Dehua (blanc-de-chine) porcelain figure of Guanyin (Bodhisattva), Qing dynasty.

Chinese Dehua (blanc-de-chine) porcelain figure of Guanyin (Bodhisattva) seated at ease wearing long flowing robes, with her left arm upon an arm rest and holding a scroll, the serene face topped with a high chignon, Qing dynasty, h. 23 cm, 9 in. 9-17160

◆ Besides Buddha, Buddhists also worship bodhisattvas. A bodhisattva is a being who is at the point of achieving salvation, but who decides not to take the final step in order to help others to find their salvation.

There are various Bodhisattvas; the best known are AVALOKITESHVARA, MANJUSHRI and MAITREYA.

Avalokiteshvara, called GUANYIN in Chinese, has the oldest following in all the Buddhist world.

Bodhisattvas have several definitive characteristics: they wear loin cloth and jewellery; they have elongated ear lobes; have a birth mark on the forehead; some of their hair is raised in a top-knot and some is draped over the shoulders; are portrayed seated or standing. 

Guanyin, known in the west as “goddess of Mercy” is an East Asian bodhisattva venerated by Mahayana Buddhists. The Chinese full name is Guanshiyin meaning “the One who perceives the sounds of the world”.

Some followers of Buddhist faith believe that when one of the faithful departs this world they are placed by her in the heart of a lotus and then sent to the West Pure Land of Sukhāvati.

Guanyin is the most widely beloved Buddhist divinity that has miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her.

中國德化白瓷觀音坐像，像中觀音隨意坐著，身穿飄逸長袍，她的左臂搭在把手上，手執一書卷，面容慈祥，髮髻高聳，清代，23釐米，9英吋。

◆ 除了佛，佛教徒還崇拜菩薩。菩薩本身已完成自我救贖卻決定不成佛，而选择普度眾生。

菩薩分好幾類；最為人熟悉的莫過於觀世音菩薩，文殊菩薩和彌勒菩薩。其中的觀世音菩薩，中文亦稱觀音，在佛教世界中最早開始擁有信徒。

菩薩有幾處明顯特征：身穿垂墜衣裳，配首飾；垂耳；前額有胎記；有些梳著髮髻，有些卻長髮披肩；形象或端坐或站立。 

東亞大乘佛教中的觀音，是西方人眼中的“仁慈女神”。觀音的中文全稱為觀世音，意為“聽到世界的聲音”。

有些佛教信徒認為，當誠心的人離開世界之時，觀音會將他們放在蓮花中央，送他們去西方極樂世界。

觀音作為最受歡迎的佛教形象，她的神奇力量能夠幫助所有信奉她的人。