Quan Yin (Guanyin) / Kannon

Quan Yin (觀音, also Guanyin or Kannon in Japanese) is the bodhisattva of compassion, among the most cherished figures in East Asian Buddhism. The name is short for Guanshiyin — "the one who perceives the sounds of the world" — expressing her vow to hear and answer the cries of all who suffer.

• Origin: She arose from the Indian bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, originally depicted as male. As devotion spread through China, a feminine face of compassion emerged, and from around the 12th century she has most often been shown in female form across East Asia.
• Meaning: A bodhisattva is one who postpones their own final liberation to help every being find freedom from suffering — Quan Yin embodies this boundless, active mercy.
• In energy & Reiki practice: Practitioners often invoke her presence to call in compassion, gentleness, and emotional healing, or hold her image as a focus for loving-kindness during a session.

She is honoured as a wellspring of mercy — a reminder that compassion, freely given, is itself a form of healing.