View
229
Download
4
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
1
Kuan Yin: The Merciful Heart Sunday Service Children’s Story
Materials:
• Pictures of Kuan Yin and lotus flower • OPTIONAL: Statues of Kuan Yin
Preparations: • Because online videos often take a few minutes to download, play the related video before the story begins to ensure that it will be ready when needed.
• Prepare any necessary materials. • Invite children up to steps of altar. • Reader of story sits in a chair with children sitting on floor in front of her.
• Include children’s story, even if there are no children in your congregation, to welcome families who may come to the service.
• You can add your own creativity to the stories. You may feel comfortable using props or presenting them just as they are written.
• Feel free to adjust the content to fit your time frame. However, for the spiritual development of the child, we encourage keeping as much of the Ascended Master’s Teachings as possible.
Good morning! Today we are celebrating Kuan Yin, whose
birthday is the same as our Beloved Mother’s birthday, April 8. Do you
know anything about Kuan Yin? (Allow children to answer.) Kuan Yin
is the Goddess of Mercy. (Show picture.) She serves on the Karmic
Board as the representative of the seventh ray and embodies the virtues
of mercy, compassion and forgiveness. Kuan Yin ascended thousands of
years ago and has taken the vow of the Bodhisattva. This means that
she vowed to serve planet earth until all the children of God are free.
2
Kuan Yin’s flower is a pink and violet lotus; the center, being pink,
is as the mercy flame, becoming deeper and deeper violet on the
periphery. Here is a picture of a lotus that is pink with a lighter violet
on the edge, not quite as deep violet as Kuan Yin’s lotus. (Show
picture.)
The lotus flower is an interesting flower in that it grows in muddy
swamps and ponds. It opens and blooms at dawn and returns to the
darkness at dusk. This ability to survive in an unfriendly environment
inspires the spiritual symbolism of the flower. As harsh as the world
can sometimes be, each of us can still connected with our I AM Presence.
Each of us has the inner ability to “bloom” into our full potential.
Kuan Yin’s name means, “the one who hears the cries of the
world”. Often she is pictured holding a vase. (Show picture or statue.)
This image is showing her pouring forth soothing, healing waters. She
gently wipes away pain or sorrow with the sacred willow branch she
holds in her right hand. Kuan Yin restores tenderness and compassion.
Some people have claimed to have seen her when they called to her for
comfort or protection.
Like many ascended masters there are several legends about
Kuan Yin. In each of these stories, we see Kuan Yin bestowing her
merciful heart on another and teaching the way of compassion. A legend
means a story coming from the past; especially one popularly regarded
as historical although may not be true but its message is meaningful.
3
The Merciful Heart of Kuan Yin
Kuan Yin was once said to have been born from the tears of
Avalokiteshvara's compassion for the suffering in the universe.
From his pain came a female goddess to ease the world's suffering.
It is widely believed that Kuan Yin took embodiment as the
third daughter of a ruler of a northern Chinese kingdom about 700
B.C. Even as a young child, Kuan Yin was determined to devote
herself to a religious life. She refused to be married despite the
command of her father. Finally, he gave permission for her to
enter a nunnery called the Temple of the White Bird. However, her
father gave orders that she was to be given such lowly tasks,
thinking that eventually she would change her mind about being
there.
However, none of these demeaning chores in any way
dampened her zealous love for God.
Upset by her devotion, her father tried several ways to
change his daughter’s mind, but nothing swayed her from her
devotions to God.
In time her father fell ill. When Kuan Yin heard of this, do you
think she might have thought, “Well, he deserves this after the way
he treated me?” (Allow children to answer.) No, quite the opposite.
She wanted to help her father, for she loved him very much.
In gratitude for his daughter’s mercy, he commissioned an
artist to paint her image. The artist misunderstood though and
instead painted her with “a thousand arms” representing that she
4
was able to see and assist the masses of her people. That is why we
often see pictures or statues of Kuan Yin with several arms. (Show
picture or statue of Kuan Yin with several arms.)
Another famous legend about Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy,
giving freely her love and compassion to all beings, is the one of
her helping one of the sons of the King Fish of the Oceans. Often
Kuan Yin is pictured floating over the oceans. (Show picture.)
One day Kuan Yin, who is aware of the distress of every
creature in the universe, heard the pitiful cries for help of one of
the young sons of the King Fish of the Oceans.
The young, small fish had disguised himself as a large, grown
fish to swim around the fishermen’s boats and have some fun at
their expense, but his playfulness led to his being caught in a net.
He was taken to the market where people were admiring this huge
fish that was still alive many hours after being taken out of the
water.
Of course everybody wanted to buy this huge fish because
they thought that whoever ate it would also live forever. Now, Kuan
Yin had a dear disciple, a boy called Shan Tsai, who was very eager
to study Buddha’s Teaching. Shan Tsai soon learned to practice
loving kindness with great enthusiasm.
So Kuan Yin sent Shan Tsai with all the money she had to buy
the little fish to save him from being eaten but Shan Tsai still had
not enough because everybody kept offering more and more
money for the miraculous fish. Then a voice came from the clouds
and told the crowd that a life should belong to the person who tries
5
to save it, and not to those who try to take it. This voice belonged to
Kuan Yin. The crowd realized their selfish ways and everybody
went home, determined to be more loving.
Shan Tsai was then able to buy the fish and take it to Kuan
Yin who promptly put it in the sea where it turned into a young,
small fish again and swam away, waving his tail happily. The young
fish was very glad the nasty experience was over, thanks to the
kindness of the Goddess of Mercy and her disciple. And the people
learned compassion in letting others be free and not to try to
control others.
CONCLUSION:
Kuan Yin hears our prayers. She is known as the goddess of
protection of children and mothers. She waits for your prayer, and the
prayers of all her children, as she watches over the earth.
We are important to Kuan Yin just as the little fish was. Kuan Yin
told us, “When you feel the need of greater strength, of greater purity
and healing, remember that all of these qualities come to you from the
heart of God by the power of the flame of mercy itself…. Therefore, in
order to reenter the walk with God, we need forgiveness…. Forgiveness
is something we need to invoke not only for ourselves; we need to
invoke it for every part of life….”
Let’s watch a short video clip of our Guru Ma talking about
forgiveness. (Show online video clip.)
Let us end our story today by asking for forgiveness for anything
that might have hurt life. Let’s give the violet flame decree “Forgiveness”
6
from the Heart, Head and Hand Decree. Let us close our eyes and see if
we can try to visualize Beloved Ascended Master Kuan Yin as we recite
this decree 1x . (Recite together 1x with reverence.)
Forgiveness
I AM Forgiveness acting here, Casting out all doubt and fear, Setting men forever free
With wings of cosmic Victory. I AM calling in full power
For Forgiveness every hour; To all life in every place,
I flood forth forgiving Grace.
Thank you for participating in our story. And remember to call to
Kuan Yin to help you with forgiving yourself and others and to be
merciful to life.
7
8
9
10
11
Recommended