Compassion

Context:

Guanyin is known as the bodhisattva of compassion. In Buddhist belief, bodhisattvas are beings who have attained enlightenment but have chosen to delay nirvana and remain as helpers to mankind. Guanyin, originally a male bodhisattva in India, came to be identified as a woman in Chinese and Japanese Buddhist belief. Thus, figures like this one have both masculine and feminine qualities. (National Gallery of Art)

Context:

In western Christianity, the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ’s mother, was a popular focus of personal devotion. She was often depicted with her infant child, emphasizing her role as a holy maternal figure and mediator between humanity and the divine.  (The Met)

Inter-religious comparisons:

"In this pairing, we can see the compassion in both the Virgin Mary and Guanyin. Though strikingly similar, these statuettes were created centuries apart. 

Both show an exchange between a mother and her male child—a scene that transcends cultural and religious difference. 

Rather than being depicted as a queen or ruler of humanity, here the Virgin is presented simply as a loving mother embracing her child. You can see how her face is soft and affectionate with the delicate draping of her robes creates a sense of humanity, responding to the form of her body. Drawn into the intimate exchange between parent and child, we are reminded of the sheer compassion and love that the Virgin Mary has as a mother for her son.

The statuette of Guanyin represents a popular iteration known as the “Bestower of Sons.” Here Guanyin affectionately carries a male child in her arms. Both smile benevolently toward the viewer. In Confucian China, women were expected to stay within their domestic spaces, where such personal devotional objects offered opportunities to interact intimately with the divine. This statuette creates a direct link as the faithful sought to emulate and aspire toward this image of divine compassion and motherhood.

Comparing works of art depicting the Christian Virgin Mary and the Buddhist Guanyin shows the universal compassion of divine maternal figures who inspire the faithful."

Excerpt from : https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/articles/2021/5/virgin-mary-guanyin#:~:text=Guanyin%20is%20the%20Chinese%20translation,for%20Buddhist%20faithful%20to%20follow

Your turn:

• How do you practice compassion towards others in your daily life?

• Can you recognize any similarities between your spiritual practice and those of others?

• How can your compassion further a more peaceful world?