Hong, Tsai-Hsia See all items with this value

2000

Master of Arts in Religious Studies

Lancaster, Lewis R.

Wu, Yi

Shih, Huei Kai

This is a study of all the references to Avalokiteshvara found in the oldest complete Chinese Buddhist canon preserved in Korea. These references have been put into categories and have been dated on the basis of translations from Sanskrit into Chinese. This study represents the shifting idea about Avalokiteshvara—the ideas of the Bodhisattva activities and the way of Bodhisattva depiction. These ideas about Avalokiteshvara underwent a major shift and emphasis in the late part of the 7th century. From the first appearance of the name in 179 C.E. until the 7th century, we find a lot of references that indicate the ways Indians treated the figures of Avalokiteshvara. From the 7th century, the ideas about Avalokiteshvara became integrated into Chinese cultural life, known in China as Kuan-yin. The Bodhisattva was seen as a seethrough biographical practice in the families in this period, the gender of Kuan-yin shifted from male to female. She is now seen to function as one who helps with child-bearing as well as being shown a holding willow branch to get rid of fierce evils, ghosts and diseases. In this way, this thesis attempts a Chinese life history and came to be a major figure in popluar religion.

Avalokiteśvara See all items with this value

University of the West