Kuan Yin from a Taoist Perspective

[RyanO]

RyanO,

 

It occurred to me that "practice hopping" seems to happen just when that practice is getting closer to "working", as in "doing what it was intended to do".

 

I don't think it means one has to stop or continue. I think that's where the "levels" idea in practices come in. Just an idea.

 

Yes I've heard that before. I think one of the issues for me has been not having any kind of community support or ongoing relationship with a teacher. I've recently been going to a good Qigong teacher in my area so perhaps that'll break the spell!

[Trunk]

It occurred to me that "practice hopping" seems to happen just when that practice is getting closer to "working", as in "doing what it was intended to do".

I recently took a short video of myself w/ my pocket camera, doing a little qigong movement. I found that I stopped "when I felt it wasn't doing anything", but when I looked back on video *that* was when the energy was flowing most freely.

[Birch]

Yes I've heard that before. I think one of the issues for me has been not having any kind of community support or ongoing relationship with a teacher. I've recently been going to a good Qigong teacher in my area so perhaps that'll break the spell!

 

That's not the issue. Well, at least not for me it is/wasn't.

 

-----opinion alert----

[寒月 Hanyue]

[Ya Mu]

... How do the Taoists address Kuan Yin?

...

There is a reason you have felt directed to Kwan Yin. I know you haven't been practicing much lately, but I encourage you to not lose sight of the Stillness-Movement practice.

 

So how to connect to Kuan Yin?

...

I posted then decided it was better to just PM you with it; you can decide whether to re-post it publicly.

[Ish]

I feel Guan Yin is important in this age, at least for me.

Mantras such as Namo Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa and Om mani padme hum feel very powerful.

I've not gone deeply into meditation with Guan Yin but nevertheless feel very grateful towards her.

[flowing hands]

Quan Yin Neung Neung is not part of the Taoist gods but is respected and believed in by Taoists, especially the Mao Shun sect, or 'Fu Family'.

 

Her teachings are called 'The Pure Path Sect'

 

I have communicated with Quan Yin on many occasions over the years, as one of my Masters was her student (Chi Tien Da Shen).

 

Her Pure Path Sect has practices that help people to further themselves towards Bhudda-hood.

[Trunk]

Often it strikes me as absurd, the premise of the question...

as if Kwan Yin were invented by, or rights-to owned-by any particular religion or sect.

 

I wonder what Kwan Yin thinks about all this!

Does she think, "oh, I'm a Buddhist, but only of this sect"

I rather doubt that an enlightened deity's primary scope of reference & orientation is strictly along one particular tradition/sect of one particular planet.

[Taomeow]

Often it strikes me as absurd, the premise of the question...

as if Kwan Yin were invented by, or rights-to owned-by any particular religion or sect.

 

I wonder what Kwan Yin thinks about all this!

Does she think, "oh, I'm a Buddhist, but only of this sect"

I rather doubt that an enlightened deity's primary scope of reference & orientation is strictly along one particular tradition/sect of one particular planet.

 

There's deities who are universal, but there's also local ones. A god or goddess patron(ess) local to a town or even village used to be common in China. Quan Yin is not particularly nationalistic, but there's Chinese deities who don't like foreigners. Usually the military ones in charge of defending settlements from invaders.

 

Dona Rosita Arvigo who studied herbal and sasang healing from the last Mayan expert asserts that the teacher made her learn the local dialect in order to talk to the local plants and spirits, "because they still didn't bother to learn any English or Spanish." In my own experience, ayahuasca, who speaks all languages of the universe and most definitely knows English, chose to communicate with me in Spanish, "when in Rome" was her rationale. (She made me learn Spanish instantly, I didn't know it before.) What I'm driving at is, deities can choose to use a particular aspect of their overall (much larger) being to communicate with particular individuals or groups. They do that. Doesn't mean they are not/cannot do more, but their "clients" might have difficulty embracing "it all," so deities give them as much as they can absorb. Quan Yin can communicate with a buddhist and not make a peep about her taoist or universal aspects, and vice versa. Am I making sense?

[RyanO]

[flowing hands]

[lifeforce]

Resurrecting this thread as it seems relative to my situation right now.

As of late, I've been delving into dark paths. This has turned my into a hateful, scornful, jealous, angry, misanthropic person. I've seen the change in me and its not good at all. I'm humble enough still to admit that I have a serious problem which I need to sort out ASAP. Searching for ways in which to change, I stumbled upon this old thread. Kuan Yin maybe the way for me. I really don't care whether methods are Buddhist or Daoist or anything else for that matter as long as they work.

So I'm going to give the Namo Kuan Shi Yin Pusa mantra a go and see if it works out for me. I'd be interested if anyone has any long term experience with this. This thread is 5 years old now and it would be nice to hear from the folks involved (or anyone else for that matter) if any are still using this method.

Thanks.

[Wu Ming Jen]

It is interesting that the Chinese Taoist gods are all people from history.That makes Gods not from another higher world like other religions. Buddhist have actual people being Buddhas just like Taoist.

 

God means unified mind in Taoist not a external untouchable killing god fond of genocide and looking out for a chosen people. this is a major mistake we need to correct. Jesus the hippy son of a horrible father and that talks like a Buddha was used to soften up the evil of western religion IMO conclusion Gods are people, devils are people like pope sixtieth the third and sooo many others in history.

 

Mother earth, yin, Kwan yin can be found in all systems because she is awesome and a reality we all supported by. End rant.

[Slim]

Lifeforce, go for it. She's there if you need her.

 

As to the topic itself it kind of got me thinking about whether Guanyin is Buddhist or Taoist or local religion etc. 

 

My sense, based on experience and study, is that Taoists throughout Chinese history were quite happy incorporating the various deities into their practice. The kind of deity is not what really differentiates Taoists from others. It’s more how they approach the divine that matters. The Taoist approach seems to be more self-focused, more self-reliant. 

 

Back in the 90s when I first got started on the Taoist path, I was with a teacher who was heavily influenced by the Three Teachings movement (Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist). He was a big Guanyin (Kuan Yin) fan, in the school we even had a Guanyin altar.  

 

He was a Taoist priest yet he also was very comfortable using Buddhist chants and Confucian ceremonies. And more than just paying lip service. Although his first lineage was Taoist he also had been initiated into Confucian and Buddhist lineages. 

 

During my first training with a Taoist altar I was shown how the various elements on the altar are a reflection of the self. The lamp is the light of our spirit, three cups of water represent the Three Treasures of jing, qi, shen, and fruit represent the internal organs etc. By worshiping at the altar we are focusing on and empowering the self.

 

This seems to stands in stark contrast to others who worship a deity in order to get something (a common practice in China anyway). 

 

Kristofer Schipper writes about his experiences with Zhengyi Taoism in the south of Taiwan back in the 60s. He describes how the outer altar of the deity is not the true altar. There is an inner altar, the altar inside the body that is of prime importance. The priest goes inside the body to pay homage to the spirits and energies that make up one’s internal landscape, and that is where the true work is done. 

 

I think by incorporating the deities, but using them as a means of connecting to the self, Taoists stand apart from other groups.

[Astral Monk]

Ohm Tare tu Tare tu re swaha!

 

The many coloured Tara is also known as a form of the same Guan Yin deity-force.

 

When it comes to devotional paths, you pretty much just take up one that best suits you. The point isnt to rely on a deity, but to use devotion to propel yourself to deeper levels of realization.

 

Even so, some mantras have a primal vibration quality that taps into something deep. Om mani pad me hum!!

 

8)

[Brian]

Resonances echo through the corridors of existence.

[Gerard]

Thanks.

 

Look into a baby's or any young child's eyes and you'll realise the purity of the spirit. We are indeed immortal beings having a human experience.

 

I know this sounds crazy but have you considered dropping Xingyi/Xinyi and take up Bagua as an totally new method. Xingyi is too hard and doesn't dissolve the ego, it actually reinforces (or augments it in some instances) which is a serious hurdle in the purification of the heart.

 

Are you practicising near big trees, amongst birds and other wildlife?

 

In my own personal experience, saying thank you to the natural world for sharing their space and generosity with a human who happens to live in a building in the human world is a sign not only of respect but also it pays off. Nature is the best healing and mind-opener. Wildlife starts to approach you and be more comfortable with your presence, trees, plants and nature spirits will also communicate with you. This is all a good sign which indicates that one is becoming one with the Great Spirit, you won't seeyourself different from anything or anyone in this planet or in any other realm, you become ONE with ALL. No place can be compared to practicing away from urban environment.

 

 

Australian water dragon that likes to watch someone doing circle walking near his 'little' home.

 

 

Ordesa Valley, Pyrenees (Spain)

 

 

A fox, good old friend.

 

"Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. According to Yo Yōkai folklore, all foxes have the ability to shape shift into men or women. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives. Foxes and human beings lived close together in ancient Japan; this companionship gave rise to legends about the creatures."(Kitsune).

 

 

In any way, all the very best in your practice.

 

 

Edited January 30, 2016 by Gerard

[Brian]

Avalokitasvara is in many lineages from many cultures.