My favorite Buddhist Diety is Kuan Yin
Kuan Yin represents a presence that listens deeply to prayers spoken from the heart. She is the goddess of mercy, love and compassion and her energy is healing and full of love. She originated in India, originally as a male bodhisattva (enlightened one) but when introduced in China, her essence was said to be female. She is considered to be the most beloved Buddhist diety and is often compared to the Virgin Mary in Chrstianity as someone who intercedes on behalf of those who call out to her as divine mother. There have been times in my life when I can truly feel her presence and love around me, in fact, I often feel her presence in my life!
Kuan Yin is the powerful energy of giving witness to our own or to someone else’s suffering. She is the calm and abiding presence of compassion. She suggests we listen to others without judgement. She is all love. You sometimes will see her name spelled as “Guan Yin”.
There are many ways to connect with the energetic frequency of this diety. She is associated with the number 33 because she appears 33 times in the sacred text The Lotus Sutra. She is also associated with Jade because of it’s protective properties. The song of Kuan Yin is The Heart Sutra. My favorite version is by Deva Premal and it was the savasana song for the December 2023 yoga playlist. You can here it HERE
Another way to connect with the healing and compassionate energy of Kuan Yin is through Meta Meditation (Loving Kindness Meditation). This meditation is one I teach often in yoga class. It starts with sending blessings to yourself and then to an ever widening circle beyond yourself.
Place your hands over your heart center and send these blessings to yourself first:
May I be happy
May I be healthy
May I be safe
May my heart be at peace.
Then calling to mind some person, pet, or group that could use these blessings of loving kindness right now and send these blessings to that person/pet/group:
May you be happy
May you be healthy
May you be safe
May your heart be at peace.
Then sending those blessings out to a wider circle, a group that you may or may not know that need these prayers of loving kindness right now.
This is a simple way to connect with the loving energy of the goddess Kuan Yin!