| Many cultures circling the Pacific Rim embrace spiritual traditions that include a Mother or Sun Goddess figure who is an ever-present, compassionate responder to prayers; one who intercedes with the heavens on behalf of humans in need, particularly in trying times like those we all face today. Kuan-Yin is just such a figure from ancient Chinese tradition.
Kuan-Yin: Our Lady of Compassion, a songstory by Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu, concerns the relationship between a nine-year-old boy and his grandmother in contemporary San Francisco Chinatown. Through the telling, the boy learns the meaning of compassion and its importance to the various cultural traditions that comprise his background and surround his life in San Francisco. |
