Seated Boddihiattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin)
Chinese, Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127) – 11th Century
wood, gesso, and pigment with gilding on view at
The Saint Louis Art Museum
Chinese, Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127) – 11th Century
wood, gesso, and pigment with gilding on view at
The Saint Louis Art Museum
The Chinese Buddhist deity Guanyin is the Bodhisattva
of Infinite Compassion. A bodhisattva is a figure who has achieved the highest
aim in Buddhism, enlightenment, and may pass into nirvana, the state of freedom
from suffering and the endless cycle of rebirth. He remains in the material
world to aid in the salvation of all mortals.
The flexible pose, the royal ease, with a raised leg
and casually draped arm, became associated with the deity in the late ninth
century. Here he is portrayed as a princely figure wearing a tiered crown
be-deckled with jewels. In addition, he is richly clothed in light diaphanous
silks.
As you ponder this magnificent work representing the deity in this state of being, consider what it means to be in the present. Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
As you ponder this magnificent work representing the deity in this state of being, consider what it means to be in the present. Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
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