The
intricate carving, experienced precision, well-balanced arrangement and
mighty sitting position of the statue predictably indicate the highest
artistic achievement in the ancient Vietnamese Buddhist arts of the 17th century. This particular statue has been a loaner for museum display worldwide on many occasions.
For
a while now, this statue of Kwan-Yin of Thousand Arms and Eyes is used
as standard for numerous carving and sculpting of thousands other
statues being revered at temples throughout Vietnam as well as many
community temples all around the world. Some are sculpted by many
well-known sculptors and are valuable in artistry, as well as
representation of wisdom, compassion, and total enlightenment and
salvation.
In
Vietnam, the tradition of having Kwan-Yin statue made of ceramic,
stone, or wood carving placed in individuals’ homes went back all the
way to the Mac dynasty around the end of the 16th century
(1527-1592). It was usually the statue of Kwan-Yin in the lotus-sitting
position that became very popular around this time and remained one of
the favorites among Vietnamese Buddhists. But it was also during this
same era that sculpting Kwan-Yin statues especially that of the Thousand
Eyes and Arms has become the highlight of Buddhist arts.
Figure 1 Quan Am Chua But Thap
In
Vietnam this tradition of choosing Kwan-Yin of the Thousand Arms and
Eyes has been of long-standing and needs to be further studied and
thoroughly understood. The statue originated from the most commonly
chanted mantra of Great Compassion (s. Maha Karuna Dharani, ch. Da-Bei Zhou, v. Chú Đại Bi) which in its complete long name in Sanskrit is called the Avalokitesvaraya Bodhisattvaya Mahasattvaya Karuna Dharani mantra
and translated to the Great Compassion mantra of Kwan-Yin of Thousand
Arms and Thousand Eyes. It is one of the most favorites chanting mantra
not just among the monastics but with lay practitioners as well. No one
knows of when it became so universal and in general use. History
indicated that during the Ly dynasty, one of the well-known Zen master
Tu Dao Hanh (? – 1117) was known to practice reciting this Great
Compassion mantra one hundred times per day, plus thousands of other
monastic members were said to exclusively choose this mantra in their
daily practice. Tradition has it that Master Tu Dao Hanh of Thay Temple
in Ha Tay province of Vietnam, attained enlightenment through the
miraculous efficacy of this particular mantra of the Thousand Armed and
Eyed Kwan-Yin Bodhisattva.
From the 13th
century onwards, Bodhisattva Kwan-Yin of Thousand Arms and Eyes was
more recognized by the general public. Many statues were created for
large and famous temples. However there is no evidence of any remnants
of these statues from this prominent era in the majority of temples in
North Vietnam. The Great Compassion temple was also constructed during
this period. Its name alone is enough to give us the sense of how
profound the influence of this mantra was to the general public, and how
they adored, revered, and believed in the marvels of this Kwan-Yin
Bodhisattva.
Even though during the 15th
century in Vietnam, Buddhism went through a period of low hibernation,
there were still evidence of numerous statues of Kwan-Yin being made and
that the faith in Kwan-yin was still very strong, despite a difficult
and weakened time for Buddhism in history. Once Buddhism regained its
status in the mid 16th century, the same statue of Thousand
Armed and Eyed Kwan-yin also resurfaced, and entered into its
highly-renowned artistry that we know now. Among them are statues
depicting many “folklore” Kwan-Yin such as Kwan-Yin sitting on Mountain,
“Thi Kinh” Kwan-Yin, “Dieu Thien” Kwan-Yin, and Kwan-Yin with Child…
The
Kwan-Yin with Child is a statue of a female Bodhisattva – sometimes
also known as Thi Kinh Kwan-Yin. She carried a child on her arms, and
was found to originate sometimes during the 17th century and has become familiar and well celebrated in the 18th
century. The female compassionated features of this statue appealed to
women who cannot bear children or have no sons to carry on the family
legacy. In the ancient Asian – Vietnamese included – social and cultural
belief, married women who cannot give their husbands and family sons
are doomed; these women often came to “pray” to Kwan-Yin with Child in
order to have boys to fulfill the task of their dedication to the
ancestors. This same Kwan-Yin also is the patron for those unmarried
women often ridiculed by society.
The
folklore story of Kwan-Yin with Child, also called “Thi Kinh” Kwan-Yin
was made into legendary plays, folklore musicals, as well as entered the
world of literature. So it is well known by the older generation. And
the legend goes like this:
There
was a beautiful woman of good standards whose family name was Mang, and
her given name was Thi Kinh. She married a scholar named Thien Si. She
devoted her time taking care of him as a good wife should, assuring his
comfort and well-being for long hours of studying. She wanted her
husband to pass all his difficult examinations and to succeed at
becoming a prestigious officer in society.
One
particular night, exhausted with hours at the books, Thien Si fell
asleep at his study desk. While sitting next to him and knitting his
sweater, Thi Kinh noticed a misdirected hair growing backward from his
neck. She thought that the hair might bother her husband and cause
trouble for him. So without waking him up, she used the scissors to try
and remove it for him. Unfortunately, Thien Si woke up from his sleep at
the very moment when she raised the sharp knife. Startled at seeing his
own wife with a knife held close to his throat, he screamed for help
saying that his wife was out to murder him. His mother came and the two
of them threw Thi Kinh out of the house to return to her home village,
without even giving her a chance to explain.
Wrongly
blamed, unfairly treated, Thi Kinh left her husband’s home. She could
not think of returning to her parents because that would bring a bad
name to her family. So desperate and saddened, she wandered far away to
another village, eventually transformed herself into a man, and entered a
temple to start a monastic life with devoted chanting morning and
night. Later Thi Kinh (now a novice monk) was given the dharma name Kinh
Tam and after a time practicing diligently and with sincere effort, his
master allowed him to take the vow to become a Buddhist monk.
But
not too long afterwards, other troubles surfaced, pounding Kinh Tam on
the head once again. A beautiful rich girl named Thi Mau, who frequented
the temple on occasions, had fallen in love with the handsome and
saintly Kinh Tam. When Kinh Tam would not return her love (there is no
way because Kinh Tam was really the female Thi Kinh), she turned nasty
and found way to revenge for being rejected.
Thi
Mau then had intimate relationship with one of the servant in her
household and became pregnant. When confronted, she blamed that Kinh Tam
had taken advantage of her and was the father for her unborn child.
Kinh
Tam was taken to court, was fined and punished. He was ridiculed for
being a monk who did unthinkable and disgraceful things. Injustice
struck once more, the young monk was held responsible for something he
couldn’t have done. But Kinh Tam would never reveal his true identity.
His master, with much compassion and love, paid the extravagant fine and
brought Kinh Tam back to the temple, but he was no longer allowed to
associate and function together with the rest of the monks. He had to
live out by the bell tower at the three-entrance gate.
Meanwhile
after giving birth to a little boy, Thi Mau left the baby at the
temple’s gate. Being a female by nature with an innate love for
children, Kinh Tam took in the baby and raised it with the utmost care
and love only a mother could provide. Each day the monk Kinh Tam went to
the village begging for milk to feed the baby. This got the village’s
tongue wagging a whole lot more than before. When the boy was three
years old, Kinh Tam became severely ill. At this point, Kinh Tam/Thi
Kinh had no choice but to contact Thi Kinh’s own parents to confess and
to request that they would come and take care of the baby. Then he/she
passed away.
Only
after Kinh Tam’s death that everyone found out that he was actually a
she, and that his/her love and sacrifice was unbelievably great, as well
as his/her pain and hardship suffered twice was unbelievably unjust.
Now everyone admired and revered Thi Kinh, they gave her the best and
most solemn funeral rites, trying to undo her injustice.
In
the middle of the ceremony, suddenly there was a pleasant aroma all
over in the air, and when people looked up toward the sky, they saw the
shadow of Thi Kinh in the form of Kwan-Yin on high clouds with brilliant
haloes and five-colored lights radiated brightly from her. She was then
deemed Thi-Kinh Quan Am.
From
this story came the statue of Kwan-Yin in the female personification in
her last life. This particular Vietnamese form of Kwan-Yin did not
appear with thousand arms and thousand eyes that was getting more known
and famous like the one at But Thap Temple in Bac Ninh province.
However, this story of Kwan-Yin with Child has become very dear to the
common woman traditionally being a mother with her child on her loving
arms. For the ridiculed women who cannot bear male children in the
patriarchal societies that prefer male over female offspring to carry
the family lineage, this Kwan-Yin is regarded as the god to whom they
make sacrilegious offerings in seeking the birth of boys. This is not
only relevant in the Vietnamese Buddhism, but takes roots in the
traditional cultures of many south east Asian countries including China,
Japan and Korea. On the Buddhist standpoint, it originates from the
“Universal Gate (of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva)” chapter of the Lotus
Sutra (v. Kinh Phổ Môn).
In
this Universal Gate chapter, there is a section that directly mentioned
the sacred and miraculous prayer to this Bodhisattva in women who
called upon her to seek the birth of boys or girls. It is translated as:
"If
women who seek sons bow and make offerings to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva,
they will give birth to blessed, virtuous, and wise sons. If they seek
daughters, they will give birth to upright and handsome daughters who
have planted roots of virtue in previous lives and who are regarded and
respected by all. (from the Translation by the Buddhist Text Translation Society in USA. http://www.buddhistdoor.com/oldweb/resources/sutras/lotus/sources/contents.htm)
The
original Lotus Sutra in Sanskrit language, as well as few direct
translations to English do not distinctly specify the sex of this
Kwan-Yin (Avalokiteshvara) Bodhisattva. But in the Chinese and
Vietnamese traditions, Kwan-Yin or Quan Am is mostly known to have a
female physique. And through the folklore story told above, one can see
the influence of female personification of Kwan-Yin in the Vietnamese
Buddhist culture.
Most
older Buddhist practitioners of Vietnamese ethnicity should have heard
or known about this “Quan Am Thi Kinh” as well as “Quan Am with Child”
stories that have been very popular for quite some times. We retold the
story mainly for the new generation of young folks who have not had the
chance to find out, and who would apparently be astonished and confused
at seeing some statues of Kwan-Yin with loving look of a mother with a
child on her arms, or children nearby. This truly originated from
Vietnam only.
Besides
Kwan-Yin with Child, and Quan Am Thi Kinh, there is also another form
of Kwan-Yin that originated from the Chinese cultural beliefs of the
early 11th century called Kwan-Yin Dieu Thien.
During the early years of the 11th
century, there was an emperor who had no sons to pass down the throne.
The queen gave birth to three successive girls who were the most
beautiful women. The two older ones grew up and married rich princes.
The youngest daughter, named Dieu Thien, just desired a spiritual life
of a nun in a monastery. Due to her sincerity, diligence, persistence,
and great practice effort, she was able to enter many layers of
hell-dwelling habitats and rescued numerous souls and beings from
purgatory. She went into the high mountains and meditated for nine years
until attaining miraculous healing powers. With this blessed healing
powers, she cured her king-father of his terminal illness by sacrificing
her own body parts for him, and alleviated the pain and suffering of
many people from diseases and illnesses by appearing as a kind
physician. And finally appearing as Kwan-yin Bodhisattva, she converted
her whole royal clan to follow the right path to attain salvation.
It
is hard to pinpoint when the above story from China was orally
transmitted to our Vietnamese folklore treasure chest; but it was right
around the 16th century when Kwan-Yin Dieu Thien started to
be commonly known in the general population. On a stone inscription in
1578 during the Mac dynasty, a famed scholar Nguyen Binh Khiem
(1491-1585) had mentioned Dieu Thien Kwan-Yin being installed at Cao
Duong temple. It also explained Dieu Thien was a special icon of the
gentle and compassionate Buddhist teaching. Not until the end of the 17th or early 18th
century that the tales about Dieu Thien and Quan Am Nam Hai (possibly
the same or slight variant of the same story) were written in the Nôm
script (chữ Nôm is an adapted Vietnamese script using part Chinese characters and part newly invented Vietnamese characters) and started to show up in our literature.
Meanwhile,
the Kwan-Yin of Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes is found to be in close
relation with the recitation of the Great Compassion Darani Mantra. It
eventually became an enormous iconography for many Buddhist temples in
our country. The Kwan-Yin in these folklore stories literally gave us an
explanation to the odd representation with many hands and eyes of this
Bodhisattva. These stories also bound to the social beliefs of the
people that women have to bear male offspring’s to be dutifully pious to
the family ancestry.
In
reality, only the large temples or the elite class in society have the
resources and capability to order the sculpting of such behemoth and
intricately detailed statues like the one still remained at the But Thap
temple in North Vietnam.
The
Vietnamese Buddhist followers always know of Kwan-Yin Bodhisattva as
one who manifests in numerous personifications for aid and rescue
missions. In the Pure land sect, on the other hand, Kwan-Yin is also
revered as the helper of Amitabha Buddha in the Pure Land of the Eastern
realm in guiding the recent-deaths to their blissful eternal
non-returning place. Kwan-Yin is also seen as the gentle and magnificent
Buddha who resides over the Nam Hai ocean to watch over and rescue
those misfortune souls lost or in danger out at sea.
Incidentally,
the million of Vietnamese Boat people, on their quest for freedom and
dangerous escape by sea, have lots of miraculous stories where they are
saved by just truly believing and praying to Kwan-Yin Bodhisattva of
Thousand Eyes and Arms. It is no wonder that Kwan-Yin needs thousand
arms and thousand eyes, because sentient beings are numerous, and they
are not just in danger and need to be rescued from the ocean, but from
the sea of ignorance and sufferings in which they are forever submerged
as well. Moreover, Kwan-Yin with her inconceivable and immense
compassion, would also reach out to those unfortunate souls who have
fallen into many levels of purgatory and who really needed liberation as
well.
The
doctrine of compassion and wisdom together with the profound concept of
salvation and enlightenment in the Mahayana Buddhist teachings have
ingrained in our body and soul, penetrated deep into our very own
breathing and laughter since the very beginning of Buddhism. And it is
the iconic statue of Kwan-Yin (Quan Am) of Thousand Arms and Thousand
Eyes that manifests and represents such philosophical profundity.
Namo Great Compassion Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva Mahasattva.
From Truc Lam Temple, Chicago, Illinois
Sunday,
April 29, 2007 on the occasion of Statue Placement Ceremony of the
newly acquired statue of Quan Am of Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes.
Viên Minh (The Buddhist Translation Group)