The full name of the Bodhisattva of the World Sound, the full name of the Great Compassion of the South, the Great Compassion, the Great Inspiration of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. "Great compassion" means to give happiness to all sentient beings, and "great compassion" means to pull out the suffering of all sentient beings. "Look at the sound of the voice, and you will be liberated", hence the name"Avalokiteshvara". May everyone who recites the full name of Avalokiteshvara be relieved of all suffering and blessed by the Bodhisattva.
Buddhism believes that "all living beings are equal", "everything that is good and evil will have retribution", and life in the world should "sow a wide range of blessed fields". Through practice, one can attain liberation and wisdom to get rid of pain and troubles. These ideas were in line with the spiritual needs and values of the people, and Buddhism was widely spread in China.
Among the many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara is the most believed by the people. Avalokiteshvara is the embodiment of compassion and wisdom, relieving suffering and relieving suffering, and enabling all beings to achieve liberation and happiness. Everyone believes that as long as you sincerely worship Guanyin, you will be able to get everything you want.
When we talk about Avalokiteshvara now, we can't help but think of the image of a woman with kind eyebrows and kind eyes: with a circle of light on her head, stepping on a rosette, holding a pure bottle in her left hand and a willow branch in her right hand, smiling, dignified and compassionate, spreading the nectar in the bottle to the world and bringing happiness to the world.
But what many people don't imagine is that the original image of Guanyin Bodhisattva is not actually the female body we are familiar with.
Among the cultural relics of Dunhuang Jingdong, the early portrait of Guanyin is full of Hu Feng, curly hair and beard, wearing men's earrings, plump body, wide face and slanted eyes. This style can still be seen in Tibetan Buddhist portraits.
After the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Guanyin evolved into a female Bodhisattva, whose image and face were charming and beautiful, and her demeanor was dignified and luxurious.
So is Avalokiteshvara a man or a woman?What should we make of the phenomenon of a man with a legendary background in India, who was introduced to China and then changed from a male to a female Guanyin?
According to the Indian "Sadness Sutra", Guanyin was originally the son of the ancient Indian wheel king, named Buxu. Together with his father, he followed Shakyamuni as a monk and vowed to "eliminate all suffering of sentient beings." Suffering beings, as long as I recite my name with all my heart, I can immediately observe their voices and help them get out of the sea of suffering. Shakyamuni was moved by his determination and personally gave him a note: "Good man, you must save all sentient beings in the Three Evil Realms, cut off their afflictions, and make them reborn in a happy land. Good man!I'll name you Avalokiteshvara. ”
There is also a legend that Guanyin is a pair of twin foals in ancient Indian Brahmanism, so it is also called "Two Horse Child God". After the emergence of Buddhism, it was called "Matou Guanyin". Later, he was personified and presented as a powerful male image.
Guanyin is a male figure in Indian legends, but after it was introduced to China, why did it become a woman?
One theory is that after Tang Taizong became the emperor, he saw that all the people respected Guanyin Bodhisattva, and thought that the man in this position could only be the true dragon emperor. Therefore, it was ordered to change the image of Guanyin from a male to a female appearance. And because Guanyin's "world" character is the same as the name of Emperor Li Shimin, it was renamed Guanyin in order to avoid secrecy.
Another view is that Avalokiteshvara has 32 incarnations. Avalokiteshvara is a language that allows it to change gender and identity.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the number of female Buddhists increased, and among the four great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism, only Guanyin Bodhisattva was the most feminine.
In addition, the ancients "men and women do not kiss", and female believers worship male bodhisattvas, and they are not orthodox, so Guanyin Bodhisattva has become a kind and kind and dignified female figure.