Guanyin

Pictures of revered teachers, places, rupas, temples, bhikkhus, shrine rooms etc. that bring inspiration to our members. Pilgrimage advice, devotion etc.
Justsit
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Re: Guanyin

Post by Justsit »

Sorry, being unmindful, sincere apologies
:bow:
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Ben
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Location: kanamaluka

Re: Guanyin

Post by Ben »

Justsit wrote:Sorry, being unmindful, sincere apologies
:bow:
No worries, Justsit!
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

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tiltbillings
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Re: Guanyin

Post by tiltbillings »

Justsit wrote:Sorry, being unmindful, sincere apologies
:bow:
Nothing to apologize for. Honestly, if one finds Mahayana moving, there really is not a problem with that.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Anders
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Re: Guanyin

Post by Anders »

At the risk of continuing to be off-topic, I'm going to be bold anyway as I think there's an amusing and slight dhamma related point in it:

I was once told, secondhand, that one Asutralian bhikkhu (don't recall his name, no one famous), once remarked that once he actually got to see a female deva himself, it really took the gloss off what desire he might have for ordinary human women. Apparently, they are so ridiculously beautiful, he could just never look at human women again without them looking utterly flawed and plain in comparison.
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tiltbillings
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Re: Guanyin

Post by tiltbillings »

Anders Honore wrote:At the risk of continuing to be off-topic, I'm going to be bold anyway as I think there's an amusing and slight dhamma related point in it:

I was once told, secondhand, that one Asutralian bhikkhu (don't recall his name, no one famous), once remarked that once he actually got to see a female deva himself, it really took the gloss off what desire he might have for ordinary human women. Apparently, they are so ridiculously beautiful, he could just never look at human women again without them looking utterly flawed and plain in comparison.
And it was with The Buddha's cousin, Nanda:


http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .irel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Anders
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Re: Guanyin

Post by Anders »

tiltbillings wrote:
Anders Honore wrote:At the risk of continuing to be off-topic, I'm going to be bold anyway as I think there's an amusing and slight dhamma related point in it:

I was once told, secondhand, that one Asutralian bhikkhu (don't recall his name, no one famous), once remarked that once he actually got to see a female deva himself, it really took the gloss off what desire he might have for ordinary human women. Apparently, they are so ridiculously beautiful, he could just never look at human women again without them looking utterly flawed and plain in comparison.
And it was with The Buddha's cousin, Nanda:


http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .irel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
:D

Way I was told was that this was the experience of the Australian bhikkhu in question.
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tiltbillings
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Re: Guanyin

Post by tiltbillings »

Anders Honore wrote: Way I was told was that this was the experience of the Australian bhikkhu in question.
Well, being an Australian bhikkhu, it is probably a true story. She probably protected him from a drop-bear or a bunyip. Probably a good thing I have never seen a devatā.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
Dhammanucara
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Re: Guanyin

Post by Dhammanucara »

Although now I'm a Theravadan, I owed a lot to Guanyin whom I regarded to be almost like my mother in my quest of discovering Buddhism. He/she is the first 'being' that I meet, or otherwise maybe today I'm not a Buddhist at all. I started getting interested in Buddhism after I read about Guanyin and her description in the Lotus Sutra Chapter 25 (a famous Mahayana sutra). Beginning from that point of time, I started learning more and more about Buddhism and in the end ventured into Theravada where I finally found my path. And yes, there have been shifts in my perception about Guanyin overtime. When I first knew her, I considered her a Bodhisattva, then a manifestation of a past Buddha, then as a concept that represents the ultimate selfless love and compassion, a deity, etc, but now, I could only be satisfied with the last two. She could be a Bodhisattva or even a past Buddha, I certainly don't know and can't be sure about that, but I need to express my gratitude to her for bringing me into Buddhism :smile:

With metta,
Dhammanucara :anjali:
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some1
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Location: Penang, Malaysia

Re: Guanyin

Post by some1 »

The image posted by OP is actually from the oil paintings series "Dunhuang Flying Series" (敦煌飞天, i.e. "Gandharvas of Dunhuang") by a modern Chinese artist Zeng Hau(曾浩).

"Guanyin" in Chinese tradition is definitely not a Gandharva (Pali: Gandhabba). Anyway, in popular culture, it is not uncommon to compare beatiful female image with Guanyin.
:focus:
Ontheway
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Re: Guanyin

Post by Ontheway »

When I was a Mahayana believer, I always going to a temple praying to her (him?).... Well, none of my prayers work. :lol:

Chinese Guan-Yin
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Thai Guan-Yin at Chinatown, Yaowarach (BKK)
27336576_2095036937192743_5906046092810310119_n.jpg

Japanese Anime Guan-Yin
918e40f3a3ca4f99965edc9e32e321ca.jpeg
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Hiriottappasampannā,
sukkadhammasamāhitā;
Santo sappurisā loke,
devadhammāti vuccare.

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