Many Faces of Guanyin - Report Example

Many Faces of Guanyin Among all the deities of the Eastern mythological epos, Guanyin, the bodhisattva and the Chinese goddess of mercy, is one of the most mysterious and respectable. In Chinese Buddhism, Guanyin is a deity of mercy and compassion embodying the female incarnation of male bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara known in Japan as Kannon. The goddess is worshipped as the embodiment of ultimate compassion who sought to help all the living beings to achieve spiritual afflation and deliver them from suffering and samsara circle. She is often referred to as Mother Mary of the East as she performs functions and represents the image similar to those of Virgin Mary in Christianity. The name is translated as ‘the one who listens to the cries of the world’ (Gill). As far as Guanyin as one of Avalokiteśvara’s faces is worshipped by all nearly all denominations of China and Eastern Asia, legends connected with her and the ways of her depiction differ in separate cultures. However, the deity is depicted predominantly in female guise, though appearing before us in thousand different images. According to the legend, Guanyin was the third daughter of the king Mao Zhong, who devoted herself to the service to the gods against her father’s will, and the king decided to kill her daughter to keep her in the earthly world. However, the lord of the underworld set her free and she resurrected. Guanyin taught people to grow rice which became very nutritious as she filled each grain with her milk. Being a symbol of samsara, she stood on a rock among the wild waves saving the shipwrecked as she came to the rescue when people were threatened by sword, demons, water or fire. The main source providing information on Guanyin’s faces is The Lotus Sutra describing 33 main guises of this bodhisattva seven of which are female (Chung). The Buddhist canon depicts the bodhisattva as a female (this tradition was established not earlier than in the 14th century), which reminds of the pre-Buddhist image of Guanyin, however, bodhisattvas are epicene. Guanyin is mostly depicted with four or eight hands, eleven faces, thousand-handed, yet the canon includes even more complicated depictions up to 84000-handed images (which are, in fact, rather rare). As Guanyin is considered to be the helper to women in birth, she is often depicted holding a baby. Her usual attributes include a jar and a willow branch, a rope (which is a symbol of rescue from the miseries of life), beads, a rod, a trident, a tiger-leather skirt (the symbol of fearlessness) etc. Sometimes she is depicted as a girl with the basket filled with fish riding a cloud or a dragon. The image with a thousand hands often has an eye on each palm: this symbolizes that the bodhisattva sees all the people who are in trouble in all the countless worlds of the Universe; moreover, she is believed to save them all with those hands. In Chinese Buddhist tradition, Guanyin is often shown as a female dressed in white flowing clothes and wearing a royal necklace (New World Encyclopedia), she also holds a jar and a willow branch as it was mentioned above. The many-eyed and many-handed depictions (well, the number of hands and eyes is extraordinary) are meant to convey her role as an observer and protector for the needy. The art of her depiction has acquired numerous forms: furthermore, it is even difficult to count all her portrayals in the history of Buddhism as her image is considered to be the most popular among the Buddhist deities’ depictions. Having been depicted about two thousand years ago for the first time, Guanyin is portrayed in countless treasures of art taking numerous forms including brass, clay, wooden and stone sculpture, painting, embroidery and even modern forms of digital art. It should be mentioned that depictions of Guanyin started acquiring female form after Eastern Jin Dynasty portraying mostly beautiful long-haired noble women. Different types of Guanyin depictions will be observed and described further in this paper. 1. “Water-Moon Guanyin” Author: unknown Format: 82.9 x 29.6 cm Medium: rice paper, ink, colors Location: The British Museum collection The picture presented the first is a depiction of Guanyin dating back to the middle of the tenth century found in one of the temple caves in China (Mogao, near Dunhuang, Gansu province). As a ritual depiction of Guanyin, the picture is painted in no so many shades and colors as it was typically done at that time – this was probably made to make such pictures cheaper for poor people to buy. Looking at the picture, one sees the worshipper in the bottom right corner standing on a prayer mat. Guanyin is obviously depicted in the female guise as the clothes are chest-revealing. However, the robe is of noble red color, the deity is wearing royal necklaces and holding the typical attributes described above – a willow branch and a small jar. Guanyin rests upon the rock rising from the lake ‘embellished’ with lotus flowers. Moreover, the group of people approaching from the top left corner might symbolize the diseased. The name of the picture refers to a moon halo surrounding the deity on the background. The baldachin on the top of the picture could symbolize safety and protection as it is a holy image used in rituals. Image source: The British Museum Website http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_image.aspx?image=an243.jpg&retpage=17089 2. “Kuan Yin” Author: Ink Dance Chinese Painting Company Format: 70cm x 130 cm Medium: Chinese rice paper, ink, colors Location: an image for sale The picture 2 is a brilliant specimen of modern commercial pictures of Guanyin sold on the website of the company. As we have already mentioned, some of the goddess’s portrayals depict her holding a baby as she assists women in birth. This image painted with watercolor and ink on rice paper shows us Guanyin in her female guise holding a child. She is depicted as a noble long-haired woman vested in a white robe and wearing princely jewelry. The background of the picture obviously is covered with clouds and contains a moon halo encrowning the figure of Guanyin. Image source: Ink Dance Chinese Painting Company Website http://www.inkdancechinesepaintings.com/kuan-yin/painting-3809007.html 3. “The Great Guanyin Statue” Author: unknown Format: a huge statue – height: 33m, weight: 70metric tons Medium: brass Location: Mount Putuo, the Zhoushan Archipelago The Great Gyanyin Statue located on Mount Putuo is a specimen of depicting the goddess in brass sculpture. The monument rests on the large worship hall hosting 500 more unique brass statues of Guanyin. The statue depicts her as a beautiful young woman wearing splendid clothes and jewelry and holding kind of a steering wheel which may symbolize her rescue and defense of those who suffer from water (e.g. in a shipwreck). Image source: Wikipedia (2000x3008) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/20090606_Putuoshan_8786.jpg 4. Guishan Guanyin of the Thousand Hands and Eyes Author: - Year: 2009 Format: sculpture, height: 99 m Medium: gilded bronze Location: Changsha, China The statue is the seventh largest statue in the world with the height of almost 100 m. Fascinating in its lavish gilding, Guanyin appears before us with a “thousand hands and thousand eyes”. Obviously, she is depicted as in the female guise wearing beautiful clothes, a royal necklace and a crown. There are many faces and an eye on each had. A mild smile on her countenance tells of the goddess’s kindness and ultimate mercy. She is portrayed holding her typical attributes – a willow branch and a jar. Image source: Wikipedia http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosya:Guishan_Guanyin_of_the_Thousand_Hands_and_Eyes.jpeg 5. Gold Guan Yin Statue Author: - Year: 2009 Format: sculpture, 140 kg, 3.8 m high Medium: solid gold Location: Nanshan, China The statue located in Nanshan is recognized as the largest statue of pure gold in Asia. Here the goddess of mercy is depicted in all her splendor and lavishly embellished with gemstones. The statue rests on the jade pedestal shaped as a lotus flower. This depiction of Guan Yin has eight hands each holding her usual attributes conveying principal meaning in Buddhism: for example, a rope (as a symbol of salvation from miseries), a jar as a symbol of fertility, a flower as a symbol of beauty, a musical instrument embodying harmony etc. Her countenance is kind and calm, and face features are delicate. Furthermore, in this portrayal, Guan Yin is wearing a crown and yet no robe, there’s a skirt on her and her breast is revealed – slightly covered only with her royal necklaces decorated with gems. Image source: http://www.dougdoebler.com/x/china/ 6. Kuan Yin of a Thousand Arms and Eyes Author: anonymous Year: Sung Dynasty period, 960-1279 Format: 176.8x76.2 cm Medium: hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk Location: National Palace Museum Collection As the picture is dated by the period before the 14th century, there’s no surprise that Guanyin is depicted here as a male – moreover, he is painted with a moustache, yet with fine and delicate face features. However, the features are rather feminine, and thus we almost anticipate his further transformation into the female goddess of mercy and compassion. He is painted with a thousand hands holding jars, flowers, ropes and other attributes and 26 heads (plus one Buddha head) here, resting upon the lotus-shaped pedestal held by the four Heavenly Kings. The colors of the painting are very rich and elegant being abundant with ‘gold’; the image is very fine and detailed. Image source: National Palace Museum Website http://www.npm.gov.tw/masterpiece/fPreview.aspx?sNo=04000970 7. Guanyin seated in royal-ease pose Author: anonymous Year: ca. 1250 Format: wood sculpture, height: 110cm Medium: wood, pigments, white clay Location: Princeton University Art Museum This portrayal of Guan Yin is a perfect specimen of her depiction in wooden sculpture. What is peculiar is that it’s unclear whether the deity is portrayed female or male, and this gives a spectator a hint of the deity’s genderless nature. Guanyin has a regular number of hands and sitting in a relaxed pose. She (or he) is wearing chest-revealing clothes, her breast slightly covered with a necklace and a piece of her clothes’ drapery. The face features are fine and chiseled. However, the goddess has neither her attributes nor a thousand hands or eyes in this sculpture. Image source: Princeton University Art Museum Website http://etcweb.princeton.edu/asianart/selectionsdetail.jsp?ctry=China&pd=&id=1035370 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Works Cited: Gill, N. S., Guanyin - the Goddess of Mercy, from: http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/ggodsandgoddesses/g/061010Guanyin.htm New World Encyclopedia, Guan Yin, from: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Guan_Yin#Depiction Tan Chung. Across the Himalayan Gap: An Indian Quest for Understanding China. 1998. p. 222 Read More