GuanyinorGuan Yinis anEast Asianbodhisattva associated

withcompassionasveneratedbyMahayanaBuddhists. She is commonly known as the

"Goddess of Mercy" in English and Gayatri in Hindi. The Chinese name Guanyin is short
forGuanshiyin, meaning "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World".[1]

Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are
placed by Guanyin in theheart of a lotus, and then sent to the westernPure LandofSukhvat.
[2]Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity"[3]with miraculous

powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is said in theLotus SutraandKarandavyuha
Sutra.

Several large temples in East Asia are dedicated to Guanyin

includingShitennoji,Sensoji,Kiyomizu-deraandSanjusangendoas well asShaolin. Guanyin is
beloved by all Buddhist traditions in a non-denominational way and can be found in some of
the most importantBuddhistcenters in India, including theMahabodhiTemple,Ajanta
CavesandNalanda Museumas well as mostTibetan templesunder the nameChenrezig.
Furthermore, Guanyin can also be found in some influentialTheravadatemples such
asGangaramayaandKelaniyaofSri Lanka. Statues can also be found in the Asian art sections
of most museums in the world as a widely depicted subject ofAsian artand sculpture.

It is generally accepted among East Asian adherents that Guanyin originated as

theBodhisattvaAvalokitevara. Commonly known in English as theMercy Goddessor
Goddess of Mercy but often depicted as both male and female to show this figure's limitless
transcendence beyond gender[4]Guanyin is also revered byTaoistsas animmortal. InChinese
folk religion, there aremythical accountsabout Guanyin's origins that are not associated with
the Avalokitevara described in Buddhist sutras.

InMalaysian Mandarin, the name isKwan Im Ma"Mother GuanYin",GuanYin

Pusa(GuanYin Bodhisattva),Guan Shi Yin Pusa(GuanYin Bodhisattva).

Guan Shi Yin Pusa

Guan Yin is one of the most universally beloved of deities in the Buddhist tradition. She is the
embodiment of compassionate loving kindness. As the Bodhisattva of Compassion, she hears
the cries of all beings. In India Guanyin is theSanskrit Avalokitesvara, which is her male form,
and in Tibet the deity is known as Chenrezig and is thought to be reincarnated in the Dalai
Lama.

In many images she is depicted carrying the pearls of illumination. Often Guan Yin is shown
pouring a stream of healing water, the "Water of Life," from a small vase. With this water
devotees and all living things are blessed with physical and spiritual peace. She holds a sheaf
of ripe rice or a bowl of rice seed as a metaphor for fertility and sustenance. The dragon, an
ancient symbol for high spirituality, wisdom, strength, and divine powers of transformation, is a
common motif found in combination with the Goddess of Mercy.

Sometimes Guan Yin is represented as a many armed figure, with each hand either containing
a dierent cosmic symbol or expressing a specific ritual position, or mudra. This characterizes
the Goddess as the source and sustenance of all things.

Guan Yin, as a true Enlightened One, or Bodhisattva (Pusa), vowed to remain in the earthly
realms and not enter the heavenly worlds until all other living things have completed their own
enlightenment and thus become liberated from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Contemplating the Goddess of Mercy involves little dogma or ritual. The simplicity of this
gentle being tends to lead her devotees towards becoming more compassionate and loving
themselves. A deep sense of service to all fellow beings naturally follows any devotion to the
Goddess.

The name Guan Shi Yin, as she is often called, means literally "the one who hears the cries of
the world."

http://www.universal-wisdom.com/index/guanyin.html

Some History about the Batak Tribe of Palawan

The Batak are one of around 70 different indigenous peoples of the
Philippines and their natural homeland is in Puerto Princesa. The Batak
are believed to have originated from the first wave of humans who crossed
the land bridges connecting the Philippine islands with mainland Asia, up to
50,000 years ago. Today, there are only around 300 Batak remaining

The Batak is a race of people who are known as a Disappearing Tribe.

Their dwindling numbers have been a result of high infant mortality,
exposure to diseases (such as tuberculosis, measles, chicken pox and
Malaria) and low birth rates. Marriages outside of the tribe are also
becoming more common, as a result of the smaller population, and children
born of such marriages rarely follow the cultural ways of the Batak.

The Batak lived a nomadic, fishing and hunter-gather lifestyle and their
Farming Methods were of the Slash and Burn approach, allowing the
lands they had used to fallow, or rest, for a few years. Since the mid to
late 20th Century, the Tribe has been pushed towards settling in small
villages outside of their natural roaming areas.

With restrictions also placed on their traditional farming methods the Batak
Tribe have supplemented their income by harvesting honey, tree resin and
rattan, using methods that are said to be more natural and sustainable than
commercial practises.

This natural approach is likely linked to their belief system ofAnimism.

Many of the Batak continue to disappear in to the forests, for days at a
time, to gather and to reconnect to nature and the spirits that they believe
reside in elements of the natural world. The Batak make regular offerings
to these spirits, some of whom are suspicious of humans but will tolerate
them as long as they dont waste or abuse the forests natural resources.
http://www.gopalawan.travel/Batak_Tribe_Tour_Puerto_Princesa

Animism(fromLatinanima, "breath,spirit,life")[1][2]is thereligious

beliefthat objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual
essence.[3][4][5][6]Potentially, animism perceives all thingsanimals, plants,
rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork and perhaps even words
as animated and alive.
Animism is the oldest known type of belief system in the world that even
predatespaganism. It is still practiced in a variety of forms in many
traditional societies.[7]Animism is used in theanthropology of religionas a
term for the belief system of manyindigenous peoples,[8]especially in
contrast to the relatively more recent development oforganised religions.
[9]Although each culture has its own different mythologies and rituals,

"animism" is said to describe the most common, foundational thread of

indigenous peoples' "spiritual" or "supernatural" perspectives. The animistic
perspective is so widely held and inherent to most animistic indigenous
peoples that they often do not even have a word in their languages that
corresponds to "animism" (or even "religion");[10]the term is
ananthropological construct.
Largely due to suchethnolinguisticand cultural discrepancies, opinion has
differed on whetheranimismrefers to an ancestral mode of experience
common to indigenous peoples around the world, or to a full-fledged
religion in its own right. The currently accepted definition of animism was
only developed in the late 19th century by SirEdward Tylor, who created it
as "one ofanthropology's earliest concepts, if not the first".[11]
Animism encompasses the beliefs that all material phenomena have
agency, that there exists no hard and fast distinction between
thespiritualand physical (or material) world and thatsoulorspiritor
sentience exists not only in humans, but also in other animals, plants,
rocks, geographic features such as mountains or rivers or other entities of
the natural environment, including thunder, wind and shadows. Animism
thus rejectsCartesian dualism. Animism may further attribute souls to
abstract concepts such as words,true namesor metaphors inmythology.
Some members of the non-tribal world also consider themselves animists
(such as authorDaniel Quinn, sculptorLawson Oyekanand many
contemporaryPagans).[12]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism

THE PALAWAN TRIBE

The Palawan tribe, also known as the Palawan or the Palawano, is a tribe that
lives in the southern Mountains on the island of Palawan. Ocially the tribe is
still called Palawano but Palawan is quicker to pronounce so a lot of people just
leave the o.

THE HISTORY OF THE PALAWAN

TRIBE
There is little known about the past of the Palawan tribe. One suspects that the
Palawan and Tagbanua in the past belonged to the same group but they
eventually settled in dierent areas so that they have split from the Tagbanua. In
early 1970 the missionaries came to the areas that were populated by the
Palawan. The missionaries made the Palawan tribe known to the outside world.
One of the main subgroups of the Palawanos are the Taawt Bato, which means
people from the rocks.

THE CULTURE OF THE PALAWAN

TRIBE
The Palawan tribe is divided into four subgroups according to their language
dierences

 Brookes Point Palawano (the Palawan tribe from Brookes Point)

Bugsuk Palawano (The Palawan tribe from the southern part of Palawan)

Quezon Palawano (The Palawan tribe from the central part of Palawan)

Southwest Palawano (The Palawan tribe of the southwestern part of

Palawan)

The Palawanos from the higher areas in Palawan still live according to their
ancient traditions. In these people, the original culture of the Palawan tribe are
most visible. The Palawanos who lived in the lower parts of the island have had
much to do with missionaries in the past. This has greatly influenced the culture
of these Palawanos.

Family
The family bond is very important in the culture of the Palawan tribe. The
Palawanos have a great respect for the elderly. The Palawanos live together with
a number of families. At the head of the family is the oldest and the head of the
community is the oldest in the community. This person is called Panglima and
gets a lot of respect. The Panglima is a kind of judge and is responsible for
maintaining public order. Every community has a Mag-urowan. This is a kind of
medicine man which oers help with various ailments.

When a man invites asks for the hand of a woman he will be invited by the family
and he gets some riddles. When he manages to solve these riddles satisfactorily
he has approval to marry her.

Because more and more tribal members come into contact with modern society,
the more traditional way of life is changing.

Language
Palawano is the spoken language in the Palawan community.

Belief
The Palawanos have an animist faith. They believe in spirits, and they do their
best to keep these spirits happy. They believe that good and evil spirits must be
appeased through rituals. Shamans provide the connection between the spirit
world and the tribesmen.

Because of the introduction of other religions, these traditions are changing. For
example, some tribal traditions of Islam and Hinduism are included in the faith
while other tribes have moved to the Christian traditions.

Livelihood
The Palawanos are mainly agricultural. They do so by cutting down the
vegetation before burning it all. This creates a fertile soil in which they grow
crops. After harvesting they start looking for a new place because the old place
is not fertile enough. They grow bananas, rice, dierent vegetables and root
crops.

The Palawanos are good hunters and gatherers. The forest provides enough
food and medicinal herbs. The forests are vital for survival. When hunting for
wild animals, spears which are dipped in poison are used. While hunting they
also use dogs. Also, when fishing they make use of a type of poison. There is a
kind of carrot juice squeezed out, after which the fish come to the surface
allowing them to be grabbed easily out of the water.

Future
The Palawan tribe is far removed from the modern world. This means that they
often do not have access to various facilities including a hospital or even
primary education. Because the world of the Palawanos is getting smaller, it is
becoming increasingly dicultto have a good life. By deforestation and mining
forests are shrinking. Because they often have no training, it is dicult to get
income in a dierent way. This results in a high mortality rate among the
Palawan tribe. It is important that the government provides these people with
protection before they become extinct.

https://holidaytopalawan.com/palawan/palawan-culture/palawan-tribe/