Should I ever become disheartened in saving sentient beings,
may my body shatter into a thousand pieces
Before embarking on the path toward Buddhahood, Guanyin vowed:
“As I set out on the sea of suffering of sentient beings,
should I ever become disheartened in saving them,
may my body shatter into a thousand pieces”.
Each sentient being undergoes six destinies.
Each of these six rebirths is carried out in accordance to
the good or evil of previous lifetimes and
any wrongdoing will plunge one back into suffering.
And in any moment, if the heart falters,
leading to the rise of distracting thoughts,
the body will immediately shatter into a thousand pieces.
Nonetheless from Guanyin’s mindful heart rose penance
and the shattered pieces floating in the great vacuity
experienced countless lifetimes.
Through remorse and compassion,
the pieces gradually came together
and each piece transformed into one hand and one eye
to form the image of Guanyin of a Thousand Arms and Eyes.
Symbolic of the boundless wisdom and insight that brings one to deliverance,
Guanyin will continue to inhabit the six destinies and
temper the suffering of all sentient beings.
若心生退轉，當令我身裂千片
已位列菩薩的觀音，曾發下誓願：
「我當度盡苦海一切眾生，若我心生退轉，當令我身裂千片！」
如此不斷精進度苦之工作後，某日觀視六道
看到曾救度過的生命，因再次犯錯，又輪迴苦海之中
一瞬間，決心動搖
雜念一起，立刻粉碎成千萬碎片
然而，觀音的心念，卻從此升起了懺悔
浮游在太虛中的碎片，歷經了無數歲月
因懺悔和慈悲之念，漸漸重新凝聚
不僅如此，每片碎片皆化生出一隻手一隻眼
聚成了今天的千手千眼觀音
象徵以無邊救度的智慧與智眼
繼續在六道中，度化無盡有情衆生