Page 88 - Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (Illustrated) and Symbols

e above account has been included in this chapter not for the

purpose of propagating KYCO but, to encourage those who are

seeking Kuan Yin’s help to do so with firm faith.

e iao han egend

e legend of Kuan Yin’s emanation as Princess Miao Shan

has caught the hearts of all the Chinese people. To them it is

common knowledge that Kuan Yin is the enlightened form of

their beloved princess and therefore Kuan Yin, their Goddess of

Mercy, cannot be a male God or Deity. is, in fact, is the fixed

view of the Taoists and those who are not so well-informed of

Buddhism. Who can really blame them for holding such a view

when the episode of such a sweet princess turning into a God-

dess happened only slightly more than two thousand years ago

in a country whose history is well remembered right down to

five thousand years?

Towards the end of the Chou Dynasty (around 3rd Century ),

in the kingdom of Hsing Lin, there lived a king called Miao

Chung. He had three daughters and they were Miao Ching,

Miao Yin and Miao Shan. Before the birth of the third girl,

Queen Po Ta had a strange dream in which she saw a heavenly

pearl transforming into a fiery sun which then tumbled down

and settled at her feet. When told of it, the king, in his wisdom,

considered the seeing of such a celestial sign to be an excel-

lent omen and he looked forward to having a male heir to his

 