What is the origin of Guanyin? Nowadays it is very difficult to tell. There are many theories, among which the following three are more recognized and famous.
One of them is that Guanyin is actually a man. According to the Sadhana Sutra, the ancient King of the Undeclared Nian gave birth to a thousand sons, of which his crown prince was named Bu Diao, and his second son was called Nyi Mo. Later, the King of Undeclared Nimrod became a Buddha and became Amitabha Buddha, and the Prince of Undazzled, became the Bodhisattva Guan Shi Yin.?
The second: Guanyin is actually a daughter, she was originally the daughter of King Myojojo, named Myo Ying. Later, her dad chose a marriage for her, but Myo Ying said nothing, so she fled the marriage, fled to the barren mountains, hut cultivation, and so cultivated into the Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Third: is the "sealing of the gods" in the Cihang Taoist. After the sealing of the gods was completed, he followed Daoist Zhunti, went to the West together and started the Western religion. Zhunti became Rulai, and Cihang became Guanyin.
Of these three accounts, it is obvious that the last one is the most known, yet the least reliable. And the first should be more accurate, after all, from the Buddhist scriptures, come from the right way. But the transformation from male to female is really a little bit unimaginable. However, think about it is also correct, the world is divided into men and women, how to attract female believers? Naturally, there must be a female Buddha (Bodhisattva), so Guanyin so transformed over, this should not be wrong? Taoism has the Queen Mother of the West, and the Buddhist scriptures have Guan Shiyin, both of which are along these lines.
So what incarnations does Guanyin have? This is too much to say, the scriptures say that she has thirty-three layers of incarnations. The most famous of them all is the Willow Goddess of Mercy. She always holds a willow branch and has a kind face.
There's also the Thousand-Handed Goddess of Mercy, an image that is mostly seen in dance today.
There is also the Goddess of Mercy of the Fish Basket, who appears in Journey to the West? Fish Basket Goddess of Mercy? , in addition to the White Goddess of Mercy, the Water and Moon Goddess of Mercy, the Sixth Hour Goddess of Mercy, the Poochy Goddess of Mercy, and the Goddess of Hope ......
However, the above thirty-three layers of incarnations do not include: the Bodhisattva of the Golden Clavicle. This incarnation of Guanyin is the one that appeared in the Metaphors of the World (《月明和尚度柳翠 》). The story goes that there came a prostitute who was very beautiful and wonderful. But the problem was that any man who slept with her became like a saint and stopped thinking about men and women. Later, the whore died and was buried. One day, an old monk passed by and worshipped her grave. This caused someone to say, "Are you crazy? What kind of person do you know? You're still a senior monk.
And this monk said, I'm not crazy, buried here is the incarnation of Guanyin, also known as the Golden Bone Bodhisattva, do not believe that you dig to see what the difference? The people do not believe in digging out a look, are what, but see the remains of the bone is? bones contact, interlocking constantly, color like gold ? The monk only then said, did not lie to you, Goddess of Mercy, this is the incarnation to transform? Lustful people return to the right path ?
Besides ? Golden Collarbone Bodhisattva? there is also? Goddess of Mercy? , this one is also very famous. Anyway, Guanyin's incarnations, developed later, has been countless, the so-called as long as there is a need to say, Guanyin will be incarnated, this is in fact Guanyin incarnation of countless logic.