Guanyin Beliefs And Goddess Worship

During two historical period of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, a series of goddesses, taking the Goddess of Mercy (Buddhism Guan Yin) as a representative are not only popular religious spirits devoutly worshiped by the common people but also important literary images in many folk legends and other literary works. Emerging in vernacular literatures of the Ming and the Qing Dynasty, this series of beautiful and kind-hearted goddesses helping the needy and relieving the distressed form an important literary and cultural phenomenon in vernacular literatures of the Ming and the Qing Dynasty. It is useful for us to understand general knowledge and faith of the common people of the Ming and the Qing Dynasty better to research the literary and cultural phenomenon specified.The goddess worship of the Ming and the Qing Dynasty, regarding the belief of Buddhism Guan Yin as representing is a continuance and realignment of a tradition of the worship of goddess. As a collective unconsciousness, the original worship of goddess from remote antiquity in China has deeply been rooted in people's memory. With history transforming and increasing progressively, the original goddess worship assimilating and merging Buddhism culture outside has been evolving and rich in the course of accumulating from generation to generation. The Goddess of Mercy is a displacement of the Original Goddess in later ages. The belief of Buddhism Guan Yin is characterized by the worship of both maternal powers and feminine charms. The series of goddess including the Goddess of Mercy have extraordinary power to deliver people from danger like the Original Goddess, at the same time they are the symbol and embodiment of beauty and goodwill as well. The beauty and goodwill displayed by these goddesses especially the maternal extraordinary powersof goddesses to protect people who were in danger are exactly connected with such ethical concepts of feudal society as "loyalty, filial piety, moral integrity, obligation" which were popular in the Ming and the Qing Dynasty.The worship of goddess represented by the belief of the Goddess Mercy in vernacular literatures of the Ming and the Qing Dynasty, which bore a marked cultural brand of the particular times, is a very important link in the development chain of goddess worship of China.The phenomenon of the goddess worship is a reflection of pragmatic religious mentalities in fact that the common people are yearning for realistic relief and sheltering. The common people believe that they will attain rescues and blessings from goddesses if they discipline and examine themselves morally. It is due to a deep influence of the Goddess of Mercy on the inner emotions of the common people that being a guardian spirit of families, lucky and kind-hearted goddess, the Goddess of Mercy has attractions forever.