Introducing Kwan Yin by Genevieve Mitchell

bodhisattva, Classes, Compassion, Goddess, Kwan Yin

Kwan Yin Reclining From Sandy Boucher Collection, photo by Genevieve Mitchell

Getting introduced and getting to know a new Goddess always feels like a big deal to me. It’s easy to see everything, nature, birth and life as grace filled. It’s a little more daunting to get to know a Goddess, her names, her ways, her gifts and her nuances, it’s kind of like learning about a friend and becoming best friends. That’s how it’s been for me with Kwan Yin. Slowly, over time, over chants, reading, learning, and sitting with Her, oh my Goddess, what a gift.

I don’t really remember when I first was introduced to Kwan Yin as a Goddess. But my first introduction to her power, her message and her compassion was when I read Sandy Boucher’s She Appears: Encounters with Kwan Yin. It’s a magical book, full of powerful stories and beautiful art work that inspires and nourishes the soul. It also introduced me to an amazing Goddess, one who is full of compassion and grace, willing to be Source and sourced as comfort, hope and caring, especially during times we find it hard to care for ourselves.

Kwan Yin and She Appears, Statue from Sandy Boucher Collection, photo by Genevieve Mitchell

There are some great resources on Kwan Yin. Here is a wonderful class on Kwan Yin by Kimberly Moore and Sandy Boucher . Deva Premal’s Om Mani Padme Hum chant is lovely! There are a variety of stories and myths about how Kwan Yin came to be the Goddess of Compassion. Find some of them here at Wikipedia.org. Goddess Ink hosts a lovely Pinterest link with images of the beautiful Kwan Yin!

May you find the compassion you need in the wonderful connection with the beautiful Goddess of Compassion: Kwan Yin.

Many Blessings,

Genevieve

Photo Credits: Genevieve Mitchell and Pinterest

Genevieve Mitchell is a Partner with Goddess Ink Publishing. She is a Priestess, a Seeker, a Flower Essence Practitioner, a photographer, a socially responsible investor, a mother, a grandmother and a devotee of God/Goddess/Divine/Spirit. You can contact her at genevieve@goddess-ink.com.

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EXPRESSIONS OF KWAN YIN BODHISATTVA’S COMPASSIONATE ENERGY By SANDY BOUCHER

bodhisattva, Compassion, contemplation, Divine, Empowerment, Goddess, Kwan Yin, Priestess, ritual

Kwan Yin by Sandy photo 3 There’s a woman in Africa whose life brings me to tears because she so perfectly embodies Kwan Yin, the Goddess of compassion. It might seem unlikely that this unassuming South African nurse would manifest as the Chinese goddess, but of course we know that Kwan Yin is no respecter of national boundaries. Her true domain is the human heart.

This woman, named Sister Abegail Ntleko, grew up in a mud hut. When she was a small child, her mother died and her father became an alcoholic so dysfunctional that Abegail was forced to raise herself. In conditions of extreme poverty and neglect, she managed to go to school and become a nurse. She chose nursing because at an early age she knew she wanted to be of use in the world, to do something about the physical and mental pain she saw all around her. This sounds just like Kwan Yin, a “bodhisattva” who seeks healing and enlightenment for all beings.

Abegail, now in her eighties, adopted and raised numerous unwanted children while working in the medical and social service fields. She has taken in dozens of children orphaned by AIDs and lovingly raised them to be educated and empowered people. She has been honored by African and international institutions, praised by such exemplars as the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. Tutu said of her, “Sister Abegail exemplifies the true heart of South Africa—a heart that overcame apartheid, that sees the best within all people, and that has never closed in the face of suffering.”

A heart that never closes in the face of suffering: isn’t that the precise description of the Celestial Bodhisattva of Compassion Kwan Yin?

In this month of remembering Kwan Yin, I find so many embodiments of compassion around me—in my family, in my neighborhood, from as far away as Africa. All shining pilgrims on the bodhisattva path with me.

May you also open your eyes and heart and recognize the everyday acts of kindness, the people who stay responsive to the world, and see in their faces the loving features of the Goddess of Compassion.

Sandy Boucher is Author and Editor of She Appears: Kwan Yin, Goddess of Compassion published by Goddess Ink. You can contact Sandy sandyboucher9@gmail.com. Photo Credit: Sandy Boucher.