Avalokiteshvara, a Buddhist Deity, Safeguarded a Captive

Throughout Chinese history, deities have always played a role in shaping the country. They have been honored at Chinese temples. Some of them have been part of mystical Chinese tales. One such deity stands out in Chinese history and that is the Buddhist deity Avalokiteshvara.

Avalokiteshvara is the Buddhist bodhisattva of "infinite compassion and mercy" (Britannica, Avalkiteshvara). He exemplifies the bodhisattva's resolve to postpone his own Buddhahood until "he has helped every being on earth achieve emancipation" (Britannica, Avalkiteshvara). He took the form of an earth Buddha Amitabha and his figure is represented in the headdress. Avalokiteshvara protects against "shipwreck, fire, assassins, robbers, and wild beasts" (Britannica, Avalkiteshvara). He is also the creator of the fourth world, which is the actual universe in which we live in. His wife is the Buddhist goddess Tara. The deity's traditional residence is in the mountain Potala. Avalkiteshvara's powers include assuming whatever form is required to relieve suffering. He also has the power to grant children. He was first worshipped in China around the early 1 century CE and "had entered all Buddhist temples by the 6th century.

Freedom and Salvation

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"I said get up!" yelled the guard who was standing over a man's cot. Again, the prison guard yelled, "I SAID UP!!!" This time, the guard dragged the man, Tom Nom out of his bed and hoisted him onto his feet. Tom, who was disoriented by the sudden movement barely remembered that it had been six hours since he was stopped on route to the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. He slowly then recalled why he had been in his cell. During a routine military traffic stop coming home from a sight-seeing trip, military police that had stopped the five vehicle convoy for a routine inspection turned out to be nothing but imposters working for the Chinese government. It had been five years since China launched a full scale invasion of Taiwan following the failure of peace talks between the two sides. The date on Tom's touch watch read January 1, 2020 and the time read 9:30 p.m.

"This is silly," thought Tom as he was led out of his cell block and down a pitch black hallway. He tried to turn to look at his guard to ask him a question, but one slap to the face and Tom was back facing the front. Coming to a pair of metal double-doors, the guard took out his walkie-talkie and said something in Taiwanese to someone on the other line. The person on the other end said something and soon the doors opened. The guard led Tom through the doors and into a brightly lit conference room. Tom was forcefully seated at the far end of the conference table, facing another door. Through that door came a Taiwanese soldier who motioned for the guard to leave. With the double doors slamming shut behind him, Tom thought to himself, "If only I could get up and run to freedom."

Before he could put that plan into action though, the soldier sat down at the other end of the table and began to pray. Tom had no idea what the soldier was praying about, but then he heard the word "Avalokiteshvara". Tom had remembered reading and writing papers about such deities in high school back in America, but he had never experienced it firsthand. Now he was sitting in conference room with this soldier who was praying to this Buddhist deity. Tom didn't believe in any religion simply because he thought it was dumb. Now he was in a Taiwanese prison and potentially at the mercy of the military. Snapping back to reality, the soldier had just finished praying and was filling out some paperwork. In his head, Tom went over several plans of escape as well as plans to meet up with his contact at a designated meeting place. Suddenly, Tom heard a voice saying, "Do not fear Tom. I am Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha who will stop at nothing to give people their salvation."

Tom, expecting a response, asked, "Will I be getting out of here and how soon?" "Soon," replied Avalokiteshvara. "Trust in me." Tom was bewildered by the response to his question. He had originally thought that.

spirits were invisible and ignored people. Now here in this room, he had heard a spirit talk to him. This was amazing. He tried thinking of all the questions he could ask, but before he could ask those questions, the Taiwanese soldier stood up, walked over to him, and said, "Please follow me." Tom stood up and followed the soldier through the second set of doors. What Tom saw beyond the doors was both shocking and scary. During his time in captivity the last six hours, an angry mob went through the prison wreaking havoc on the prison population in the other three cell blocks, but not his. He then thought to himself, "I guess it was that Buddhist deity.

Avalokiteshvara who secretly protected me all along throughout this entire situation." On the long drive to the international airport, Tom kept thinking about the deity who spoke to him that night. He thought about what Avalokiteshvara had said about giving him and other people like him salvation. He wondered if that spirit would protect him throughout his escape. Suddenly, the sound of squealing tires followed by three sharp pops of smoke canisters filled the air. Tom, reacting to his natural instinct, unbuckled his seatbelt and threw himself on the floor of the van. Within seconds, the sound of footsteps filled the air as maybe a dozen militia filled the road he was traveling on. Tom, desperate and not knowing what to do whispered and ask Avalokiteshvara what to do. The deity responded, "Don't you worry Tom. I've got this.

You're in good hands." As the soldiers peered through the window, one of them told his colleagues that he didn't see any bodies lying inside. The leader told him, "Yeah right. Let us check." As the door opened, the leader and his friends didn't see anything and torch the van. At that moment, sirens filled the air as a bunch of police cars rolled onto the scene. The militia got back into their vehicles, threw away their gasoline cans and lighters, and fled the scene, smoke filling the air as they did. As Tom laid there shaking with fright at what just almost happened, he thanked the spirit for protecting him throughout his ordeal. The police recovered Tom and drove him the rest of the way to airport where he was extracted back to the United States.

Landing at LAX, Tom thought about his horrifying ordeal in Taiwan and how the Buddhist deity Avalokiteshvara protected him. He thought about how things might have turned out differently had he refused to follow what the deity told him to do. Had Tom refused to do what Avalokiteshvara told him to do, he might not be back home safe and sound with his family and girlfriend. That hectic experience of a lifetime was all thanks to one Chinese deity, Avalokiteshvara.

References

1. "Avalokiteshvara". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012
2. http://www.britannica.com.proxygsu-cht2.galileo.usg.edu/EBchecked/topic/45363/Avalokiteshvara

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