Guan Yin The Goddess of Mercy

This is the statue of Guan Yin standing in the middle of a pond in front of the Perak Cave Temple, Ipoh.

The name Guanyin is short for Guanshi'yin (觀世音), pinyin: guānshì yīn which means 'observing the sounds or cries of the world'. She is Guan Yin to chinese taoists, Bodhisatva Guanyin to buddhists, Kannon to the Japanese and Gwan-eum to the Koreans. We pray to her, asking for her help and blessings for all aspects of our life as we belief that she has immense power and compassion. I guess you can say that she is equivalent to the christian's faith in Mother Mary.

To buddhists, she is the Bodhisatva of Infinite Compassion.

Here, Guan Yin is depicted in a white flowing robe, standing on a lotus flower and wearing a necklace of indian/chinese royalty status. Her left hand is holding a vase of holy water. Sometimes you can see her holding a willow branch on the other hand. There is always an image of the Amitabha Buddha adorning her crown. Behind this statue, there is a pavilion and bridge with a meandering pathway where one can take a stroll across the pond.

Perak Cave Temple is located at a limestone hill enclave along the karst topography landscape of Kinta Valley. Its address is as follows:

4th Mile, Kuala Kangsar Road

30010 Ipoh

Perak

Malaysia

Tel: 05-546 5387

Fax: 05-545 1451

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections #5. To view what others have posted for Weekend Reflections, please click here.