Instead, she chose the life of modesty and self-sacrificing – she went to live in a convent to become a truly enlightened person (bodhisattva). Her story is very similar to the story of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama – Buddha, and that’s why she if often regarded to as the female Buddha. Both, Kwan and Siddhartha Gautama managed to become truly enlightened and compassionate beings; both of them were striving to ease the sufferings of humankind.
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The legend says that when Kwan Yin became enlightened and obtained the right to enter Nirvana (Buddhist Heaven), she proceeded to Heaven’s gates. She almost entered the gates, when she heard a sad cry made by someone on Earth. Being as compassionate as she was, Kwan returned to Earth to help the suffering person. She never entered Heaven’s gate, and remained on Earth to help people. The legend has it that she is still on Earth helping those who suffer, as well as helping anyone become as enlightened as her.
Kwan is the goddess and the embodiment of compassion. Similar to the Western Virgin Mary, she is the Eastern embodiment of a motherly figure. Those who suffer are her children, and they can always count on her for love, compassion, and sympathy. She is also the embodiment of true beauty and grace.
There are ways to increase the aid from Kwan. This can be done by chanting mantras that contain her name, or by placing figurines or images depicting her in your home. This way, whenever you are in trouble or despair, you can call her name or look at her picture, and this kind motherly being will come to the rescue. Her most notable feature is that she protects all, regardless of their social status and any other factors. When her help is needed, she comes to absolutely anyone’s rescue.
The origins of Kwan became a target of controversy in 406 A.D., when a Buddhist monk named Kumarajiva translated the Indian Lotus Sutra. In his translation, he refers to Kwan as the female form of Avalokitesvara – the male bodhisattva. However, the figure of the legendary Chinese princess Miao Shan (700 B.C.) – one of the sacred Buddhist saints, secured Kwan’s image as a woman.
Kwan Yin is often depicted holding a precious vase with the sacred essence of wisdom and compassion. She is frequently depicted in white robes with a lotus in her hand, which symbolizes purity of spirit. Since she can hear anyone’s cry, she is often depicted with symbolic large ears. Her radiant identity is associated with the number 33. In the 9-10th centuries, the statue of this goddess could be found in any Buddhist monastery throughout China. Even now Kwan is the embodiment of a compassionate, wise, beautiful, and graceful deity. It’s believed 1/3 of the world still pray to Kwan Yin (Miao Shan) – the ideal of womanhood and infinite mercy.