the enormity of such an undertaking. Amitabha, the Buddha
of Limitless Light, his Spiritual Father, quickly came to the
rescue and restored Kuan Yin to life and also gave him this
form. e thousand eyes symbolise the all-seeing nature of
Kuan Yin’s compassion while the thousand arms represent the
ever-present and all-compassing nature of his help. All Kuan
Yin images, male or female, with one or multiple heads, two
or multiple arms, gentle or fierce facial expressions, have their
own symbolic and religious meanings and therefore should not
be looked upon as peculiar and uninviting. However, all Kuan
Yin images always feature a loving, kind and compassionate
expression and even a statue with eleven heads and a thousand
arms does not lose the harmony of the whole body but radiates
peace.In the Lotus Sutra, an entire chapter is devoted to Kuan Yin in
which the Buddha describes the Bodhisattva as one who has her
face turned in every direction in order to see all things and to
save all beings and that there is no form or shape that Kuan Yin
will not assume to preach the Dharma to sentient beings:“In some worlds... the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Avalokitesvara
preaches the law to creatures in the shape of a Buddha; in others
she does so in the shape of a Bodhisattva. To some beings she
shows the law in the shape of a Pratyekabuddha; to others she
does so in the shape of a disciple... to those who are to be con-
verted by assuming Brahman, she preaches in the shape of a
Brahman; to those who are to be converted by Vajrapani, she
preaches in the shape of Vajrapani.”