be a commendable show of faith but it benefits only a limited
number of people who have the good karma to develop it. It will
not help to instruct the younger generation to develop an inter-
est in Buddhism or to practise it. What is more important is that
every Buddhist should have a fair knowledge of who the Buddha
is, and what are his important teachings so that Buddhism can
be practised meaningfully and objectively. is will also help to
do away with superstition and wrong practice and at the same
time provide intelligent answers to the questions that are posed
by those of other faiths.But let us get back to the subject on this great Bodhisattva whose
sphere of influence is much greater than the Buddha for she has
more temples built in her name than all the Buddhas and Bodhi-
sattvas of the Buddhist Pantheon. Her merit is incalculable, like
drops of rain falling continuously for a year. She is called the
Greatly Compassionate One because of her vow of ‘saving all
living beings and therefore committing herself to being the last
person in the universe to attain Buddhahood!’In the Lotus Sutra the Buddha said that anyone who calls upon
Kuan Yin will be delivered instantly from all their sufferings.
By virtue of her supernatural power, she is able to save all living
beings from all kinds of danger, give them what they want, and
preach the Dharma freely by appearing in whatever form that
suits the nature of the faithful.To call for Kuan Yin’s help one needs only to humbly recite her
name continuously with: