An often asked question is whether World-Voice-Perceiver is male or female. Many people think she is female. [In Chinese, her name is translated as Kwan Yin, and she is frequently depicted as the gentle “Lady of Mercy.”] That is not exactly correct, however. The true answer to the question depends on people’s desires. If someone wishes to see a beautiful woman, the Bodhisattva looks like just such a woman to that person. If someone wants to see a great man [or a god], the Bodhisattva appears as such a man [or god]. World-Voice-Perceiver is neither masculine nor feminine, but either one or the other. He or she looks male or female depending on people’s desires. Actually, in Sanskrit, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have masculine names, and for that reason they are usually identified as male.