If you have heard someone chant "觀音妙智力，能救世間苦" (*"The marvelous wisdom-power of Avalokiteśvara can deliver beings from world-suffering"*), you would likely assume this is a prayer—a plea for 觀世音菩薩 (avalokiteśvara, "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva") to rescue us, suffering beings of this world, through his wisdom and power. This understanding is not wrong, but it remains at the level of "seeking" and almost misses the true edge of this concept.
In the 禪宗 (dhyāna, "Chan/Zen school") text *景德傳燈錄* (*Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp*), this line is repeatedly brought up with a completely transformed usage—it is no longer a petition to a Bodhisattva, but a 機鋒 (jīfēng, "pivotal spark") used by Chan masters to leverage a student's immediate 覺照 (illumination-awareness) in the present moment. Its key lies neither in "seeking" nor in "rescuing," but in that which the two words "marvelous wisdom" point to: Between that which is capable of hearing and that which is heard, what exactly is operating?
Below, we will unpack it thoroughly, layer by layer.
一、这个概念在说什么
1. 原始语境：菩萨的「寻声救苦」
The name of 觀世音菩薩 (avalokiteśvara, "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva") itself is a description of a method of practice—觀 (contemplating, perceiving) 世 (all in the world) 音 (all manner of sounds). In Mahāyāna scriptures, this Bodhisattva takes "perceiving sounds to rescue beings from 苦 (duḥkha, "suffering")" as his fundamental vow: whenever sentient beings in the world recite his name or call upon his form, should any suffer and call his name, the Bodhisattva immediately contemplates their voices and sounds, responds according to conditions, and enables them to attain 解脫 (vimokṣa, "liberation"). This line of thought is most widely known in the *妙法蓮華經·普門品* (*Lotus Sūtra*, "Universal Gate Chapter"), which describes the Bodhisattva's various 應身 (nirmāṇakāya, "response bodies"), thirty-two responses, and manifestations according to category.
The 偈頌 (gāthā, "verse") "觀音妙智力，能救世間苦" is precisely a condensed expression of this fundamental vow—condensing the Bodhisattva's inconceivable ability to perceive sound, contemplate sound, respond to sound, and rescue suffering into the three characters "妙智力" (*miào zhì lì*, marvelous wisdom-power). The so-called "marvelous" means that this ability transcends our everyday understanding of cause and effect; the so-called "wisdom" (jñāna, "wisdom") means that its foundation is not some magical supernatural power, but wisdom; the so-called "power" (bala, "power") means that this wisdom itself possesses saving efficacy, capable of actually transforming the circumstances of sentient beings.
This original context is devotional and soteriological: you suffer, and the Bodhisattva comes to save you. This is the aspect of Avalokiteśvara's dharma gate most familiar to followers of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
2. 禅宗的转化：从"菩萨之德"到"当下之觉"
The *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp* is an important historical chronicle of Chan Buddhism, recording the public cases (gōng'àn / koan) of Chan masters guiding students. In this text, "觀音妙智力" is no longer a statement about the Bodhisattva's fundamental vow, but is thoroughly overturned—it becomes a question regarding present awareness.
The most critical gong'an is the scenario where Chan Master Guizong Zhichang brings up this verse twice.
First instance: A practitioner asks: "Is there no expedient gate to allow the student entry?" Guizong replies: "觀音妙智力，能救世間苦" (*"The marvelous wisdom-power of Avalokiteśvara can deliver beings from world-suffering"*). The practitioner presses further: "What is the marvelous wisdom-power of Avalokiteśvara?" Guizong picks up an object and strikes the lid of a tripod three times, asking: "Do you hear it or not?" The monk replies: "I hear it." Guizong asks back: "Why don't I hear it?" The monk is speechless, and Guizong strikes him with a staff and drives him out.
Second instance: The same dialogue occurs again. This time Guizong first strikes three times and asks, "Do you hear it?" The monk replies he hears it, and Guizong says, "Why don't I hear it?" Guizong strikes three times more, the monk replies he does not hear it, and Guizong asks back: "Why do I hear it?" The monk is speechless again, and Guizong concludes once more with "The marvelous wisdom-power of Avalokiteśvara can deliver beings from world-suffering."
Please pay attention to what happened here—
For the exact same sound, which everyone present clearly should have heard, Guizong asks "Why don't I hear it?" or "Why do I hear it?" When the monk says he hears it, Guizong says he does not; when the monk says he does not hear it, Guizong says he hears it. The Chan master is not performing a contradiction; he is turning the act of "hearing" upside down for you to see—you assume that "hearing" is a matter of the ears, a matter of an object (sound) being received by a subject (me), but the master is interrupting this assumption. This act of "hearing" is fundamentally not located between a "me" and a "sound" that you can grasp.
Guizong has another even more direct gong'an. He brings up the phrase "The practice of Avalokiteśvara skillfully responds across all places." A monk asks, "What is the practice of Avalokiteśvara?" Guizong snaps his fingers and asks, "Do you all hear it?" The student replies that he hears it. Guizong strikes him with a staff and walks off laughing to the abbot's quarters. This segment is particularly explicit—the "practice of Avalokiteśvara" is not asking you to reflect on what Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva is doing; the exact moment of that snap of the fingers is the very locus of Avalokiteśvara's practice. You do not need to seek an "Avalokiteśvara" outside the sound of the finger-snap.
A third gong'an comes from Monk Guanyin of Yingzhou, and is even more succinct. A monk asks: "What is the marvelous wisdom-power of Avalokiteśvara?" The master replies: "Wind blowing through a broken window." — The wind pierces through a broken window and enters. These four characters are both simple and penetrating: the wind pierces the window with no effort or action, arriving naturally. There is no ruler saying "I am letting the wind enter the window," no purpose, no plan, no artificial fabrication—yet it responds. The window is broken, so the wind comes. This is precisely the marvelous response of the Bodhisattva perceiving sound and rescuing suffering: Where there is stimulus, there is response; where there is no stimulus, there is stillness—all accomplished effortlessly and spontaneously. There is no "me" operating it, no "me" directing it, yet the event occurs.
3. 三重结构的厘清：什么是"妙"、什么是"智"、什么是"力"
The Chan deconstruction of "marvelous wisdom-power" differs vastly from our everyday understanding; the key points must not be confused.
"Power" is not supernatural power. When many people hear "the power of the Bodhisattva," they think of some supernatural force—moving objects from a distance, predicting the future, turning stone into gold. But in the Chan context, "power" refers to the functional efficacy that enables sentient beings to attain liberation—it can manifest as rescuing suffering, or it can manifest as enabling you to turn around right at the moment of striking the tripod three times, breaking out from the cage of "subject hearing object." Supernatural powers need not be present, but this "power that awakens you" is immeasurable.
"Wisdom" is not worldly knowledge. Here, "wisdom" (jñāna, "wisdom") refers to 般若 (prajñā, "transcendent wisdom"), not how much doctrine you have learned or how many technical terms you know. It is the direct illumination of 實相 (dharmatā, "true reality")—applied specifically to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, it is the fundamental illumination of the nature of "sound" and "hearing." Thus, when Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva recounts his enlightenment experience in the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra*, he offers a core statement: "Initially in the midst of hearing, entering the stream and forgetting the object." This is the authentic manifestation of "wisdom."
"Marvelous" is not about being miraculous. "Marvelous" (prabhāva, "marvelous application/inconceivable") does not mean violating physical laws, but rather that it transcends your dualistic understanding of subject and object, self and world. When the Chan master strikes the tripod three times and asks "Why don't I hear it?", he is not performing anything magical; rather, he is tearing open the rift hidden behind everyday experience for you to see—you have always assumed that "I" am a fixed subject sitting somewhere "hearing," but where is "I"? In your ears? In your brain? In your heart/mind? Which one is the real "I"? When you cannot grasp it, that "marvelousness" reveals itself.
Therefore, the true meaning of "觀音妙智力" in Chan Buddhism is: That inconceivable wisdom-efficacy through which all sentient beings turn around, awaken, and cross over within the act of hearing—it is not exclusive to the Bodhisattva, but is inherently possessed by all sentient beings. The master's striking of the tripod, snapping of fingers, and wind blowing through a broken window are all sounding out this "inherent possession" for you to hear.
4. 与整个解脱道的位置
Placed within the context of the entire path to liberation, "觀音妙智力" actually points to the unique manifestation of the inherent illumination capacity of all sentient beings upon one of the 六根 (ṣaḍ-indriya, "six sensory faculties")—the ear faculty.
In Mahāyāna scriptures, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's practice gate is renowned for the "complete penetration through the ear faculty" (耳根圓通), which, alongside Mañjuśrī's ear-faculty penetration and Mahāsthāmaprāpta's Buddha-recitation penetration, is listed in the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra* as a representative of the twenty-five complete penetrations—representing the dharma gate of thoroughly realizing self-nature through the entry point of hearing. Chan's usage of "觀音妙智力" directly moves the essence of this dharma gate into gong'an interactions:
- You do not need to go to Mount Putuo to seek Avalokiteśvara. - You do not need to recite holy names, burn incense, or bow in worship. - You need only, in the exact instant a sound arises, return to the act of "hearing" itself—that place is the live scene of Avalokiteśvara's marvelous wisdom-power.
This is Chan's most distinctive move: transforming the object of faith into a method of practice, and transforming the virtue of the Bodhisattva into the nature of the practitioner. Striking the tripod three times is the appearance of Avalokiteśvara; snapping the fingers once is the present reality of the Universal Gate Chapter; wind entering a broken window is the actualized version of perceiving sound and rescuing suffering.
二、生活里的走查
Now that the theory is explained, let us walk through this concept in the daily life of contemporary people, strictly according to scriptural definitions.
场景 1：通勤地铁里突然听到报站声
The subway rumbles. You wear headphones listening to a podcast, your mind still turning over the morning meeting. Suddenly, the broadcast announcement pierces through: "Next station, XX Station."
Walking through according to scriptural definitions:
- The "sound-object" (聲塵) among form, sound, odor, taste, touch, and mental object: The female voice announcing the station, the rumble of the train carriage, the podcast in the headphones—all three sounds exist simultaneously. - The "ear faculty" (耳根) (the capacity to hear): Your auditory system is receiving these sounds. - "Consciousness" (識) (discriminative awareness): You immediately know this is the "station announcement," and know which station it is—this capacity to "know immediately" is consciousness in operation. - "Perception" (想) (grasping marks and recognizing): You recognize "this is the station announcement" and "I am almost at my stop"—this is the perception aggregate (saṃjñā-skandha) grasping the "marks" of the sound. - "Sensation" (受) (receiving feeling): You might feel slight anxiety because you need to get off, or relief because you still have several stops—this is the sensation aggregate (vedanā-skandha) receiving pleasure or displeasure. - "Volitional formation" (行) (volitional impulse): You subconsciously take off your headphones and prepare to stand up—this is the volitional formation aggregate (saṃskāra-skandha) acting.
Up to here, this is the ordinary, standard subject-object structure—there is sound, there are ears, there is a "me" hearing, and I am reacting.
However, what "觀音妙智力" asks is: In that precise instant of "immediately knowing which station it is," who or what is operating that "knowing"?
Try it: in the very first millisecond of hearing the station announcement, you did not go through the chain of "ears receive → transmit to brain → recognize language → search memory → draw conclusion." You simply knew directly. In that place of "direct knowing," there is no "me" acting as a subject—it simply occurred right there.
This is the contemporary version of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva "perceiving sound and rescuing suffering": Your awareness instantly arises in response to sound, instantly knows, and instantly prompts you to act without the intervention of 我執 (ātmagrāha, "self-grasping"). At this moment, marvelous wisdom-power is in operation.
Where the public most easily misinterprets: Thinking that "marvelous wisdom-power" is some high-level state of a "me" being extra lucid or focused, and thus turning around to blame oneself—"I wasn't in a state of mindfulness just now, so I missed it." No. The moment the station announcement sounded, marvelous wisdom-power was already operating—it does not require your "effort" to function. What was missed was not your "mindfulness," but your failure to see that it was already there all along.
场景 2：亲密关系里对方一句话击中你
Your partner says an ordinary sentence, but suddenly you feel "seen"—your heart stirs, and your eyes grow warm.
Walking through: - Sound-object: The specific spoken voice, tone, and pauses. - Ear faculty: Auditory reception. - Consciousness: You comprehend the semantic meaning. - Perception: You recognize what this sentence means to you. - Sensation: The warmth of being seen, the touch of being understood. - Volitional formation: You might reply with a sentence, make a small gesture, or remain silent.
The contemporary live scene of Avalokiteśvara "perceiving sound and rescuing suffering": Your partner is that "sentient being," their voice is the "sound calling for rescue," and your innate capacity to be "touched" is the operation of 觀音妙智力—it makes you respond gently and accurately without calculation.
And the marvelousness of "marvelous wisdom-power" lies in: In that instant you are touched, there is no "me" making any decision—you are simply opened up. This "being opened up" is not something you can manufacture, nor something you can block. It simply happened.
Where the public most easily misinterprets: Misreading "marvelous wisdom-power" as "I ought to become a person who responds acutely to others," thereby imposing an added pressure on oneself to "be Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva." The direction is inverted. You originally possess this capacity—the moments in intimacy that make you cry, laugh, or melt are inherently Avalokiteśvara at work. What you need to do is not cultivate it, but recognize it.
场景 3：刷手机时通知声响
Late at night, you pick up your phone, and a string of notifications pours in—work group chats, friend messages, news alerts, advertisements.
In an ordinary state: Your mind is already prioritizing—this message must be answered first, that one can wait, swipe past that ad, click open that news item. You sink into continuous decision-making with "me" as the subject.
But have you noticed the "very first" moment?—In the initial few milliseconds when the notification sounds, you actually know without thinking what kind of notification it is, whether to click it, and whom to reply to first. This capacity of "automatic knowing" was already operating before your "me" initiated judgment. This is the exact locus of 觀音妙智力.
It does not ask you to "put down your phone to practice," but asks you to see—at every moment you pick up your phone, that capacity of "knowing" originally operates in this way. The only difference is whether you use it to respond; that is another matter, but it is already there in itself.
Where the public most easily misinterprets: Thinking that "觀音妙智力" = "scrolling phone mindfully" = "being aware when seeing notifications." Wrong again. This adds a layer of "me" as the observer onto the concept, moving further away from marvelous wisdom-power. Marvelous wisdom-power is seeing—when that observing "me" is not standing guard, awareness is already present.
场景 4：育儿中的哭声
A baby suddenly cries.
A new parent might have a magical experience: Before even thinking, you know what the need is. Is it hunger? A wet diaper? Pain? Wanting to be held? This "knowing" comes not from reasoning, but from a direct response to sound.
This is the most pristine form of 觀音妙智力: The baby's cry is the "sound calling for rescue," and the parents' "knowing without thinking" is the "marvelous response of perceiving sound and rescuing suffering." This capacity is not learned, nor is it the result of thinking—it is a kind of present, holistic awareness in operation.
Where the public most easily misinterprets: Believing that this is "maternal love" or "paternal love" at work, thus categorizing it under the realm of emotion. It is not. Emotion is its context, but the operating mechanism itself is illumination-awareness—it is the thorough opening up of "hearing," where the boundary between "me" and "you" (the baby) is not so rigid in that instant. The principle of Avalokiteśvara perceiving sound and rescuing suffering is precisely this—there is no "me" acting as master, yet the situation is responded to.
场景 5：深夜独处时的一个细微声音
The night is quiet. You lie in bed and suddenly hear a sound—perhaps a footstep upstairs, a water pipe, a distant car, or wind moving something.
What is the first reaction?
- Some people will immediately enter the chain of "identification–judgment–reaction": Is it a pipe? A thief? A normal sound? Should I get up and check? - Some people will be drawn by the sound itself into a state of pure "hearing"—the sound arises, consciousness opens, without the setup of "who" is hearing; the sound is simply there.
The second state is the live scene of 觀音妙智力. Note, it is the "live scene," not a "spiritual achievement." Anyone, on a quiet night, might fall into this pure hearing—not because you have perfected your practice, but because you are tired, relaxed, and your defenses are down, so the hard shell of "me" as subject is temporarily thinned.
Chan speaks of "striking the tripod three times and asking if you hear"; the moment of that "asking" is an invitation for you to return to this pure hearing. Guizong asks "Why don't I hear it?" to shatter your assumption that "I" am "hearing"—true "hearing" originally has no "me" inside it.
Where the public most easily misinterprets: Regarding "pure hearing" as an "advanced state of practice," believing much effort is required to achieve it. No. You simply happened to fall into a moment when the hard shell of "me" was thin; that was originally the normal state. Awareness was already here all along; the effort of clinging to "I must achieve this" covers it up instead.
场景 6：工作中的争论场景
Two people are debating fiercely in a meeting room. You listen, feeling caught between two opinions, needing to take a stand.
Walking through: The ear faculty receives sound-objects, consciousness identifies semantics, perception grasps stances, sensation feels pressure (vedanā-skandha), volitional formation creates reactions—this is the complete operation of the 五蘊 (pañca-skandha, "five aggregates").
Where is marvelous wisdom-power?
Notice a detail: During their fierce debate, there might be a moment when you "step out of the scene"—you are no longer strongly taking a side, but hear the "entire" conversation itself, seeing the interrelationship of both speakers' stances, emotions, and modes of expression. In this moment of "stepping out," "me" as a fixed subject holding a stance temporarily loosens, and awareness becomes broader. This is precisely the embryo of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's broad compassion and equal view in "perceiving sound and rescuing suffering"—that kind of "hearing" that can hear all sounds simultaneously without being bound by any side.
Where the public most easily misinterprets: Treating "listening neutrally and objectively" as a rational capacity to pursue, and training oneself with "how I ought to be." True "stepping out" is not trained into existence; rather, it naturally emerges when "self-grasping" temporarily loosens. What Chan does is repeatedly use gong'ans, pivotal sparks, and strikes of the staff to shatter this hard shell of "self-grasping."
关键的总览：日常生活里觀音妙智力的现场
Combining all scenarios, you will find that the operation of Avalokiteśvara's marvelous wisdom-power shares a common pattern:
在某个声响或感受的当口，"我"作为主体的硬壳短暂地松动，于是觉照不经过"我"的判断就直接应声而起——这就是观世音的工作。 *At the juncture of a certain sound or sensation, the hard shell of "I" as subject temporarily loosens, and illumination-awareness directly arises in response to sound without passing through the judgment of "I"—this is the work of Avalokiteśvara.*
It is not in temples, not in holy names, not in rituals. It is in every moment you truly "hear."
三、当代人为什么需要它
The condition of contemporary people bears an astonishing—even sharper—resemblance to the practitioners in the Tang Dynasty's *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp* who faced Guizong Zhichang and Monk Guanyin of Yingzhou.
1. 听觉的过载时代
Never before in human history have people's ears endured such an intense bombardment of information—
- Podcasts and audiobooks on the commute - Background music, colleague conversations, and phone calls in the office - Televisions, smart speakers, washing machines, and air conditioners at home - Subway station announcements, food delivery alerts, and social app notifications on the road - Store music, car horns, and commercial ads on the street - A partner's breathing, neighbors' movements, and footsteps upstairs in the bedroom
We think we are "listening," but most of the time our auditory system is unconsciously processing vast amounts of sound—and what we truly "hear" is a tiny fraction filtered through layers. The vast majority of sounds we "hear without hearing."
Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's capacity to "perceive sound and rescue suffering," viewed in reverse, is a thorough openness to sound—not missing a single sound, with every sound receiving an appropriate response. Contemporary people's problem is not being unable to hear, but being crushed by what is heard while failing to hear—neither open enough, nor free from overload.
2. "我"作为主体的过度强化
One of the strongest narratives of modernity is "I"—I must make choices, I must build a self, I must express myself, I must realize myself. This "I" is reinforced at every moment of decision: I must reply to this message, I must oppose this view, I must like this song, I must decline that invitation.
Under this narrative, we have almost lost that pure hearing where "there is no 'me' listening." Everything we hear is immediately taken over by dualistic labels like "do I like it," "is it useful to me," or "should I respond." Pure hearing is entirely blocked by the filter of "I."
Why Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's "perceiving sound" is "marvelous" lies precisely in the absence of this filter. When a mother hears a baby cry, she does not first pass through the judgment of "do I like this cry" before responding—that is a direct response to sound, without the intervention of "I" as subject. One of the sufferings of contemporary people is that such direct response is almost no longer possible—because the hard shell of "I" is too strong.
3. 共情能力的危机
If Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's "perceiving sound and rescuing suffering" is placed in a psychological context, it can be analogized to the deepest capacity for empathy—not "I know you are sad," but "your sadness strikes directly within me, making it impossible for me not to respond."
In contemporary society, there is a profound phenomenon of "compassion fatigue"—people's empathic systems are drained by massive amounts of emotional information at work, in families, and on social media. The result: your partner is crying, you know he/she is crying, but you cannot feel the weight of that cry in your heart—your empathy channel has been numbed.
The core of Avalokiteśvara's marvelous wisdom-power—that direct, holistic illumination-awareness that does not pass through "I" as subject—is precisely the deepest source of empathic capacity. It is not a moral training of "one ought to care for others," but a capacity—"the moment another makes a sound, your entire existence responds." What contemporary people need most is precisely to restore this capacity—not by skills, but by recognizing it was already there.
4. 科学与佛教的对照（仅作类比，不作等同）
Neuroscience research can provide us with some interesting points of reference:
- Auditory predictive mechanisms: The brain constantly predicts what the next sound will be. When a prediction mismatches reality, it triggers an intense focus of attention. This corresponds to the Chan master's "surprise attack" of striking the tripod or snapping fingers—interrupting you from automated prediction and pulling awareness back to the present. - Neural basis of subject perception: Neuroscientists such as Anil Seth point out that the "sense of self" is a model constructed continuously by the brain; when this construction temporarily loosens (such as in certain meditative states, intense aesthetic experiences, or intimate empathic moments), one experiences a "dissolution of self-boundaries"—this directly corresponds to Chan's teaching of "turning around between that which hears and that which is heard." - Mirror neuron system for empathy: When observing others' actions or hearing emotional expressions, one's own corresponding neural circuits are activated. This is a neural counterpart to "perceiving sound and rescuing suffering"—though it must be emphasized that neural circuits are not equivalent to Buddhist realization, and analogies are not equivalences. We do not know whether the "marvelous wisdom-power" of the Dharma is merely a byproduct of neural activity; there is currently no answer to this fundamental question.
Science provides us with interesting scaffolding, but it cannot tell us whether Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva exists, nor can it verify the reality of "marvelous wisdom-power" as a quality of enlightenment. We can only cautiously say: scientific findings share interesting correspondences with certain observations in Buddhism, but the ultimate aim of the Dharma—thorough realization of non-self and ultimate liberation—transcends the explanatory scope of science.
5. 回到"听见"本身——一种逆潮流的修养
In an era where all inputs compete for your attention, what Avalokiteśvara's marvelous wisdom-power represents is a counter-cultural cultivation—not asking you to hear more, but asking you to see "hearing" itself while listening.
It does not require you to "put down your phone and do Zen meditation," nor to "go on a pilgrimage to Mount Putuo." It only requires that the next time any sound arises, you pause briefly—not pausing with "I," but letting that automatically activated "I" step aside temporarily. Then you will see: in that moment of stepping aside, illumination-awareness was already working there all along.
This is the most direct reason contemporary people need it—you do not need to acquire any new capacity; you only need to see what you originally possess.
四、常见误读与澄清
This section specifically addresses several directions in which this concept is most easily misread or oversimplified by the general public.
误读 1：「觀音妙智力」= 「求观世音菩萨保佑」
This is the most widespread misreading.
A person holding this reading will, when facing difficulties, recite "Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva" or "The marvelous wisdom-power of Avalokiteśvara can deliver beings from world-suffering," treating it as a petition to the Bodhisattva. This understanding itself within the Buddhist devotional tradition is legitimate, solemn, and has benefited countless people—the devotion to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva possesses its own inconceivable power, which we do not deny.
However, **as far as the Chan usage of this concept discussed in the *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp* is concerned, this reading misses the key—it treats "marvelous wisdom-power" as an external force held by the Bodhisattva, while oneself is merely a "petitioner." What Chan reveals is precisely the opposite: marvelous wisdom-power is inherently possessed by sentient beings.** Guizong Zhichang struck the tripod three times and asked "Do you hear it or not?" In the exact moment that sound arose, marvelous wisdom-power was already operating in you—you are not merely a "petitioner," you are originally the live scene of "marvelous wisdom-power" itself.
Clarification: - As faith, this is not wrong; - But to truly comprehend the spirit of this verse in the *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp*, one must see through the premise of "seeking" and recognize that it is inherently present within oneself.
误读 2：「妙智力」= 「神通」
Many people hear "power" and immediately associate it with miraculous functions, predictive abilities, telekinesis, or other 神通 (abhijñā, "supernatural powers").
This misreading is the most dangerous.
Supernatural powers do exist in Buddhism—divine eye, divine ear, telepathy, recollection of past lives, miraculous transformation, and cessation of outflows. But supernatural powers are not the essence of "marvelous wisdom-power." In the gong'ans of the *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp*, Guizong Zhichang striking the tripod three times or Monk Guanyin of Yingzhou saying "wind blowing through a broken window" display no supernatural powers whatsoever—they simply turn the ordinary experience of "hearing" upside down for you to see.
True "marvelous wisdom-power" is not at the level of supernatural powers at all—it is the function of wisdom-power that allows you to turn around from attachment to "I" as subject. This power is "inconceivable" (acintya), but its inconceivability does not lie in violating physical laws, but in transcending your conventional understanding of subject and object, self and world.
Clarification: - Do not understand "marvelous wisdom-power" as a kind of superpower. - Its "marvelousness" lies in this: within the most ordinary act of hearing, the boundary between subject and object fails to hold. - This failure to hold is not something you cultivate, but how things originally are—you are merely obscured by "self-grasping" in daily life.
误读 3：认为"妙智力"要靠修行才能激发
This reading treats "觀音妙智力" as a goal—"I do not have it now, so I must cultivate the power of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva."
This is the deepest attachment.
When Guizong Zhichang struck the tripod three times and asked "Why don't I hear it?"—at that moment, marvelous wisdom-power was already operating. He was not activating it; he was using it to knock you awake so you could see it. The Chan master does not bestow a capacity onto you from the outside; rather, he enables you to see what you originally possess.
Contemporary people are especially prone to falling into this attachment of "I must go practice"—feeling that one must meditate for so many hours, recite so many mantras, attend so many Zen retreats, or read so many scriptures to "manifest" this capacity. The direction is inverted. This very effort—"I must work hard to achieve"—is the reinforcement of "I" as subject, which is precisely the opposite of marvelous wisdom-power.
Clarification: - Marvelous wisdom-power is not a goal, but the live scene; - It does not require "effort to activate," but only "seeing that it is already here"; - Practice is not to acquire it, but to peel away what obscures it—primarily "self-grasping."
误读 4：把"觀音妙智力"等同于"耳根圆通"
This misreading must be handled carefully.
In the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra*, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva states: "I began with hearing, reflection, and cultivation, entering 三摩地 (samādhi, "meditative concentration"). Initially in the midst of hearing, entering the stream and forgetting the object." This is the famous dharma gate of "complete penetration through the ear faculty"—using hearing as an entry point to thoroughly realize self-nature.
In certain readings, "觀音妙智力" is equated with "complete penetration through the ear faculty." This correspondence has basis, but they are not the exact same thing.
"Complete penetration through the ear faculty" is the dharma gate (specific path of practice) practiced and realized by Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva; "觀音妙智力" is the functional power (the capacity to rescue sentient beings) accomplished through this dharma gate. One is cause, and the other is fruition. Ear-faculty penetration is the practice method, while marvelous wisdom-power is the fruit of that practice.
However, note: **The Chan usage in the *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp* reverses this relationship yet another layer—it does not ask you to practice the 次第 (krama, "gradual path") of "ear-faculty penetration," but asks you to directly see this power in a single sound in the present moment. Guizong Zhichang striking the tripod and Monk Guanyin of Yingzhou speaking of wind entering a broken window are not teaching you to practice ear-faculty penetration, but causing you to suddenly see marvelous wisdom-power.**
Clarification: - The foundation of Avalokiteśvara's marvelous wisdom-power is complete penetration through the ear faculty, but their levels of application differ; - In Chan, the emphasis is not on "practice," but on "seeing"; - The method of seeing is not studying scriptures, but sudden realization triggered by pivotal sparks—this is the common characteristic of all gong'ans in the *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp*.
误读 5：以为"觀音妙智力"是某种神秘体验
Influenced by certain mystical descriptions, some people interpret "marvelous wisdom-power" as "seeing a certain light, hearing a celestial sound, or having an out-of-body experience."
This reads it as supernatural powers or mystical experiences, departing far from Chan's original intent.
Guizong Zhichang displayed no mystical experience—he struck the tripod three times and asked "Why don't I hear it?" Monk Guanyin of Yingzhou displayed no mystical experience—he said "wind blowing through a broken window." The sharpest aspect of these gong'ans lies precisely in their ordinary nature—they are not wonders falling from the sky, but that moment you hear the kettle whistle in the kitchen.
Chan places the deepest Dharma truths in the most ordinary things. The live scene of Avalokiteśvara's marvelous wisdom-power is not in mystical realms, but at the juncture of your hearing any sound next time.
Clarification: - Do not pursue mystical experiences; - True "marvelous wisdom-power" resides right within daily hearing; - It requires no special state as a backdrop, only that the hard shell of "I" be temporarily thinned.
误读 6：把"观音行"误解为"行善"
Guizong Zhichang said "The practice of Avalokiteśvara skillfully responds across all places," and a practitioner asked "What is the practice of Avalokiteśvara?" Some people misinterpret "the practice of Avalokiteśvara" as "doing good deeds and accumulating merit"—performing charitable acts and being a good person.
This reading is too superficial.
Guizong Zhichang snapped his fingers and asked "Do you all hear it?"—this is the locus of the "practice of Avalokiteśvara." Here, "practice" (xíng) means functioning, operating, not "doing good deeds." "Skillfully responding" means responding effortlessly, spontaneously, and naturally. Thus, "The practice of Avalokiteśvara skillfully responds across all places" means: The operation of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva is spontaneous and unimpeded, naturally responding everywhere.
Reading it as "doing good deeds" is also fine, but it is not the "practice of Avalokiteśvara" in the Chan sense. Chan's "practice of Avalokiteśvara" is at the sound of the finger snap, a present locus that permits you no seeking outside that sound.
Clarification: - "Practice" (xíng) is not "doing good deeds," but "operating, functioning"; - "Practice of Avalokiteśvara" is the concrete manifestation of marvelous wisdom-power—effortless, natural, immediate; - You do not need to "do good deeds" to become Avalokiteśvara; you need to see in a single present sound that Avalokiteśvara was originally right here.
收尾：从敲鼎三下说起
Guizong Zhichang struck the tripod three times and asked, "Do you hear it or not?"—this is Chan's sharpest moment. It asks not merely what you heard, but asks whether you can hear "hearing" itself.
When the *Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp* brings up the verse "觀音妙智力" (marvelous wisdom-power of Avalokiteśvara), its sole intention from beginning to end is: To let you see that at the moment you hear any sound—where that "I" is absent, yet the event has already occurred—that is the very locus of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.
It does not require you to go to distant Mount Putuo. It does not require you to recite holy names millions of times. It does not require you to become anyone special.
It only requires that the next time any sound arises—a station announcement broadcast, a colleague's greeting, a child's cry, a partner's breath, your own footsteps, a water drop in the dead of night—you let that automatically activated "I" step aside temporarily. You will see: in that moment of stepping aside, illumination-awareness itself is already working there—Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has never left you.
This is the entire secret of "The marvelous wisdom-power of Avalokiteśvara can deliver beings from world-suffering" in Chan Buddhism—It is not that the Bodhisattva saves you, but that you have always been living within salvation; you simply had not seen it.