Antique Guanyin a Holding Scroll, China

Description

Guanyin the Bodhisattva of Compassion, other than the Buddha, is the most revered deity In Mahayana Buddhism. She has 33 manifestations and can appear in any form appropriate for the devotee seeking her aid. Although she is portrayed standing or seated, most devotees prefer her seated which imparts both a serene and dignified feeling, which is the very picture of enlightenment. In Guanyin Images her face is always gentle, calm and sweet, reflecting infinite wisdom, serenity, love and compassion and has the capacity to calm those who are angry or in despair, comfort those who are sorrowful, and brings forth feelings of love, devotion and contentment. Her almond eyes are shown half-closed  which indicates her perfect harmony of outer and inner life:  half of her vision focuses on the outer world, while the other half is focuses internally for self-reflection. She is often shown in lalitsana, the position of royal ease symbolizing that as a regal personage, she presides over the material world and its possessions as well as the spiritual world. She often hold a scroll which may represent the dharma which she constantly reads or the Lotus Sutra that focuses on Guanyin as protector of the world in the time between the departure of Buddha Shakyamuni and the appearance of the future Buddha, Maitreya. Buddhist statues of enlightened beings are placed in temples, monasteries or home shrines as a reminder of the spiritual potential inherent within all of us.