Quan Yin (Guanyin) is an East Asian Bodhisattva associated with compassion and is venerated by Mahayana Buddhists. She is the female manifestation of Avalokistshava, the Buddha of Compassion. Guanyin is commonly known as the "Goddess of Mercy". The name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, meaning "[The One Who] Perceives all Sounds of the World".
Some Buddhists believe that, when one departs from this world, Guanyin places them at the heart of a lotus, and sends them to the Pure Lands of Sukhāvatī.