THERE WERE SOME beautiful things in the museum at old Szujhou last Monday. One of my faves was a statue of the Goddess of Compassion, sometimes called Kwan Yin.
It transpires that Shanghai was a major centre of Buddhism in ancient times of yore – indeed two of the most important temples of Avalokiteshvara, the Sanskrit name for compassion, still exist in the old town.
It is true that sometimes the Chinese guys got very suspicious about their wives worshipping what appeared to be a man in their sacred shrines, and that some of them insisted they didn’t do that, they should worship a goddess, thus giving rise to the Kwan Yin worship.
Well, they told me that in the CKS museum in Old Taipei, many many years ago, which seems to hold all the treasures that used to be in the Beijing museum after Mao beat Chiang and Chiang fled. Families, what are they like?
I have, in pixels, mused that the best hope of reconciliation between Taiwan and the People’s Republic is that some at least of those treasures go back to the mainland without blood and certainly without recriminations and ICBMs. Cultural treasures are not always about money.
And no, I am not a Buddhist. It’s just that fighting over statues and pictures of Avalokiteshvara doesn’t seem to have much point to it in the 21st century. If they are Chinese treasures, let them be available to more people. Taiwan has treasures of its own, too. ♥
BOGGARD While philosophers – whether Platonic or Aristotelain – ponder such items, here’s a few more pix from Ole Shanghai.
Some charming local kids
Some charming shots of Old Shanghai
Kwan Yin .. The Lord Of The Yin
“Kwan” means “Lord”/”Adjudicator” and “Yin” is that old Chinese word for “the feminine side” She is also called “Mahakali” in Sanskrit. Indian and Chinese cultures are essentially the same and the Chinese are also called the “Kushites” whose twin is The Slavs. Yes, those “sub-humans” in Russia who represents the human hypothalamus/pituitary [and the chinese represents the pineal body which is why they are susceptible to myopia once they start “adulterising”]. Living in reality and less reading/re-living of history.
The Chinese and more so the Indian cultures were sustained by saints [the real non-religious variety which the West also have] which oversee their balance but being humans, people will misrepresent, especially when their minds soar over their senses. The Indians and Chinese [types to be exact] have two extra genes which offer them a second “chance”/”viewpoint” when it comes to “unrestrained” temptations. Two very important genes lacking from the “Western” types which is why modern history is made and written by unconstraint genesis. And this is known as being “developed” whose motto is, “Because I can”. Western types will always gravitate towards greed first before anything else and comtemporary Chinese culture is going gung-ho for achievement & success with the “most-est”, “best-est” and of course, “the greatest” being bywords for those Western types whose names are as varied as their coloured poodles. Ever met/read-of an Anglo named Two-Hung Smith. [Even the BBC declares that that is sheer lunacy but not Marie-Antoinette Elizabeth Wang, strangely]. Association-with-greatness, fashion, is irresistable to those lacking the two genes of balance. Perhaps the “geneome project” will uncover them …. if they dare …
“Yin”, also means “shade”, meaning femininity. Or emotions, subtlety, hydrogen, carbohydrates, the past, magnetism, electricity, the kinetic, ad infinitum. Collectively, it means our conditionings [which is not gender based]. Both male and female has femininity within their psyche and physiology which is why males infected with the desire for submissiveness, camp-out-of-their-way to indicate who they “really, really are”. “Ohh please, duckie”. Why is there the need to “sell one’s butt”/chastity constantly [especially the “rich famous”]. Sheer lunacy or what.
Kwan Yin is the one who offers comfort, sleep and all that is motherly. If you can’t sleep, just request “Mother” to put you to sleep. Try it and be pleasantly surprised [the next morning, of course, and junk the drugs]. As Shakespeare [whose cause is not of the British/English, like “royalty”, say, but whose cause is of Witnessing] wrote, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio …”. Principles, real saints, have no creed, race or language and this is where the modern Chinese, if they are not careful, will become The West’s Chinese. A poodle that bites in ever-larger “dim-sum” chunks … and all because the blank finger-pointers are so eager to self-elevate in blindness. You want your good ole chinky, have it then. Followed by the Indians, Brazilians, Mexicans [Texas/Kalifornia, here we kome] and perhaps Indonesians, Nigerians et al if Mother Nature is not fed-up by them.
There is not enough of greed to go round. Be it emotional, material or intellectual. The Chinese do not even know what “Chi” [or “Prana”] is, let alone the Goddess Kwan Yin in reality. And those who do have no means of relaying the facts because of the blindness in those who will not see. Those who deny for their existence. Masculinity. Mr “Chi”. The potential wanting to own the kinetic/power. Real mind twisters which is what the 3 human minds are.