My girlfriend is from a Thai / Chinese familly. They are buddist and they follow the Guan Yin precepts. I know they can't eat beef, but this is not the only meat they refuses to eat. They basicly eat only chicken and pork. However her mother tried to eat some sheep meat just by curiosity. I would like to know what kind of meat are you allowed to eat when you follow the Guan Yin precepts and which one are strictly prohibited.

Someone had once asked here "Why is Kwan Yin riding a sea turtle?", but what I'm more curious about is why is she seen on a dragon? There are many images or the Bodhisattva riding a dragon, one I posted being but one example. But who/what is the dragon? Is there a story behind it? I've heard the dragon is a symbol of wisdom and purity, others have suggested the dragon represents a wrathful force subdued by Guan Yin underfoot, but really what's the case here? Is it merely symbolic or is the dragon a literal entity (sentient or otherwise)? Any information would be appreciated (not modern "New Age").

I've googled this, but can't find it. I know there is a tradition of writing legendary/mythological/fictional biographies (hagiographies) of monks in the Chinese tradition. Just a few days ago was the celebration of Kwan Yin's going forth day, but for the life of me, I can't find any other accounts of Kwan Yin's life as a monk or nun.

And maybe to save two related questions, why does Samantabhadra ride an elephant and Majursri ride a lion? I was meditating with Kwan Yin statute and that was the main distraction, I had no idea why Kwan Yin is on a sea turtle.

Kwan Yin (a.k.a. Guanyin, Avalokiteśvara) is an important figure in Mahayana Buddhism. But I recently noticed a statue of Kwan Yin on the grounds of a local Theravada monastery. I looked up Kwan Yin on Wikipedia and a connection to Theravada Buddhism wasn't clear, but the article did list translations of her name in Thai and Sinhalese; both areas where Theravada Buddhism is predominant. I also saw mention of a statue of Avalokiteśvara listed in a very old guide to Bodhgaya. Is this figure part of early Buddhism? Or simply beloved by many?