| Original Message: Re: Buddha or Guanyin? |
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Viewing the pendant, what I get is that it's a European interpretation of a Chinese or Asian conception. And that may mean it doesn't necessarily have a particular intention. Or perhaps it merely fails to present that. If I had to make a decision, I'd say the face is more female than male. But that could be my prejudice. I think the real point is that this is a Czech interpretation of whatever they were trying to present. As a necklace, as you mention, it is an odd hodgepodge of elements. Yet as an ensemble, they seem to "go together"—largely because of the consistent red glass. The Quanyin was a bodhisattva—an enlightened being (a Buddha) who made the choice to remain in the human world in order to help people prosper, evolve, and attain enlightenment. Originally Guanyin was a male person, but was gender-fluid, and could materialize as a woman, a child, an animal, to have both genders, or neither. Whatever was required for the situation. The aspect of her being a "goddess of mercy" is one manifestation—and an important one among Chinese people. Her strong suit is compassion. Wikipedia is sometimes frowned-upon as a reliable source of information. In the instance of the entry related to Guanyin, I was impressed that it includes in one essay more than I have seen previously in my past researches. So I think it's worth a read, for anyone interested in the topic of Guanyin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanyin All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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