The Seated Guanyin

This is another Buddhist icon that I bought on eBay in the late 1990s.

Her name is Guanyin.

There are many stories regarding her. Some even involve pirates!! One of the most common goes like this: Instead of being forced into a marriage with a rich, old, cruel man, Guanyin ran away and joined a secluded mountain monastery. She arrived ragged, starving and without hope.

When she met Buddha he was at the gate of the monastery. He was leaving. She had come all that way to study with him. He bent and whispered a question in her ear.

She was enlightened.

She lived out her life at that monastery, making it the most beautiful one in China. Some say it still remains hidden there.

She would sit and meditate on a rock outside the gate. Pilgrims were few because it was so difficult to find.

--She awaits on the rock in this statue.