A Brief Discussion on the Buddhist and Daoist Faith in Guanyin

  In Daoism, Guanyin is known as the Daoist Master Ci Hang Pu Du. According to the records in "Chronicle of Immortals Through Generations": In the Chaoyin Cave of Putuo Luoga Rock, there is a female immortal. It is said that during the Shang Dynasty, she cultivated the Dao here and had already attained supernatural samadhi. She made a vow to save men and women in the world. She once helped people with elixirs and sweet dew water, and people in the South Sea called her the Great Bodhisattva Ci Hang. According to Li Shan's commentary citing the "Lingbao Jing": In the Chanli World, King Zhui had a daughter named Xing Yin. She was born but did not speak. When she reached the age of four, the king was surprised and abandoned her in the Kong Mountain of Nanfusang. Without food, she usually swallowed air and absorbed the essence of the moon, naturally feeling full. Suddenly, she met a divine being at a dwelling in Danling, under a forest of cypress trees. Xing Yin inscribed on a red stone with her right hand. The divine being said to Xing Yin: Although you cannot speak, you can remember this text. He sent the Spirit Boy of the Vermilion Palace to teach Xing Yin the art of alchemy and gave her the pronunciation of characters in the collected writings. Thus, she could speak. She left the mountain and returned to the kingdom. The kingdom was suffering from severe drought, with fire rising from the ground. People were scorched, and more than half had died. Digging for water, they found no springs even at a depth of a hundred zhang. The king was terrified. The girl revealed her true form, looked up to the sky and cried out, and floodwaters descended from heaven, reaching ten zhang high. Thus, she transformed her form and hid her presence before departing.

    After Buddhism was introduced to China, in order to survive, it extensively absorbed local Chinese culture. Consequently, it adopted the image of the Daoist Master Ci Hang Pu Du from local Daoism and correlated it with related Indian legends. Thus, the faith in Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea emerged, also known as the Great Bodhisattva of the South Sea, and folk people also refer to her as Guanyin Dashì. Therefore, the image of Guanyin evolved from the original Indian two-headed horse image to a male image in Han lands, and later to a female image.

    Naturally, the legendary "Daoist Master Ci Hang" was a male immortal. Later, seeing the world full of suffering and that women had no path to leave home and cultivate, he reincarnated as a woman, cultivated Buddhist Dharma, and opened the unique path for women to cultivate. Thus, there came the path for women to leave home and cultivate.

    Objectively speaking, from the perspective of folk belief, Guanyin Dashì is a shared faith of both Buddhism and Daoism. Therefore, various sects in Chinese Daoism have the faith in Guanyin Bodhisattva. Scholars studying Buddhism and Daoism or practitioners still on the outside often repeatedly investigate whether Guanyin Bodhisattva and Daoist Master Ci Hang Pu Du are the same, intending to use human consciousness to set up mental cages for themselves and others, not knowing that the Great Dao originally shares the same source, and its manifestations naturally differ. Daoism has its own way of manifestation, and Buddhism has its own way of manifestation, but their ultimate source is the same.

    For the common people and believers, it is because Guanyin Bodhisattva / Ci Hang Pu Du Tianzun possesses the spirit and actions of compassion for all beings, saving the world, and relieving people's difficulties, and because of its efficacy, that faith arises, not because of sectarian promotion.

    Therefore, in many Daoist sects among the folk, Guanyin is also widely worshipped. In the Lushan branch in Fujian, some sects even emphasize that Guanyin must be present when conducting Daoist rituals. In Qingyang Palace and Baiyun Temple, "Daoist Master Ci Hang" is also enshrined.