The Real Lore Behind Douma’s Blood Demon Art: A Chinese and Japanese Buddhist Analysis
Water Lily Bodhisattva
Guanyin, Guan Yin or Kuan Yin is the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian equivalent of Avalokiteśvara and has been adopted by other Eastern religions including Chinese folk religion.
Chinese Bodhisattva/ Goddess of Compassion, Mercy and Kindness is considered to be a mother-goddess and patron of seamen.
In Chinese Buddhism, Guan Yin is synonymous with the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the pinnacle of mercy, compassion, kindness and love. (Bodhisattva- being of bodhi or enlightenment, one who has earned to leave the world of suffering and is destined to become a Buddha, but has forgone the bliss of nirvana with a vow to save all children of god.)
Guanyin is the Chinese translation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who chose to stay on earth as accessible examples for Buddhist faithful to follow.
As the Chinese Buddhist bodhisattva “Kuan-Yin embodies the Divine Feminine” (1) and is known as the “Great Mother of China”. (8) She is the goddess of fertility, of healing and of magic. She is a mother figure, a friend, a guide and a protector for women. She is what ever you need her to be. For it is her sacred task to “hear the cries of the world” and to answer them with love, mercy and compassion.
She is crossed-legged, looking at us with compassionate, kindly eyes. She seems the sort of person one might approach with a shameful confession or to receive sympathy after a rebuff from the world, when one is feeling defeated and without energy to put up the normal guard and pretences. She has a shawl across her fragile shoulders, a finely-sculpted chain around her neck and a lotus flower in the left hand. It’s early evening and a group of people have gathered around her, of varied ages and backgrounds, construction workers and business people, schoolgirls and bureaucrats. Some are mumbling, others smiling as one might at the sight of an old friend.
One goes to Guan Yin for relief from feelings of self-hatred. She is a little like an ideal friend or family member, an imaginary sister or mother. She suggests alternatives to despising oneself. She knows that benevolence towards others has to begin with self-acceptance. Her kindly eyes and smile have a habit of making one cry – for as we know from films, the moment one breaks down isn’t always or even mostly when one is facing overt hostility, rather when, after a period of hardship, one finally encounters kindness and space to admit to the difficulties one has been labouring with in stoic lonely silence for too long. One can be weak with Guan Yin, she isn’t impressed by the normal worldly criteria of success, there is no shame in crying in front of her and admitting the scale of one’s distress. She has the measure of the difficulties involved in trying to lead a halfway decent ordinary life.
Guan Yin is what Buddhists call a bodhisattva, and what Christians would call a saint. The Mayana branch of Buddhism to which Guan Yin belongs recognises many hundreds of bodhisattvas, usually historical figures, born in a variety of locations across Asia, whose qualities of character have earnt them a divine status. The bodhisattvas are mentioned in books and appear in paintings, but primarily, they feature as sculptures, three dimensional beings ranging in size from small dolls to light-housed sized giants and made in anything from rubber to wood to jade.
Just as Christian saints will approximate the goodness of Jesus, so the boddhisattvas are said to have a compassion and calm akin to the Buddha himself. And yet, like saints, individual bodhisattvas are revered for their talents in particular areas, there are bodhisattvas who care especially about animals, others who have an affinity for coping with physical pain, others still who understand the challenges of bringing up children.
Guanyin is the Buddhist counterpart to the Virgin Mary and she fulfills a similar role: that of hearing us in our distress, meeting us with tenderness and strengthening us to face the tasks of life. The centrality of these maternal figures in both Buddhism and Christianity suggests that mature adult lives share moments of deep self-doubt – and longings to recover some of the security of childhood. We need to be reassured that these wishes are not a sign that we have failed as human beings.
Although the tale from The Precious Scroll of Incense Mountain and popular interpretations depict her as a beautiful young woman robed in white, this was not the original depiction of Kuan Yin. According to the Lotus Sutra, the sacred second century Buddhist scripture, Kuan Yin was a handsome and princely Bodhisattva named Avalokitesvara. A Bodhisattva is not a god or a goddess. Neither is a bodhisattva a Buddha, but rather a Buddha-to-be, an earthly manifestation of the self-born and eternal Buddha Amitabha. According to Buddhist traditions, anyone who exhibits a Buddha-like quality, such as morality, self-sacrifice, and wisdom, has within themselves the ability to become a Buddha.
Although all Bodhisattvas are compassionate and merciful, Kuan Yin is considered to be the embodiment of these abstract principles. The original name of Avalokitesvara means “Lord who Looks Down” in Sanskrit, while Kuan Yin, or Guanyin, in Chinese means “the Perceiver of the Sounds of the World.” In the Lotus Sutra, Kuan Yin protects the world in the time between the departure of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama or Shakyamuni, and the appearance of the future Buddha, Maitreya. The sutra detailed Kuan Yin’s miraculous deeds, such as freeing people from lust, hatred, and ignorance, and granting children to infertile women. In order to achieve her goals, Guanyin has the ability to assume any form, male or female, human or non-human, adult or child, is required to teach Dharma, the way of the Buddha, and to relieve suffering
From the Song Dynasty in the tenth century onward, Kuan Yin representations began to transition toward the female form. Scholars believe that this change was due to the adoption of local religions and the incorporation of regional goddesses into Buddhism religious practices. In the Fujian region, for example, the prevalent depiction of Kuan Yin is as a young maiden dressed in Tang Hanfu carrying a fish basket, acting as the custodian of the local fishermen. However, the most accepted representation of Kuan Yin in China remains the image of a young woman wearing a flowing white robe with necklaces of Indian or Chinese royalty and a crown depicting the Amitabha Buddha.
Guan-Yin (Goddess of Fertility)
Guan-Yin, a.k.a. Kwan-Yin or Kuan-Yin, is a divinity presiding over pregnancy as well as safe and easy delivery of babies at birth. Regarded as the protector of children and women, Guan-Yin sits at times with a baby in her hands.
Although Guanyin’s power of granting children is already mentioned in the Lotus Sütra, these indigenous scriptures are noteworthy on two accounts: they emphasize Guanyin’s power to grant sons, and they also call attention to her protection of pregnant women and assurance of safe childbirths.
Today, Guanyin is revered as a compassionate savior, mother figure, and bestower of children. She is primarily worshipped by Chinese Buddhist women who request her assistance during pregnancy, while giving birth, and when attempting to conceive a child. She is also considered to be the principal female protector of pregnant women, fetuses, and young children.
Water Infinity and Symbolism
In addition to the feminization of Kuan Yin, local mythologies and religious symbols also began to appear in Kuan Yin statues and paintings. Artistic depictions of Kuan Yin often depicted her standing atop a dragon or a lotus flower, holding various water symbolic elements like a weeping willow branch, a jar of pure water or a lotus flower. The vase of pure water, often in the left hand, sometimes shown pouring water, is one of the Eight Symbols of Good Fortune in Chinese culture. The vase contains pure water capable of relieving suffering and sickness. The willow branch, frequently in the right hand, accompanying the vase of water, is used to sprinkle divine water. Willows hold significant meaning as they are often found by pond or lake, and are capable of bending without breaking.
The Lotus blossom is a common symbol of purity in the Buddhist religion. The lotus flower, although beautiful, began its life in the dark and muddy sediment of the pond. Human beings are identical: life starts in the darkness of ignorance, but through Dharma, or the way of the Buddha, thrive away from the dark and toward the light. Kuan Yin, Bodhisattvas, and Buddha are therefore often shown standing or seated on a large lotus flower floating above the water, signifying their achieved enlightenment.
Kuan Yin is also sometimes depicted surrounded by dragons. Unlike Western cultures, which commonly associate dragons with the fire element, in Eastern traditions, the dragon symbolizes flowing energy, water, and Chi. Statues of Kuan Yin may show her being surrounded by a sea of dragons to represent her spiritual connection to water and establish her as the patronesses of fishermen.
The title of “Goddess of Mercy” was eventually bestowed upon Kuan Yin by Jesuit missionaries toward the late Imperial China era. Christian travelers saw the innate connection between Kuan Yin and their own Virgin Mary; understandably so. The universal ideal of compassion is often associated with femininity and motherhood. Kuan Yin, believed to have the power to grant children to infertile women, is sometimes depicted with a child or accompanied by two young children, Shancai and Longnu.
Similarity to the Virgin Mary
Some Buddhist and Christian observers have commented on the similarity between Guanyin and Mary, mother of Jesus. This can be attributed to the representation of Guanyin holding a child in Chinese art and sculpture; it is believed that Guanyin is the patron saint of mothers and grants parents filial children, this apparition is popularly known as the “Child-Sending Guanyin” (送子觀音). One example of this comparison can be found in Tzu Chi, a Taiwanese Buddhist humanitarian organisation, which noticed the similarity between this form of Guanyin and the Virgin Mary. The organisation commissioned a portrait of Guanyin holding a baby, closely resembling the typical Catholic Madonna and Child painting. Copies of this portrait are now displayed prominently in Tzu Chi affiliated medical centres, especially since Tzu Chi’s founder is a Buddhist master and her supporters come from various religious backgrounds.
During the Edo period in Japan, when Christianity was banned and punishable by death, some underground Christian groups venerated Jesus and the Virgin Mary by disguising them as statues of Kannon holding a child; such statues are known as Maria Kannon. Many had a cross hidden in an inconspicuous location. It is suggested the similarity comes from the conquest and colonization of the Philippines by Spain during the 16th century, when Asian cultures influenced engravings of the Virgin Mary, as evidenced, for example, in an ivory carving of the Virgin Mary by a Chinese carver.
Guan Yin is usually shown in a white flowing robe - white being the symbol of purity -, and usually wearing necklaces of Indian/Chinese royalty. In the right hand is a water jar (as the Sacred Vase the water jar also one of the Eight Buddhist Symbols of good Fortune) containing pure water, the divine nectar of life, compassion and wisdom, and in the left, a willow branch to sprinkle the divine nectar of life upon the devotees as to bless them with physical and spiritual peace. The willow branch is also a symbol of being able to bend (or adapt) but not break. The willow is also used in shamanistic rituals and has had medicinal purposes as well. The crown usually depicts the image of Amitabha Buddha (Fully Conscious Infinite Light), Guan Yin’s spiritual teacher before she became a Bodhisattva. A bird, mostly a dove, representing fecundity is flying toward her. A necklace or rosary is associated with her calls upon Buddha for succor, each bead of it representing all living beings and the turning of the beads symbolizes that Guan Yin is leading them out of their state of misery and repeated rounds of rebirth into nirvana, hence the beads represent enlightenment.
With the sweet dew drops she sprinkles from her vase, she relieves the suffering of beings everywhere and always, for countless autumns. In her hands she holds the vase of “sweet dew”; an elixir of compassion, the water of life, that relieves the suffering of all beings. In one hand she holds a small vase which contains Amitra “the dew of compassion” that is said to have the power to extend life, to cure and purify both body and mind when she pours or sprinkles it over human kind. A long life vase of healing waters: “sweet dew of compassion”. Of all the emblems that are sacred to Kuan-Yin it is water that is the most meaningful. When she bestows upon us her compassion it takes the form of rain or mystical showers sprinkled from her willow wand. Sprinkling sweet dews with a willow branch, she nourishes the entire dharma realm universally.
Miaoshan was her name: daughter of Miaozhuang; Princess of Zinglin, ‘The Raised Forest Kingdom’ in the far west. She was the youngest of three daughters. Without a male heir to continue the kingdom’s legacy, Miaoshan and her two sisters were forced into odious marriages by their father, king Miaozhuang. But unlike her sisters, Miaoshan was pure and, in her own way, stubborn. She believed that it was her life destiny to cultivate her spiritual essence and escape Samsara, the endless cycle of rebirth and suffering.
Unable to convince Miaoshan and further exasperated by her disobedience, King Miaozhuang eventually sent his contumacious daughter to be executed. Not long after, the king fell ill with a strange ailment. No physician in the kingdom or medicine from far off land could alleviate his malady. But a sagacious monk eventually appeared to the king; he apprised that the peculiar infirmity could only be mended by drinking an elixir made from the arm and eye of ‘one without anger.’ The monk also informed the king of a hermit residing on Incense Mountain who was willing to make all the necessary donations.
The bizarre prescription was concocted; its effectiveness was instantaneous, and the king was promptly healed. Wanting to give thanks to his savior, the king made a pilgrimage to Incense Mountain. And to the king’s surprise, his savior was none other than Miaoshan, his daughter who had been miraculously saved from execution and was living a pious life atop the sacred mountain. The king fell before the maimed body of his daughter with penitence and begged for forgiveness. As tears were exchanged between father and daughter, Miaoshan transformed into a beautiful woman, robed in white, with one thousand arms and one thousand eyes. Miaoshan had obtained her enlightenment and escaped Samsara.
As she was about to enter the Pure Land Paradise, the Buddhism Heavenly Realm, Miaoshan heard a cry of anguish reverberating up from the world below. She looked around and saw a world filled with unbounded misery. Miaoshan could feel the gravity of a thousand worlds: each cry carrying countless lifetimes of sorrow. Miaoshan, now as the Thousand Armed Kuan Yin, turned her back to Heaven and took a vow of never leaving the Earth until all suffering has ended.
GUAN YIM AND THE THOUSAND ARMS One Buddhist legend presents Guan Yin as vowing to never rest until she had freed all sentient beings from samsara, reincarnation. Despite strenuous effort, she realized that still many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, her head split into eleven pieces. Amitabha Buddha, seeing her plight, gave her eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Guan Yin attempted to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that her two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitabha came to her aid and appointed her a thousand arms with which to aid the many.
Turns out the “giant buddha” Douma invokes was actually a “woman” all along. I don’t even think there’s much room for debate with this one because Douma’s Water Lily Bodhisattva looks like a carbon copy of some Guanyin’s images out there. There are too many blatant references: the robe, the water lilies, the crown and the name of this technique. I’ve always found it curious how Douma’s “giant buddha” wears a robe/veil.
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