Examining the Legend of the Flesh-body Guanyin

The legend of the flesh-body Guanyin represents a significant aspect of beliefs surrounding Guanyin’s manifestations and it plays a pivotal role in the localization of the Guanyin cult in China. Despite its importance, this phenomenon has received limited scholarly attention, largely due to its perceived similarities with other legends of flesh-body bodhisattvas. This article focuses on the legends of Guanyin’s flesh-body manifestations and their conceptual underpinnings. It begins by examining the phenomenon of flesh-body bodhisattvas in Chinese Buddhism and comparing it with the veneration of incorruptible remains in Christian traditions. The study then proposes a threefold typology of flesh-body Guanyin legends based on narrative complexity. Case studies include the Miaoshan legends in Pingdingshan and Yaoxian, as well as the Daoji legend of Fahua Monastery in Huzhou. The paper concludes by examining several exceptional cases that resist categorization within this proposed typological framework

Buddhism · Categorization · Cult · Legend · Narrative · Phenomenon · Typology · Veneration · Chinese history and philosophy · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Indian and Buddhist Studies