Shaping and Shaped by Guanyin: Bodhisattva Guanyin as a Site of Individual and Collective Identity Formation
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
The ambiguity surrounding the bodhisattva Guanyin’s gender has become a site of curiosity for many scholars. The dissemination of miracle tales of Guanyin, such as those written in the Lotus Sutra, describe the bodhisattva’s ability to physically transform into different living beings to best help those in need and is understood by art historians as coinciding with the popular feminization of Chinese (Guanyin) and Japanese (Kannon or Kanzeon) representations of Avalokiteśvara by the 13th century. In this paper, I examine how the migration of Buddhism from Southeast to East Asia significantly transformed Guanyin’s gender appearance, in that the regional and cultural religious landscapes eventually gendered the deity in new ways. Furthermore, I discuss how the gender transformation—or perhaps, transcendence—of Guanyin has become a site of empowerment for devotees, scholars, and those among the general public in their own identity construction across temporal, geographical, and social locations.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Dr. Agnieszka Whelan
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Art History
College Affiliation
College of Arts & Letters
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Disciplines
Asian Art and Architecture
Session Title
Art History Session 3 - Art History in Action
Location
Learning Commons @Perry Library, Room 1306
Start Date
3-30-2024 12:00 PM
End Date
3-30-2024 1:00 PM
Shaping and Shaped by Guanyin: Bodhisattva Guanyin as a Site of Individual and Collective Identity Formation
Learning Commons @Perry Library, Room 1306
The ambiguity surrounding the bodhisattva Guanyin’s gender has become a site of curiosity for many scholars. The dissemination of miracle tales of Guanyin, such as those written in the Lotus Sutra, describe the bodhisattva’s ability to physically transform into different living beings to best help those in need and is understood by art historians as coinciding with the popular feminization of Chinese (Guanyin) and Japanese (Kannon or Kanzeon) representations of Avalokiteśvara by the 13th century. In this paper, I examine how the migration of Buddhism from Southeast to East Asia significantly transformed Guanyin’s gender appearance, in that the regional and cultural religious landscapes eventually gendered the deity in new ways. Furthermore, I discuss how the gender transformation—or perhaps, transcendence—of Guanyin has become a site of empowerment for devotees, scholars, and those among the general public in their own identity construction across temporal, geographical, and social locations.