Kanzeon Bosatsu Fumonbonge

Kannon Bosatsu

“When living beings suffer hardships, 

burdened by immeasurable woes, 

the power of Avalokiteshvara’s wondrous 

wisdom can relieve the suffering of the world.”

-Verse of the “Universal Gateway” Chapter of the Lotus Sutra

Kanzeon Bosatsu is the Bodhisattva that represents great compassion. Compassion can mean different things to different people and may look different from situation to situation. The Kanzeon Bosatsu chapter of the Lotus Sutra gives us some examples of what compassion looks like in different settings, but what I would like to focus on for this piece of writing is how Kanzeon relieves this suffering. 

The quote above describes how compassion that comes from great wisdom relieves the suffering of the world. Wisdom is understanding the nature of emptiness. Empty of what? Empty of an individual unending self that is separate from the world. We think there is “me” that goes about in the world, as something separate from everything it encounters. Based on my experiences interacting with people, objects, and situations I develop preferences. From these preferences I create a sense of myself as separate from everything “outside” of myself and a narrative beings to form about me and the world I live in. 

From this narrative I suffer when things don’t go my way, or are out of my control. When People treat me badly, hurt me, or I experience pain, I feel that I am wronged and then it is easy for anger, envy, and resentment to grow. From the seeds of these “three poisons” of greed, anger, and ignorance suffering follow both for me and for others based off of my actions. When my actions are motivated by the three poisons I’m creating karma that will cause suffering in both this life and into the future, rippling out in endless directions. 

So, how can compassion that comes from wisdom of understanding emptiness save the world from suffering? Just as Kanzeon has deep compassion for all beings, I too can cultivate this compassion. Understanding that all beings are empty of an independent permanent enduring self, just like me, I am better able to remove the narrative that I alone suffer. I can better understand that those that are acting from the three poisons around me, treating me poorly, are suffering from their own actions and ignorance I can cultivate loving concern for them. 

By generating loving concern for all beings, even those that wrong me, I am able to see that I am not defined by their actions. I don’t have to hold on to their guilt, shame, and anger that they project onto me through their harm. When those that act from greed, anger, and ignorance, experience the results of their actions (karma), they will begin to understand the hurt that they have caused others has also hurt them. 

This is wisdom that comes from understanding emptiness. Understanding the nature of our self is not different than anything/ anyone we encounter in our lives we begin to understand that our lives are just the manifestation of Buddha in all its many forms. How then do we stop the wheel of suffering that rolls on from our karma? by doing Sange, the act of repentance. Before the Buddha we burn incense, do bows, and recite, 

“All my past and harmful karma, 

from beginningless greed, hate, and ignorance 

born from my body, speech, and mind 

I now atone for it all.”

Then, we make a vow to live from this wisdom of emptiness and act with compassion for all beings, just like Kanzeon. Through this atonement, vow, and action we bring the compassionate action of Kanzeon into the world and relieve the immeasurable woes of the world.