In the Mogao Grottoes, I was interested in seeing many statues and murals of the male Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, which confirmed the statue of the "South China Sea Avalokitesvara Hercules" that I saw in Mount Putuo in 1984. Before that, I had always thought that Guanyin Bodhisat

Male Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva before the Tang Dynasty

Male Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

Male Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

In the Mogao Grottoes, I was interested in seeing many statues and murals of the male Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, which confirmed my 1984 The statue of "Guanyin Guanshiyin in the South China Sea" seen in Putuo Mountain. Before that, I had always thought that Guanyin Bodhisattva was Guanyin the Empress, the only female representative of Bodhisattvas, but it turned out that she was also a great male Bodhisattva. Later, I read in the book that the Guanyin Bodhisattva in before Tang Dynasty had a male body. Later, it gradually evolved into a female body according to the wishes of the Chinese people, and became the image of Guanyin we see now. This time I came to Mogao Grottoes to see the true appearance of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Almost all the Guanyin Bodhisattva in the murals there have mustaches, have halos behind them, and stand on lotus flowers or sit in meditation. After the mid-Tang Dynasty, the image of the female Guanyin gradually appeared on the murals. After I came back and looked up the relevant information, I learned the following:

The male body of Guanyin Bodhisattva

The male body of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

The male body of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

Avalokiteśvara, Sanskrit Avalokiteśvara, also known as Avalokiteśvara, Avalokitesvara , Guangshiyin Bodhisattva, which literally means "observing the voices of people in the world", is one of the four great Bodhisattvas. He has a dignified and kind appearance, and often holds a willow purifier in his hand. He has infinite wisdom and magical powers, is compassionate and compassionate, and saves all suffering in the world. When people encounter disaster, they just need to recite its name and go to rescue, so it is called Guanyin. In Buddhism, he is the first Bodhisattva under the seat of Amitabha, the leader of the Western Paradise World. Together with the "Mahasthamaprapta" Bodhisattva, he is the attendant Bodhisattva beside Amitabha. He is also known as the "Three Saints of the West" and is also one of the important subjects of art. one.

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Wu Daozi advanced religious figure painting to a highly expressive, vivid and touching state. His representative work was the "Male Guanyin Statue". The murals with the theme of Avalokitesvara in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang mainly include " Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara Variation", "Bully Silk Suo Avalokitesvara Variation", "Water Moon Avalokitesvara", " Ruyilun Guanyin Variation" , "Avalokitesvara Sutra Transformation Picture", etc. The ink-colored statue of Guanyin painted by Ding Yunpeng in the late Ming Dynasty is different from the traditional painting method. The Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva depicted in the picture looks like the Virgin Mary, with her clothes and forehead exposed, big eyes and small mouth, holding a baby in her arms, sitting on a stone with an animal skin-like futon, closing her eyes and meditating, while a parrot flies in the air.

"Avalokitesvara" is an Indian Bodhisattva. From several Buddhist scriptures that record Guanyin's life experience, we can see that Avalokitesvara is a male Bodhisattva among the Mahayana Buddhist Bodhisattvas. Guanyin Bodhisattva was introduced to China around the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and became increasingly popular with the popularity of the Pure Land Sect during the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

Male statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

Male statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

Male statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

The belief of the Pure Land Sect is to recite the name of Buddha and be reborn in Amitabha Buddha. The Pure Land is the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. The social turmoil in the Wei and Jin Dynasties was the root of social reality that caused the prevalence of this belief. A turbulent society filled with mourning and suffering has prompted people to believe in Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, who saves people from suffering. In the vast kingdom of Buddha and Bodhisattva in Indian Buddhism, the Chinese people quickly chose Guanyin Bodhisattva because the majority of people prayed for a savior who could save people from water and fire and relieve people from hanging upside down. In the face of frequent natural and man-made disasters, ordinary people who are helpless, disappointed and even desperate need such a savior.

When Chinese people accept Indian Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they do not copy them all, but transform them into Chinese Bodhisattvas. With the development of the Sinicization of Buddhism, the image of Guanyin in India has gradually undergone major changes. This change is that in the early days when Guanyin came to China, she sat in Buddhist temples and shrines in the image of a "great husband" male Bodhisattva. For example, in the murals of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and the wood carvings of and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Guanyin appeared in the image of a man. There are also two mustaches. Later, especially after the Tang and Song Dynasties, Guanyin completely transformed into a female Bodhisattva, and she was a very beautiful and charming female Bodhisattva.Her standard is like "Holy Avalokitesvara", also known as " Zhengguanyin " and "Holy Avalokitesvara", which is the general representative of various treasures of Avalokitesvara.

Among all the Buddha statues, only the images of Guanyin Bodhisattva are varied, such as: Horse-headed Guanyin, Eleven-faced Guanyin , Ruyilun Guanyin, Zhunhao Guanyin, The Gifting Lady , Thousand-hands and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin , Wait, this also shows the various begging wishes of the Chinese people in the face of various sufferings. For example, infertile families hope that Guanyin will give them children, and the image of Guanyin becomes the Queen of Gifts; people who have been wronged hope that Guanyin will have a thousand hands and eyes, so that she can see sins clearly and catch the bad guys, and the image of Guanyin will become. Avalokitesvara with Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes, etc. Among the many gods, only Guanyin Bodhisattva is loved by the Chinese people because she is the omnipotent and wise Bodhisattva.

The above experience also fulfilled my wish. I not only understood ancient history, but also "experienced" public opinion. There is a saying that goes like this: "Reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books."

July 2, 2010