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The
heart of Kuan Yin's appeal is compassion for suffering humanity; indeed for all
suffering life. The hopeful message of the compassion and mercy, salvation
and hope of the Lotus Sutra continues to infuse and inspire devotion to the One
who Hears the Cries of the World. The
greatest significance of Kuan Yin is as the embodiment of the divine
feminine. In Kuan Yin we encounter compassion. In the world of
spirits, devils, demons, ghosts, maverick deities, angry ancestors and the like,
she shines like a divine lighthouse, leading home the lost, the bewildered and
the distressed. In Her worship, the divine becomes suffused with beauty
and grace, with love and mercy, with gentleness and wisdom. In this Kuan
Yin stands stark contrast to most of the other power deities of China and Japan. By
invoking Kuan Yin, one reaches out to touch the light side, the gentle side of
divinity. In seeking Her help, Her guidance, you hear the softer wisdom of
woman amidst the preaching of the Buddhas or the war cries of the combatant
deities. To listen to or to gaze upon Kuan Yin is to be calmed, centered
and in this way, brought to see both your depths and your limitations. In
praise of Her, great artists of stone, wood, metal, and word have sought to
create beauty, tranquility and peace. For the millions around the world
who turn to Her each day, this is what Kuan Shih Yin, the One who Hears the
Cries of the World, the feminine made divine, offers to those who will meet Her.
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