Actually, now that I look at this statue a little more closely, I see that it is from Japan. So, it is not actually "Mary" but Kannon, possibly, the Japanese form of the god/goddess of compassion.

In Japanese, Guan Yin is pronounced Kannon (??) or more formally Kanzeon (???)
(from the "Mary" thread a few days ago)

It is such a simple statue that it is really impossible to tell that it would be one thing or another. A graceful woman in a robe, medium long straight hair, hands in prayer, face in repose.

There are markings carved on her robe, a number of center dots with radiating lines coming from each of them like the spokes of wheels. Much like Bruce's "I" would be....with all of us radiating out from the center of the disk, connected to the source. There are six of them. One is separate, on the left side of the robe. Five are placed vertically down the right side, and the bottom one is connected to a final original "dot" which is part of that final disk.

A disk looks like the sun....with radiating rays of light.

Interestingly, I visited my family a few weeks ago and was looking through paper samples to make some cards....one was a Japanese print....beautiful. I made a card out of it and pinned it to the center of a bulletin board I made on Sunday with family/friend photos radiating from the center. The largest picture in the bulletin board is of my face, smiling, the bottom cut off so that the smiling eyes are the focal point of the collage. Only a tiny hint of smile from my own lips are visible in the photo.

A picture of myself I took, with my own camera.....last summer.

This symbol, the one on the robe of Kannon/Mary/etc. is on this japanese print. And, by the way, I did decorate my little efficiency when I moved here last January with a very modern, japanese feeling to it...eastern, completely.

all coincidences???

I think not.

love, blink  NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO

That's wonderful, blink,
thank you!

Buddhist phrases are so potent with energy I find-- Maybe because they've been around for so long and have been repeated by so many souls?

If someone could tell us how these syllables are pronounced, I think we'll put ourselves in tune with its flow even more---
NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO

I tried this version and have been feeling the energy ever since:
'nahm me yo ho ren jay key yo'

Bets

So...the statue I found had a total of 6 disks.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo has 6 syllables.

What does the number 6 stand for:

The number 6 is the number of co-operation. Marriage, interlacing, a link, connection. Reciprocal action. The interaction of the spiritual and material, the metal and the physical in man, the psyche, psychology, divination, communion, sympathy. Psychic, telepathy, psychometric capacity. Alchemy. Conversion. Accord, harmony, peace, satisfaction. Goodness, beauty and truth, as tested by harmony. Attainment, restitution. Intercourse, reciprocity. Connubiality, the relations of the sexes. It represents feminine essence, compassion and money. The number 6 is the number of love and romance. It is the symbol of Venus. The colors that harmonize best with the number 6 vibration are: the pastel shades of every color, especially pink and blue - sometimes earth tones, such as chocolate brown and deep green, but these are secondary to the pastels.

Biblically:

It is in the sixth day that mankind is created.

______________

In the beginning was the Word......and the Word was God......

love, blink

You know, I really believe in Feng Shui....the art of "space clearing"....our space, the one each of us occupies, is important to this world and its future...

The basement really needs a good cleaning...and, where I work, my boss really wants to do it...I told her I will definitely help her with it.

Additionally, I think we need a special place for meditation or prayer...for world peace...

But any room will do for that if you think about it....

Feng Shui works..really, try it...and it's not necessary to buy magical "cures" to improve your space.

Just clear the space out to get the energy flowing...the space alone will allow new ideas to blossom in you and make room for fresh experiences.  

love, blink  

A lovely post Blink .. i love the title ...

PUL

I'm glad some of you are enjoying this thread.  Here is some additional information about Guan Yin, and how he/she has been represented in various places.  There are several stories about him/her on the following webpage, from which I have copied this information.  I find it interesting that, among some, she represents the "principle" of compassion, rather than an "external force" while to others she is a "savior" --

Thus, in "operating from the heart" (as it was recently described by someone here) -- in a compassionate way -- a person "is" Guan Yin.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanyin
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Representations of the bodhisattva in China prior to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) were masculine in appearance. Images which later displayed attributes of both genders are believed to be in accordance with the Lotus Sutra, where Avalokitesvara has the supernatural power of assuming any form required to relieve suffering, and also has the power to grant children. Because this bodhisattva is considered the personification of compassion and kindness, a mother-goddess and patron of mothers and seamen, the representation in China was further interpreted in an all-female form around the 12th century. In the modern period, Guan Yin is most often represented as a beautiful, white-robed woman, a depiction which derives from the earlier Pandaravasini form.

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Guan Yin is immensely popular among Chinese Buddhists, especially those from devotional schools. She is generally seen as a source of unconditional love and more importantly as a savior. In the Bodhissatva Vow, Guan Yin promises to answer the cries and pleas of all beings, and to liberate all beings from their own karmic woes. Based upon the Lotus Sutra and the Shurangama sutra, He is generally seen as a savior, both spiritually and physically. The sutras state that, through the saving grace of Avalokitesvara, even those who have no chance of being Enlightened can be Enlightened, and those deep in negative karma can still find salvation through the compassion of Avalokitesvara. In Pure Land Buddhism, Guan Yin is described as the "Bark of Salvation". Along with Amitabha Buddha and Bodhissatva Mahastamaprata, She temporarily liberates beings out of the Wheel of Samsara into the Pure Land where they will have the chance to accrue the necessary merit so as to be a Buddha in one lifetime.

Even among Chinese Buddhist schools that are non-devotional, Guan Yin is still highly venerated. Instead of being seen as an active external force of unconditional love and salvation, the personage of Guan Yin is highly revered as the principle of compassion, mercy and love. The act, thought and feeling of compassion and love is viewed as Guan Yin. A merciful, compassionate, loving individual is said to be Guan Yin. A meditative or contemplative state of being at peace with oneself and others is seen as Guan Yin. In Mahayana Canon the Heart Sutra is ascribed entirely to the Bodhissatva Kuan Yin/Kwannon. This is unique as most Mahayana Sutras are usually ascribed to the Shakyamuni Buddha and the teachings, deeds or vows of the Bodhissatvas described by Shakyamuni Buddha. In the Heart Sutra Guan Yin/Avalokitesvara describes to the Arhat Sariputra the nature of reality and the Buddhist teachings. The famous Buddhist saying, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form" comes from this Sutra.

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love, blink

When chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is is nice to have a focal point. A traditional "altar" includes two candles, a piece of evergreen foliage, pure water, a food offering such as a piece of fruit. A bell is rung to begin and end the chanting....a clear bell with a pure tone.

It is said that for a human being to even hear the words Nam Myoho Renge Kyo in his/her lifetime is a great blessing.

I wonder what effect these words might have on a soul in the afterlife....if "spoken" silently during a meditation, spoken with the intention to convey its meaning to a guide or other "resident" in the afterlife levels....perhaps there is someone there who may benefit from them, perhaps even myself (!)....or perhaps they are another kind of clue...I don't know.  I will have to try it to see if it is beneficial in some way.

love, blink