The bodhisattvas in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism are those who believe that until everyone is free, no one is free. Although enlightened, they willfully choose to forgo nirvana, and instead allow themselves to be reincarnated into this mortal coil. They do this of course, because beings of such great compassion would only want nirvana if all other creatures could experience it as well.
This image is a sculpture of the bodhisattva Guanyin, representing great mercy and compassion for all. The name’s etymology stems from the Chinese for “observer of the cries of the world”. . . Although in Later Medieval Chinese history as well as today Guanyin mainly appears female, in early renditions the bodhisattva sometimes appeared as a male. This statue from the Song Dynasty (about 1350 CE) is androgynous, representing Guanyin’s inclusive acceptance of all beings who seek the bodhisattva’s mercy.
Source(s): Princeton University Art Museum, @artmuseum.princeton.edu/collections/objects/23888 .
