农历二月十九，是观世音菩萨的圣诞日。“观世音”，是梵文“阿缚卢枳低湿伐逻（Avalokiteśvara）”的意译，是遇到苦难“即时观其音声，皆得解脱”的意思。
The birthday of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva falls on the nineteenth day of the second lunar month in the Chinese calendar. "Guanshiyin" is the liberal translation of the Sanskrit word Avalokiteśvara, which means when sentient beings experience sufferings, "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will instantly observe the sound of their cries, and they will all be liberated."
《观世音菩萨普门品》说到称念观世音名号可摆脱火灾、水溺、黑风、刀兵、恶鬼、牢狱、怨贼等七种灾难；还可使众生远离贪欲、嗔恚、愚痴等三毒的熬煎。并且，受持观世音菩萨名号，与受持六十二亿恒河沙菩萨名号之功德利益正等无异！
The Lotus Sutra's Universal Gate Chapter on Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva states that by calling the name of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, sentient beings will be saved from seven kinds of disasters, including fire, floods, fierce storms, attacks by weapons, evil demons, imprisonment, and malevolent brigands; and they will also be relieved from the torments of the three poisons－greed, anger, and ignorance. Furthermore, the merit and virtue gained by those who receive and uphold the name of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will be equal to and no different from that gained by those who receive and uphold the names of bodhisattvas in number as the grains of sand in sixty-two hundred million Ganges Rivers.
观世音菩萨行大悲，也教众生修大悲。在《华严经》中，观世音菩萨对善财童子说：“在无量法门中，我修学了大悲行解脱门。起初我渐渐地学行大悲，经过长久学习后，终于深入大悲法门广度众生，成就无边的清净功德，而得无上解脱。”
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva acts with great compassion and also teaches sentient beings to practice great compassion. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva said to Sudhana, "Among innumerable Dharma gates, I practiced the gate of liberation through acting with great compassion. I started by learning to practice great compassion gradually, and after a long period of time, I finally penetrated this method and delivered sentient beings extensively, accomplished boundless pure merit and virtue, and ultimately attained supreme emancipation."
悲心人皆有之，虽然不及菩萨的广大，但能通过不断修学深入，而变得无穷深广。在此殊胜的日子，让我们诚心祈祷观世音菩萨，随学菩萨慈悲利他之心，共入菩萨大悲愿海。
We all possess the heart of compassion. Though it is not as vast as that of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, we can expand it through constant study and practice until it becomes infinitely deep and vast. On this extraordinary occasion, let us sincerely pray to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, emulate his compassionate and altruistic heart, and join him in the ocean of his vows of great compassion.
