Sandy Boucher, celebrated author of Opening the Lotus and Turning the Wheel, now offers North American readers their first opportunity to share in Kwan Yin's illuminating wisdom. Along with providing meditations, chants, and prayers this lovely, illustrated volume recounts the stories of this bodhisattva (one who delays her own full enlightenment to work for the liberation of all beings) and explains Kwan Yin's role in Buddhism. Discovering Kwan Yin is sure to become an important spiritual touchstone for those who seek to celebrate the goddess in their lives, to give and receive the loving power of her presence.

Sandy Boucher, celebrated author of Opening the Lotus and Turning the Wheel, now offers North American readers their first opportunity to share in Kwan Yin's illuminating wisdom. Along with providing meditations, chants, and prayers this lovely, illustrated volume recounts the stories of this bodhisattva (one who delays her own full enlightenment to work for the liberation of all beings) and explains Kwan Yin's role in Buddhism. Discovering Kwan Yin is sure to become an important spiritual touchstone for those who seek to celebrate the goddess in their lives, to give and receive the loving power of her presence.

Queens and old crones, Buddhas and goddesses, mothers and wild women. Female deities in Buddhism take many forms to inspire, beguile, rouse and protect us. Enter the magical realm of gently compassionate Kuan Yin from China, meet the elusive golden goddess from India representing Perfect Wisdom, and tangle with the energetic embodiments of freedom, the fearless sky-dancing dakinis of Tibet. Respected Western Buddhist teacher Vessantara invites us to learn more about ourselves as women and men by reflecting on these figures, for within us lie the seeds of love, wisdom and freedom that these figures symbolise in their fullness, qualities we can nurture through contemplating the beauty of these enlightened beings. Engage not just with your head but with your heart. Follow your intuition ... enrich your life. My thanks to Vessantara for a treasure trove of fascinating information, explanation, and anecdote on the feminine divine. This is an invaluable introductory source book.Sandy Boucher, author of Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion.

Kuan Yin, the ancient Chinese goddess of Compassion, is the principal goddess in the Eastern firmament. Wherever there are Chinese or Japanese speaking people in the world - in homes, restaurants, workplaces, small urban temples and shrines - Kuan Yin's image can be found. The ritual of consulting her has brought solace, hope and insight to countless people and it continues to be an integral part of the lives of tens of millions of people throughout the East today. Stephen Karcher's interpretation of this ancient text presents 'The 100 Poems of the Goddess', as relevant today as they were 1000 years ago, in an extremely easy to use and amazingly insightful form. Simply ask the oracle a question. By opening your heart to the answer, you allow yourself to be 're-arranged' by the symbol or figure Kuan Yin gives you. Then turn to the relevant page for that symbol in the book, where you will find directions to help you focus your energy and choose the right path to find an answer.

Boucher celebrates the many contributions of women to American Buddhism and provides an intimate look at the lives of women who are the teachers, scholars, nuns, and followers of a newly evolving Buddhist practice in this country. "A thought-provoking examination".--Victoria Scott, San Francisco Chronicle. Photos.

Compassionate, bountiful, and the most popular female Buddhist deity, Kuan Yin is the great protector. Invoked as Kannon in Japan, Tara in Tibet, and Kuan Yin in China, she is a practical goddess, consulted by millions, offering useful advice for everyday problems. The first oracle of its kind, this entertaining kit includes a book -- with an introduction, easy-to-follow instructions, and 100 Poems of the Oracle -- as well as a statue of the goddess, and 100 numbered bamboo "Sticks of Fate". How it works: when readers have a question for Kuan Yin, they place the sticks in a bamboo shaker, hold it at an angle, and shake it from side to side. One stick will fall out, and the answer is determined by the number on the stick, which corresponds to one of the Poems. The statue provides a serene visual focal point for the ritual.

The best and most comprehensive book on the most important and best-loved Chinese goddess. Walk down the streets of Chinatown in any American or western European city and look around. She is there. Walk through the downtown streets, look in a shop window. She is there. Go to any city in China and open your eyes. She is there, too. Kuan Yin is the most ubiquitous Chinese deity—and the most loved. She is the living expression of compassion whose gentle face and elegant figure form the center of devotion in most Chinese homes and workplaces. Until relatively recently, she was barely known in the West, and few studies had been made of her. Originally published as Kuan Yin by Harper Collins in 1995 (and republished as The Kuan Yin Chronicles by Hampton Roads in 2009), this seminal work explores the origins and evolution of the goddess in ancient China, early Buddhism, Taoism, and shamanism. Religious scholar Martin Palmer and Chinese divination expert Man-Ho Kwok discuss the Kuan Yin myths and stories, and Jay Ramsay provides fresh translations of 100 Kuan Yin poems that function both as literature and divination tools. “A compelling story that reads like a detective mystery . . . and shows the contemporary reassertion of the Goddess in the hearts and minds of men and women.” —Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade. Previously published as The Kuan Yin Chronicles.