The meaning of eight-step dragon

"Tianlong Babu" is a common "protector" in Buddhist scriptures. Tianlong God is the head of the eight sects, hence its name.

Heaven, the heaven in Sanskrit, also known as the god, includes Brahma (originally the creator of Brahmanism) and Indra (also known as Indra). Dragon, Naga people, although translated as dragon, is actually not a dragon in ancient China, but a snake god. The word Naga itself has the meaning of cobra. Its image is generally a snake god, with a long body, no feet and no horns, and one or more poisonous eyes. Due to inconvenient communication and translation errors in ancient times, Naga, the snake god, is often translated into dragon in Buddhist scriptures. The Buddhist scriptures say that "the dragon power is incredible", and there are many stories about the dragon king protecting his body. For example, when Prince Sakyamuni was born, Kowloon spit water to enlighten him. He is an active minister who guards Buddhism and specializes in promoting clouds and rainfall.

The other six departments are numerous:

Hag: Brave and agile, like King Kong Hag guarding the entrance of a Buddhist temple, and the eight generals of the hag under King Vishnu. Hag is a transliteration of Sanskrit. In ancient Indian mythology, hag is a demigod, and there are different opinions about its origin. According to Vishnu, Hag and Luo Cha were born from Brahma's feet at the same time, and they are usually hostile to each other. Hag, unlike Luo Cha, is friendly to human beings, so it is called "sincere man". Its image is sometimes described as a beautiful and strong young man, and sometimes as a dwarf with a drooping abdomen.

Manna: It means "seeking fragrance". She eats incense, is subordinate to the release of the Emperor of Heaven, and can enjoy herself in the air. It's a god of incense or music. It is a symbol of happiness and auspiciousness in Buddhism. Most of them are described as girls, plump, flying with ribbons and fluttering in the air, which is beautiful.

Asura: Literally translated as "Tian Fei", he is very aggressive. Originally an evil god in ancient Indian mythology. He has worldly desires like a man, but he is not a man. According to Buddhist legend, Asura and Indra are sworn enemies, always fighting with each other. Because he is the highest demon who opposes the gods, he was expelled from heaven and lived in the Elk Cave. He fought against the gods many times, but they were all at a disadvantage.

Gruda: This golden-winged bird lives in trees on four continents, and its wings have spread for more than 3 million kilometers. In ancient Indian mythology, it was the mount of Vishnu, the great god.

Kinnara: Song Shenzong is a subordinate of Shi. He is a human being and a protagonist. According to Ramayana, becoming the head of a human body, or the head of a horse body, is also called becoming the first bird body.

Mo Jia: Mo Jia, translated as belly line, great wisdom line, great wisdom belly line, python, python, python god. Mahoraga, this is the Python God, and also a group of earthworms, who leave when their stomachs are not full, that is, the temple god on earth, known as the python belly with wine and meat. Eliminate evil flattery, be more angry and less generous, be greedy for wine and meat, not fall into ghosts and gods, and be more angry and eat insects. Mahoraga is regarded as the snake god. He has no feet and walks on his abdomen. In the first volume of Hua Yan Jing, there are countless names of King Mahoraga, such as good wisdom, pure prestige, winning wisdom, solemn bun, wonderful eyes, such as the light floor belongs to all, the brightest floor, the imagination of teachers and students, wonderful face, solid, lovely and bright. In addition, Volume 11 of Hui Lin and Yi Yin says: "Moxiule (slightly) is a god of joy or something, or a non-human, or a cloud python god, whose shape is human and the head of a snake is also." In addition, there are three statues of Mahoraga in the northern part of the Tibetan mandala. A statue in the center of it, hands bent, fist clenched to relax the head, fingers chest, left knee sitting upright; The one on the left, wearing a snake crown, sits on the right; The one on the right, playing flute with both hands, facing left.

Python god, human snake head, music god. The Genesis Scripture of Elder Lu Zhishen said, "When I was alone, I was surrounded by four people, and the king and all the people fell to the ground as a gift to the Buddha." Almost every classic has similar scenes. He also wrote The Dragon King and Eight Dragons. For example, Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty wrote "Notes on Water Classics and Rivers One": "When the king receives relics, he gets eight hoops and four buckets, and Wang Longshen gets a little." Another example is August 1 in Zi Zhen's Ji Hai Miscellaneous Works in the Qing Palace: "I know that the law will be in Lingshan, and I will say eight things." (Li Mingquan)

"Tian", a statue of the patron saint in Buddhist temples, is usually enshrined between the east and west walls of the Hall of Great Heroes. According to the ghosts of Guang Jin Ming Jing, there are "Twenty Heavenly Creations", namely: Meritorious Heaven, Argumentative Heaven, Brahma, Indra Heaven, Eastern Heavenly King, Southern Heavenly King, Western Heavenly King, Northern Heavenly King, Sun Heavenly King, Moon Heavenly King, King Kong Secret Lux, Mo Yi Defending Luo Tian, Three Generals, Wei Tuotian and Sword Emperor. Later, it was added to four Taoist gods, King Jinnaluo, Emperor Wei Zi, Emperor Dongyue and Raytheon, for "24 days". At present, there are many rituals of "fasting to heaven" in Buddhist temples in the south. For example, Dou's "Painting a Boat in Yangzhou, New City North": "The tower is high, imitating the wind of Zhengjue Temple. There are knots at the top of the tower, yellow-green colored glass beads, tower lights, a heavy bowl, a Yang bowl, and four Buddhas." (Li Mingquan)