Wim ????
A while ago a came across a curious random fact: of the 50 tallest statues in the world, 18 are of a being called Kannon in Japanese, Guanyin in Chinese. Of these tall Kannon statues, 12 are in Japan.
So why are there so many giant Kannon statues in #Japan?
I went down the rabbit hole to find out and wrote a blog post about it.
tl;dr: these statues are almost invariably built either as tourist attractions or as war memorials.
But who is Kannon? Read on ... ????
とねぢ ＠Minoh-don（ash）
@wim_v12e This was a very interesting article. Thanks for introducing it to me. Who is Kannon is a very difficult question. Buddhism was founded by Buddha, but over the past 2500 years it has divided into many different sects. Buddha forbade idolatry, so no Buddha statues were made during his lifetime. Buddhism was introduced from India through China to Japan 1500 years ago. Since then, many statues of Buddha have been made in Japan.(1/2)
とねぢ ＠Minoh-don（ash）
@wim_v12e The word "Buddha" means "awakened person," and anyone who has attained enlightenment is called a "Buddha." Kannon was naturally conceived throughout history, and in Japan, along with "般若心経," is worshipped mainly by "浄土宗" sect. The Kannon is not considered to be Buddha, but a flanker of Buddha.There are 33 types of Kannon, so if you are interested, please check them out.(2/2)
とねぢ ＠Minoh-don（ash）
@wim_v12e You have done a very good job of researching and writing about Buddhism. It's wonderful. The Lotus Sutra is called the "法華経" in Japan and has been very popular since the time of Shotoku Taishi. Have you ever heard of the sutra, "Nam-myo-horen-gekyo"? This is the source of this sutra. In Kyoto, there is a Buddhist temple called "Sanjusangendo," and the number 33 seems to be a meaningful number in Buddhism.
Wim ????
@toneji Thanks for your comments. I hope my article answers the question about the nature of Kannon as a bodhisattva to some extent as that was my purpose. My article has a link to the Lotus Sutra which enumerates the 33 manifestations of Kannon and also a link to a site with a lot more information about Kannon. It is a very interesting topic.
とねぢ ＠Minoh-don（ash）
@kensanata @wim_v12e Oh, it's excellent!Sanjusangendo is a very excellent place where you can see a lot of Kannon and feel the Japanese style of wabi-sabi. I want to visit there again.
Alex Schroeder
Wim ????
@toneji Thank you again. I had not heard of "Nam-myo-horen-gekyo" and I will definitely look it up!
I remember visiting Sanjusangendo, some years ago, and admiring the 1001 Kannon statues inside -- and also the traces of the arrows in the eaves, from the archery contests.
Wim ????
@toneji @kensanata I want to go back there one day too!
とねぢ ＠Minoh-don（ash）
@wim_v12e @kensanata I'll be waiting for you.
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