"How to connect with Quan Yin?"
( Response to a personal email follows )


I can definitely help.

Quan Yin is the Chinese name for two deities, the "male" deity Avalokitesvara and the "female" deity Tara.

I have a direct and personal connection with Tara.

HH the Dalai Lama is considered by Buddhists of different schools to be the emanation of Avalokitesvara.

I can give you many book and teacher and practices, but let's keep this very simple for now.

There is a great book on orienting to the Buddhist worldview. It is by HH the Dalai Lama and it is called
"How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life", by the Dalai Lama.
Anyone can read and benefit from this book.

There are many books and tantras and mantras for Avalokita and Tara. You can find many of these at the web site for Snow Lion Publications. They have practice texts for both, deity and mandala image cards and so forth.

To study basic Tara, get
"In Praise of Tara", by Martin Willson.
This is excellent source material.
The basic and very useful accomplishment mantra of Tara is
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE MA ME AYU PUNYA JNANA PUSTIM KURU SVAHA.
This is for accomplishing long life ( ayu ), spiritual merit ( punya ) transcendent awareness ( jnana ) and so forth. Anyone can practice this.

A basic mantra for Avalokita is
OM MANI PADMA HUM

Fundamental to the teachings and to Buddhist wisdom culture in general is The Heart Sutra, a short but profound text. This is used worldwide in most Buddhist traditions. You can recite this daily.

Basically any major Buddhist tantric empowerment includes Vajrasattva. And any Vajrasattva includes a good Avalokita authorization and a good Tara, sufficient for many kinds of mantra practices. This is the general solution.

Excellent teaching on Tara practice are given by Namkhai Norbu, and can be purchased by initiates. See
www.tsegyalgar.org/
To make use of this you need "World wide transmission" available in different cities and a $70 first year membership for store access. This includes authorization for Ultimate White Tara practice in the form of Goddess Mandarava, for example.

Depending on your geographic locale, different choices of lineage and transmission are available.

See www.fpmt.org for example.
See also
www.namsebangdzo.com/
Se also
www.garchen.net/GBI-Shop/

esp the following book at GBI Shop:

"Pearl Rosary: The Path of Purification"
By Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche

edited by Khenmo Trinlay Chodron

This very valuable text contains eleven sadhanas with commentary by Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche. Sadhanas include: Chenrezig ( Avalokita ) Meditation Practice, Manjushri Meditation Practice, Vajrapani Meditation Practice, Green Tara Meditation Practice, White Tara Meditation Practice, Supplication to the Seven Taras, Buddha Amitabha Meditation Practice, Buddha Amitayus Meditation Practice, Medicine Buddha Meditation Practice, Vajrasattva Meditation Practice, and Achi Chokyi Drolma Meditation Practice.

"The contents of this text is primarily meant for people who are far away and don't have the opportunity to engage in Dharma practice in the presence of the teacher. The book itself is a representation of the teacher, and therefore is meant to help one's Dharma practice. The text describes the mehods of visualization and how to incorporate practice into our day to day life experience . . . The visualization of these deities is mainly concerned with the practices of tantrayana and mantrayana, which are the highest forms of practice. The path of visualization is very powerful and if properly engaged in, it is capable of transforming our life within a single moment."

"By engaging in this kind of practice, infinite clarity of mind is achieved, and through such power, we are able to purify our ordinary body and manifest the body of the deity. Likewise, we are able to purify our ordinary body and manifest the body of the deity. Likewise, we are able to purify ordinary speech, and manifest wisdom speech. Futhermore, we are able to purify the deluded ordinary mind, and realize the wisdom mind."
from the foreward by His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche


May All Beings Benefit!

KT