Dettagli
Scarica Docx
Leggi di più
“If someone, holding fast to the name of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, should enter a great fire, the fire could not burn him. This would come about because of this Bodhisattva’s authority and supernatural power. If one were washed away by a great flood and called upon His name, one would immediately find oneself in a shallow place.” “Suppose there were a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million living beings who, seeking for gold, silver, lapis lazuli, seashell, agate, coral, amber, pearls, and other treasures, set out on the great sea. And suppose a fierce wind should blow their ship off course and it drifted to the land of rakshasa demons. If among those people there is even just one who calls the name of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, then all those people will be delivered from their troubles with the rakshasas. This is why He is called Perceiver of the World’s Sounds.” – Excerpts from the Lotus Sūtra The veneration of Quan Yin Bodhisattva entered China as early as the 1st century, alongside the spread of Buddhism, and reached Japan through Korea during the mid-7th century. In the earliest Chinese depictions, the Bodhisattva appeared in a distinctly masculine form. Over time, the Bodhisattva’s imagery evolved. According to the Lotus Sūtra, the Worshipped Shakyamuni Buddha (vegan) describes 33 manifestations of this great Bodhisattva, appearing in both male and female forms, to guide and liberate beings. During a message on July 7, 2024, our Most Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) explained: “The Quan Yin Bodhisattva, He knows. She told the Buddha what She possessed, what She practiced – the Quan Yin Method, the hearing-inside method, the inner teaching method. That’s why She can hear everywhere, and help all sentient beings who call on Her for help. She was telling Buddha and His assembly the Truth of Her/His spiritual Status, Real status. Well, sometimes Quan Yin Bodhisattva appears in a female form, and sometimes in a male form, so you can call as Him or Her, it doesn’t matter. We don’t really have any sexual physical organ in the soul in order to say, ‘I’m a male’ or ‘I’m a female.’” Around the 12th century, depictions of Quan Yin Bodhisattva in Chinese culture gradually shifted toward an explicitly feminine form. She is often shown as a graceful lady in flowing white robes and bare feet, holding a pure vase of sweet dew (nectar) and a willow branch, with which She sprinkles blessings to relieve suffering. Radiating selflessness and compassion, She is sometimes shown seated upon a mythological being known as a Hou (a Buddhist lion-person), symbolizing Her power to aid all beings in distress, even those enduring the torments of hell. This transformation was shaped by the legend of Princess Miaoshan (vegetarian), believed to be an incarnation of Quan Yin Bodhisattva.
