Bodhisattva of Compassion: The Mystical Tradition of Kuan Yin (Shambhala Classics)

John Blofeld brings us a small collection of rural stories regarding Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Given the large time of Kuan Yin’s existence, which amounts to thousands of years since nobody can quite pinpoint her beginning , this is but the tiniest rendition to her miraculous “existence”.I quote mark the word existence because she technically is not an embodied being and doesn’t exist in the material sense. Which brings the point of the debate of who is Kuan Yin? Was she an actual person or an image? Blofeld explores this plenty, also very unsuccessfully, since this is impossible to know.You will see him question endlessly the true nature of Kuan Yin (something we westerners can sympathize with since it’s deeply embedded on us to want material proof of most things). He does not reach an answer. But it becomes obvious through the tales in the books, and conversations with monks, that the answer lies beyond our mental process, and were he and us to get over that mental barrier, we wouldn’t even need to question the nature of Kuan Yin.One thing is for certain, the love that Bofled felt for the Bodhisattva of compassion is palpable in each page. Even through the most intense mental questioning, you feel the love in each page, the devotional trust he feels while trying to put aside the questions that are but a learned behavior.

The late John Blofeld was a British convert to Buddhism who spent many years living and traveling in the Far East. Amongst Westerners who have attempted to educate the general public about Buddhism and Taoism, he is arguably the most entertaining raconteur of them all. He is a very skilled writer, and he succeeds in making matters of religion and philosophy come alive for the reader as personal questions.What sets Blofeld apart is his ability to weave personal anecdotes in with philosophical exposition, historical narrative, folklore, and "how to" instructions in various meditative exercises.Blofeld's task in this book is to explain who - or what - Kuan Yin is, and to put beliefs concerning Kuan Yin within the context of Buddhism as a whole. This is no easy task, because devotion to Kuan Yin - a female representation of Buddhist compassion and enlightenment - seems (for many Westerners) to be at odds with the fundamental Buddhist precept to "be a light unto yourselves."As Blofeld traces the evolution of Kuan Yin from the male Hindu Boddhisattva Avalokita, to the female Tibetan Boddhisattva Tara, on to her Chinese representation as Kuan Yin, we see that we are dealing with what appears to be a figure of mythology and folklore, a creation of storytellers and artists. But not quite . . . Time and again - and Blofeld illustrates this with many personal anecdotes - Kuan Yin seems to manifest as an actual, independent being. Blofeld devotes many pages to this apparent paradox, and the reader will have to judge for himself whether the stated explanations actually resolve that paradox.Expressed in various ways, the explanation is essentially reduced to the doctrine of One Mind, i.e., the notion that all of our individual minds participate in the universal One Mind, and that in this realm, ordinary distinctions between "real" and "mythical" break down. One would perhaps have to be enlightened oneself to firmly grasp this or experience it as a lived reality, but - as Blofeld shows - the mythic breaks through into the real just often enough to keep faith and devotion alive, and to pass these perplexing questions down through the generations.

This is a wonderful book. It's become my favorite "bedtime stories" book. What I especially like is that the engrossing tales of personal experiences with Kuan Yin (as well as some with Tara) create for readers our own "virtual" experience of a Bodhisattva being as a reality; I feel I'm actually meeting Her, and I fall asleep in a very pleasant mood. I love many Buddhist books, but "Bodhisattva of Compassion: The Mystical Tradition of Kuan Yin" is certainly one of the most absorbing and intimate. It's often whimsical and sometimes funny. At the same time there is a lot of new knowledge to be gained here, especially for people in the West who may not be so familiar with details of who Kuan Yin is and how she is regarded in the East. Also, there is wisdom, and good discussions of universal Buddhist concepts.

Like virtually all reviewers, I really enjoyed this book. But I also feel people should understand what the work is, and is not. This is a description of the author's exploration of the worship of Kuan Yin across many different Asian cultures he's visited, and relating anecdotes from Kuan Yin worshippers about the boddhisattva. The question at the heart of the book and its author is, more or less, "Who is this figure, why does She impel such passionate devotion among so many, and is She 'real'?" While he dabbles in questions about the relationship between Kuan Yin and other Buddhist devotional beings such as Avalokitesvara and White Tara, this book is *not* an academic exploration of questions of comparative religion or socio-anthropology, so if you seek that, this is not your book.

I am not sure if there is a better book on Kuan Yin, but this is by far my favorite. This book is really a treasure, once I go back to again and again whenever I feel as though I need to connect more deeply to Kuan Yin's wisdom. The author weaves many beautiful stories of personal experiences in with the explorations of Kuan Yin's traditional depictions and wisdom :) I really feel as though I was taken into China on my own journey to connect more deeply with Kuan Yin with the author. A very magical book for me!

This book still stands as the most complete book in the study of Kwan Yin. I love how the author writes from the perspective of being a lover of Kwan Yin as well as a scholar. A must for anyone interested in Her practices.

I love this book so far, it is what I wanted to know about Kuan Yin, and this book seems to have the information I need... you will have to make that judgment for yourself. I recommend finding out yourself and just getting this book...

TL;DR – A series of collected stories and information about Kwan Yin, Bodhisattva and Godess.RAGDOLL RATING: 3.5/5 BUTTONSWhy I read it…I came across Kwan Yin Bodhisattva some time ago – one of my Buddhist friends introduced her to me. It was interesting to see a prominent Buddhist figure who had gone from a male from (Avalokiteshvara) to female, some trans Buddhist folk I know see that as a really big thing for what I assume should be obvious reasons. Since then I’ve been meaning to research her a bit and this book was on a list of recommendations.The Book…This book is more like a collection of anecdotes than anything else. I could be wrong, but it doesn’t appear to have been actually researched. That’s not to say it isn’t accurate, just don’t go into it expecting references or academic stuff.It follows Blofeld’s quest to discover Kwan Yin. He begins by telling us how his quest began – specifically that a bronze statue addressed him in a temple once. What follows is an examination of Kwan Yin from as many perspectives as possible. We learn about the manifestations of Kwan Yin – from Buddhist figure to Chinese mythical princess. Then we look at her origins in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism and her possible origins and a combination of Tara and Avalokiteshvara. Then we have some chapters on her history as the subject of Chinese folk tales, sacred rites and practices, meditations and so on.Each chapter is presented as either first hand information or recollection of stories the author was told by people he has discussed the topic with.What I liked…I liked the first half of this book or so. The discussion of the theoretical histories, origins and interpretations was really interesting, and the fact that Blofeld provided (what he claims to be) accurate transcripts of discussions he’s had was a peculiar but welcome change from the usual academic non-fiction I read.I particularly enjoyed the section where Blofeld discussed – at length – the connection between Kwan Yin and Tara. Blofeld treats us to stories of peoples interactions with these figures, without trying to dismiss them automatically as nonsense – and speaks of his own experiences that could be considered ‘supernatural’.What I disliked…The last chapter. I really don’t know what happened. I was enjoying the book until the last chapter, at which point it felt like the writing changed and all of a sudden I was reading a different book. For the life of me I couldn’t tell you how this book ended.Final thoughts…This book was an interesting read, and the format of collected anecdotes was novel and different – although what the means in terms of accuracy I’m not sure. It was worth reading though, even if I didn’t enjoy the final chapter.___________________________________________Please note: I am in no way affiliated with the author or publishers. I bought this book with my own money for my own reasons. The opinions contained within are my own and have not been influenced by any external entity!

Really interesting book. A must if you're a LeVery interesting book, highlly recommended for Kuan Yin fans

Excellent book! Blofeld is a master when describing profound philosophical concepts in an intriguing and attractive way!

beautiful book celebrating the feminine aspect thru an in depth study of Kwan Yin and Tara, the eastern symbols of compassion.

a semi-autobiographical journey of an author who has studied Eastern religions for decades. Who gives an introduction to female deities through out Asia A very good introductory book.