The Goddess Kwan Yin, the Goddess
of Compassion
by Tim Kavi
With her origins still
being debated over, we can at least attest that Kwan means to inquire deeply and
that Yin means to cry. This goddess is shown in many forms, but they all show
her unique compassion and mercy. Many times you can see Kwan Yin as a slender
woman in flowing white robes carrying a white lotus in her left hand which is a
representation of purity and the ideal of womanhood. She might also be seen
wearing ornaments to show her stature, or without them to show how modest she
is.
Kwan Yin is also known
as a “bringer of children”. Because of this, many images of her can be seen in
homes and temples. In these instances, a large white veil will be covering her
whole body and she could be seated on a lotus, rather than carrying one.
Instead, a child will be in her arms, or the child will be seated near her.
Sometimes you can see her with several children at once, which she is then
known to be the “white-robed honored one”.
Many times you will see Kwan Yin with several
hands, heads and eyes, plus a thousand arms. In the palms of each of her hands
there will sometimes be an eye. This symbolizes her as the omnipresent “Divine
Mother” being able to see in all directions at once and therefore all the
problems of humanity. In this image she reaches out to everyone with her
extreme compassion and mercy to help console all. Her name is also spelled Quan Yin, or Kuan Yin, and some scholars say that she is foreshadowed by, or is identical to an earlier deity named
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