美國人類學家康乃爾大學教授史提芬•桑格蘭( P. Steven Sangren )於一九八三年所寫的一篇頗具啟發性的文章—〈中國宗教象徵中的女性:觀音、媽祖與無生老母〉中,指出雖然女神在中國神祇與宗教儀式中佔有很顯要的地位,大部分研究中國民間信仰的人類學家們,卻集中注意力針對男性神祇—「天官」進行研究。這些男神多半是屬於區域性的信仰崇拜,基於帝制的模式,他們的地位也有尊卑的不同。相反地,女神如觀音、媽祖與無生老母則不同,祂們並不屬於特定的領域,也不是官,更沒有階層之分,他認為中國的女神與女性在中國文化中的意義有著緊密的連結。
的確,晚清以來的婦女喜歡觀音,且以她們風雅的藝術作品來表達皈依的信心,她們之中有些人以繪製或繡飾觀音形象而聞名,但大多數的人仍默默無聞。蘇珊•梅恩( Susan Mann )告訴我們,十八世紀時觀音的圖像「在婦女心目中是非常生動的,滿佈在夢裡、肖像及刺繡圖案中。」她提到有位女詩人錢蕙曾經有次不用細絲,而以她自己的髮絲來繡製菩薩的形象,「不亞於宋朝畫家李公麟的白描風格」。( Mann, 1997:182 )
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