Kuan-yin is known in Sanskrit as Avalokiteśvara,
which originally was transliterated as "Ah-fu-lu-chih-ti-shih-fa-lo",
from which such forms as Kuan-shih-yin, Shih-yin,
and Kuan-tzu-tzai ultimately derive. Kuan-yin
represents the Bodhisattva of the Ten Stages in
Mahāyāna Buddhism. Belief in Kuan-yin originated
in Indian and spread to China and elsewhere, being
divided into the three forms of Sūtrayana, Tantrayāna,
and Sinified. The image of Kuan-yin in the "Universal
Gate Chapter of the Kuan-yin Bodhisattva" in The
(Sublime Dharma of the) Lotus Sutra in the National
Palace Museum collection belongs to the Sūtrayana
system. The Kuan-yin Sutra represents a classic
example of the Tantrayāna type, its Kuan-yin image
belonging to the esoteric Kuan-yin form. The sinification
of Kuan-yin belief was much influenced by popular
literature, giving rise to various forms with
incarnations having as many as 32 or 33 heads.
The
Lotus (Saddharmapundarika) Sutra First translated
into Chinese by the Indian monk
Ji-fang, Later Ch'in dynasty
Handwritten gold ink edition
Dated 1436, Ming dynasty
The Lotus (Saddharmapundarika)
Sutra First translated into
Chinese by the Indian monk
Guan zheng-yin, Later Ch'in dynasty
Handwritten gold ink edition
Dated 1443, Ming dynasty
The
Lotus Sutra, with The Heart Sutra Attached First translated
into Chinese by the Indian monk
Kumārajiva (344-415), Later Ch'in dynasty
Handwritten gold ink edition
Dated 1432, Ming dynasty