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In China， the statue of Kwan-yin could be seen in al- most every Buddhist temple or the household niche of a Buddhist follower. In China， even a man who doesn’t know Shakyamuni could know Kwan-yin. Along with the Buddhism that moved into China from India in the Eastern Han Dynasty， Kwan-yin also stepped into the Chinese culture. Kwan-yin was called Avalokitesvara in the Sanskrit sutras. In the past centuries， it was given different kinds of translated names in the Chinese Buddhist sutras. Dharmaraksha， a famous monk from India in the Jin Dynasty， translated it into “Kwang kwan-yin” （Light Kwan-yin）. Kumarajiva， a Buddhist follower in the Later Qin Dynasty and one of the top four Buddhist translators in China， translated it into “Kwan-Shi-Yin”. Master Xuanzang from the Tang Dynasty turned it into “Kwan Zi-zai” （freedom）. In addition， there were other translations， such as “Sacred Kwan-yin” and“Kwan-Shi-Yin Freedom”.
Among these translated names， Kwan-Shi-Yin was most widely accepted and used. That’s because of the significant position of the Saddharmapundarika Sutra translated by Kumarajiva which was considered to be “best of all Buddhist sutras in China”. The 25th chapter of the sutra， which was titled as “The Buddhist chanting of Avalokitesvara”， was a special chapter about “Kwan-yin”. The popularity of this chapter in China led to the wide acceptance and use of “Kwan-yin”.
In the Tang Dynasty， where the Buddhism developed very quickly， the name “Kwan-Shi-Yin” contained the character “Shi” that was a part of the name of Li Shimin， Emperor Taizong of Tang. This was a great taboo in ancient China， so people began to use “Kwan-yin” instead of “Kwan-Shi-Yin” to show the respect for the emperor. This also matched Chinese people’s habit of being simple. From then on， the name“Kwan-yin” was born and used up to now.
“Kwan-yin” contains two meaning： the first meaning is based on the literal implication： “watching the sound”. It could be used as the initial approach for the Buddhist followers who just began their practices. Since the Avalokitesvara is watching the sounds of the universe to detect lies and see through the heart and soul， it reminds Buddhist followers to cleans their minds of the mundane thoughts and earthly ideas， an initial step to achieve the perfect wisdom required by the Buddhist doctrines. As said in the Buddhist classic work Surangama Sutra， “the Avalokitesvara could hear in a close range to get to know a man’s personality and based on that the Avalokitesvara could decide whether this man deserved the Buddhist wisdom”. The second meaning implied at “saving all sentimental beings in the world from the torment”. It is said that Kwanyin came to rescue those suffering by hearing the sounds of the universe. As said in the Buddhist Enchanting of the Avalokitesvara， “millions of sentimental beings in the world are suffering from their own worries. When they know of the Avalokitesvara， they could recite his name in his mind. The Bodhisattva could have heard them and come to release them from the worries”.
Here we can see in the traditional Buddhist sutras， Kwanyin was considered to be a male. But in China， most of the statues in Buddhist temples and the figures in books， TVs and films show that Kwan-yin is a female wearing a gem crown on her head， a jade necklace around her neck， a colorful silk robe and an apron. She is usually described to be a classic beautiful woman with a jade vase supported by her left hand and several willow branches held in her right hand. The statues and the actions of moveable characters could easily show the feminine characters of Kwan-yin.
When Kwan-yin was brought into China， the Bodhisattva was still considered to be a male. In the murals of Dunhuang， the Avalokitesvara was found to have a pair of mustaches above his lips. In the silk scroll painting The Picture of Guiding Bodhisattva， which was drawn in the Tang Dynasty and reserved in the British Museum， the Avalokitesvara apparently had a male body.
Some classic Buddhist sutras said that the Avalokitesvara was originally the eldest son of Cakravarti-raja， the ruler of ancient India. In the Surangama Sutra， the Avalokitesvara was described as a deity that has 32 avatars， which could be male or female and show up in light of the situation and need. In the Dharani Sutra to Praise the Great， Perfect and Merciful Avalokitesvara with 500 Pairs of Eyes and Hands， the Avalokitesvara， who has the duty to save every sentimental being from their own suffering， grows a thousand hands and eyes to find anyone who need help. Since the Avalokitesvara is considered to be kindhearted， benevolent and merciful， Chinese people easily matched the Bodhisattva to the characteristics of a mother. And the religious characters usually carry people’s admiration and inclination for the beauty in China. Therefore， Kwan-yin was shifted from a male in India into a young and beautiful female in China. It is an adaptation to the Chinese culture. Even though the femaleness of Kwan-yin is beyond doubt in China， her image went through a lot of changes throughout the history. The early image of Kwan-yin carried easy-to-see features of westerners with slander brows， deep eyeholes， protruding nose and bared upper torso.
As the time went to the Northern Wei Dynasty， Kwan-yin was gradually given the image of traditional Chinese beauties with heart-shaped face. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties， Kwanyin was described as a goddess with round face and plump body – the typical standards of a beauty in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty， Kwan-yin became a younger girl with a pair of slanted eyes， a pair of thin brows， and jaded face with healthy red on the cheeks and blood-red lips.
The change of Kwan-yin could also reflect the alternations in the aesthetic standards of different time in China. That could also prove that the popularity and belief in Kwanyin has moved out of the limit of the religion in China. It is now more like a kind of custom and civil culture in this country.
Among these translated names， Kwan-Shi-Yin was most widely accepted and used. That’s because of the significant position of the Saddharmapundarika Sutra translated by Kumarajiva which was considered to be “best of all Buddhist sutras in China”. The 25th chapter of the sutra， which was titled as “The Buddhist chanting of Avalokitesvara”， was a special chapter about “Kwan-yin”. The popularity of this chapter in China led to the wide acceptance and use of “Kwan-yin”.
In the Tang Dynasty， where the Buddhism developed very quickly， the name “Kwan-Shi-Yin” contained the character “Shi” that was a part of the name of Li Shimin， Emperor Taizong of Tang. This was a great taboo in ancient China， so people began to use “Kwan-yin” instead of “Kwan-Shi-Yin” to show the respect for the emperor. This also matched Chinese people’s habit of being simple. From then on， the name“Kwan-yin” was born and used up to now.
“Kwan-yin” contains two meaning： the first meaning is based on the literal implication： “watching the sound”. It could be used as the initial approach for the Buddhist followers who just began their practices. Since the Avalokitesvara is watching the sounds of the universe to detect lies and see through the heart and soul， it reminds Buddhist followers to cleans their minds of the mundane thoughts and earthly ideas， an initial step to achieve the perfect wisdom required by the Buddhist doctrines. As said in the Buddhist classic work Surangama Sutra， “the Avalokitesvara could hear in a close range to get to know a man’s personality and based on that the Avalokitesvara could decide whether this man deserved the Buddhist wisdom”. The second meaning implied at “saving all sentimental beings in the world from the torment”. It is said that Kwanyin came to rescue those suffering by hearing the sounds of the universe. As said in the Buddhist Enchanting of the Avalokitesvara， “millions of sentimental beings in the world are suffering from their own worries. When they know of the Avalokitesvara， they could recite his name in his mind. The Bodhisattva could have heard them and come to release them from the worries”.
Here we can see in the traditional Buddhist sutras， Kwanyin was considered to be a male. But in China， most of the statues in Buddhist temples and the figures in books， TVs and films show that Kwan-yin is a female wearing a gem crown on her head， a jade necklace around her neck， a colorful silk robe and an apron. She is usually described to be a classic beautiful woman with a jade vase supported by her left hand and several willow branches held in her right hand. The statues and the actions of moveable characters could easily show the feminine characters of Kwan-yin.
When Kwan-yin was brought into China， the Bodhisattva was still considered to be a male. In the murals of Dunhuang， the Avalokitesvara was found to have a pair of mustaches above his lips. In the silk scroll painting The Picture of Guiding Bodhisattva， which was drawn in the Tang Dynasty and reserved in the British Museum， the Avalokitesvara apparently had a male body.
Some classic Buddhist sutras said that the Avalokitesvara was originally the eldest son of Cakravarti-raja， the ruler of ancient India. In the Surangama Sutra， the Avalokitesvara was described as a deity that has 32 avatars， which could be male or female and show up in light of the situation and need. In the Dharani Sutra to Praise the Great， Perfect and Merciful Avalokitesvara with 500 Pairs of Eyes and Hands， the Avalokitesvara， who has the duty to save every sentimental being from their own suffering， grows a thousand hands and eyes to find anyone who need help. Since the Avalokitesvara is considered to be kindhearted， benevolent and merciful， Chinese people easily matched the Bodhisattva to the characteristics of a mother. And the religious characters usually carry people’s admiration and inclination for the beauty in China. Therefore， Kwan-yin was shifted from a male in India into a young and beautiful female in China. It is an adaptation to the Chinese culture. Even though the femaleness of Kwan-yin is beyond doubt in China， her image went through a lot of changes throughout the history. The early image of Kwan-yin carried easy-to-see features of westerners with slander brows， deep eyeholes， protruding nose and bared upper torso.
As the time went to the Northern Wei Dynasty， Kwan-yin was gradually given the image of traditional Chinese beauties with heart-shaped face. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties， Kwanyin was described as a goddess with round face and plump body – the typical standards of a beauty in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty， Kwan-yin became a younger girl with a pair of slanted eyes， a pair of thin brows， and jaded face with healthy red on the cheeks and blood-red lips.
The change of Kwan-yin could also reflect the alternations in the aesthetic standards of different time in China. That could also prove that the popularity and belief in Kwanyin has moved out of the limit of the religion in China. It is now more like a kind of custom and civil culture in this country.