A lovely, playful goddess, Kwan Yin grants the wishes of those who call upon her, especially women, and exerts particular power over childbirth. Her name means "She Who Harkens to the Cries of the World," for she is the one who arrives to save people from burning buildings, pluck them from train wrecks, and to offer general relief from suffering. It is Kwan Yin who listens to the voices of the poor and oppressed.
— Sandy Boucher, Opening the Lotus