lucifelle:

Quan Yin is the English transliteration of the Chinese name for a Buddhist divine figure whose Sanskrit name is Avalokitesvara.

The meaning of this name is usually given as “the lord who hears and sees all,” or “the lord who is seen within [the believer’s soul].” The Chinese name Quan yin is sometimes translated as “the one who hears prayers.”

Quan yin is also known in China as Guanshiyin; in Japan as Kannon, Kanzeon, or Kwannon; in southeastern Asia as Quon Am; in Bali as Kanin; and in Tibet as Chen-resigs or Spyan-ras-gzigs. Although some English-language sources refer to Quan yin as a “goddess” or “saint,” these terms are somewhat misleading because of their association with Western religions.

Peter Matthiessen’s phrase, “mythical embodiment of Buddhahood,” or bodhisattva, is a more accurate description. A bodhisattva is a spirit or person who has earned the right, through renunciation of passions and cravings, to escape from the cycle of reincarnation and enter nirvana, but chooses to postpone his/her own bliss until his/her has have helped others to achieve enlightenment.

(via sir-redcrosse)