As the figure of Mary embodies all that a Christian is called to be, Kuan-Yin with a Thousand Hands embodies the mode of being of one who has reached the ultimate fruit in Zen. This is a mode of being that has undergone a total emptying of oneself, leading to one's total liberation, whereby one's whole being is given over for others as they are encountered in their particular situations.
— Ruben L. F. Habito, Living Zen, Loving God