Guanyin—Goddess of Fertility

3 Guanyin—Goddess of Fertility
Annette Jonas

Introduction

A book about fertility treatment in Chinese medicine would be incomplete if it did not mention Guanyin, the Goddess of Fertility. This would mean that something very important, a part of the whole, were missing. This is because reproduction is not just a technological-functional process, but the mental-spiritual realm also plays an important role. The authors of this book deal with this topic in their individual chapters—the following contribution on the possibilities of involving a Buddhist goddess will contribute substantially to a consideration of this realm.

Even in our own clinical practice, it is not that exceptional that we as practitioners wonder why a therapy—not only in the case of fertility treatment, but in many other disorders as well—fails to prove effective in spite of the best knowledge and polished therapeutic concepts, why the treatment goal is beyond reach and the patients are regarded as “therapy-resistant.” In this context, reproduction is one of the most fundamental matters for human beings. The cradle of life already functioned in primeval times, and it is in this area in particular that medicine and technology are not the end of the story. Even if the whole world was created by a big bang, human reproduction always includes a certain “divine spark” in order to create new life. We regard every new human being as a true miracle.

Starting a Family in China

In Chinese culture, starting a family has always been a matter of great significance. People should be married by the age of 30. Beyond this age, they are regarded as unattractive and no longer desirable. It is difficult to accept for older, conservative Chinese when Western visitors past the age of 30 are not yet married. In China, the family still plays a very important role, one that we in the West have lost a long time ago.

During their first social contact, travelers in China always have to answer the standard question about how many children they have. Blank, almost pitying looks follow, if you answer by saying that you are unmarried and have no children. For Chinese people, it used to be almost beyond their imagination to be single. Yin and yang belong together, after all, and a person should not live alone. People should, however, not live in a homosexual relationship since man and woman belong together and you cannot have children otherwise.

After marriage, a Chinese couple should produce offspring after two years at the latest. If the woman has failed to conceive within this time, she is regarded as a so-called “stone woman” (shi nu). This notion is related to the uterus (zi gong). The uterus is closed, solid, and tight like a rock. The cause of infertility is almost always initially sought in the woman.

Many women then begin by enlisting biomedical help. If this approach is unsuccessful, though, and if acupuncture does not help either, they often turn to mostly Buddhist monasteries. If couples in China have not had success with any of the fertility therapies and have exhausted all technological, medicinal treatment strategies, they have one last option left: they can pray to the Goddess of Fertility, Guanyin.

Legend—Who is Guanyin and Where Does She Come From?

Guanyin is also the Goddess of Compassion, of good fortune, and she bestows the blessing of children. Historically, she is the Chinese embodiment of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara who plays an important role in Tibetan Buddhism. There, however, he is venerated as a male Bodhisattva, while in China and Japan, this deity is female. A Bodhisattva is an enlightened being who has learned through meditation and self-absorption how to escape from the endless cycle of death and rebirth. The core of Bodhisattva philosophy (the “great vehicle” of Buddhism) is the ideal not to attain enlightenment for oneself alone but to help all other beings.

The figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara stems from a famous Buddhist text, the Lotus Sutra. This is one of the key texts of Mahayana Buddhism. Several translations of this Sutra into Chinese exist, the earliest from the 3 rd and 4th centuries CE. In that work, the name of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (literally: “the lord who is observing the world”) was translated from Sanskrit into the Chinese name Guanshiyin. After the Lotus Sutra was translated, the 25th chapter, devoted to the Bodhisattva of Compassion Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), became an independent text. Jorinde Ebert 2 writes that the Chinese title of this chapter (“Guan Shi Yin Pu Men Pin”) represents both the responsibilities and character of the Bodhisattva. The text states repeatedly that merely calling out the name of the Bodhisattva is enough to be saved: Guanyin will immediately pay attention (guan) to the voices (yin) in the whole universe (shi) and gates (men) will open everywhere (pu) for the wishes of believers.

There are many legends that tell stories of salvation by Guanyin. Old inscriptions show examples. By calling Guanyin, you can:

make a thunderstorm disappear in time
transform a fire pit into a lotus pond
calm your thoughts and succeed in letting go
be safe from all harm

Goddess of Compassions

In Tibetan Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara is regarded as the embodiment of the compassion of all Buddhas in all ages. The current Dalai Lama is seen as an embodiment of Avalokiteshvara as well. Om mani padme hum (“Oh, you jewel in the lotus flower”) is a very popular mantra. The jewel stands for all-encompassing compassion; hence, this is the mantra of compassion:

om—liberated from suffering in the realm of the gods
ma—liberated from suffering in the realm of the demigods
ni—liberated from suffering in the human realm
pad—liberated from suffering in the animal realm
me—liberated from suffering in the realm of the hungry ghosts
hum—liberated from suffering in the hells

Guanyin—A Mother Goddess

When Buddhism, introduced to China in the 1st century CE, combined with Daoism, Avalokiteshvara was equated with a goddess native to China. Thereby, Guanyin was seen as the old mother goddess Nugua, who, together with her brother/husband, is celebrated as the cofounder of Chinese culture, especially of oracles and writing. When the Italian Jesuit fathers arrived in China in the 16th century, the Madonna statues they brought with them were seen as depictions of Guanyin. Subsequently, Chinese artists produced their statues in the image of the Madonnas (Figs. 3.1). In Western analytic psychology, Mary is regarded as the mother of God and protectress of humankind, as well as a particularly obvious expression of the mother archetype.

Graphic illustrations of Guanyin often depict her on the shore of the ocean meditating, or holding an infant in her arms. She sits enthroned on a mountain or an island in the Sea of Japan.