Chinese Guanyin Japanese Kannon
Bodhisattva of infinite compassion and mercy, the most popular of Mahayana Buddhist deities.
He is the earthly manifestation of Amitabha , guarding the world between the departure of the historical Buddha , Gautama, and the appearance of the future Buddha, Maitreya . He is the creator of the fourth world, the actual living universe. In China and Japan his gender became ambiguous; he is sometimes called a goddess. For Pure Land Buddhist s, he forms a ruling triad with Amitabha and the bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is thought to be reincarnated in each Dalai Lama in order to preserve buddha-teaching.
Avalokite 015B; vara, bronze figure from Kurkih 0101; r, Bih 0101; r, 9th century; in Patna ...
By courtesy of Patna Museum, Patna (Bihar); photograph, Royal Academy of Arts, London