“Be what you are—the whole world is waiting on you and depending on you.” ~ Adyashanti
The bodhisattva Quan Yin (also spelled Kwan Yin, Kuanyin; in pinyin, Guanyin) represents the work we do in the world—the outer expression of enlightenment. Even her name reflects that outward expression of love she embodies—it is the shortened form of a name that means “One Who Sees and Hears the Cry from the Human World.”
As Adya says, enlightenment is the dialectic of inner and outer: “Both sides of the spiritual instinct need to be expressed—being never touched by the world and being totally immersed in the world.” The archetypal image of the Buddha, on the one hand, represents the inner journey, the diving within, and the essence of the enlightened being that is never touched by the world. Quan Yin is the expression of enlightenment that is fully immersed in the world. She is the bodhisattva, the one who dedicates herself to the work of tending to those who still suffer, to the work of bringing enlightenment to the world.
May we strive to embody both sides of the coin of enlightenment, because, as Adya points out, the whole world is depending on it.
If you notice, in many of Adya’s broadcasts, Quan Yin sits just behind his left shoulder, adorned with a flower of peace.
