Mahayana Buddhism prescribes the adoration of the compassionate and wise Bodhisattva who strives for other people's spiritual liberation. In the Orient the Bodhisattva's grace was identified with maternal love and he came to be worshipped as a woman called Kwan-yin.
In a Chinese narrative, Kwan-yin was persecuted by her father, the emperor, for having fallen in love with a commoner. She was locked in the towers and made to starve. Years later, the emperor fell ill. The court physicians declared that only an ointment made out of human eyes could cure him. On learning this, Kwan-yin plucked out her eyes willingly and had them sent to her father. Her compassion overwhelmed the emperor who had her declared a Goddess.
When Kwan-yin died, her presence in the gloomy land of the dead turned it into a perfumed garden and brought relief to many souls. Kwan-yin's tenderness rejuvinated the Gods. She was invited to be in the paradise of the Buddhas. She politely refused. Today Kwan-yin lives in spirit in the world of mortals, helping men and women cope with pain, sorrow and difficulties in their lives. A prayer to Kwan-yin will be heard by her in your time of need.
Amaterasu
from the land of the rising Sun 
