Guan Shi Yin Pusa

In contrast to the Thai statue, this Chinese Bodhisattva is more ornate and dynamic.

Guan Shi Yin, "She who hears the voice of the World", is the ideal of Mahayana Buddhism. She has almost reached Nirvana, but she delays what would remove her from the cycle of rebirth so that she can help other beings.

She is seated on the lotus throne which denotes her divinity, but one leg is raised for her to step off the throne. Her left hand holds a flask of elixir that will relieve suffering; a metaphor for the Buddha's teaching. Her right hand holds a rosary or mala. Repetition of a mantra and keeping count by using a mala are a sign of later Buddhism.