Taoism and Buddhism

Taoism is an inherent religion in China with a history of 1800 years. It is closely linked with the local culture of China, deeply rooted in the fertile soil of China, and has distinctive China characteristics, which has a far-reaching impact on all levels of China culture.

Taoist deities

Sanqing

1. Sanqing refers to the Buddha of Yuan Dynasty, the Buddha of Lingbao and the Buddha of morality. They are the highest gods of Taoism, and they are actually the trinity of Tao. The concept of "Sanqing" began in the Six Dynasties, but at this time, "Sanqing" mostly refers to "Sanqing realm", that is, Taiqing realm, Yuqing realm and Shangqing realm, where three great gods, Shenbaojun, Tianbaojun and Lingbaojun, lived respectively. Later, "Sanqing" gradually became the popular name of Buddha, Lingbao Buddha and Moral Buddha in Yuan Dynasty, and "Sanqing Land" also became its residence.

Yus

2. The Four Emperors are the four heavenly emperors after Sanqing. Specifically, they refer to the Jade Emperor Xuan (in charge of everything), the Han Emperor in the Arctic (in charge of the stars), the Emperor Gou Chen (in charge of everything) and the Emperor Shang Gong (in charge of Wan Lei and the military revolution on the ground).

Liu Yu

3. Six imperial powers: Taoism once had the saying of "six imperial powers", namely: Tianjinque, which ruled ten thousand days, Milla, who had the supreme natural wonder, gave it to the Jade Emperor, Gouchen, who ruled the mutiny of Wanlei, the emperor who ruled all kinds, Dong Jiqing, who ruled all kinds, and Taiyi, who saved the suffering. This statement originated from the concept of "Liuhe" in ancient China. The so-called "Liuhe" refers to the huge space of the universe, that is, up, down and four directions (east, west, south and north).

The Jade Emperor

Jade Emperor Jade Emperor seems to be the highest god in the sky in the eyes of ordinary people. Some people think that it was developed from the highest god "Emperor" or "God" in the Yin and Shang Dynasties. In the map of the true spiritual position of early Taoism, there were the names of "Jade Emperor Daojun" and "Gao Jade Emperor", but their ranks were not high, only ranked 1 1 and 19 on the right side of the Jade Qing Sanyuan Palace. Song Zhenzong said that Zhao, his distant ancestor, received an order from the Jade Emperor and gave the gobbledygook to him. Therefore, the Jade Emperor was named as "Emperor Tai's father Tian Kai holds a royal calendar with a real body", and later Huizong added it as "Emperor Tai's father Tian Kai holds a royal calendar with a real body", which greatly improved the prestige of the Jade Emperor among the people and made the belief of the Jade Emperor deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Taoism mostly regards the Jade Emperor as one of the "Four Emperors" under the "Sanqing", and thinks that he is the "king who will always lead the universe" after the "Sanqing", and his function is to "accept the orders of Sanqing, examine the imperial court in Wei Zi" and "take charge of minor matters and submit major ones". On the ninth day of the first month of each year, on the birthday of the Jade Emperor, Taoist temples and people often hold a "Jade Emperor Meeting".

God of the stars

The god of the stars occupies a high position in Taoism, and there are mainly five obsidians (five stars)-Suixing (Jupiter), Zhenxing (Saturn), Taibai (Venus), Chen Xing (Mercury) and Huo Xing (Mars). In addition, there are five stars in the east, west, north and south, as well as 28 stars, Ziwei Academy Star, Taiwei Academy Star and Tianshi Academy Star. Among them, the most respected is "Doum". "Doum" is a female figure. According to legend, she gave birth to the Big Dipper, which can cure diseases. In addition, Beidou and Nandou Xing Jun are also highly respected by the world. According to Du Renjing, Beidou is the master of death and Nandou is the master of life, so many people hold "Beidou Club" and "Nandou Club". Among the four star gods, there is also the influential Quartet Twenty-eight Star King. Among the 28 lodgings, seven lodgings in the east (horn, horn, fork, room, heart, tail and dustpan) form a dragon, which is called Qinglong; The seven nights in the south (well, ghost, willow, star, Zhang, wing and bird) form a bird shape, which is called Suzaku; Seven huts in the west (Kui, Lou, Stomach, Ang, Bi, Dog and God) make up a tiger, which is called White Tiger. The seven northern lodges (barrels, cows, women, emptiness, danger, houses and walls) form a turtle shape, which is called Xuanwu. Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu are collectively called the "Gods of the Four Sides".

Sanguanhuang

The "three officials" of the great emperor are the "three officials" of heaven, earth and water. There are many theories about their origins, either from the natural worship of heaven, earth and water by ancient religions in China, or from the three gases of gold (the main source), earth (the main source) and water (the main source) in the five elements, or that they are Yao, Shun and Yu. "Three Officials" played a very important role in early Taoism. For example, at the end of the Han Dynasty, Taoism in Shi Tian held a ceremony of "three officials' calligraphy" when praying for patients, that is, the patient's name and confession were written on paper and presented to the three officials of heaven, earth and water respectively. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the "three officials" cooperated with the "three yuan" to become the "Emperor of Heaven in the Upper Yuan Dynasty", "Emperor of Land in the Middle Yuan Dynasty" and "Emperor of Water in the Lower Yuan Dynasty". According to legend, Heaven can bless, Earth can condemn and Water can help Eritrea, born on the 15th of the first month, 15th of July and 15th of October respectively. In order to pray for blessings, eliminate sins and eliminate disasters, people all over the country often hold "Shangyuan Fair", "Zhongyuan Fair" and "Xiayuan Fair" in these three days.

God of literature

Wenchang Emperor Wenchang, originally named as a star, is also called Wenquxing or satellites. In ancient times, it was considered to be the star in charge of moire's reputation. In the Han Dynasty, it refers to the fourth star of Wenchang Palace in the sky-four stars. Emperor Wenchang, who became a Taoist and folk belief, was related to Zhang Yazi (also known as Zhang Xiezi or Zhang Zi), a zitong god in Shu. During the Anshi Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty avoided the rebellion and entered Shu. He dreamed that Zhang Yazi appeared and made him the left prime minister. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, in order to avoid the chaos in Huang Chao, Tang Xizong personally worshipped Zitong God and made Zhang Yazi King of Jishun. After the worship of Emperor Taizong, Zitong God Zhang Yazi changed from a local god to a god worshipped by the world. In the Song Dynasty, Zitong God was sealed by the emperor many times, and won the trust of scholars for predicting the fame of the imperial examination. In the third year of Yuan Yanyou's reign (13 16), Zhang Yazi was named "Lu Di, who helped Yuan Wenchang" and was appointed as the god of loyalty, filial piety and honesty. At this point, Zitong God and wenchang star God became one, and they were called Wenchang Emperor. After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Wenchang Palace and Wenchang Temple were built in many places, and people held a "Wenchang Fair" on the birthday of Emperor Wenchang on the third day of February.

Four heavenly teachers

"Shi Tian" used to be an honorific title for people with moral integrity in ancient times. Later, Taoism called Zhang Daoling Shi Tian. The "Four Celestial Teachers" are four important real people in the history of Taoism, namely Zhang Daoling, Ge Xuan, Xu Xun (decorated by Xu Jingyang) and Handcuffs. They are the four gods in front of the Jade Emperor Tong Ming.

Buddhism (British Buddhism Brahma Buddha-s/āsana or BuddhaāNUS/āSana, Bali name Buddha-sāsana. Note:/stands for the score above S): One of the three major religions in the world, it was founded more than 3,000 years ago by the ancient Indian prince Kapylovi (in present-day Nepal). His name is Siddhartha, and his surname is Gautama, Gotama. Because he belongs to the Sakyamuni family, people also call him Sakyamuni, which means the sage of the Sakyamuni family. Widely spread in many Asian countries. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, it was introduced to China via the Silk Road.

In Buddhism, from Buddha Sakyamuni down, they are: Buddha, Bodhisattva, Lohan, Wensheng, Earth Master and Bhikkhu.

According to the Buddhist monk order, monks are monks, monks (quasi-monks) and laymen (lay disciples).

In addition, monks represent monks who have been given foot precepts (250 commandments)

Shami is a monk who became a monk by Shami (Ten Commandments).

A layman is a Buddhist who has received the five precepts of Bodhisattva at home.

Now we intend to use the shortest space to classify the objects worshipped by Buddhists as follows: Buddhism, Bodhisattva, Mingwang, Heaven and Family.

The first is the Buddhist Department.

Buddha is the most respected, advanced and worshipped object in Buddhism. There are fifteen Buddhas in the Lord. But some buddhas are widely worshipped, while others are left out in the cold. Of the fifteen Buddhas, only Sakyamuni Buddha has a history of being a man in India and has been deified into a god. The other 14 Buddhas have no historical basis. Because Buddhism pays special attention to the three "people" who practice Buddhism and Taoism, that is, "people practice Buddhism, people realize, and people become Buddhas", any Buddha or bodhisattva can only regard him as an imaginary object of worship if he has not been a man and repaired an aisle in this world. Before the infinite robbery, Buddhism fabricated a set of myths about how the Buddha became a Buddha, but they all had no historical basis and were not credible.

According to "Buddha", Sanskrit Buddha means "knowledge" and "enlightenment". The original intention is that Buddhist monks know and understand Buddhist teachings such as "karma law", and there is no mystery. Niganta Nataputu, the ancestor of Jainism who was contemporary with Sakyamuni, was also called Buddha by his followers! But after Sakyamuni was deified by later Buddhists, the Buddha Sakyamuni also became like a god. The Buddhist magazine Juesheng pointed out in the editorial, "First, as far as Buddhism is concerned, it gradually became sacred and mysterious, and the invisible man and historical Buddha were gradually disguised as inhuman fable Buddha by myth. ..... look at the people who believe in Buddhism today, or regard them as gods, or compare them with gods, and there is no difference between gods and Buddhists ... "(Li See, 196 1 mar15th).

The names of the Fifteen Buddhas are: Sakyamuni Buddha, Tathagata, Ruzena Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Tathagata, Tathagata, Tathagata, Tathagata, Tathagata, Lei Yin, Tathagata, Tathagata, Buddha eyes Buddha, Tathagata, Tathagata. In Sanskrit, Tathagata means "arrive truthfully", "declare the truth", "really wake up" and "really be a teacher". "If", if (Tatha), "Come" and (gata). This "Tathagata" is one of Sakyamuni's ten titles, and later "Tathagata" was also used in other buddhas.

In addition to the above fifteen main buddhas, there is also the saying of "three thousand buddhas". According to the records in The Thousand-Buddha Sutra, The Thousand-Buddha Sutra of Today and The Thousand-Buddha Sutra of Later Generations, there are as many as 3,000 Buddhas in the past, present and future generations. Among them, there are "Buddha without electricity in the south" and "Buddha without light in the south", which is really amazing. According to "The Eighth Sigh of the Sage's Robbery of Classics", it means that 80,000 Buddhas appeared when the star was robbed, and it is emphasized that 84,000 Buddhas were born when the purity was robbed. Since everyone in Buddhism is a Buddha, "Buddha" is not surprising. Hinayana Buddhism spread to the south only respects Sakyamuni Buddha in Thailand, maintaining the legacy of Mahayana Buddhism. Several major temples in Thailand only worship Sakyamuni Buddha, and Hinayana Buddhism does not believe in buddhas and bodhisattvas other than Sakyamuni Buddha.

Second, the Bodhisattva Department

Bodhisattva, also known as Bodhisattva, means "sentient beings", Bodhi (feeling Bodhi) and sattva (sentient beings) in Sanskrit. According to the original meaning of Sanskrit, all Buddhists who practice Mahayana Buddhism are bodhisattvas; ; Buddhism advises people to be bodhi, that is, to be bodhisattva. The late master Taixu of our country said: "Anyone who studies Buddhism with bodhi mind can be called a bodhisattva. Therefore, "Bodhisattva" is a very common name in Buddhism, which is applicable to monks and nuns and laymen who study Buddhism at home.

Buddhism divides the spiritual world and the Buddhist world of the whole universe into "ten realms", namely, the underworld, hungry ghosts, wild animals, Asura, human beings and heaven, which are collectively called "Six Mysteries". The world of hearing, the world of feeling, the world of bodhisattva and the world of Buddhism are the "four enlightenment worlds". That is to say, Buddha is the highest, followed by Bodhisattva. It is said that fifty-two bodhisattvas (monks) practice * * and make progress gradually. Forty-one to fifty are called "Ten Places", on which are "Equal Sense" and "Wonderful Sense", and the last one is "Buddha".

The idea that Buddhists practicing Buddhism are bodhisattvas has been gradually changed and deified, and finally many inhuman and imaginary heavenly bodhisattvas have emerged. These bodhisattvas, male and female, are said to give people happiness and joy. But from a religious standpoint, they are not so much called bodhisattvas as a kind of polytheism and animism in disguised Buddhism, which is far from the atheism of primitive Buddhism.

The more important bodhisattvas in the Bodhisattva Department are: Holy Guanyin, Thousand-handed Guanyin, Eleven-faced Guanyin, Ruyi Lunguan, Bukongsi Guanyin, Matou Guanyin, Zhunti Guanyin, Thirty-three Guanyin, Ye Yi Guanyin, Dabai Guanyin, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva, Tibetan Bodhisattva, Medicine Bodhisattva, Sunlight Bodhisattva, Moonlight Bodhisattva and Vanity Tibetan Bodhisattva. In addition, there are twenty-five bodhisattvas, from Guanyin Bodhisattva to Infinite Bodhisattva, * * * twenty-five. It is said that they are all bodhisattvas who recite the name of Amitabha. In addition, three famous Indian Buddhists, A?vagho?a, Dragon Tree and Jin, have died and are also called Bodhisattvas. Many of the above bodhisattvas are worshipped by Buddhists.

In addition to the above buddhas and bodhisattvas, there are 34 gods in Buddhism, such as Jiang III, Peacock King, Horse King and Marshal Ming. In addition, there are 34 "Heaven-related" ghosts and gods, such as Kunsamanta, Guangmu, Brahma, Jixiang, Wangda, Daren, Sun, Moon and Treasure Goddess, and 98 "Heaven-related" gods, such as twelve pharmacists, Prajna's guardian of sixteen good gods, Pu Xian's ten rogues and Sixteen Luo. Many of the above ghosts and gods have their own specialties, either protecting Buddhism, giving people happiness or serving heaven, and some of them are widely worshipped by Buddhists. There are as many as 200 Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Gods and Ghosts in the above five schools alone.

In addition, the top ten disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha are also statues and are worshipped. In Taiwan Province Province, some temples worship not only gods and buddhas, but also gods related to Taoism and folk beliefs, such as Gong, Mazu, Lv Chunyang, Tugong, Shen, Jade Emperor, Sanguan Emperor and Taishang Laojun, which have nothing to do with Buddhism. However, in order to meet the urgent needs of ordinary polytheists and ghosts and increase the economic income of incense, some Buddhist temples actually enjoy them.