A Sequel to the Nyoi (如意) Message
On January 3, I decided to visit the Sanjusangen-do Temple (三十三間堂) to pay respect to Kwan Yin before we left for Hong Kong, but when we arrived at the entrance Ko suddenly wanted to visit the Kyoto National Museum right across the street. I had a good feeling about this, and I joined him instead. The Museum had a lot of open space and I immediately spotted The Thinker, a bronze statue by Rodin, in the garden. I went straight for it, sat down near the fountain and mimicked his posture. (Those who know me, will understand that I normally shy away from taking photos, let alone posing for one!) Ko commented that I should hold my fist like Rodin but at that moment I was just being spontaneous.
As we entered the main hall, I noticed a 10-feet plus wooden sculpture of Kwan Yin. I was shocked to see that her posture was just like mine a minute ago! A closer look at the sign revealed her to be the Nyoirin (wish-fulfilment) Kannon如意輪観音. My mind was racing with the synchronicity, so I googled to find out more about her. NyoirinKannon is of the 6 Kannon to save living creatures; she is in charge of the Heavenly Way, the highest order. Normally, she has 6 hands with the first right hand placed on her cheek to indicate contemplation, the second right hand is held in front of the chest with a nyoi jewel that grants all wishes, and another left hand holds the dharma wheel that crushes all disturbing emotions. I knew I must share this with everyone, so I went to the gift shops to get a photo of this statue. (Photo taking was prohibited.) But there wasn’t any available in any media, including googling. I also discovered that that day was the very first day of the exhibition, and it was the only day I could have seen the statue.
When we were leaving the Museum, we saw the Threefold Flame in the form of a lotus in the clouds. (By the time we took some shots, the lotus was gone.) Feeling very blessed yet lost, I was wondering how I could share this miraculous message without a photo of the statue.
On the following day, we had lunch with a couple from Osaka and one of them was a photographer. I told them of my encounter, and they were thrilled. Two hours later, I received the following 2 photos. You can imagine the rest!
De-Light Note
The Threefold Flame represents the divine spark within us. It resides in our heart in the form of love (in pink), wisdom (in gold) and power (in blue).
Being spontaneous and playful are our true nature. Often, we are worried about how others will judge us and we end up behaving as we think others want us to do. We mask our true self, and we live in pain.
- In De-Light, do something playful and fun naturally. Enjoy your moment by being fully present.
- To have wish-fulfilment, contemplate how to be of service to others.
- Pay respect to the presence of divinity and its blessings in your life, and share them with others through your own soulful expressions.
