Praise for Becoming Kuan Yin “After decades of Stephen Levine's devotion to compassionate service, who better to bring us the story of the transformative journey of Miao Shan becoming Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.” —Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now “Compassion is the root of healing. It's the doorway to the real miracle, which is an open heart. In this most extraordinary book, Stephen Levine shows us why, and how. Highly recommended.” —Dean Ornish, M.D., Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, author of The Spectrum and Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease “A loving poetic fable, filled with the mercy of Kuan Yin and the devotion to love that is Stephen and Ondrea's life work and gift to the world.” —Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart “Becoming Kuan Yin is our true work—mine, yours—and a marvelous path from the head to the heart, right into the splendid universe of her Buddha heartsoul. I bow and reverence the radiant Buddha within our own innate original goodness; don't overlook her! Unconditional Compassion is the way, the truth, and the light, and Stephen's long awaited guide takes us right in. Meet ya there!” —Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within “The stories of Kuan Yin here are truly captivating and liberating. Through these stories and his own insights, Stephen Levine encourages us to cultivate our own limitless capacity for love and compassion.” —Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness “This book expanded our experience with Kuan Yin to a new level beyond our imagination. This is truly a Masterful book that most assuredly will become a classic. In a very real sense, it felt to us that this book was written at the Gates to Heaven. We found no separation between Kuan Yin's commitment to her Spiritual Life and Stephen's and Ondrea's commitment to their spiritual life and journey. The Levines, in almost a magical way, make Kuan Yin and her life of Compassion, Loving Kindness, and Charity very much alive in every reader's mind.” —Gerald Jampolsky, M.D. and Diane Cirincione-Jampolsky, Ph.D. “Stephen's transformational book about the life, teachings, and example of Kuan Yin has the rare power to change people's lives by shifting their reality. For months I have been enduring severe nerve pain, yet it wasn't until I read Stephen's book, Becoming Kuan Yin: The Evolution of Compassion, that my heart fully opened to practicing a profoundly merciful, and compassionate approach to my pain.” —Susan S. Trout, Ph.D., co-founder and President of the Institute for the Advancement of Service, Alexandria, VA “Stephen Levine's new book, Becoming Kuan Yin, is a beautifully written masterpiece that embraces the reader in a reverent flow. The tale of awakening, alternating with principles of practice and guided meditations, opens the heart and generates a profound inner stillness. A remarkable and vibrant transmission of love.” —Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., originator of EMDR therapy, author of Getting Past Your Past “Good news: the cosmos is compassionate, and Stephen Levine is a trustworthy guide to the Universal Portal. Profoundly nourishing. A real treasure. Please discover and enjoy for yourself the pilgrimage of but a foot and a half—from head to heart. Absolutely #1.” —Gary Gach, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism and founder of Mindfulness Fellowship “Using the myths and image of Kuan Yin and her dragon mount, Stephen Levine has given us grace-filled meditations and reflections on the practice of a fierce compassion that constantly stretches the boundaries and limitations of what we previously thought was possible.” —Ralph Metzner, author of The Unfolding Self “This book has a heart of its own. A boundless heart. A clarified heart. A heart that bridges humanity. A poetic reminder that enlightenment is not a head trip— it's a heart trip. I felt my own emotional armor shedding a little more with every page. A beautyfull read!” —Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping “Kuan Yin smiles exquisitely in Stephen's writing. Blessings hide and seek between words and lines, eager to find and be found, console, heal, and inspire.” —Paul Cash “I don't consider this wise and loving book as so much written by Stephen Levine as I do a clear message from Kuan Yin herself.” —John Fox, The Institute for Poetic Medicine and author of Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making First published in 2013 by Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC With offices at: 665 Third Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94107 www.redwheelweiser.com Copyright © 2013 by Stephen Levine All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Levine, Stephen, 1937– Becoming Kuan Yin : the evolution of compassion / Stephen Levine. pages cm ISBN 978-1-57863-555-9 1. Avalokitesvara (Buddhist deity) I. Title. BQ4710.A8L48 2013 294.3'4211—dc23 2013016705 Cover design by Nita Ybarra Cover photograph © Maen CG / shutterstock Author photo © Ondrea Levine Interior by Dutton & Sherman Design Typeset in Bembo text and Priori Sans and Centaur display All photographs and line drawings © Ondrea Levine unless otherwise noted. Printed in the United States of America VG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997). www.redwheelweiser.com www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter CONTENTS Foreword by Ondrea Levine Preface Acknowledgments 1. Kuan Yin and the Beginning of the World 2. Buddha Comes to China 3. The Origin of Kuan Yin 4. Miao Shan at the Gate 5. Miao Shan Observing 6. Miao Shan in Hell 7. Exiled to Paradise 8. The Origin of Song 9. Kuan Yin and the Dragons 10. The Sorrow of the Dragon King 11. Many Buddhas 12. Healing in Our Dreams 13. For Pain's Sake 14. The Belly of Compassion 15. Pure Land 16. The Emissaries of Compassion 17. Long Nu 18. Shan Tsai 19. Reflection on the Mother of Mercy 20. Forgiveness 21. The Gradual Maitreya 22. Devotion to Compassion 23. Lost and Found