Two Precious Scroll Narratives of Guanyin and Her ... - Khamkoo

Introduction
Even while the stern and majestic image of the Śākyamuni Buddha
occupies the place of honor in every Buddhist temple throughout
East Asia, among lay believers the veneration he receives pales in
comparison to that offered to the bodhisattva Guanyin. If the
Buddha holds out the elusive promise of nirvana to those who
have chosen a monastic career, the bodhisattva is eager to come
to the rescue of all those in need who appeal to her. The bodhisattva’s
almost universal veneration is testified to both by the
ubiquitous small statues on domestic altars and by the colossal
images erected in the open air, wherever the public manifestation
of this veneration is allowed. Guanyin—the Chinese translation of
Avalokiteśvara—has enjoyed this popular veneration almost from
the very moment his/her name was introduced into East Asia a little
less than two thousand years ago. Initially Guanyin was venerated
in the form of a handsome young prince, whose male gender was
underlined by his thin moustache. In later centuries he/she was
also venerated in various esoteric manifestations, the most popular
of which was the Guanyin with a Thousand Arms and a Thousand
Eyes. From the tenth century onward, however, Guanyin was increasingly
venerated in the shape of a woman, initially a dazzlingly
beautiful young girl, later more often a stately matron. 1
Modern scholarship continues to debate the question of Guanyin’s
change of gender. 2 But from the ninth century, the popular
imagination came up with various legends that related, often in
great detail, the history of Guanyin’s female manifestations. The
most popular of these legends focuses on her mortal life as the Princess
Miaoshan (Marvelous Goodness). The beginning of the development
of this legend can be traced to the very first years of the
1