhc mids t o f a sermon dur ing a v is i t to Soo-

ehot r ' : 'The i ; c1 . . : : : : l . i i t ' ' Jh tsa tn 'as ? Whcrc and u 'ha t a re thc l '?

Do nert look t t r i : : : t th i - rn among the bcings in the s ix States

o f e .c is tcnce .go i : . . t lu r . t . humans, an ima ls , p re tas and thOsc

passing through i . : : r . nor among the three realms (of desire,

torm and formi: . . : : ic : . nor vet among the eightecn Brahma-

iokas (heaveps . i i , : - ' r anl ' rvhere but in yOur orvn minds. To dis-

L:ever them, lc i 1 ' . . : : minds be st i l l . In the st i l lness resides no

par t ie le o f se l f o r t :h - r . There , perce iv ing Man jusr i (embod i -

ment of wiselorn . ] 'ou ri ' i l l knou' him for Samantabhadra(act ion); perceiv i : : : Samantabhadra, you wi l l knorv him for

Kuan Y in ! 'Vi th the Canto:rsc nun's method of meditat ion, I made pro-

grcss that seemed to me sufficient unti l my complacency was

shattered by the orchard country monk. Many years later when

I journeyed to the InCo-Tibetan border regions, I at last came

upon a method of vogic contemplat ion in which I could exul t

s ince i t promised start l ing progress, being a Short r )ath method

for at ta in ing Enl ightenn,ent in th is very l i fe. I t was as wel l ,

though; that I had given up hoping for a clear exposition of

Kuan Yin 's t rue nature. That the Tibetan la lnas knew l i t t le or

nothing of the Bodhisattva b1' that name and in that form u'as

of no signi f icance, for I recognised her as being essent ia l ly an

aspect of Avalokita and Tara. of rvhom they had much to teach ;thc t rouble u 'as that , l ike the Chinese monks I had quest ioncd

so persistent l ] ' , they spoke of celest ia l Bodhisat tvas now as

beings exiSting independentl! ' , no\\ ' as creations of our orvtrminds. I believe the difference, so notable to orle r,vith Westernupbr inging, never even occurred to those holy men whosc

meditations had taught them a verv different mode of thought,

leading them to comprehend Subt le t ruths be1'ond the undcr-standing of ordinar) ' , untrained minds.

Page 129: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Contemplatiue Yogic l4ediratiort \27

At m1' special request, I received rara-* 'ho is also Kua.nYin-as mv idam. Flenceforth, I learnt ro centre m1' meditationon her, to see her not onll ' as a projection of m1' o\\ 'n mind,but also as the being I might become through 1'ogic union rvithher. \ r r i th th is sort of meditat ion one does nor \ \ -aste t imeenquir ing into the real narure of the being invoked. u.ho mayat the ourset be vierted in any \vay one chooses - as e goddess,lbr example. The issrnce of the pract ice is not rc knoq, t i ratLreing, t rur to bec,--n:e her; rv i t t r the merging of idenr i t ies. a l lque sr ionirrg rv i l l o i course be set at rest , so there is r :o need fori i i r : t h c f i r s t p i a c r .

r{orv and ivhv rhr: part icular method of yogic cc)nrcmplat ioni : so pou-c-r fu l ly eJecr ive is di f f icul t to descr ibe; i t must berrccompanied by great changes in one's rvhole at t i rude of mindand inncr l i fc . on ihe other hand, the ski l fu l means employedin the yoga could easi l l ' be set for th, \ \ 'ere one aurhor ised toreach i t . what I feel able to say on the subject has alreadyappeared in other books; but, by great good fortune, I havesince come into pu-' 'ssession of a Chinese yogic re\r pertainingro Kuan Yin herself, though I believe it to have once been aTara contemplation and that, taken from a Tibetan source, itrvas subsequently adapted to Kuan Yin for use b1. her Chinesedevotees. It is worth setting down, even if onll- as a l iterarycuriosity, for such rexts pertainingto Kuan Yin must be rare.I.Jnfortunately it has been oversinrplif ied, being indeed thesimplest tantric sadhana I have ever seen, but this is no dis-advantage to it as an i l lustration of the kind of 1'ogic ;nethodsused in Vajrayana practice. Known as 'Three Kuan Yin visua-l isat ions In one' , i r g 'as rendered into Chinese from rhe Tibetanb}' the venerable Abbot Jen w€n of the Monasteq' of Anrrta(sweet Dew) in Bangkok, and the fol lou' ing is mv Engl ish t rans-la t ron o f h is tex t :

T 'HR.EE KUA\ Y IN VISUALISATIONS I \ ONE

PRELIMINARY

After c leansing bcCl ' and mind, t ro ld an incense-raper in thelef t hand and cause ihe f inger and thumb of th.- r ight handto fo rm a c i rc le b i p lac ing them t ip to t ip . \ ' i sua i i se a t thepornt u 'here thumb and f inger meet a ' ,vhi te OM. Thi : suddenlv

, . 1

,

Page 130: Bodhisattva of Compassion

rz} Bodhisataa of ComPassion

becomes a budding lotus with which one traces the s1'llables

OM tH HUM o,r!, the tip of the incense-taper thus causing

the perfumec smoke to spread out forming an immeasurable

;;pil; of purity. Next, iaising the incense-taper to the {ore-irela rvith b-oth hands, mentallyrepeat these words: 'May these

fragrant clouds form offerings to th9 T{ple Gem, to the

Buidhas, Bodhisatrvas and Gurus of the Ten Directi'ns and

Three Times !' Havirrg planted the taper in the censer with the

left hand: one now *ut .t four prostrations, first to the Vajra

Guru, ne.1{t to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in turn'

FIRST VISUALISATION

Sit before a siatue of the Buddha, preferably in lotus posture)

orherwise in any comfortable position, so that the rite may be

perforrned tranquilly rvith a pure alq. pe.aceful mind. At the'.roo,r,

of 5-our head ipp.u6 a white OM; in the-re.gion of your

rhroar, a ied AH; close to your heart, a blue HUM; these syl-

lables emir rays of those three colours in all directions' Thereby

all the evil karma wrcught by self and others since beginningless

time is expellect in the form of a black liquid which seeps into

rhe grounb until nor a drop is left. Thus are your body, speech

ancl mind transformed into the Body, speech and Mind of

Kuan Yin, excluisitely lovely and overflowing with compassion'

Forming the lbtus mudra (hands hcld at breast height, thumbs

and finger-tips rogerher, bur hands arching a\\'ay from each

other uJ fot it pottiUle so as to resemble the tw1!qt:t:-gl-E

lotus ( > ), vi iual ise the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM

and cause rhe mind to revolve from syl lable to syl lable thus:

I-Iulrcro\i'n

left NI r ight

MA throat PA D 2

shoulcler OA't shoulderhc'art.l\'l,E

navel

Presentll 'rearrange the syllables mentally,and revolve the n:ind

from one tc another thus:

t 6I/fIi -

Page 131: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Contentplatiae

rightNI

shoulder

Yogic Meditation rz9

fOM- crown

left MAME throat

sho:r lder HUMhcartI,ADnavel view)

The more these revolving visualisations are repeated, the more

marvellous the resuits,

SECOND VISUALISATIONVisualise within your breast a lunar disc, bright and pure rvithin

and without. Suspended in the void b.efore you appears a pink

Iunar disc enshrining the syllable TAM, which is so immeasur-

ably bri l l iant that it i l luminates the entire realm of form. Sud-

denly this syllable is transformed into a l ikeness of Kuan Yin,

white in colour, with one head and two arms; upon her head

is a five-petalled lotus-crown on which can be seen likenesses

of the five celestial Buddhas. Her legs are folded in the iotus

posture. Pearls aclorn her wrists and ankles. Three strands'of

iewelled ornaments encircle her neck. Upon her crow", 1_Y}j,,..

OM; at her throat, a red AH; close to her heart, a blue FIUM,

wherefrorn rays of those three colours blaze dow.n upon y-oY"

These, blending with rhe rays emitted by the oM AH HUM

adorning your own body, enter your head by an aperture at the

apex of ihe crown which opens to receive them. The figure of

Kuan Yin suspended in space before you now Contracts;

bccoming very small, i t follows the rays flowing in through the

aperture at your crown and merges with your person so that

you and she are ot te and indiv is ib le.Next, wi th the t ips of the thumb and r ing-f inger of your r ight

hand conioine, l , t race the syl lables OM AH HUM on 1'our lcf t

hand. Mentally create a pearl and, rvith your left hand, trace

those same syl lables upon i ts surfacc, s i rnul taneously con-

templatingthe syllables rvith your mind and uttering them r+rith

your l ips. Then visualise yourself holding the pearl close to your

breast with the thumbs and forefingers of both hands. -L!fdoing, softly recite the mantra oM MANI PADME HUI,I

(many times).I

1i

1

4(Back

Page 132: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r 30 Bodhisatna of ComPassion

THIRD VISUALISATIONVisualise the syllable OM blazing upon your cro\tr 'n, pouring

forth white rays and il luminating all senticnt beings in the 'six

states of existence so that their errors of bod-v, spccch and mind

are purged. Shining in the regicrn of your heart is a blue HUM

whose rays fi l l the rvhole earth, bringing 'comfort to all sentient

bcings. \ I r i th in the , : i rc le of the l ight i t shcds are to be seen as

many Pure Lands as one carcs to v isua l i sc . Then the wh i te and

the trluc rays enter vCur e ro\l 'n anc-l permeate to the lorvcr rcgion

of your body' . Using the same mudra as bcfore, reci te OA4

h{AI.- l i t rADME HCf t cont inuousl l ' . This done, r ise and makc

three obe isance s , chant ing each t ime: 'Ha i l to thc Bodh isa tn 'a

Kuan Shih Yin I ' F inal l l ' make three more obcisances' chant-

ing : 'Har i to the Tr ip le Gem, to the Eterna l Buddhas, D i ra rma

and Sanghas of the Ten Quarters ! '

eoLoPHOl,jThc meri t of performing t t r is r i te br ings about the t ransforma-

t ion of sent ient beings everywhere. I t obl i tcrates the suffer ings

of the Three ( lou'er) States of Existence and ensures s"vi f t

achievement of Unexcei led Enl ightenment.(End of the r i te)

The instruct ions given above are by no means as arbi t rary as

they may seem. The rvhrte OM, red AH and blue HUM atcrown, throat and heart respectively are encountered exten-sively in such yogas; for these sounds and colours are hcld to

have yital correspondences with the psychic centres in thosethree parts of the bo-d1'.. Kuan Yin's oiAvalokita's mantra OMMANI PADME HUM is of course the best known of all man-tras; and the directions for performing the sadhana, thoughmuch simpler than those for s imi lar sadhanas, fo l low a s imi larpattern.

One cannot in a few paragraphs do justice to the subject ofmantras. Suffice, then, to say that they are an essential supportto the visualisations whereby adepts attain direct communionwith the forces embodied in such concepts as Kuan Yin; andthat the sadhanas containing them are among the most powerfulyogic methods known. Though the written description of a sad-hana may make i t appear to be no more than a mental charadc,

Page 133: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Contemplatiae Yogic lvlediration r3r

i t involves marvel lous correspondences betrveen the rcalms ofform and Void.

Reci tat ion of the sacred name, a pracr ice I har-c descr ibedin connection u'ith the rites, is properly speaking another fcrrmor equivalent of contemplative meditation and is the easicst \\-it1<,r f at ta in ing one-pointedness of mind. Some devrtees -r . r re.to keep the sacred formula revolv ing in their mincis dar. ar idn igh t , so rhar i r con t inues even rvhcn, a t anocher !evc l o i .o . , -sciousncss, they arc engaged in conversi t ion or coping rv i th theaf ia i rs of dai l l ' l i fe . I f onc at te mpts th is onesel f , the t i rst rcsulris l ikc l1 ' ro t re ei ther that the repet i t ion becomes c:cchanical orthat onc'5 at tcnt ion to af fa i rs bccomes too pcrfunci , . . r1 ' , but thr isdi , 'hcul tv can br- ove rcome rr- i th pract ice: especial l r i f onc earnso i rc 's l i v ing in rvavs tha t c io no t requ i re g rea t coFrc i - 'n t ra t ion ormuch d iseurs ivc thouqht . In t ime the sacred fo rmula rv i l l con-r inue to revolvu' in the mind e1'cn rvhe n one is aslcep and drear-n-ing , A t moments o f i r rmr rer t dar rger , the mind re mains ca lm lno th rea t to l i fe o r l imb 'ca : r cause a break in t f ^e c ' t - ' : ; : l o f rec i ta -t ion .

A fr icnd of minc \ l 'as o: :e bclC enough to te l l a rvel l -k:ro\ \ 'nTr ip i taka Mastcr of the Pure Land Secr that , in ; ' l is opiniorr ,rer=- i rat ion of the sacred nrne is a pract ice too rncchanical tobe spir i tualh ' ef fect 've.

'Mechan ica l I ' echoeC :he I las te r , immense l i ' surpr ised .'How can that be ? ' Gazine at mv fr iend as though rvonder ingwhether he were perhaps deai ing rv i th a lunat ic, he cont inued:' r j leaving to the sacreci narne resulrs smooth)y and easi ly inone-pointedness of mrnC-the very state which i - sought soarduously by meditators belonging to al l the eight schools ofBuddhism, to sa-v nothrng of Taoists, Hindus and orhersouts ide the Dharma. A t ia in ing one-po in tedness , ) 'ou w i l l ,sooner or later according ro tour capaci ty. see ]-our BuCdhaor Bodhisattva standing before ] 'ou-a l iv ing being, garmenrsfluttering, breast rising and fall ing rvit\ the breath of l i fe I or,i f that is not u 'hat 1 'ou look for , 1 'ou wi l l enter the non-dual stateand discover that , here in th is n 'or ld of form, you have at ta inedto the great Void. Then ri ' i i l 1'ou know tangible furrns for q'hatr i rey are - bubbles, mirages. dreams. Just as you are nor no\\ 'deeeived b] ' those sno\ l ' \ ' mountains hanging in the sky, kno* ' -ing them as you surel l ' do for c louds, so wi l l \ , 'ou recognise

Page 134: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r3?. Bodliisar,va of Compassirm

each object as a no-thing, not unreal, but ever-changing, trans-ien t , devo id o f on 'n -be ing . '

'Good, Venerable, but rvhat i f I do behold the Bodhisattvastanding betbre rne, garments fluttering in the breeze ? Beautifuland sat isfy ing as that might be, would i t not be just anotheril lusory appearance ?'

When the Tripitaka Master, overtaken by a gale of laughter,had recovered something of h is gravi ty, he said pointedly: 'To

certain people sruck l ike ff ies in the web of intellect, the experi-ence should be especial ly edi fy ing. Beholding your ownthought-form snril ing dorvn at your bewilderment, surely youwould reflect: "Since r,vith my own mind I am able to createa beautiful lady, is there a single thing mind does not create)including this sky, this hil l , this sea?" No longer wil l you doubtwhat is said in the sutras about the nature of this world. Hurry-ing to your l ibrary, if you have one, you wil l turn to those sutrasand at last perceive their wisdom, eyes no longer dimnred byopaque clouds of intellectual vapour. From that day on, yourstudies yr i l l be t iu i t fu l ! '

My friend s'as impressed; but, not averse to learning a l itt lemcre f: 'om this ibrthright monk, he said: 'Does Your Reverenceimply that peopie who have been spared an education see moreclear ly than oth:rs ? '

'They wil l rncstly see the Bodhisattva as a deity who has con-clescended to res'ard their p ious reci tat ions. Rejoic ing, they wi l lhenceforth recite with redoubled fervour and assuredl-v bereborn in a Pure Land. '

The last sentence took rny friend aback, making him wonderwhether this monk rvas as wise as he had thought. For, as hetold me afteru'ards, he had supposed that Pure Lands weredangled l ike carrots bet-orc people wi th insuff ic ient intel lectualcapaci tv to imagine a less mater ia l is t ic state. However) ques-r ions on this point produced such evasive answers that myfr iend rvas disappointcd, supposing he had caught the monkout in some \ \ 'av. Personal ly, I bel ieve that the monk, al l toou,ell as'are of the harm done by definit ions which demean andarrnihilate the more subtle kinds of concept, was simply tollow-ing normal practice on such occasions, which is to discouragequestions about rvhat can be properly understood only wherrdirect perception is attained. Herein, I am sure, l ies the reason

Page 135: Bodhisattva of Compassion

(")rtntempiatiae Yogic Mediration r33

for the difficulty I bad experienced in finding any learned monk -

rvho would express himself forthrightly on the subject of theBodhisattvas' true nature and the real meaning of the term 'PureLand'. Both are to be experienced, not talked about. lfherewords are bound to mislead, silence is best.

How fully invocation of the sacred name takes the place ofthe conternplative meditation practised by other secrs can beseen from the faet that, just as ch'an (zen) monks from timeto time attend sessions of uninterrupted meditation lasting forseven, twenty*one or forty-nine days, so do Pure Land devoteesundertake lntensive meditation for periods of that length. oftenthe meditation hall or recitation hall of a monastery is used.so stringent are the rules that, during a session, only three hoursdaily are spent in sleep ! Allowing a total of from three to fou:hours for two short rituals, three simple meals, ablutions. andrest periods, the time spent in formal recitation is from seven-teen to eighteen hours a day; and, as talking is not permittedat meals or during the rest periods, it is likely that informal reci-tation takes up most of the time allotted for eating and resr.Thus invocation actually continues for around twenty hoursdaily. The effect of erasing exrraneous thoughts for such longperiods is highly beneficial. vast accumulations of ego-centredthinking, petty cares and real anxieties are obliterated. Freedfrom this burden, rhe mind becomes clear and bright like amirror from which mist and dust have been lovingly rubbedaway. No wonder such sessions are effective in promotingrealisation of realiw's true face - Mind !

I

'ir

Page 136: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Chaprer I

Dreams, Reveries andSpeculationsI rnhued. u'i tlt supenretural powerAttd zuise in usirtg skilful ftteans'In enery eerner of the worldShe martifests her cauntless forms.

l-otus S[tra

Close on four decades have passed since the night of Kuan Yin'sfesrival rvhen I felt a sudden recognition of something lovedand lost, a hint of memory stemming perhaps from a previouslife. Nothing would be gained by my revisiting the sacredmountain, even if I had the opportunity. No longer do solemnsounds of mantric invocation and the wooden-fish drum'shaunting notes reverberate upon the air, onll' the immemorialsigh of rvind in the bamboos, the mournful cries of sea-birdswinging inland from the Eastern Ocean and, percnance, thelaughter of holiday-makers set free for the da-v from some neigh-bouring commune. What has come of my preoccupation withKuan Yin Bodhisattva down the l ears ? Needless to write ofhow much I have enjoyed the art istn'with u'hich her l ikenessis portrave.i, r.r,hether painted on s'all-scrolls or folding fans,incised on jade or ivo?y, ca,:ved in precious u'oods, mouldedin bronze or fashioned in shining porcelain I rvere I to makemuch of this enthusiasm, Kuan Yin's laughter rvould r ing out.'surely

1-ou know that a single small kindness is an offering moreacceptable to rne than a life-size statue carved by a master carverin f lawless jade? Have you no more to say?'

I could argue that I have gro\\;n a little kinder with the years,

Page 137: Bodhisattva of Compassion

I

Dreams, Reaer ies and Speat l t t ions r35

but then that is t rue of so many people of mi ' age and may u.el lresult from a wdning of the fires of self-love ior iack oi fuel.from the lazy tolerance of a comfortably offold man ri.ho refusesto lct things bother him. or I could urge that Kuan yin, inher Tara form, has been the vehicle of my yogic conrcmplations,that I have visualised l ight from her menially created imagefloocling my being, that her mantra is often on m!- l ips, butrvould she not reply: 'And so ? In universes count less in numberas Ganges sands there are gods and goddesses who have hcardthe voiees of their devotees more of ten. Thus w'as i r in yourrvor ld 'wirh - Is i : , Artemis and Aphrodirc; so is i r norr . wi th thatMary who is worshipped in man]- ciimes as eueen of Hcaven,so too with Kal i who rejoices st i l l in rhe blood of sacr i t ic ia l v ic-r ims, and nrany, many others. '

' ' f rue, Holy One, but I fancl ' their de'otess dcntcan themhy insist ing thar the worshipped is exclusive of rhe t*-orshippersand therefore less than infinite. I, Holy One, havr- iearnt thatvou are infinite, that you and I are one and that, l ike everysent ient being, I share your own div in i ty. I know. rvel l that thedual ism which div ides men from their gods is a deiusion bornof the dr i f t ing mists of pr imordial delusion. '

\\/ould she not laugh ar my making such a pompousaffirmation while still so much affiicted by an illusory feelingof otherness towards al l that l ies outside my skin? 'Dear

man, how you play with words I Your rongue, iong and coil ingas a sea-serpent, is forever there to trip you. Do ]'ou not f indthat t iresome ?'

In an actual conversation *' ith Kuan Yin, I should be sadlyvanquished. Even supposing I have glimpsed, thanks ro myteachers, a tiny facet of the rrurh, there are more pitfalls in-'olved in putting it into ri 'ords than holes in a frshing-net.Si lence is best, s i lence and tranqui l l i ty of mind - a rnind alertbut as devoid of object as a lantern beam shining on unrroddensnorv. But then, i f wcrds are never to be used, u 'ouid not onebe gui l ty of hoatding knon' ledge l ike miser 's goiC ? Thoughmyst ical t ruth is no sooner expressed rhan i t vanishes i ike waterpourcd on to parched sand, may nor some of the drops begl impsed whi le fa l l ing and encouiage a quesr for rheir or ig inalsource ?

The dialogue set for th abovc is purely ' imaginan' . but there

Page 138: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r36 Llodhisatztu oJ' Crnnpussittrt

have bcen others wherein the bourtc lar-1 ' t ret* 'cen actual anci

i r r ragined has been harder to def ine . Nor i ' and then a meditatorfal is into v is ionary dreams which, though guidcd at the startby his own rvhim, lead to Strange and unforeseert conclusions.After al l , i f indeed the celest ia l Bodhisat tvas are indiv is ib le f rommind, r ,vho is to say that thoughts sccrningl l ' \ 'o1r ' lntar) ' ?rc ' oot

f rom t ime to t ime inspire d ? Once I r r"as ied into a notable rer ' 'er iehy the fol low' ing c i rcumstance

In Kanchanttur i , a provincial torvn ly ' ing some distance to

the east of the Thai-Rurrnese border, statrc ls a smal l temple to

Kuan Yin that I came upon for the f i rst t ime just t rvo years

ago. Whi le burning incense there) I not iced a Chinese gent le-

man anci trvo ladies r,vatching rne with sL\Ine amusement and

hearC the younger lady say: 'Wel l ! Of the many strange thingsbelow heaven, a red-fur devil offering incense to Kuan Yin is

not the least ! ' I am not) as it happens, a hairy man and the hairor) my head is nearer black than red, but Southeast Asia-bornChinese habirual ly speak of Westerners as though, besidesbeing devils, ' ,r 'e were all of us covered rvith thick red hair i ike

foxes !Thinking to have a i itt le fun, after rising from my knees, I

nade them a lorv bor,v and exclaimed pointedly, using a pol i te

fronor i f ic for r r :a:r ied * 'omen: ' - f 'a i -T 'a i , have you not heard

that K.uan Yin is nc iess gracious to animals and deails than

to human-beings l ike 1 'oursei f? '' fh is reproof, so unexpectedlv dei ivcred in thr ' i r o\ \ 'n tongue,

produced sat isfactory coI ' ls ternat ion I but ther" ' r 'c-rc- p lc 'asant

l teople--an eic ie i ly couple and their n iece rccent lv ar:- ived i re ' 'n-r

P : n a n g i n N l a i a y s i a - a n d , t o m a k e a m e n d s I L ) r u n l l l t c i t l : . ' n a lr r :dencss , the l - rns is ted on my d in ing w ' i th them ar a ncercv ic5-

Iaurant r .vhere rhey had arrangc-d for speciai vcq,-- tar ian lot 'c i l t ' '

be served to the ln th roughout the i r b r ic f s ta ] ' . Over me lon soup

and some bos ' l s o f cooked lc t tuce garn ishcd w ' i th ;nushro l rmr .

beancurd , banrboo-shoc l ts and ' t rec -c ; t r ' fungus , Mrs Yco. thc

Voungcr iac11 ' . asked w 'hc ther Kuan ! in somet imcs Scnt n lc

ausp ic ious drea lns . Th is \ \ /aS a reasonab lc qucs t i r :n , fo r such

cirearns are alrtong thc- reccgnised fruits of I 'sgi. ;neditation on

a chosen being, but I gathered i t ' "1 'as a prciudc to So:nC such

exper ience of their o\ \ 'n. Anci so i t proved to be, for N' l ' is [ -ec,

ihe aunt, norr ' to ld me that she had bc-en to Kanchanbur i oncc

Page 139: Bodhisattva of Compassion

, '" ' , r ' ,.1/r,,,.;, Re,uertet ct.rtd, ,spectt!aii,:)nS t::,1

bcf i i rc and, af t r : r v is i t ing the temple rvhere rvc had met, hadhad a .pccu l ia r ly v iv id d ream.

shc had fbund hersel f standing in a sea-side tempie of palat ia lF)roportions, magnificentiy decorated wirh gilded *oo,i-.u.u-ing, pear l and corai ornaments and si lken banners inscr ibedrvirh invocarions ro tsr.uan Yin - a place ten thousand times morcsplcndiei than any sire haci seen in her t ravels. i ts ,nost €xtra-crdiirary fcatr:rc was a large and empty throne where the image:;heir-rlcl have hr:ep, a throne so pert'ectly resembling a prodigiouslotus gs to seem like a l iving flower wirh derv actuaily sparklingon i ts sat iny pcrals ! sof t music played on f lure, duic imer andcel ls was provided by invis ib le music ians and an unknown fra-grance oi'surpassing sweetness fi l led the air. prostrating herselfbefore tire throne, she rose to behold the thousand-arm.d K,ranYin seated there in all her majesry, a grear panoply of shiningemblems in her thousand hands, a nimbus radiating from herbody that rvas brighter than the sun yet softer on rhe eye thanmoonlight. Gazing sadly and not without severiry at the kneel-ing lady, the Bodhisatrva pronounced the following words intones of unimaginable sweetness: 'When you were a baby sti l lknorvn as Ying-Ying, you suffered from a breathing sickness.and your good mother vowed that, should ycu be allowed tolive, you and she rvould abstain irom the flesh of sentient beingsthroughout your l ives. She kept this vow until the end, but yousince your marriage have broken it daily for more than thirry! 'ears. Why so ? That is not as i t should be. '

\\zhile Mrs Lee, shaken and abashed was casting about foran answer, the dream had ended abruptly and she had awak-ened, face wet wi th rears. As i t happened, al l her immediatefamily \\ 'ere Buddhist and had been so impressed by the clrear,rrc ' latcd on her return to Penang that her hustrand - the very man'' i 'ho had rvooed her au,ay from vegetarianism because of thesoc ia i inconven iences-had been the f i rs t to suggest tha t they: l l s t ick [o 'a pure diet ' henceforth, and so they had. Now,: c l icv lng that so unusual a dream might be crrnnected ' ,v i th apr:cul iar qual i ty of the image in that temple, she and her hus-band had brought their n iece to worship there in the hope rharr l l 'hree of them rvould have inspir ing dreams.

I4.uch impressed by the srory, I, toc, hoped for an auspiciouslream that night, bur had none. As to the Lees and Mrs yeo.

ll ll

Page 140: Bodhisattva of Compassion

I 38 Bodhisatn'u of Cotrtpa'tsiott

I c-nnot sar ' , for I lc f t thc torvn bctorr- dan'n and ci id not rcturn

unt i l Some day's later. ts1' thcn. enquir ics about them w'crc f ru i t -

l css ; a t the rcmplc . thc on l l ' onc o i the o ld \ \ 'omen care takers

rvht i hap-,pened io b ' . - abgul knt--w' nothing of the people I de' ; -

c r ibed i . td t . . .ned rn r iJ l i ' =urpr ised ro hear they had come a l i

thc w,a ] ' f ro rn l la la r : :a : ; : : l i . ' hopc tha t the in ;age she dus ted

f t r , f rv ia. ' . , * 'ould i i is i ' l : . i ; f i tmS, Horvever, returning to ISang-

kr lk t i - rat samL'al"r i : r . t i t , - , : , a l iJ gt l ing intg my Chi lesc gardcn t t l

e l jpy t i re cor , r l hc : r l - i :o rc sunset . I d id fa l l i r r t c l a rc \ re r ie so

as ton iS l ' r ing l r ' ' , ' t r I ' i : .1a t I cannot h r ' lp suppos ing therc \ \ 'as

: jomething in * ' l ' r i : th. ( lhtnesc farni l l ' had surmised' I propclsc

to descr ibe thc re ver ic as accura te l l ' as I can l bu t ' to bc per fec t l \ '

f rank, I cannot Siy io i ' , hat cxtent i ts Seqrrcf lCc' \ \ /?S cOnsciot ts l r '

incluced b) ' m), orr .n mind. I t certainl l ' ' seemed to happen of-

i tsel f .I rvas seated on Lrnc o f those porcc la in tubs s 'h ich i l r

Ch inese gardens pcr fo rm th ' : func t ion o f cha i rs ' the i r beautv

being imperviouS to the rveathc-r , sod happened to be faclng

r p. i t of the rocker) , containing a smal l china f igure of Kuar:

Y in ha l f h iCden b) , fe rns and drvar f bamboos ' Prescn i i v I t c l l

into a state bets 'een sleeping and rvaking oi a krnd in n 'h ich

dreams may occur, though usual l ! ' rv i th a Certain amount of con-

scious direct ion. Af te.r a l i t t le r i 'h i le. i seemed to be standing

before Kuan Yin in a i t tg. cave u'hich. on accouni of the sound

of distant surf , I took to be the Hai Ch'ao Cave on P'u T'o

Is land, though i t ma1' r i 'e l l have been one of my own imagining.

Except for my sensing that the figure seated on a rock in front

of me radiat€d a t remendous and a\ \ 'esome power ' she appeared

more )ike a human tban a goddess, being dressed in head-dress

and robe of p la in w'hi te c loth w' i th no ornaments or emblemsof any kind, nor anything l ike a nimbus. onl) ' a sof t g low' that

made ever) ' detai l of her pelson clear ly ' r ' is ib le against the dark-IIesS behind. Fil\ed norv rvirh a delicious sense of rvell-beir-rg

and exceedingly h"ppy, I .made to prostrate m! 'sel f , but she

motioned me back and sat rvatching my expression r .v i th a smi lc

as though r i 'a i t ing for me to speak. Fear ing to spend t ime on

courteous prel iminar ies, lest she vanish before I had donc, I

b lur ted out the , luest ion that had occupied my mind on and

off ever s ince our f i rst encounter.'$fho and uha, are vou, Holv One ?'

Page 141: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Dreents, Rez;er ie: , ar t t i Spt- i . r ,J/ to l ls I39L)ocs i r scem strangc thar, af tcr a l l tht-rsc \ .cars. i s t i l l neei jccjto ask tha t ques t i ' .? s f te 'd id nor scern ro i r - , ] " t s . . . lo r ins ranr rvthcrc came dr i f t rng in to rn1 ' m ind rhc f ami l ia r ch l rcsc oror . . .bu 'h ich runs : 'Whar

can a r r .e l l_ f rog knou. . . i the skr . ,si m r r r e n s i r y ? ' , m e a n i n g i n t h a t c o n r e x r ; . c a n u l n . l . . - i " a ; i . _s ' ' . - 'c ro grasp thc inf in i te?' of course i :otr Er.c: i as a c i r r i ; . ihs r i f c l t t r t tnc ,contempr fb r parsons and schoc- . ,1 -n- ias tc rs $ . i ru rsF$ke as rhuugh per fecr ly tami l ia r w. i th God ' , , , i i . . ; ; j ' ; ; ; ; t ,

rn isscr ' l thc i r imp ious nonscnse as bc ing o f less BCr t r r - r i i t than rh r ,r r ru rnrur ing o f bccs . Now' , emb. ldened bv hcr r , . . : ; :n i 'g smi ic ,I c . ' t inucd: 'Hory c )ne . I vcn turc ,u rupp, r r . , ou are kno* .n .o r a r l *as t d imly perce ivcd , b ) ' many * .ho har -c : ro r as muchas hcard ) 'our name. Are 1,ou not thc ,u. , . . " of ar i . . , isdonr t i .mthe f i rs t in t imat ions o f b l i ss fu l rhusness ro a Bu i . i i ra ,s Com_ple te Unexce l led En l igh te nmcnt ? Arc 'ou no t i : ^c mr : ther o f .a l l de i t ies? And, tha t be ing So, bes ide" r , " i , rg on . , , . l i h a l l ce lcs_

t ia l B t rddhas and Bodh isar r 'as . a re 'ou . r r r a lso tha : r . h ich scrncca l l Brahma and o thers the Jade Empe ror . g tLan. - i : r i r .eh , Gc.d ) 'Shocked by m) 'o \ \ .p l sner i : r . . I w .a tchcd ies i ne i face gro \ \ ,

s te rn . Had I inadver ten t l , . . ia l ^er in r , t . , \ i3 : Buc ; l i s ts take tcbe the most dangerous o : : a1 e : ru r rs -a :uar ls rn rc t \ r ,een \ \ .o r_shipper and worshippec ? Ha; I betrar.cd Se-r , ' - Ic, l inger ingfragmenr of theist ic th inkins?

No ! Her smi le did not fa ie. She knerr- I had nor derneanedher by confusing her * ' i th God oi atrr ibuted ro he: rhe hidecuscruel ty of creat ing a r i 'or ic i : r 'n ich creatures l ive r . r . devour ingone another 's f lesh ! Rather I had meanr rhar the nu-rr ion of Godis born of a fa int present imenr of rhusnc-sr, o i r ' t , i .h Kuan yinhersel f and the other celesr iar Bodhisatrr . r , . r . e;nbodimentsthat spr ing for th f igm the cepths of consciousness. percept ib leto the inner eye and not dis:orte. l to f i t in * , i th the ancient Jerr ,_lsh concept ion of a creator Gu-,d and one separaic f rom his. rea tures . Thusness , be ing inconce ivab le to min :s sub jec t torormal human l im i ta r ion , . i - r t r io be con iempla tec in symbol iclo-r t : a l l the gods and go. iJesses in the . , . , i . ,erre ar,- ref lect ionso iMind ' the conta iner anc con ia in , :d , o r 'e l i c les r - : rhe benef i_:ent tbrces proceecr ing i rom ir . Seemi.gly mi. :hought \ \ .asacceptablc. As though ro i l iustrare the t iuth of c: . , . in l ty , r . i tn:nnumerable aspects, the Bc' 'dhisart 'a start led mc : i , r r rani fest-r tg hersc l f in a ver i tab le r ' , .h i r l o f t rans format lo : r : . appear ing

Page 142: Bodhisattva of Compassion

:il BodJis;rn'a ai CoTnPasston

no\ i 'aS Avaloki ta rv i th elel 'cn heaCs, no\1 ' as the mirror-bear ing'

r tanv-armcci Chcn-T' i , norv as t t re horse-headed Havagnva,

no\v as Tara. now aS a terr i fy ' ing wraihful-seemirrg deiry not

un l i ke Yamantaka, the b lue , bu l l -headed Co i rqucror o f Death ,

now as the handso lne youth Man jpsr i - a l l o f t i rese a l te rna i ing

uvi th many unnamcable forms:, rnale anci f .emale, horrendous

ant l sub l i rne , one merg ing in tg another l i ke the chang ing oa t -

terr ts i i r a chi ld 's kaleiCoscope I At the last , she appeared as Nt l

Thing, a vast , sere ne empt iness into ivhich rhe car-e and i ts sur-

,o . t . t . l i t tgspresent iyd isso lved. Fora br ie f moment I fe l t te r ro r ;

then the-skl ,andhas xr const i tuents of my ' I -ness' t rurst into t inv

fragments and were s\ \ rept a long into total annihi lat ion !

Relovering as frorn a long swoon, though possibl-v- of less th-an

a second's duration, I saw everything as betore u'ith Kuan Yin

seared on her rock laughing nelodiously. Then her f igure

became indist incr end was losr in rhe surrounding darkness)

which gradual ly reccded, giv ing place to twi l ight that quiet ly

fad,-'d into nighr.Fuily awaki and with scarcely time to feel the pangs of that

t ragic ior lornness 'which fo l loq's such separat ions, I sucidenly

befan exulting irr the conviciion of having iust received a

mornentous revelat ion. My mind rvas burst ing wi th the nove!ry

of the thought: 'Beings should choose their own emboCtments

of div in i ty ' and t i rc rvords themselves seemed to thunder in my

e a r s . ' O f c o u r s e , o f c o u r s e ! ' I s h o u t e d , ' o r s o i t s e e m e d ) . ' I t i s

not enough to reject the absurd concept ions fo isted on us as

chi ldren. They must be replaced g' i th something able to pour

forth inspirat i tn glorving and sparki ing l ike the magical e i ix i r

sought by Taoist iges, l ike the nectar of immortai i t l ' that i lou s

t rom Kuan Y in 's vase ! S ince impenet rab ie mis ts p rec iuCc us

f rom conce iv ing o f Thusness as I t I s , s ince our svmbois a rc

a bi l l ion bi l l ion yojanas from the real i ry depicted. we must at

least seek rvorthy cmbodiments of i ts splendour. rYe must ce ase

unctuousl l ' exposing chi ldren ro bor ing selrnons' to af f i rma-

r ions of b i t ief in rvhich we have l i t t le or no fai th ourselvc 's, to

not ions of vengeful dei t ies befouled by the smok" of burnt of fer-

ings, to symbols <. , f agonis ing death quire opposi te to a chi ld 's

inborn concept of nrhat is gc,od and beaut i fu l and icyous. Chi ld-

ren'S innate perceptiottt *.ttt not be smothered but set free I

Had this iong ago breen seen to, or t r modern wor ld woulc l not

Page 143: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Dre an ts , Reu. . r i cs and Specu la t ions I4 I

provide sc many hidcous instances of the consequences of d is-carding spr i r i tual bel ief and spir i tual endeavour. Our con-temporaries rvquld not be so ready to accept the coarse findingsof their senses frr reality itself I The mountains of evil *ro.,ghthy th is stul t i ty ing error which now r ise on every ha.nd wouldnever ha're conre into existence ! Our chi ldren rnusi be savedfrom tasi ing the bi t ter f ru i ts of cynical unbel ief . How?

'We must br,r i ld upcn their natural sense cf awe andreverence, their bel ief in spir ; ts, gocis and t-air ies. $7e must te l lthem i iankly that , s ince few' can behold and none cicscr ibereai i ty-a vas! and gior ious immensi ty immeasurabr ly furrherthan the furthest stars and nearer than the eyebrcws to theeyes -- they rnust choose for i t symbols lovely, g lowing, joyous

as their mincls can make them. Horv happy their response if,before "shades of the pr iscrn-house close in" upcn their naturalintui t ions of a l l -pervading beauty, each chi ld is encouraged toseek a symbol ic form uniquely adorable to hirn, a fornr tobecome the obiect of h is rvorship and the vehic le of r i :yst icalpercept ion that t ranscends al l symbois. The pursui t of spir i tualperfecr ion) no longer grudgingiy accepted as a i i resome duty,wi l l be f i l led rv i th laughing zest. Fi l led rv i th joyous awe) chi ldrenrvii l press forvard with an enthusiasm that ma1: carry them inthe space of a s ingle l i ie-span to the glor ious apoth(:osis ofmyst ical enCeavour - Enl ightenment : '

I wonder i f I have at a l l succeeded in captur ing the exal tat ionthat burnt into my mind as the tropic night closed s'wift ly do*'nupon my garden, leaving rocks and plants but fa int ly i l luminedby lights shining from the r.r ' indorvs rvhich drerv from the por-celain f igure of Kuan Yin a sof t and ghost ly gieam ? I r ,vent tobed la te r in the even ing s t i l l i n tcx ica ted w i th tha t g lo r iousrevelat ion; but rv i th thc next Jay's dau'ning. af tcr a hcavt 'storm, came the def lat ion that so of ten fo l lorvs in r ts turn. Long-ing to recapturc someth ing o f my prev ious mood, I v is i ted rhc-rain-soaked gardcn in the ear l -v hours, only t t - r f ind disconsolatebamboos and trees with dr ipping branches l r )u 'eted as thoughin admoni t ion . Dank sprays o f bcurga inv i l iae le t fa l l thc i rsodden florvers and sighed.

'fhe sky prepared to shed more

tears. To a l izard that paused to stare at me with cold host i l i ty ,I admit ted having given \ \ 'ay to gross presumption. How haciI dared to dream of solv ing the i l ls of the rvor ld by advocat ing

l l

Page 144: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r qz Bodhisatna of Ca,npassiott

a return to what men of learning cal l 'pr imit i r re supcrst i t ion'?

Above al l , ho'nv could I supposc that mothers and fathers wouldr i ' i l l ingly al lo* ' chi ldren to choosc thcir or . r ,n gods ?

b- low, two vears latcr , I am lcss sure that mv mind was nottruly inspirec that . ' r 'ening. I rcmc-mbcr hou,, on m), f i rst v is i tto thc mounta inous hornc land o f thc Adamant ine veh ic le o f 'I luc rdh ism, \ 'a i r i rvera . i ) r ' l L ' t ip o f ' ' .h ich enrbraces the area roundGangtok , Ka l in rpr : r r r . Dar jcc l ing , I had bcen s t ruck bv ap i rc r romenon ' j r \ ' ; l , l : , : to rhc choos ing o f one 's own emuoa i -n rcn t o f d i r , . in r : i '

' l ' i , , : , i ro icc p lac , - 'd be fore T ibe tan neophytes

ranges rv idcl l ' ; i : r : ; ' : r i i rusrs of t i iv in i t ies oL ever) , conc; i \ , ;b lca s p c c t - h i d c r " ' u i , . r ; . , , ' , : , 1 , ' r ' r a t i r f u l o r b c n i g n . o f t h e s e ' , t h e o n cthat cal is for th sp: ; ia i . ic i ' . r io ' is chosen as the idam thcnce-fcrr th to becom.: , r : r : . . s 'mbol of c i iv in i tv, but the actual yogic'ehic le for con' i r ; : : :a;c to facc- * ' i th rhusness! In t t ror" r . , ] . -roundings, b) ' a; : : : , - . : : ' , . of c i rcumstance) I had gained a goodpar t o f such ins :s : . : as I ha , . 'e i r r io Kuan y in 's na ture-no t inchina rvhere she : t . l : - ; . r in sr) manl hearts, but among T- ibetansto rvhom (exccc: r : r . , . : : : - ia le i rsptrct as Chenresigs or Avaloki ta,o r c l s e a s T a r a . s : : . . u i k n ( ) u . n l B u t t h a t i s n o t t o s a y . I h a v ee\ re r con lc to a i . : . . ' - : : : t rs :a r - rd ing o f her na ture . \ { 'he ther o rnot my o\4 'n Supl t rs: l i . - . ' : r . :cr for th in connect ion $. i th myrever ie , i s acceprc i ; s : ; : . ; f ;u i : o f cor rec t in tu i t ion , I can c la imno \ \ 'arrantv of i ts : ' : : : : : iu; lV cndorscd by an_v chinese monkor T ibe tan la rna . Tr ' . : : , . : :ouncerncnts o f my teachers havcalrvays been so arn' l l ' , . : . : . : : i : to r iuggcst no i r reconci lable di f -ierence between Ctrn;-- ' : ' . ' : : . f c ' f Kuan yi ' as incicpend..rr i r .ex is t ing ,and as ind i r ' : s : : . . ' : : , rm rhe devotce 's own mind. Thcr ,r 'ould certainly go aiong' . ' , ' : :h rhc \ , 'cnc'rable Hsuan FIua's statL*ment that , in paying honia-: ro such beings, \ve are ul t imatelvpaying homage to oursr ' l ' is . .ut taking that to mean that thel .do no t ex is t indcpenocnr^ ' . ' r : an ' scnse u ,ou ld be to aour t ,rebuke; yet so rvould a c i i r . -c: Si2ic-rneot to the opposi te ef fect ,namely that they do ha'e a:r rnciepcndent exis i . . r . . of theiro '"vnl By these m1'st icai lv l : j t ,n.ct j men thc tu,o concepts arcnot deemed mutual lv exciusive: i r is herc that wes,.r . , , r r i " i . rgwith i ts insistence on i r rccolc i lablc- logical categor ies forms aiobstacle to undersranding. ' f i rc

onc \ r .a ' to . .a ih the t ruth isto abandon d iscurs i ' c a igun ic . r anc approach i t yog ica l l y , tha tis to say by cu l t i var inq c i i r - rc t o - . . . i r i i on .

Page 145: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Drtants, Rct.crres artd Speculat ior ts r43 '

An anccdote f ro-m rny' rast da1's in peking (rq+g) i tustrate; '

the problem well. I had gori. ,o take a farcrie, look at pai 'aszu' a Mongol temple wiitr a ve{v fine chori.:rr (reliquary tower)which I had not' isited since before ,i.,.r*rr. 'o.,.. teeming rvithIamas' i t now worL- a deserted look; the r . r , . i * .s st i r l in resi_denct-- lookecl -seedy and neglected; u,rr ih.1, r r .e lcomed mehospi tabl l ' wi th rca and st ighiry r" . .*" . i^ lougrr-cakes fr iedi ' o i l . T i rese were servcd o. , , ror i tabic , rorrrra rr .h ich \ \ .c sarcross-rr 'gged on a br ick s leeping-plarform co'creci r i . i th f ine butwrrefuir l ' d i rapidared carpei . . dr . . " ; ; ; ; ; io, , , . . . . "c to theirihvour i r . ' Bodhisat tva, A'aroki ta. r* .hercat rr rc se nior iamarclatcd a tare about his teacher, a pao-T,ou vouth rr .ho, at theage of t*'erve, had foilo"ved his o\4'n t.ucrr.-. to Urga *.here the'l i 'ed in a temple that was realry a fe 'ccd .rr . io.rrL- dorred with l

) ' * t ts ( fe l r tcnts) f rom rhe midst of r i ,h ich rose a br ick p.uy. . - l iha l l bu i i r a round a s rarue o f the Bodh isa t tva in h is . t .u .n_ iheaded aspecr-He-who-sees-I"-ir i-b*. ' ., io,-,r. speaki'g jchinese in the flat roneless Mongor *;;;;;. anci using the rchinese name' Kuan yin, for the Bodhisaiw". th. ora -"rr] I*;lti"-"1;scribed

somethins of r,is t.a.h.is chitdr.,ooJ J;;r, .'once

i t chanced that, having displeased his iama by some , ,care lessness or o ther , he was commanded to pass an en t i re n igh : i r' raking grand prostrat ions before Kuan y; ; , srarLre_not rhe i iordinary k ind but thro*, ing himsel f repca,.J iy, at fu i l length on

,th'- f loor. Need I say, it *, is exhausring ro.

" child ? Tor.varcismidnight he desisted and sat war i r - . . ufo. a cushi 'n, ready to ; ispr i 'g r- lp at the f , rst int imat ion of . 'o*.o. , . ; , "pprouch.

Thealtar lamps cast f itfur shadorvs anc. as therc \rras .o knowir:gwhat might be rurking in the surrounding darkncss) he became ,a f ra id and s ta r ted gabb l ing Kuan Y in 's mant ra . p resent ly inth ' : corncr hou: ing t r re shr ine of the g,rorJir , , dcir i r -s, he sa,, r ,thrc'c pairs of f ier1' e'es and, though l-t. ,r i.J to beiieve thevl\rc;e no more than the jcw'elled e'cs of inragcs ..;;h, ;f i ;l ight streaming frgm the al tar , he grer ' feartui lcst rhe guardiansi'ere about to sprir:g out and p.rrrlrh his ff ie,i i" resting fromir is prostrar ions. wei l dr i i ledin monasr ic o;scipr inc, he wouldso(,rr€r r isk being devoured bv the rcrr ibr . g"*aians than reavethe pral 'er-hal l u ' i thout his lama's permisi ioo; he had to bearhis tcrror, teeth chatter ing so loudlr l that hc sec,rrcd to hear the , ;

Page 146: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r 4-+ Bodit

ra t t le o f boncs . A t ias t , reco l lec t ing rvhat he had been raugh io f such mat te rs r he ceased h is gabb le and, concent ra t ing u ' i tha l l h is mighr , u r rc rcd Kuan Y in 's mant ra jus t once f ron h lsheart as loudli ' as he dared - OMMMA,{M.,\ 'IMN,1 NLA\ IPADME HU},TMMA,IMMMMMMMMM ! I I

' Ins tan t ly a l i v ing rep l i ca o f the g i lded image, a l i ke in a l l re -spects except that i t was smal ler and had the colour of puregold, g l ided from behind the alrar and, rouching him upon rhecro\r/n, sent \t 'a\"es of bliss flo*' ing don'n*'ards to tlre extremitiesof his body that c;aused trunk and l imbs ro r ingle wirh del ight .

' I r r the hour bc-fore dau'n. rhe noises made by people st i r r ingin the kitchen .r-oke him from a dreamless sleep while he 'nvasactuai ly in the act of making a grand prostrat ion and he reccl-lected that he haci been performing them all through the night IYet even no\\- his movements were as effortless as those of a!\ 'restler ne*-lv risen from a night's rest ! '

As this story drerv to its climax, the old monk watched myface with innocent dei ight , never c i reaming that there might bepeople in the u 'o: ld more l ikely to disbel ieve rhan be edi f iedby this art less ta le of the Bodhisatrva's compassion. Phrasingmy question cautiously, I enquired whether the golden irnagevrould have been seen by anyone rvho had happened to enterthe prayer-hal l a i that t ime.

'Assuredlr ' ! ' he ansr.vered in surpr ise. 'Our Bodhisattvarvould not denv that fe l ic i ty even to a rhieving Kirgiz nomad,a rvorshipper of the god A-I-a (Al lah). '

'So the image $'as not born f rom your teacher 's own mrnd ?'Puzzled, the oid man casr me a reproachful look as though

beginning to \ \ 'onder rvhether, on account of h is patched andragged garb. I coulc i have so l i t r le respecr for h im as ro suF,poseh im a l ia r . ' \ ' our n 'o rds are s t range. Does no t Kuan Y in a i rvar ' ;e : . r i s t tn and ours rde peop le 's minds ? '

Eag: r l -v * I assented and harmony was res tored , bu t in* 'a rd lvI rnarvel led to nore that he \ \ 'as unable ro perceive an in-, ( )ngru i l v tha : must be immedia te ly obv ious to a West t - - rncr ' snr in . l . To mosr o f us i t rvou ld seem thar e i ther an occur renceis n ' r i : rd -oorn and, i f so , r ' i s ib le on ly to i t s c rearor ; o r e ise i tis n ia icr ia i l i ' reai and theretbre v is ib le to ai l . Since then, ofCt ru rSr . I have learnr no t ro be so sure tha t the tw-o poss ib i l i t i esa r c m u : u a i l v e x - I u s i v e .

Page 147: Bodhisattva of Compassion

/ ) ' ' i , ; l r l i , R i , l r . : r ' i , ' ; t ] t t t l S p ' i . l i i ; i ; , ' t l : i '

+ : i

Such stor ics cannot br- d is;missccl as fabr icat ions, for thel ' areoftcn to ld by men who rvould scorn to l ie . To Kuan Yin 's devo-

tccs these things happen and, u,hethcr they occur aS mater ia lmanifestat ions that could be photographed or as psychological

exper iences that only seetn to belong to external real i ty, they

are equal ly miracles. Very recer l t ly I chanced upon a c leart :xample of a th i rd mode of being, nei ther whol ly internal nor

cnt i re ly externr l . A v is i t ing lama from Nepal, an Engl ishmanby bir th, to ld me last month of an incident that occurred when,

one night dur ing a v is i t to England to see his mother, he hap-pened to share a bedroom with a bof in his ear ly teel ls. So asnot to draw lrnnecessary attention to himself, he performed his

evening yoga mental ly and then cornposed himsel f for s leep.In thc morning the boy declared thal. *'aking several t imes, hehad noticed with amazement a covering of l ight over his room-

rnatets bed and that, when at about midnight the lama hao got

up to relieve himself in the bathroom, the l ight had followedand returned with him. Now this boy, though obviously a chi ldrv i th unusual psychic powers, knew nothing of Buddhism and

had no idea that a lama, before going to sleep, invokes his idam

and creates in his mind a 'vaira-tent ' ) a protect ive cover ing thatis held to remain in place unt i l morning. The fact that the boy,u'ho had never heard of any such thing, perccived the vajra-

tent, or at least i ts radiance, Suggests that w'hat is,vogical iyvisual ised manifests i tsel f in a rvay thar is nei ther rvhol l -v con-

f ined to the adept 's own mind, nor so sol id ly mater ia l as to bc

vis ib le to everybody. I bel ieve the ke1' to many myster ies is to

be found here.This incident may indirect ly throu'a i i r t le l ight uplrn thc- man-

ner in which monks and lamas conceivc c ' r f a celest ia l Bodhi-

sat tva's nature. No knor, , ' ledgcabie BuddhiSt Supposes they cxist

p rec ise l - t ' i n the sense tha t th is p r in ted pagc ex is ts o r in t i re ser tsc

that Apl , rodi te was bel ieved to exist as a div inc inhabi tant of

N,tount Olympus; but there is plent l ' of evrdence to suppcrt a

convict ion that there are modes of e:<istence too subt lc: io bt--

c lassed rv i th thd t o f phys ica l ob jec ts , ) 'e t too c iear ly percept ib le

to the senses of psychical ly gi f ted or y-ogical ly t ra ined thirc ipart ies to be dismissed as pure imagin: t ion. I do not mean that

the nature of the lama's vajra-tent provides a c lose analogy t t l

the nature of Kuan Yin, tbr I d:em the tent to be but one of

l i i

Page 148: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r -ib Rodhisatn'a of ComPassiort

a rr , ide and progressively subt le rangc of cnt i t ies l f ing bcirvtc i r

, i r . i r t ty *r t . r ] r l and whol ly psychic catcgor ies. Thc- purpd\ i '

o f re la t ing the anecdotc was mere l r ' to i l l us t ra te thar rhe rc a rc

scveral *nd.t of being'

I hesitate ro go further. There are n:rattL-rs too sublime to L'rc

:11.r do-wn ur. less in the l ight of certain knorvledge . Not being

a rnan of much artainmeni I ht t ' . no head for arvesomc heights '-l-r:

write i1 ignoraDr:c iTla!' co harm' sirould ope rvisti to go

on frcm hcre, books rv i i l nbt dc, The s 'a-V is to pract ise a ] :qa

lcading to dire ct percept ion. For th is, hov;ever, there are certal i l

p*reqr, i r i t . r . r [ . ,o.pr musr l ivc f rugal ly and chastely lest hc

squanrJcr his energy; ana he .must act sel f le ssly ' compassion-

u,* ty and with p.rT. . , inrpart ia l i ty torvards al l sent ient beings

Morecrver) entrance to the yogic path ^can scarcel-v be made

without a teacherl but some account of its earlier Stages ma)'

be of interest. ffrr, one should take Kuan Yin or Tara as the

vehicle is by ,ro -.".rs essential, but it is traditionally taught

that these two 6"irg, are easier to woo than some others, such

as the shy Manjusri, embodiment of wisdom'

stage r. At the outset, it is necessary to woo rhe idam or indrvei-

ri"g deity as though he (she).were an external divinity, even

though on. -ry k".o*' that this is not so. Pure offerings, such

as incense, f lowlrs and water, must be made, but never the flesh

of sentient beings. 81' the power of visualisation supported b:'

;""r;;r;the waier is converted into treasures - namell ' all that,

one has of body, speech and mind, al l good qual i t ies and proper-

t ies, a l l mer i ts, as^wel l a.s al l imaginable precious things includ-

i"gi f r . univeise i tsel f , ornr- . . , ted * ' i th sun and moon' . I t is

Vo?i.uff ' desirable at this stage that the it i lm be vierveC as

lnJ.rgtt "he

(she) really 'alued the kind of ofrerings one mlkes

to k ings, though most of them are in fact mental l l ' created' (onc

of the p.rrpor*, ma1, be to provide a response to tnan's primitive

but deep_seated bei ief in dei t ies exrernal ro rhe worshipper, dei-

ties who nrake royal demands, l ike Artemis who required the

blood of pigeonr,'o, Jehovah u,ho rejoiced in burnt ofterings

and demanded the suffering and death of his son as the price

of human ,.d.rnption. Perhaps earl.v Buddhist teachers founc

i t advisable to " . l .pt

the t radi t ional pract ices of ne$' converts

and transmute them by stages into purer forms. Perhaps l ruman

Page 149: Bodhisattva of Compassion

I ) rLc?lrs. , Rct,cr ic.s arrd Sp..c ulaiorts I .1:psych. r logv s r i l l r cqu i rcs a quas i - thc ' i s r i c appr r rach ar rhc bcg in -ning. I r1o not knot l ' . I t is a lu 'ays br 'sr ro fo l iorr . rhc instr , ra, io.r .o 1 ' o n e

' s 1 ' t l g i c l a l i y a d y a l c c C t c a c h e r s . )

.5 i i r ,1 ' . . : , ' l -hc

t . i , t t t t is rnvrtcd to pass t ' rom a nrcntal l l . crcatc- .1in rag , : in tc l thc adcpt ' s bodt ' fo r a space, tha t the pcr fecr un icnnf ' \ r ' t ; ' s i r ippcr and rvc ; rsh ippre d mav be acconrpr l i shed in a man-r r r ' r L l , " i t l c a c i s n . t t u r a l l ] ' f r o m s t a g c 1 . A i t h i s p t r i n t . t h c ' a d e p rnl i l ] ' : i i l l be un;t \ \ 'are t - rcrm dircct cspcr ic l lce - t i l r - 'ueir hc u ' i i l: , r r r , - ' l r knor l i i theorc t i ca l l l ' - tha t ida tn anJ \ \ 'L r rsh ipper h : , r 'enrvLr L .cen a l - r11r t , )

. \ l i r ,g . _ , - . Thc i , i . t r t t , hav ing aga in bc 'cn in i ' i t c . i . i s rc ta ined in th r '; . r i1, :pt 's bodv t i t r as iong as he feels aLr le to condttct h imsel f con-: ; ( . ) r l i r i r t i ] -$ ' i rh h is exa l tcd ro le as a Bodh isa t t |a . f ree f rom thelcas t i r in t c f sc l f -ccn t rcd thought o r ac t io r r . (Th t per iod o f un ionis g r rdua l l v inc reased and the de ternr ined adept mav e lec t to-spcnt l up to seven years in so i i ta r l ' scc lus ion . Ih : be t te r to per -fcct thc div ine qual i t ics of compassion, equanimitr ' . c-golessnessand sr- l for th. '

Srag. ' . ; . The union remains permanent and qive s bir th to directmyst ical percept ion of the ident i t l 'of sel f and other, of the realrrrof form and the Great Void. Wisdom and compassion are uni tcdand the path to Enl ightenment immeasurabl l ' shortened.

Among readers of th is f inal chapter) there rv i l l be nonc' : Ihope . r . r 'ho doubt my sincer i ty. Al l are welcome to suppose methe vict im of errors and delusions resul t ing f rom the inexpertusc of 5 'ogic knowledge; and u'ho is to sa!- thel ' u 'ould not bejust ined ? i f , ho' ,vever, there are anv u 'ho have fol lou'ed me thusfar and u'hc accept rvhat I have u'r i t ten as being reasonable,I o\r ' . ' the'm an apology. Having of fered gl impses of the Bodhi-sat t \ .a Kuan Yin at man-v levels, s ia i t i r - rg rv i th her as a goddessof f rsher- fo lk. i have broken of f ieaving her a shadowy f igureto thr end. I am sorrv for that , but u 'hat can I do ? i must noti r t r ; c t t a c i imax to the ques t . There is rca l l l ' no \ \ 'av io go fu r ther ,s l i , r r t o f under tak ing the appropr ia te ! 'oga r igh t up to i t s f ina i: ; tag i and ach iev ing d i rec t in tu i t i ve pcrc l 'p t ton . To those r r 'ho. . i t , ih is success fu l l r ' . her secre t r i ' i 11 most sure lv be revca le t1 .

Page 150: Bodhisattva of Compassion

:-it Roihtatn,a of Ccrmpdssion

One th ing is cer ta in - though pursu i t o f rhc I lodh isa t rva mavat f i rst be mot ivated by an id le rvhirn, i f carr icd through i t leadsio exa l ted he igh ts o f mysr ica l exper iencc . \ \ ' ho ie un iversesbecorne playthi^rgs of the adept 's minci .

' fogether u ' i rh thc in-

descr ibable joy of increasing ident i f icat ion r ' , ' i th the Bodhisarn'acomes percept ion of the ident i ty of sel f and othcr. lnsigni f rcanrfoot- . i r i l ls are succeedcd by c loud-rvrappcd peaks and the path,becoming ever s teeper and more hazardous , l cads thence tocxpanses of pure

"vhi te snow awful to conremplate unr i l prcs-

e: l t ly l i t by a roseare glorv. The giorv becomes a shining l ight ,the shining i ig i r t a biazc of sudden undersranding, anci t t ren i

Beyond thal l ies a stare t ranscending the furthesr conf in, :sof conceptua! thought. Now does the Compassic,nate Bcdhi-sat tva terr i fy, being at last revealed as one rv i th an immensi tyioo vast for f inite beings to contemplate. The cow'ering egoshrieks and, f ighting for its very being, rends mind and bodyrvi th agonis ing pains. 'Back, back l ' i t wai ls. 'Before us loomsinsani ty, an ocean of inconceivable horror rvhe re in rve shal l d is-integrate ! Flere l ies the end, a boundless nothingness) an un-speakably fearful and hideous void where in \1 'e shal l beshattered, disst ; lved, annihi lated ! Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeh ! '

Ere long the ego is no inore. caught by ra-vs of the c lear Lightof Real i ty, i t shr ivels, shr inks arrd is ut ter ly consumed, Nor,r ,is the Bodhisattva fu l l ,v rer, 'ealcd. Hcr ersrr .vhi le devoree, by nomeans annihi lated, has undergonc an inf in i te expansion andconta ins w ' i th in g 'ha t he had once dc- luded lv mis raken fo r 'h im-

se l f 'a myr iad rnyr iad un iverses , a Thusncss so 'as r and conrprc -hens ive tha t nor one gra in o f 'o therness ' rena lns . Hc .nccror rhan cterniry of b l iss, the unutrerable bi iss of \ i r i 'ana -- i j r : : i ii iberat ion - SUpcrr , 'c .oeS !

Page 151: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Apipendix

The Frincipal lconographicForms of the Bodhisattva

As Kuan Yin

In China, Japan and neighbouring couniries, female dspictionsof Kuan Yin predominate, generally in idealised human fonnwith one head and two arrns. Her long robe and charactelistichood-iike head-dress may be white or coloured. The splendidornaments sometimes adorning head, throat, rvrists and anklesare a conventional symbol of her Bodhisattvahood, but these

are often lacking so aS to achieve a chaste nun-like effect. Somedepictions are devoid of clearly defined sexual attributes and

occasionally she is shown in male form; for instance, in veiy

old paintings or those in ancient style, the face may be l ightly

bearded, The commonest male forms reveal the full splendourof a Bodhisattva, the garments and ornaments being similar to

those of ancient Hindu rulers.When ths figure is depicted standing, the feet may rest upon

a giant lotus petal that is perhaps floating upon the sea, or on

the calyx of a huge lotus bloom, for this flower is especiall-v

associated with the embodiments of compassion-AmitabhaBuddha, Avalokita, Tara and Kuan Yin - thcugh, as one of the

most wide:pread of Buddhist symbols, it may also appear

among rhe emblems of many other Buddhist deities. Kuan

Yin's bociy ',vhen standing is often gracefullT curved rvith one

shoulder held a l i t t le higher than the other, the head sl ight ly

inclined and the hands hidde;r by long sleeves, unless she stands

u,ith one hand raised, the other pointing downwards in the atti-

tude of benedict ion.Vhen she is depicted sitt ing down, both feet may be placed

qn the grognd, oi the right leg may rest on the left thigh or

Page 152: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r 50 Bodhisatna of CornPassion

else be raised so that the foot rests upon whatever she is sitt ing

on, or the right foot may be slightly extended, Tara fashiop,

as though she is about io rise from meditation'

Sometimes she is seen alone, Sometimes at tended by Shan'T's'ai.

a handsome youth or child, and b.v Lung Nii, the Dragon

Maiden, holding out a giant pear l , Or she may appear to the

r ight of a t r in i ty kt tot 'n as the Three Hol l ' Ones, rv i th Amitdbhaguaana in the centre and'Mahasthamaprapta (Ta Shih Chih)

Bodhisattva symbolising perfect activity to the left.

Her pr incipar emblemi are a precious vase held in one hand

and a wi l lorv spray held i6 the other, symbol is ing respect ively'swee[ dew' (aiso kt town as ant i ta) meaning the nectar of wis-

dom and compassion, and secondll ' her wil l ingness to sprinkle

i t upon the heads of a l l who invoke her aid '

A child seated on her lap or a group of children playing about

her symbolises her abil ity to bestow children of the desired sex

endowed with many perfections of mind anC body

A seascape or running water in the background suggest her

sea-girt paradise, Potala or Potalaka Mountain'

ai the Ch€n-T'i Kuan Shih Yin, she has eighteen arms, and

mirrors are much in evidence.As the Holy One, she stands with one arm raised in benedic-

t ion.As the Bestower of the Wish-Fulf i l l ing Gem, she sits upon

a lotus throne, one foot raised, four arms. cheek resting on herhand.

As \Tillow Kuan Yin, she sits beneath a rvillos' tree, a spra-vof willow jn her right hand, her left hand held to the chest palm

outwards in Tara fashion.As a vehicle for contemplative ]'ogs, she resembles the u'hite,

one-headed, four-armed Avalokitesvara (q.* ' .) . Similarl l" in

almost any of her multi-headed, multi-armed forms, she isbarely if at all distinguishable from the Bodhisattva, who is, asit were, her other self. This is the case with the thousand-eyecthousand-armed Kuan Yin, whether with one head or eleven.

There are many other less common forms, of which two ofthe most interesting are Kuan Yin riding upon clouds with bow,arrows and shield in her hands to make war upon evil (neverupon unfortunate evil-doers, however); and Kuan Yin depictedalmost exactly like a Buddha-figure seated in meditatiorg but

Page 153: Bodhisattva of Compassion

The Prt'rtcipal Iconogrt;phic Fornts r5r

rv i th a t ru l .v enormous beard I \ loreover. sh.- is ident i f ied rv i ththe three-headed Ha1'agnva unCer :he namc \ la

- I "ou (Horse-

Headed) Kuan Yin.In jus t one contex t iand on l f i r Japar . Kua; : i ' i n i s ac tua i l -v'

g iven the t i t le Br.rddha; b1' some srrangr cha:r : - : . she has corneto be numbered among the th i - :esn Bu: : :as lnvoked bvShingon devotees dur ing obsequi- , -S i , . . : : :c : - : : . - .

Kuan l ' ir: 's principal embltms- l 'hc

f r r i lorv ing l is t has been taken from a Chi: ic: rc cdir ion , - r f thc

! Hcar t o f Dh i ran l o f Great Compass ion S i r r ra :

I The Wish Ful f i l i ing Gem, s igni fy ing atrainmenr ot ' a l lr r 'hoIesome r.r ' ishes.

z A rope, rvhereu' i th she binds al l harmful i : i rcumstances.

3 A 'e* 'e11ed bor i - I . con ta in ing cures fo r ma lad ies .: . r s ' , r 'c : i . for subcuing \ \ 'ater spir i ts.

5 A va j ra o r nvo-heac led adamant ine sc .n t reJ somet imes\\ ' rongly cal led a thunder-boi t . for subduing ciemons.

6 A vajra-dagger, for bringing about the capitulation ofenemies.

r. I One hand held out with fingers and thr:.mb pointinguprvards so that it somervhat resembles a borvl, for subduingfear.

8 A solar disc containing a bird, for banishing darkness.

9 A lunar disc containing a rabbit, for counteracting poison.io A bow, signifying a glorious career.I I An arrow, to bring friends nigh.12 A u'i l low branch, fo.r driving a\\ 'ay sickness.I3 A rvhi te brush or f lag-shaped duster, fcr banishing hard-

sh ips .r4 A' long- l i fe ' vase) s igni fu ing ai l that is v i r tuous and loving.r 5 A dragon-headed tablet, for subduing u'i id beasts.r6 An axe, s igni fy ing protect ion against oppressive author i t ies.r i A jade bracelet (somervhat rounded and ye t roughly t r iangu-

lar), to obtain fi l ial service from sons and daughters.i 8 A u'hite lotus, signifying the attainment of merit.r9 A blrre lotus, s igni fy ing rebir th in a Pure Land.zo A precious mirror, signifying prajfia, n'isdorr-r.

Page 154: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r5z tJodlu.s-^.-.rt o,f Compassion

2i A purp le. - r rus, s ign i fu ing thar one wi l r behord the l loc ih i*s3 i ivas.?z .{ jcwellec bowl of t*r i t ,- for , :sca' ing from pits.27 A cloud or nve colours, for enteri"g"r;or. rhe way .f theirnmortals.21 h q'ater-botrrc rest ing on the parm, for rebirth in a Brahma_l,rka (nebulous heaven).21 A red lorus, ibr attaining rebirth in a deaa-roka (a heavenless absrraer tharr a Brofrma_toka).z6 A halberd' for counteracting rhe effects of people,s dis_honesty.27 A conch-sbelr, for sur''moR ing deua.i (gods) anci beneficentspirits.e8 A clrrb, to u;in command of spirits.29 A rosary, s-herewith to call upon rhe Buddhas of the -fen

Quarters to come swiftry to one's succour (i.e. to wercomeone ro a pure Land).3o A vajra-topped bell, rvherewith to achieve marveilous musi-cal accomplishments.3r A precious sear, wherewith ro obtain the gift of eroquence.32 A hook, wherewith to commana trre protection of bene-volent deual and dragon-krngs.33 A monk's iron-tippJd staffJ signifuing a compassionatedesire to prore.t oth.r..34 Trvo hands palm to paim but not quite touching, signifyingcapacity to revere and love all sentient beings.35 A Buddha figure surrounded by . ,ri,,'U,rs arrO seated on alotus, signifiing spending life ,fr., hre ruittr the Buddhasalw'ays at on: 's side.36 I palatial pariiion, signifying that one drvells life after lifein the palace of the Buadnas.373 8 t ::;c]]u';,] : llT:_'13 :'.*.;,h,: achie ve srea r I earn i n g

*::.1*:-:1=L signito-ing ttrai i;;;i'-"?* iri. ,",'l*in.::l$i ::::, I i By danarrooo,,r,.

- wh;;l ""i il,;;;H; J;will never cease to turn for-us.

,n l:r^nTgr_::rr

to rvrist with the fingers nearty horizontal

f;::,,t:'T::*^Lr:..:s|1 1a reft,. "r,a.

,iitr, ; B;iil;;;l'#1::::* i"1-, lit""*, fo, ,"**o"ing rhe eudohiJ;i;:'?.';success in anaining Enlightenment.

Page 155: Bodhisattva of Compassion

,.t

'i-he Prirtcipal lconographic Forws t53

40 A bunch of grapes, for ensuring bountiful harvests of fruit. and crops.

"ir The hand held open, f ingcrs pointing downrvards rvith thcnectar of rvisdom and compassion (known as sweet dew)pouring from the eye in the centre of the pahn, wherewith

to assuage hunger and thirst.

1?, P-ight hand resting on the left, palms upward, signifyingpower to subjugate vengeful spirits in all the innumerableuniverses.

Finely wrought statues or paintings of Kuan Yin may depicther forty-two principal hands holding these emblems or form-ing these mudras. The initiate may use the enrblems andmudras, each with its appropriate mantra' to attain the endsthey signify.

As Aualokiteiuar a (Aa alokita)

In Tibet,I\{,ongolia, Nepal and parts of Siberia. where Avalokitais deeply revered, his aspects are invariably rnale; Kuan Yinis unknown, female attributes being ascribed only to hisemanation, Tara. However, he shares p ith Kuan Yin the eleven-headed (and also the single-headed) thousand-eyed thousand-armed forms, the heads being arranged in three ascending tiersof three surmounted by trvo single heads, one above the other,of which the topmost is a Buddha-head signifying that he isan emanation of Amitabha Buddha. This multi-headed multi-armed form is sometimes known as Ekdda3amuka - -fhe-One-

Vho-Looks-In-All-Directions. Like Kuan Yin, he is alscidentified with Hayagrrva, the so-called Horse-Headed.

For the purposes of contemplative Yoga, he is visualised aspossessing one head and four arms. In this form, he is rvhitein colourand seated in the lotus posture; Iwo of the arins areextepded horizontally from the shoulders as far as the elborv,the forearms rising vertically and the right hanci clasping arosarv, the left a lotus stem; the other pair of hands meet palmto palm at his breast in the attitirde of prayer. This is the yogicaspect to rvhich the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM per-tains.

tVhen Avalokita appears as one of a trinity of Bodhisattvas'

/ \

I

LI

Page 156: Bodhisattva of Compassion

r54 Borlhisamta of Compassiott

he is usual ly f lanked bl ' Manjusr i : 'emb'odiment of w' isdom) andVajrapani (embodiment of pos'er) , bur in another t r in i ty he andManjusr i are accompanied bJ'Maitrel 'a Bodhisattva who is des-t incd to become the Buddha of the next aeon.

In his l raCmapani (Lotus Bearer) aspect, he appears as acir . r rming youth hear ing a lotus. Other div in i t ies wi th u 'homhe is held to be morc or less idcnt ical are Simhananda ( the Lion-Veirc. t -=d I-ord), \ 'agarsvara (Promulgator of the Eternal) andLokciv 'ara, thc aspect hc wears chief l1, in strch countr ies as{ lanrbodia and the former Champa in Southeast Asia. Therei l rc Others.

As r . ' i th Kuan Yin, muit ip le e.7cs s igni fy power to see al lsulTcr ings in the universe sin- 'u l tancously, mr.r l t ip le arms sym-lrolise infinite power to succour, and a Bucidha-head. at the apexof his rnany heads indicates that h.c is an emanation of r\mitabhaBudciha or of the supreme wisdom-energy, Bodhi .

t

. r - l i r j

: i ) : : . : : : i : i o f Tara 's appearance is g iven on pages 53

.4: , \ [ tao Shan'fhe

Chinese nun-princess, Miao Shan, has no special charac-teristics or emblems that are known to me, unless the white birciinto which she ; e3 ::aa>muted that stre rnigtrt escape {torn tretburning prison. She is generally depicted in the long robes ofa royal'princess, or in a shorter robe that e4poses some partof her wide silk trousers, and with high-piled hair elaboratelyarranged. Unfonunatell ' so many Chinese ladies of antiquityclosely resemble her in these particulars that it is dif;frcult toidentify her for certain, unless by the calligraphic inscriptionor by representaticns of one or more incidents from the MiaoShan legends forming pan of the background.

I,{omenclature

The Bodhisattva's most r,videl-v used Chinese.names are KuanYin, Kuan Shih Yin and Kuan Tzu Tsai, of u'hich the Can-

1,,

r,.

Page 157: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Tlie Principal Iconographic Fornts I55

t6nese variants are Kq'Oon Yam, Kwoon Sai Yam and Kwoon

Cfti Cttoi. In Viet-Nam her name is pronounced Quan Am' In

1^po.r, she is generally known as Kwannon Bosatzu cr Kwan-

,,on S"-a, the former suffix being the Japanese rendering of

goditit",tva, whereas the latter is an honorif ic'

The Tibetan name for Avaloki ta is Chenresigs'

Page 158: Bodhisattva of Compassion

Gtrossary

Oniy fc,reign rvords sornetimes unciear irom the context aregiven. Al l are Sanskrit except those marked C (for Chinese,\.

J (for Japanese) or T (for Tibetan).

Asura A titan at war with heaven.Brja-mantra Syl lable containing a deity's essence.Bod (T) Tibet.Bodhi The urge to wisdom, compassion and

Enlightenmenr.Brahma Supreme Flindu deitY.Chanc (T) Tibetan beer.Deva A general word for deities.DhEranI (see Mantra)Hsiu-ts'ai (C) Civil service examination degree.I(owtorv (C) To prostrate or a prostration.Lama (T) A monk or layman learned in religion.Li (C) Third of a mile.Lo-fu (C) Nluleteer.Maha.vana Northern or Greater Vehicle Budcjhism.Nlantra A group of sacreci syllables oi great pclver.Plou (C) Land measure', less than an acre'M.udra Sacred hand gesture.Naga Serpent- l ike being with sorne humair

characterist ics.Nirminakaya Body of Transtormation) one of the three

metaphysical bodies of a Buddha.Nirvana Ult imate hrl issful state of bcing beyc'nd ' I '

and 'other' .

P'ei ! (C) An expression of scorn.Praifra Trairscendental Wisdom.Preta Tantaliseci ghost.Sadhana Contemplative rite involving visualisation.


Top Related