Ancient Buddhist goddess Guanyin nature’s gender spectrum
Commentary by Janet Marugg | FāVS News
I came to know her in the garden where the plants came first, statuary second, but she fits the place. She’s dappled in sunlight falling through a Japanese maple overhead, sheltered by heavenly bamboo behind, and nestled into a carpet of Chinese forget-me-nots. This statue of Guanyin — the Buddhist goddess of compassion, mercy and kindness — is posed with a raised knee, a casual drape to the arm. This, I am told, is to bring about a state of grace, dignity and confidence. Who am I to refuse the gifts of a goddess?
I don’t, but billions of people worship Guanyin. As far as Buddhist gods or goddesses go, she is beloved for not causing people to fear her — rather refreshing for a deity. The folds in her concrete robe collect lichen, her toes hold a fluff of moss, but she wears her age well. I like her sitting there, a female presence the Jesuit missionaries in China called the Goddess of Mercy. Others believe she hears the cries of all sentient beings and will liberate them from karmic woes.
More than once, I’ve acknowledged that if I were forced to choose a religious doctrine, I would choose Taoism first, Buddhism second. This is largely because I know one thing about myself: I’m not a good follower. I tread on traditions, find no fun in fundamentalism and respect no rituals. And somehow the Tao and the Buddha shrug my disbelief off as my path, my way.
The word tao means a road, path, way; and hence the way in which I do something, my method. From what I know about her, Guanyin is a-OK with my skeptical ways. I don’t believe in Greek, Egyptian or Hindu goddesses either, but I do appreciate the idea of a feminine divine archetype that suggests the deep-level empathy women may access from our oneness with our child in utero, literally holding the space for another within.
If she could speak, Guanyin would tell me of being both male and female. Her start was in India as the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, a male deity. He gradually became indigenized as a female deity in China over the span of nearly a millennium. By the Ming (1358–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) periods, Guanyin had become the most popular female deity in China.
In her book “Becoming Guanyin,” author Yuhang Li examines how secular Buddhist women in late imperial China forged a connection with the subject of their devotion and echoed their own bodies in Guanyin. They practiced memetic devotion through dance and pursued religious salvation through creative depictions of Guanyin in paintings and embroidery. Guanyin is a goddess made by women artisans.
It’s refreshing to see how a god or goddess can be made into the image of the human artists, and transgendered by devotion and worship. And why not? Transgenderism is described throughout world mythologies. Particularly Hindu, Greek and in Abrahamic or biblical mythologies where Genesis tells of a transgender Eve made from the rib of Adam.
Transgenderism and gender fluidity are a thing in mythology because they are a thing in reality, in nature. Right now, everyone with a penis is technically transgender as every human fetus is first female in utero. It appears that creation nods to gender changing as we know nature presents diverse species with gender fluidity and adaptability.
Just there, the light dapples Guanyin as bamboo fronds rustle a cheer for her, and it’s hard not to join in. Knowing she is a deity made by women doesn’t change a thing. Or maybe it changes everything. From the place I made in my garden for her perfection, I think I accidentally followed the secular Buddhist women’s tradition of making my place her place as if the shape of my world was made for her all along waiting for me to put her there.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
I love this tribute to Guanyin, Janet. We too have a Guanyin statue…when presented to my wife by our Chinese students, they exclaimed “Chinese Virgin Mary!” She/he can be filled with water; when tipped, drops go into the mouth of a dragon. As you say he/she is evidence and celebration of transgendering….I’ve been in museums where one can see male, female, and mixed gendered version of Guanyin.
Thank you, Walter. Always water your dragons. LOL
Thanks again for a beautifully written and insightful article. She is one of my favorite Asian goddesses. By the way, preferred spelling these days is Daoism not Taoism. Yes pinyin is a Communist Chinese invention but it renders the pronounciation more accurately than the antique Wade-Giles system.
Thank you, Nick. I went with “Tao” for algorithmic purposes. Google “tao” and Laozi’s Tao Te Ching comes up. Who doesn’t need a copy of that one for these troubled times? LOL
This is a beautiful article and I’m glad I read it because sometimes I think about how Guanyin/Avalokiteshvara is both male and female and her/his relationship to transgenderism since I come from a Buddhist family. It is said that Guanyin had the ability to transform into different forms to help sentient beings and that meant changing her/his appearance. It’s really quite interesting to see the way Guanyin/Avalokiteshvara is depicted, sometimes depicted as a male wearing nothing but a loin cloth or sometimes as a female holding a bottle of water or holding a baby (representing maternity). In Asia, there are Buddhist temples were you can find Guanyin in both male and female forms. I remember at Gangaramaya Temple in Sri Lanka, there were multiple male and female depictions of Guanyin and devotees were lighting incense and leaving offerings at the different male and female Guanyin shrines. It was beautiful to see.
Thank you, Henry — what an interesting entity!
Fascinating tribute to which I learned much and appreciate the column, Janet! So well presented. In common, I’m an ‘average’ follower but often I ask many questions and seek deeper understanding about methods and ways which often causes a stir in the pool.