Minxingfu stone carving
There are different opinions in Buddhism about the origin of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Some people say that Guanyin was originally the son of the wheel king, and his name is not inferior. Together with his father and brother, he became a monk with Sakyamuni and made a positive result. The wheel king became Amitabha, and his younger brother became Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Great Trend Bodhisattva respectively. Some people say that Guanyin was originally the daughter of Miao solemn king, named Miao Ying. Her father married her, but she didn't want to get married, so she fled to the barren hills to practice building a house. This is what Buddhists say, but is Guanyin really a Buddhist?
People have been debating whether Guanyin Bodhisattva is a Taoist or a Buddhist. Most people in the world think that Guanyin Bodhisattva is of course a Buddhist figure. In Buddhism, he is the last bodhisattva under the seat of Amitabha, the leader of the western paradise. Together with the majestic bodhisattva, it is a threatening bodhisattva around Amitabha, also known as the "Three Saints of the West".
Min xingfu Guanyin stone carving
Of course, there are also legends about Guanyin as Taoism. According to legend, during the Shang Dynasty, a jurchen practiced Putuo Mountain. Because Zhou Wang has no choice, she often hurts people. Nu Wa Niangniang taught her the skill of sailing with thousands of eyes and guided her to learn from the Buddha in the early Yuan Dynasty, so she was called a kind channel person. Then it seems that he should actually be a Taoist.
However, anyone who has read The Deification Romance knows that Guanyin Bodhisattva was formerly a Taoist, one of the twelve immortals in Kunlun, who practiced in Luojiadong, Putuo Mountain, and had no disciples. Guanyin Bodhisattva was favored by western Taoist priests because of the apotheosis of World War I, and then abandoned the Taoist way to become a Buddha, turning men into women. The most famous one is called "Guanyin with great mercy". So, you say, is Guanyin a Taoist or a Buddhist?
Is the true identity of Guanyin Bodhisattva Taoism or Buddhism? In fact, from an objective point of view, we must first understand the differences between Taoism and Buddhism and distinguish them conceptually.
Guanyin bodhisattva statue
The differences between Buddhism and Taoism are as follows:
Attitude towards life and death: the goal pursued by Buddhism is "nirvana", which is separated from the cycle of life and death. Buddhism believes that life is bitter. Life is bitter, and death is bitter. And this kind of suffering is endless, in an endless cycle of life and death. Only by reaching nirvana can we escape from the cycle of life and death. So how to achieve nirvana? That is, people should "realize". Buddha, sleep also. In the final analysis, it is an understanding of the bitterness of life. Buddhism believes that when you really realize that life is bitter, you "wake up". This is the core idea of Buddhism. Taoism generally holds a positive attitude towards life. This is the biggest difference between Taoism and Buddhism and even other religions. For example, Christianity believes that people are born with original sin and are born with atonement. Buddhism believes that life is bitter. Is to achieve immortality through cultivation. There is a saying in the secret of Taoist practice, "Being a man and becoming an immortal are all inverted yin and yang", which is how Taoism achieves immortality. This sentence originated from China's Five Elements Theory, which is the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine.
The biggest difference between Taoism and Buddhism is that "Taoism is talking about this life and Buddhism is talking about the afterlife." Buddhism says the afterlife and urges the world to be patient. The so-called sin in this life and the report in the afterlife will be miserable in this life. In short, its purpose is to pin hopes on the afterlife. Taoism is completely different. The so-called first step of successful cultivation is to live forever. Taoism pays attention to this life and believes in immortality when it comes to the afterlife. Anyway, I will not die in the afterlife. And still need abstinence, only Buddha in my heart, sitting after death, leaving Buddhist relics, lotus throne reborn; Taoist priests are not so strict, more practical, have the belief of helping others, pay attention to cultivation, and finally stand out and soar.
The basic difference is that Taoism advocates taking life as the truth and pursuing longevity and immortality. Taoism believes that human life is made up of vitality, and the body is the residence of the spirit. To live forever, we must cultivate both form and spirit, that is, "internal cultivation" and "external cultivation" Contrary to Taoism, Buddhism advocates "no life" and thinks that reality is the suffering of all beings. People can't do anything about reality, they can only endure it. To endure, we must give up all kinds of desires, pin our hopes on the afterlife, pursue the "sea of suffering" beyond the cycle of life and death, and enter the nirvana-like wood (the world of bliss without suffering). It can be seen that Taoism advocates pursuing real life, while Buddhism advocates abandoning the pursuit of realistic material and paying attention to spiritual cultivation and yearning for the afterlife. Buddhism, with compassion, abandons the doctrine of evil Yangshan, and the law of causal reincarnation is admirable, which is also the vitality of Buddhism. Compared with Islam and Christianity, Buddhism is less barbaric and xenophobic, and more exotic.
We can't verify the origin of Guanyin Bodhisattva, but conceptually, Guanyin belongs to Buddhism. Looking at the ancient and modern history of Buddhism and Taoism in China, we can see some origins. Buddhism has a history of more than 2500 years. It originated in India. According to Siddhartha's practice method, he discovered the truth of life and the universe, finally transcended life and death and suffering, got rid of all troubles, and finally got rid of it. Taoism has a history of 1800 years. It is a local religion in China and is worshipped by many gods. The deity worshipped is the personification of Taoist belief "Tao". Buddhism guides people to cultivate their minds in order to achieve enlightenment, and it is more spiritual guidance. Taoism is realism, which promotes the development of Yin-Yang, Five Elements and even Chinese medicine. The diversified development and inheritance of Chinese civilization cannot be separated from our tolerant mentality, so foreign religions can develop and integrate in China, which is the wisdom of tolerance. Buddhism and Taoism can become the mainstream religious beliefs in China so far, which shows that they are in line with the wishes of the people. From the philosophical point of view, existence is rationality and rationality is existence. Many people believe in religion, but their understanding of religion is superficial or one-sided. For example, in southern Fujian, people often worship Guanyin and Tugong at the same time. In fact, they belong to Buddhism and Taoism. From this point of view, people are willing to believe in any religious idea that conforms to their vision.