The Goddess of Mercy is probably one of the most prominent and popular Buddhist and Taoist deities, worshiped and revered by people all over the world, especially those of Chinese origin. In most Taoist temples, it is very common to find the portrait of the Goddess of Mercy, and next to the portrait, there is invariably a couplet of poems that reads: “In the middle of the purple bamboo forest lies ‘Kuan Zhi Zai’ ( Goddess of Mercy is there. On top of the white lotus pedestal sits the Coming Buddha (Ru Lai).”

This poem is related to the portrait of the Goddess of Mercy which portrays her standing on the white lotus pedestal or sitting quietly among the bamboo forest. According to legend, she spent most of her time in the bamboo forest, but this is only a literal interpretation of the poem. The portrait only draws the Goddess of Mercy and no other Buddha and since the poem is placed next to the portrait, there must be a deeper meaning that serves to enlighten people. The poem is a parable that serves to reveal one of the heavenly secrets that is related to our face, more specifically The Third Eye. Purple bamboo grove or forest in Chinese is “lin” and implies a growth of vegetation that is not very dense. Purple bamboo is a very fine and elegant type of bamboo. On our face, our eyebrows have purple bamboo-like characteristics. They are very fine and neat, unlike our hair. He revealed that the purple bamboo grove represents our eyebrows.

The first half of the poem is “In the midst of the purple bamboo grove lies the Goddess of Mercy”, which means that our own Buddha nature or Divine nature is there in the midst of the purple bamboo grove or between the eyebrows. In other words, we must constantly see our true selves and act according to our true nature. To do this, we must seek to find this divine nature that is in the middle of the purple bamboo grove or more specifically between the eyes or the eyebrows. This directs us to the very location of the Third Eye or The Divine Eye. Her forehead is always depicted with a red dot slightly above the middle of her eyebrows to indicate that there is a Third Eye similar to Indian women who place the red dot on their foreheads.

Let’s look at the second half of the poem, “On the pedestal of the white lotus sits the coming Buddha.” Lotus grows on the surface of murky water and the Goddess of Mercy is usually depicted standing on it and appears to be floating in the sea. This sea represents the sea of ​​desires and sufferings. On our face, the mouth is also the sea of ​​desires and it is like an ocean that can never be filled. Saliva is alkaline and has a bitter taste, therefore similar to suffering. The shape of the lips is like the wave of the sea. Above the lips we have a groove that is defined by two lines and is like the stem of the lotus. At the end of the stem, we could find the lotus that is our nose. In elevation, the nose appears to have three distinct petals, similar to flower petals. When we smile, our white teeth resemble the white lotus on which the Goddess of Mercy stands.

On top of the white lotus sits the Coming Buddha (ru lai in Chinese). Gautama Buddha used to say that “in every face there is a Buddha”. This implies that if we want to find our own Buddha in our face, we must solve this puzzle. The True Self that is divine is the one sitting on top of the white lotus pedestal. It is the coming Buddha who needs to be awakened. Upon Tao initiation, this True Self awakens and can become the Buddha or the Enlightened One. He is sitting there on the white lotus pedestal which is also the place where the first part of the poem is explained. Both parts of the poem point to this divine nature at the place where we call The Third Eye or The Divine Eye. Why is the Third Eye so important and what is the meaning of Tao initiation? During the Tao transmission, The Three Heavenly Treasures are being transmitted to the receiver, and this is what my Heavenly Master JiGong said:

“What the teacher has transmitted to you is the essence of the Three Heavenly Treasures, which leads you to Realization. What the teacher teaches is the Truth and Supreme Learning, which leads you to Sainthood. What the teacher avoids and considered detrimental to the cultivation of Tao is the emphasis on ‘Shu-Liu-Dong-Jing’, which leads one to Fanaticism.

“Shu-Liu-Dong-Jing” means the teaching of the Four Side Doors, practices performed with skill and intention. They are not natural forms of cultivation and cannot help to break free from the cycle of birth and death. They are:

1]Shu: special abilities: supernatural powers, witchcraft and all extraordinary abilities.

2]Liu: various schools or groups that focus on geomancy (feng-shui), astrology, divination, crystal reading, healing art, temple building and discussion of philosophies, etc.

3]Dong: movement – external practice involving physical movements such as alchemy, martial arts, massage, etc.

4]Jing: stillness: internal practice that involves the use of INTENTION, such as the observation of energy flows, the alignment of the chakras, the counting of the breath, the search for well-being or wonders through sitting in silence , etc.

Therefore, a Tao cultivator must have:

1]A mind of Wisdom – to discern and detect the real and the unreal.

2]A heart of Humanity – to receive and welcome those who are renewed (those who want to correct themselves and be new people)

3]A spirit of Courage: to save and carry the downcast and lost (the ignorant) through the bitter sea of ​​life.”