Cosimo L.

Fabrizio
Slot F

Legacy Project Research Paper

Bodhisattva, Probably Avalakiteshvara (Guanyin)
Introduction
In Buddhism, the holy figure who stands as the religions founder and serves as a central
point of worship for some 488 million of the religions followers in the Buddha. However, while
the Buddha stands at the forefront of the religion, there are other significant religious figures in
buddhism. Some who, in the eyes of their followers, are just as important as the Buddha
himself. In the Buddhist faith, a bodhisattva is anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has
generated bodhicitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all
sentient beings. Perhaps most notable among these enlightened beings is Avalakiteshvara, the
Bodhisattva of Compassion.
Avalakiteshvara (Guanyin) is significant in buddhism because he stands for compassion,
which is one of the pillars of the religion. As stated by the Buddha himself Teach this triple truth
to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which
renew humanity.1 The Buddha continually preached that the basis of the Buddhist faith which is
display by the noble eightfold path, is that people need to have compassion for all living beings.
Through the statue of the Bodhisattva Avalakiteshvara(Guayin), the eternal truth of compassion
is conveyed to Buddhist followers, however , despite this statue originating in ancient Buddhist
influenced China, the eternal truth of having compassion for others is ever-so present in todays
modern, multi-ethnic society.
1 "''Teach This Triple Truth to All- A Generous Heart, Kind Speech, and a Life of Service and Compassion
Are the Things Which Renew Humanity.'' - Buddha - Buddha Philosophy." Buddha Philosophy. Accessed
April 30, 2015. http://buddhaphilosophy.com/377/2013/12/17/teach-this-triple-truth-to-all-a-generousheart-kind-speech-and-a-life-of-service-and-compassion-are-the-things-which-renew-humanity-buddha-6/.

Analysis of Context
The Bodhisattva Avalakiteshvara (Guanyin) originates from Ancient China. Historians
have said that this artifact dates back to ca. 550-560 during the reign of the Northern Qi
Dynasty. The statue towers at a height of 13 ft 9 in without its base and stands at 14 ft 9 in with
its base. Moreover, the statue, while its original sculptor is unknown, is created out of
sandstone which has been stained by various pigments. This piece is the focal point of the
Metropolitan Museum of Arts Gallery 206. Its accession number is 65.29.4 and recently, the
MET acknowledged how interesting this piece is when they stated It is possible that the jewels
refer to a passage in the Lotus Sutra in which the historical Buddha Shakyamuni and another
bodhisattva extol Avalokiteshvara's great compassion. At some point in the text, Avalokiteshvara
is given a precious pearl necklace as a symbol of his benevolence.2 This quote reinforces the
elevation of this particular Bodhisattva during its time period as a result of jewels it is depicted
with.
Finally, it is important to note that this depiction of Avalokiteshvara is different from
others as most other representations of this bodhisattva include a thousand arms, reflecting
upon the original story of Avalokiteshvara. However, there is some doubt associated with this
statue as the statue has only two arms and the the hands have been removed from both. It is
believed that the original hands of this bodhisattva likely depicted a mudra of compassion which
would confirm that this statue is indeed Avalokitshvara. In addition, the dress of this particular
bodhisattva is significant as he is depicted in princely clothing. This contrasts to the minimalistic
dressing of the typical robe wearing Buddha and reinforces the fact that Bodhisattvas were
ranked highly in the social structure of Ancient Chinese society.
2 "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Bodhisattva, Probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) [Shanxi Province,
China] (65.29.4). Accessed April 30, 2015. http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collectiononline/search/42718?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=Bodhisattva%2C%2Bprobably%2BAvalokiteshvara%2B(Guanyin)
%2C%2BNorthern%2BQi%2Bdynasty&pos=1&imgno=0&tabname=label

Analysis of Context:
Historical Background
The Northern Qi Dynasty (ca. 550-ca. 570), was established and run by Gao Huans sons who
took the throne after his death in ca. 547. According to The Northern Qi Dynasty was the
successor state of the Xianbei state of Eastern Wei, as Eastern Wei's paramount general Gao
Huan was succeeded by his sons Gao Cheng and Gao Yang, who took the throne from
Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei in 550 and established Northern Qi as its Emperor Wenxuan.
As Northern Qi was plagued by violent and/or incompetent emperors (Emperor Wenxuan,
Emperor Wucheng, and Gao Wei), corrupt officials, and deteriorating armies.3 This relates to
the spread of buddhism as During the third century B.C., Emperor Ashoka sent missionaries to
the northwest of India that is, present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. The mission achieved
great success, as the region soon became a centre of Buddhist learning with many
distinguished monks and scholars4. However, during the reign of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the
Buddhist religion became increasingly necessary for the citizens of northern China who needed
the route of salvation Buddhism provided for them.
Furthermore, during this time period in ancient china, the silk road had reached its peak
as trade between many different important kingdoms allowed for China to make alliances and
establish important, powerful relationships. Furthermore, according to The British Museum
Jade and bronze were the most prized materials in Ancient China. Jade was believed to have
magical properties and to preserve the dead.5It is significant that this sculpture is made out of
3 "Northern Qi Dynasty." Find The Data. Accessed April 30, 2015.
http://empires.findthedata.com/l/76/Northern-Qi-Dynasty.

4 "Northern Qi Dynasty." Find The Data. Accessed April 30, 2015.

http://empires.findthedata.com/l/76/Northern-Qi-Dynasty.

5 "Crafts and Artisans." Crafts and Artisans. Accessed May 15, 2015.
http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/crafts/home_set.html.

Sandstone because it suggests that this was not very important in the eyes of the Chinese
Government in addition to conveying that this sculpture was possibly made for the lower classes
of Ancient China. Given all of this, one of the most significant and simply beautiful take-aways of
this piece is that it demonstrates that in ancient china, buddhism was not only accepted in the
countrys culture but welcomed to an extent by which a buddhist population was able to make
such a statute.

Theological Analysis
Coupled with the statues origin and history, the theme of compassion for others is well
reflected in the buddhas many sermons. As stated in the Buddhas Sermon on Abuse The
slanderer is like one who flings dust at another when the wind is contrary; the dust does but
return on him who threw it. The virtuous man cannot be hurt and the misery that the other would
inflict comes back on himself.6 As reflected in this quotation, the buddha is conveying the
eternal truth of treat people the way you want to be treated. This relates back to the concept of
compassion for others as the Buddha is explaining the importance of being compassionate
towards others because if you are not, you will receive bad karma. This point is furthered as
BBC states In time of war, Give rise in yourself to the mind of compassion, helping living beings
abandon the will to fight.7 As reflected in this quotation, the buddhist concept of emphasising
compassion extends past the realm of daily life as Buddhists believe it is their duty to spread to
word of compassion and prevent violence in the world.

Compassion in the Modern Day

6 Gloria K. Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition: The First Civilizations and the Classical Legacy (McGraw-Hill,
2011) 13

7 "Buddhism and War." BBC News. Accessed May 13, 2015.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/war.shtml

The eternal truth of having compassion for others is still evident today as reflected in the
music of ancient china in addition to the music of the modern day. The comparison of music
truly is the voice of a culture as music is the worlds universal medium. John Coltranes
composition compassion and the Mantra of Avalokiteshvara both were written with regards to
the concept of compassion. The pieces are divided by centuries in addition to the very different
cultures present during the Northern Qi Dynasty and the modern music of the United States of
America. In spite of all of these differences, the central concept of compassion seems to unify
these two pieces as they are very similar. And in spite of John Coltrane recording Compassion
in 1977, various artists have made recordings of this piece as recent as 2012. To begin, both
pieces are very open and while at points during John Coltranes improvisation the piece may
seem to become busy, he never allows the piece to become compacted. Furthermore, in
contrast, the Mantra of Avalokiteshvara is very rigid as the underlying melodies of the piece are
very repetitive and almost chant like. This is symbolic of the fact that the concept of compassion
in ancient China is directly associated with the divine (Avalokiteshvara) which explains why the
pieces sounds like a worship chant. However, in the John Coltrane piece, the freeness of the
pieces structure conveys that in the modern world, we have no longer have such ties between
compassion and a spiritual being. This brings to light the individual embodiment of compassion
in the modern world.
Similarly, the eternal truth of having compassion for others is still relevant in modern culture as it
is depicted through the actions of the current pope francis. Pope Francis, since being appointed
as the pope, has used his power to aid those in need spiritually in addition to providing hope to
those who otherwise would be hopeless. Most notable ,with regards to the idea of compassion
involves the popes interaction with a severely disfigured man. In an article about this story, CNN
explained that the man suffered from a very rare skin disorder that caused the excessive

formation of tumors on his skin.8 The pope was welcoming a crowd of disabled people to the
vatican when this man hugged him and the iconic picture captured at the moment truly does
exemplify the popes embodiment of this eternal truth. The Popes desire to share his love to all
people, especially those who have lives in which they are scorned by others for their disabilities
reflects the Buddhist eternal truth of having compassion for all living beings as the pope looked
past the mans condition and still loved him as he would anyone else.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the artifact Bodhisattva, Probably Avalakiteshvara (Guanyin), housed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art conveys the eternal truth of having compassion for all living beings
as Avalakiteshvara is believed to be the Bodhisattva of compassion. Furthermore, in spite of the
piece dating back many centuries, the eternal truth it represents still remains relevant in the
modern world as reflected by the music of the modern day in addition to the actions of the
modern worlds religious leaders. As the world continues to progress into an age of advancing
technology, it will become a tendency of humans to become future oriented. While it is a good
thing and a necessity for man to look forward, the past can not be forgotten. Objects such as the
statue of Avalakiteshvara not only provide a window into what life was like in a different time
period, and in a completely different culture, but provide the modern world moral knowledge, in
the moral of the eternal truths they convey.

Bibliography
"''Teach This Triple Truth to All- A Generous Heart, Kind Speech, and a Life of Service
and Compassion Are the Things Which Renew Humanity.'' - Buddha - Buddha
Philosophy." Buddha Philosophy. Accessed May 15, 2015.
http://buddhaphilosophy.com/377/2013/12/17/teach-this-triple-truth-to-all-a-generousheart-kind-speech-and-a-life-of-service-and-compassion-are-the-things-which-renewhumanity-buddha-6/.

8 "Pope's Compassion Changing Church? - CNN Video." CNN. Accessed May 15, 2015.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2013/11/10/exp-pope-francis.cnn.

"Bodhisattva, Probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) | China | Northern Qi Dynasty (550

577)." Bodhisattva, Probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin). Accessed May 15, 2015.
http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/42718?
rpp=30&pg=1&ft=Bodhisattva,+probably+Avalokiteshvara+(Guanyin),
+Northern+Qi+dynasty&pos=1&imgno=0&tabname=label.
"Buddhism and War." BBC News. Accessed May 15, 2015.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/war.shtml.
"Crafts and Artisans." Crafts and Artisans. Accessed May 15, 2015.
http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/crafts/home_set.html.
Fiero, Gloria K. Origins of the Humanistic Tradition: The First Civilizations and the
Classical Legacy. 2nd ed. Madison, Wis.: WCB Brown & Benchmark Publishers, 1995.
13.
"Northern Qi Dynasty." Find The Data. Accessed May 15, 2015.
http://empires.findthedata.com/l/76/Northern-Qi-Dynasty.
"Pope's Compassion Changing Church? - CNN Video." CNN. Accessed May 15, 2015.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2013/11/10/exp-pope-francis.cnn.