Acolytes

During the Ming Dynasty, Nanhai Guanyin was often seen in a triad with two attendants, also called acolytes, Shan Tsai (Sudhana in Sanskrit) on her right and the Dragon Princess Longnu (Long Nue, Longnü) on her left. Shan Tsai was a young disabled pilgrim who visited 53 teachers to study the Dharma, his last teacher being Guanyin at Putuo. She tested his resolve by creating the illusion of pirates threatening her life and when Shan Tsai saw her in danger, he chased them off a cliff. Guanyin restored his ability to walk, transformed him into a handsome youth, and taught him the entire Buddhist Dharma. Longnu’s story includes Shan Tsai. A fisherman caught the son of The Dragon King who ruled the South Sea while he was in the form of a fish who was being sold since people thought eating the fish would grant then immortality. The King plead for help and Guanyin responded by sending Shan Tsai and proclaiming, “A life should definitely belong to one who tries to save it, not one who tries to take it.” The son-fish thereupon changed back into a dragon and swam home. In gratitude, the Dragon King had his daughter Longnu give Guanyin the “Pearl of Light,” the precious illuminating pearl of unparalleled worth, to provide light in the darkness to read the dharma. In return Guanyin reveal to the Dragon King the dharani, the sacred Sanskrit phrase for protection and support for concentration. Shan Tsai and Longnu became Guanyin’s disciples and are depicted as young children with Shan Tsai holding his palms in reverence (anjali mudra) and knees bent to show he was once disabled, while Longnu holds a bowl, ball, or ingot symbolizing the precious “Pearl of Light.”