Kuan Yin : the princess who became the Goddess of Compassion
by Meer, Maya van der (Author)
Summary
"Kuan Yin, whose name means "one who hears the cries of the world," is perhaps the most widely revered Buddhist saint in the world. Known as Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit, Kannon in Japanese, and Chenrezig in Tibetan, this compassionate bodhisattva is at the heart of all Mahayana Buddhist traditions.... Full description
Summary: |
"Kuan Yin, whose name means "one who hears the cries of the world," is perhaps the most widely revered Buddhist saint in the world. Known as Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit, Kannon in Japanese, and Chenrezig in Tibetan, this compassionate bodhisattva is at the heart of all Mahayana Buddhist traditions. Sometimes depicted as male and other times as female, Kuan Yin took the vow to free all sentient beings from their suffering. The legend of Princess Miao-Shan is the origin story of how she became the bodhisattva known as Kuan Yin. Princess Miao-Shan lived in a country called Raised Forest around 700 B.C.E. Instead of marrying a prince according to her father's wishes, she followed her own path of spiritual practice and left the royal life behind. This was unheard of in her Confucian culture, where traditional family roles were viewed as the foundation of society. This story follows Ling, Miao-Shan's younger sister, who witnesses her sister's trials, perseverance, and ultimate enlightenment. Ling must overcome doubts, fears, and loneliness in order to realize what her sister tells her all along: that love, which is ultimately compassion for others, is the greatest power in the universe"-- |
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Physical Description: |
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 31 cm |
Audience: |
Ages 4-8 Grades K-1 |
ISBN: |
9781611807998 1611807999 |
Author Notes: |
WEN HSU is a Taiwanese-Costa Rican illustrator. She has a wide range of styles working with papercuts, ink, watercolor, textiles and digital art. She has illustrated stories for children in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, India, Japan, Korea, and China. Wen has had a personal connection with Kuan Yin since she was a child, stemming from the bedtime stories her father told about the bodhisattva and trips to the Kuan Yin temples in Taiwan she took with her grandmother. |