Guanyin China, 900s polychromed wood, 17 inches (43.2 cm) high Walter C. Mead Collection by exchange 1946.4 Rotate Guanyin

The particular form of Buddhist teaching that became popular in China centered on the worship of bodhisattvas, compassionate beings who postponed their own escape from worldly existence in order to help others attain enlightenment. The bodhisattva Guanyin, whose name means "the one who always hears [prayers]," attracted the devotion of Chinese Buddhists.


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