The bodhisattva Kuan-yin is also known as Kuan-shih-yin or Kuan-tzu-tsai, among other names. The bodhisattva is described as princely and heroic in some scriptures, although in the Lotus Sutra there is reference to his feminine manifestations. The paper discusses the ambiguous of the bodhisattva's name, gender, and status by examining the main scriptural sources for the cult of Kuan-yin as developed in China. Important sutras such as the Lotus, the SurangamaL, the Pure Land Kuan ching as well as a few esoteric sutras will be discussed. Distinctive beliefs shall be examined together with ritual practices as well as art historical evidences. A comparison between the popular “33 forms of Kuan-yin” with those mentioned in the scriptures will be made in order to suggest some possible processes through which this originally Indic bodhisattva became transformed into the Chinese “Goddess of Mercy”.
