Remembering Küan Yin
with Paul K. T. Sih
In his spiritual autobiography, From Confucius to Christ, Paul K. T. Sih recalled:
If in my early years I had any religious concepts at all, they could possibly be traced to my grandmother. She was a zealous Buddhist and especially a worshipper of Küan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy [a.k.a. Bodhisattva of Compassion].... I often saw her kneeling before the porcelain statuette of Küan Yin, praying fervently for her blessing. Since becoming Catholic I have often been struck by the similarity of Küan Yin in posture to the mediaeval statues of [Mary] the Blessed Virgin....I cherished the idea of salvation made possible through the intercession of the Bodhisattva (or "enlightened ones"), who had attained to the enlightenment of the Buddha but continued their existence in this world in order to rescue others.... The salvation of others through the selflessness of the enlightened ones was made possible on the principle that merit could be transferred....
[T]he popular Buddhist prayer: Küan Yin, Goddess of Mercy, save the poor and the helpless, in the glory of Buddha, was a solid mental foundation that enabled me to say very naturally the Angelical Salutation: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee [....pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death]....
How good God is to use my filial devotion to Küan Yin as an instrument for opening my eyes to see that devotion to the Blessed Virgin [Mary, mother of Jesus] is the touchstone of true Christianity!
The oft-noted similarity between Küan Yin and the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to be no coincedence. Küan Yin originated, around the 2nd century, as the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in India. Chinese Buddhists adopted Avalokitesvara, whose name was then translated "Küan Yin," around the 3rd century. But Küan Yin was originally depicted as a male. It was not until after the introduction of Christianity (known then as Jingjiao, "Luminous Religion") into China, by the Assyrian Church of the East in the 6th century, that the Chinese Küan Yin began to appear more and more feminine. It is entirely possible that Küan Yin's transformation was inspired by Christian images of Mary. Catholic Jesuits (members of the Society of Jesus) were struck by Küan Yin's later similarity to Marian iconography. It was these Jesuits who first coined Küan Yin's nickname "Goddess of Mercy."
In other words, Paul K.T. Sih's experience of Küan Yin was already an indirect experience of Mary because Küan Yin is probably an image of Mary.
Buddhist bodhisattvas are in many ways similar to Christian saints or "holy ones." The bodhisattvas, according to Buddhist belief, are people who have attained enlightenment yet continue to be present to this world for the benefit of others, to rescue and help others attain their goal. Within the Mahayana Buddhist school, bodhisattvas, moved by compassion, are believed to help others by sharing their own merits and glory. The saints or "holy ones" in Christ are people who have attained the fulness of divine life by grace, yet they are still present to this world for the benefit of others, to help others attain abaundant life in Christ. Moved by perfect compassion and love, they willingly share their own merits and glory with people here on earth.
This compassionate commitment of the holy ones was perhaps best expressed by Carmelite Saint Therese of Lisieux, also known as the "Little Flower":
"I will spend my Heaven doing good upon earth."
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John Augustine
Catholic Taoist