faith in the Bodhisattva. However they should bear in mind that
those who make this arduous trips are generally not mere sight-
seers but seekers of wisdom who are keen meditators and there-
fore possessing calm and not easily excitable minds that are likely
to be affected by the aforementioned factors.Temples dedicated to Wen-shu P’usa are a rarity but a statue
honouring this Bodhisattva can be found in most Chinese
temples. Generally Wen-shu either appears in a triad with the
Buddha Sakyamuni and Pu H’sien P’usa or, with Kuan Shih Yin
P’usa and Pu H’sien P’usa, as shown in the Pantheon of Deities.
ese ree Great Bodhisattvas, when appearing in a Trinity,
are in their feminine forms showing Wen-shu riding the Green
Lion and Pu H’sien astride the White Elephant. Wen-shu, as
usual, represents the Buddha’s Wisdom aspect, Pu H’sien, the
Perfect Activity of Love, and Kuan Yin, the Perfect Compassion
— these three aspects when combined together make up the
Buddha’s perfection. In the Miao Shan legend, the Green Lion
of Wen-shu was described to be the transformation of the God
of Fire and the White Elephant being the Spirit of the Water:
two evil spirits who captured the parents of the Princess when
they set out to visit Hsiang Shan where Miao Shan was then
residing, but were later subdued by heavenly forces. Upon Miao
Shan’s canonization into a Bodhisattva and earning the title as
‘e Very Compassionate Saviour of the Afflicted, Miraculous
and Helpful Protectress of Mortals’, her two elder sisters too
earned great spiritual elevations. Miao Ching became Wen-shu
P’usa and bears the title of ‘e Very Virtuous P’usa, the Com-
pletely Beautiful, Rider of the Green Lion’.