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Kannon
built 623 days ago
China, the Kannon is said to be the spiritual son of Amitabha (Amida), although images of the Kannon appear mostly as a goddess. say that Kuan-yin (Kwanjin) was born into this world as the daughter of the King of the Chow Dynasty. Sentenced to death by her father for refusing to marry, she was sent to the executioner's block, where it is said the executioner's sword broke without inflicting a wound. Other Chinese tales say her spirit was once transported to the underworld, where King Yama (Skt.), the lord of hell, attended to her with great respect. But her radiance turned hell into paradise, so King Yama sent her back to earth again, transporting her on a lotus flower.
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The unusual aspect of this Kannon is its striking size in a sumptuous material that was previously unavailable on this scale to the Buddhist sculptor. Works of art formed in extravagant jungin (pure silver) became conceivable because of new possibilities introduced in the Meiji period. The shimmering, reflective quality of the pure silver enhances the ethereal quality of this divine image, while a flourish of gilt on the crown of Kannon adds to its impressiveness.
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This form of Kannon has eight arms. Fukukenjaku means "never empty lasso." It refers to the coil of rope which the Kannon holds in one of the lower arms (viewer's right). Kannon uses this rope to catch straying souls and lead them to salvation. The lasso (noose) is found in other multi-armed forms of Kannon as well, and is said to bind attachment rather than catch straying souls.
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Von Kannon has been active in politics since his teens. In 1964 – at age 15 – he campaigned for GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. A graduate of Indiana University, Von Kannon ... was an active member of Young Americans for Freedom and served on its national Board of Directors. In addition to his duties at Heritage, Von Kannon serves as a Trustee of FREE, the Foundation for Research on the Economics of the Environment in Bozeman, Mont. He is also a trustee of four grant-making institutions.
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This monumental painting of Kannon, a bodhisattva (enlightened being) associated with infinite compassion, portrays the Buddhist deity in the guise of a maternal figure who nurtures an infant below surrounded by a halo. Both figures hover among clouds high above a stark landscape that represents the world where the newborn child will live. This unusual presentation of the familiar deity Kannon was based on traditional Buddhist works of art, in which the deity is sometimes attended or accompanied by a child. Hogai's work differs from traditional Buddhist paintings... in that the artist intended from the outset to create a painting for public display in art exhibitions rather than as an object of veneration for a Buddhist temple. This painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1883.
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Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, is probably Japan’s most popular Buddhist deity. In many Japanese temples representations of Kannon are the main focus of worship. When Buddhism spread across Japan in the 7th century, Kannon quickly became very popular, and as a result he is the subject of some of the oldest and most beautiful works of Buddhist art. The Museum Rietberg presents an exceptional selection of the most beautiful sculptures and paintings from the 7th to the 14th century, some of which have never been seen before outside Japan or which are rarely accessible even to the Japanese public.
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Kannon