Who is Kannon?
Guanyin (Chinese: 觀音; pinyin: Guānyīn) is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. Guanyin is a common Chinese name for Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर) in Chinese Buddhism and has been appropriated by other Eastern religions, including Taoism and Chinese folk religion. She was first given the appellation "Goddess of Mercy" or "Mercy Goddess" by Jesuit missionaries in China. Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World." On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated. Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus and then sent to the western pure land of Sukhāvatī. Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity" with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is mentioned in the Pumen chapter of the Lotus Sutra and the Kāraṇ...
