Pošto nam Kinezi već grade most, a izgleda da će biti i mnogih drugih projekata, evo prigodne čestitke za Novu Godinu. "Hiljadu Ruku" nema samo religozno značnje vec je deo popularne kulture, a sada je već i neka vrsta nacionalnog simbola. Obratite pažnju da su u plesu koji gledate sve devojke gluve, pa uopšte ne čuju muziku uz koju plešu! Bogatstvo simbolike u samoj prici i ovakvom izvodjenju je istovremeno i fascinantno i zastrašujuće.
Thousand Hand Bodhisattva - Guanyin or Kwanyin, the Goddess of Mercy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkretC5MCPg (max res 480p)
I malo opširnije, o izvođacima i predstavi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov_iJQGq6DI (max res 720p)
"According to legend, Guanyin, the youngest daughter of a king, defied her father when he sought a husband for her. The angry king sent her away to a monastery with instructions that she should be compelled to obey. This only strengthened her resolve. So the king set fire to the monastery and ordered her execution when she was caught sitting erect reciting sutras. As she was about to be beheaded, the sword broke into two and a tiger from nowhere carried her away to a forest.
One day from afar she saw the king was sick and not responding to treatment, so she severed her arms and eyes to sacrifice them for him. The grieved king besought heaven and earth to make his daughter whole again. Soon, Guanyin had arms and eyes by the thousand, and bowing before her father, she urged him to practise good deeds to which the king readily agreed.
Actually legends have Guanyin in various forms. But the story of the Goddess in this one-thousand-hand form has had an immense appeal. Thus the thousand-hand deity is no longer an exclusive religious symbol but has become a popular cultural icon to religious followers and common folks alike."