Kuan-yin (Paperback)

by Professor Chün-fang Yü (Author) "Kuan-yin (Perceiver of Sounds), or Kuan-shih-yin (Perceiver of the World's Sounds) is the Chinese name for Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who has been worshiped..." (more)
Key Phrases: miracle tale collections, indigenous scriptures, domesticated religiosity, Lotus Sutra, Upper T'ien-chu, Universal Gateway (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A major case study of the Mahayana concept of upaya. . . excellent and comprehensive. -- Review

This is quite a book and quite an achievement. . . . It is indeed an extraordinarily comprehensive and rich case study. -- Beata Grant, Washington University--St. Louis

Review

"A major case study of the Mahayana concept of upaya... excellent and comprehensive." -- Journal of Religion

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Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; First Printing edition (September 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 023112029X
• ISBN-13: 978-0231120296
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #403,199 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Asian Studies Revelation, March 28, 2002

By	K. Briggs "yeshe-lhamo" (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Finally, here is an historically-oriented, multi-disciplinary view of Buddhist practice and iconography that is well-written and impeccably researched. Yu looks at Kwan Yin through a Chinese-American lens, carefully examining past scholarship and then giving her own persuasive appraisal of the Chinese cult of the Compassion Mother. Rather than seeing Kwan Yin as a simply a version of White Tara or some other female Buddhist deity, Yu shows how Kwan Yin was a uniquely Chinese version of the compassion Buddha, Avalokiteshvara. Examining the bureaucratic hierarchy of Chinese society, Yu concludes that there was "too much yang and not enough yin." Kwan Yin became popular as a gentle, compassionate savioress who appeared to monks, child-bearing women and children. Yu's command of art history and iconography deserve tremendous credit. Her discussion of lay buddhism and Chinese folktales is absorbing. If you are at all interested in a more intellectual, historical look at Chinese Buddhism, give this book a look.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, historical survey of the Chinese goddess, July 23, 2004

By	Sean Francisco Smith "New York Jazz MythMaker" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As the author states, western interest in eastern religion, and feminism has greatly expanded the interest in Kuan-Yin, but it also misappropriated, either smearing her and other female goddesses into a translucent light blue, elevator muzak "great goddess". This makes learning more about the worship and ritual of this goddess a treacherous course, with a lot of books in the market not really discussing anything of the fascinating unique Chinese beliefs (in fact, this can be said about the entire "neo-pagan" mavement).

Having recently travelled with my wife and in-laws to Hong Kong, and escorted my chinese wife and mother-in-law to the Wong Tai Sin temple during the Chinese New Year, I wanted to learn more about the indigenous beliefs and history of Guan-Yin, and eventually decided on Chun-Fang Yu's book.

Like Walter Burkett's Greek Religion, it is not a light, fluffy telling of tales, but a detailed exploration of the goddesses origin, sources and changes in both myth and ritual over time. She starts with the original, the MALE indian bodhisattva Avelokitesvara, and the source suttras, and then discusses how it became a female goddess. The text is amazingly well researched and thorough.

However, the additional pleasure in the novel comes from Yu's own personal experience with Guan-Yin, starting with her grandmother, and this direct connection is interwoven throughout the book, so instead of a dry scholarly approach, we have a book created by an author whose approach to a loving topic is not to skim over it, but to pursue it in full depth. I can't think of a better tribute.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars scholarly and fun to read, February 3, 2003

By	Deran Ludd "Back in the day" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The best book I have read on Quan Yin and her history. Yu Chunfang has done a masterful job of exploring the history of the savior Quan Yin and makes it a pleasure to read - rather than an academic reference type book.