|
Burning-Lamp Taoist
Randeng Daoren () is a character in the famed classic Chinese novel ''Fengshen Yanyi''. He was renowned as the Superiorman of Mount Condor, Intuition Cave. His role originated from Dipankara Buddha of Buddhist lore, who was a past enlightened being before the time of Gautama Buddha. The Burning-Lamp Taoist sometimes appears as a door god in Chinese and Taoist temples, usually in partnership with Zhao Gongming. In ''Fengshen Yanyi'' Following the incident with Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun and Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha once again saw an opportunity to strike down his father, Li Jing, and end his great hatred. Before their battle, Randeng Daoren saw Li Jing and immediately told him to hide behind him lest he be killed. Once Nezha appeared directly before Randeng Daoren, Randeng Daoren said, "I thought this problem had been resolved in the Cloud Top Cave. It is not good for you to rekindle your revenge again." Randeng Daoren thrust Li Jing forward to fight. Because Randeng Daoren had already sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fengshen Yanyi
''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese titles () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Consisting of 100 chapters, it was first published in book form between 1567 and 1619. Another source claims it was published in a finalized edition in 1605. The work combines elements of history, folklore, mythology, legends and fantasy.Chew, Katherine Liang (2002). ''Tales of the Teahouse Retold: Investiture of the Gods''. Page XI. . The story is set in the era of the decline of the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC) and the rise of the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). It intertwines numerous elements of Chinese mythology, Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, including deities, demons, immortals and spirits. The authorship is attributed to Xu Zhonglin. Plot The novel is a romanticised retelling of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dipankara
Dipankara (Pali: ''Dīpaṅkara''; Sanskrit: ', "Lamp bearer") or Dipankara Buddha is one of the Buddhas of the past. He is said to have lived on Earth four asankheyyas and one hundred thousand kalpas ago. According to Buddhists, Dipankara was a previous Buddha who attained Enlightenment eons prior to Gautama Buddha, the historical Buddha. Generally, Buddhists believe that there has been a succession of many Buddhas in the distant past and that many more will appear in the future. Dipankara was one of these previous Buddhas, while Gautama Buddha was the current and most recent Enlightened one, and Maitreya will be the next Buddha in the distant future. Chinese Buddhism honors Dipankara as one of many Buddhas of the past. Dipankara, Gautama, and Maitreya are "the Buddhas of Three Times" in Yiguandao. Iconography Sanjaa (Dipankara) inside Western Temple in the Mongolia.html" ;"title="Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia">Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia. Dipankara is generally rep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents of the Shakya clan, but Great Renunciation, renounced his Householder (Buddhism), home life to live as a wandering ascetic. After leading a life of mendicancy, asceticism, and meditation, he attained Nirvana (Buddhism), nirvana at Bodh Gaya, Bodh Gayā in what is now India. The Buddha then wandered through the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain, teaching and building a Sangha, monastic order. Buddhist tradition holds he died in Kushinagar and reached ''parinirvana'' ("final release from conditioned existence"). According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and severe asceticism, leading to Vimutti, freedom from Avidyā (Buddhism), ignora ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Door God
''Menshen'', or door gods, are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu () and Yulü () under the Han, but the deified generals Qin Shubao () and Yuchi Gong () have been more popular since the Tang. In cases where a door god is affixed to a single door, Wei Zheng or Zhong Kui is commonly used. History The gates and doors of Chinese houses have long received special ritual attention. Sacrifices to a door spirit are recorded as early as the ''Book of Rites''.. By the Han, this spirit had become the two gods Shenshu and Yulü, whose names or images were painted into peachwood and attached to doors. When the Emperor Taizong of the Tang was being plagued by nightmares, he ordered portraits of his generals Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong to be affixed to gates. They eventually came to be considered divine protectors, replacing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Temple
Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as: * '' miào'' () or ''diàn'' (), simply means "temple" and mostly enshrines gods of the Chinese pantheon, such as the Dragon King, Tudigong or Matsu; or mythical or historical figures, such as Guandi or Shennong. * '' cí'' (), ''cítáng'' (), ''zōngcí'' () or ''zǔmiào'' (), referring to ancestral temples, mostly enshrining the ancestral gods of a family or clan. * Taoist temples and monasteries: ''guàn'' or '' dàoguàn''; and * Chinese Buddhist temples and monasteries: ''sì'' or ''sìyuàn'' * Temple of Confucius which usually functions as both temple and town school: '' wénmiào'' or '' kŏngmiào''. * Temples of City God (), which worships the patron God of a village, town or a city. * Smaller household shrines or vot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taoist Temple
A Daoist temple (), also called a () or (), is a place where the Dao is observed and cultivated. It is a place of worship in Taoism. Taoism is a religion that originated in China, with the belief in immortality, which urges people to become immortal through moral and health cultivation. Structure and function can vary according to the Daoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guàn'' of the Quanzhen School are monasteries where celibate daoshi "priests" live. History During the Southern Dynasty, under the influence of Buddhist monasteries, monasticism became the new trend, and Taoists were also trying to create a new way of monasticism by emulating the model set by Buddhists. Therefore, many of the Taoist houses were built in a similar pattern to Buddhist monasteries. Although its scale cannot be compared to the Buddhist monasteries, their form and pattern are similar, including the courtyard-like layout, the hall-like architecture, and the enshrining statues ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zhao Gongming
Zhao Gongming (), also known as Zhao Gong Yuanshuai (), is a god of wealth in Chinese folk religion. Zhao Gongming is the most notable among various forms of Caishen, and his birthday is commemorated on the fifth day of the first lunar month. He appears for the first time in the classic Chinese novel, ''Fengshen Yanyi'' (封神演义), contrary to claims in ''Pochu Mixin Quanshu'' () that he was a creation of the Song era. Legends During the Han Dynasty, the Daoist book ''Record of Canonical Texts'' (典籍實錄) states that Zhao Gongming is the 'essence of the sun'. During the Jin Dynasty, the ''Records of the Search for Spirits'' (搜神記) recorded: "The Heavenly Emperor appointed three generals, Zhao Gongming and Zhong Shiji, each to supervise the subjugation of spirits and the retrieval of human souls". According to the ''Biographies of Deities and Immortals'' (列仙全傳), Zhao Gongming served as the leader of the eight ghostly legions, roaming throughout the mortal r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun
Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun () is a Taoist deity and character in the classic Chinese novel ''Investiture of the Gods'' (more commonly known as ''Fengshen Yanyi''). He is a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun and one of the Three Great Immortals, holding the fifth position among the Twelve Golden Immortals. The character is believed to be derived from the bodhisattva Manjusri. The books ''Qunxian Xianpo Tianmen'' and ''Western Tang Dynasty Biography'' states Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun and Manjusri Bodhisattva are not the same person. It is believed that Manjusri Bodhisattva transformed into Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun, one of the protectors in Taoism, helping to resolve religious conflicts common in the Western regions. Legend In ''Fengshen Yanyi'', Guangfa Tianzun is the superiorman over Five Dragons Mountain, Cloud Top Cave, and the renowned teacher of Jinzha, the first son of Li Jing (deity), Li Jing. In rank, Guangfa Tianzun is seemingly an elite superiorman—even greater than that of Nezha's tea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taiyi Zhenren
Taiyi Zhenren () is a Daoist deity in Chinese religion and Taoism. ''Taiyi'' () means "primordial unity of yin and yang" and ''Zhenren'' () is a Daoist term for "Perfected Person". According to the opening of the classical novel '' Fengshen Bang'', he is the reincarnation of the first emperor of the Shang dynasty, Tang of Shang. Taiyi Zhenren also appears in Qing dynasty novels such as ''The Story of the Fox'' (狐狸缘全传), ''The Story of Ji Gong'' (济公全传), and the storytelling ''The Immortals Break Through the Heavenly Gate'' (群仙破天门). He is one of the Twelve Golden Immortals under Yuanshi Tianzun. Ranked fifth among the Twelve Golden Immortals, the character is based on Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, the Lord of Suffering, who practices in the Golden Light Cave of Qianyuan Mountain. Taiyi Zhenren is the leader of the Qingwei Sect, and master of Nezha and Jinxia Tong'er. Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun Taiyi Zhenren is what the Investiture of the Gods calls him, and he i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nezha
Nezha (, Nézhā) or sometimes Nezha the Crown Prince (, ), is a protection deity in Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion. His official Taoism, Taoist name is "Marshal of the Central Altar" (). He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prince" () after he became a deity. Legend According to ''Fengshen Yanyi'', Nezha was born during the Shang dynasty in a military fortress at Chentang Pass, as the incarnation of Lingzhu Zi (灵珠子), who is destined to assist King Wu of Zhou in the upcoming war against the Shang. His father was a military commander Li Jing (deity), Li Jing, who later became the "Pagoda-wielding Heavenly King". Nezha's mother, Lady Yin, gave birth to a ball of flesh after gestating for three years and six months. Li Jing thought his wife had given birth to a demon and attacked the ball with his sword. The ball split open, and Nezha jumped out as a boy instead of an infant. Nezha could jump and walk immediately after birth. He was later accepted by the imm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Li Jing (deity)
Li Jing, also known as Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, is a figure in Chinese mythology and a god in Chinese folk religion. He carries a pagoda that can capture any spirit, demon or god within its walls. He also appears in the classic Chinese novels ''Journey to the West'' and ''Fengshen Yanyi'' (''Investiture of the Gods''). He is an analogue of Vaisravana. Origin It is generally believed that the guardian deity of Buddhism, the Northern Heavenly King Vaisravana, is the prototype of the "Pagoda-Bearing Li Heavenly King". This is because the worship of Vaisravana was prevalent during the Tang dynasty, with the belief that he helped the nation defeat enemy forces. Consequently, temples were built and statues were made everywhere, and he was worshiped during military expeditions. Furthermore, according to Taoist scriptures, the real person Li Jing (Tang dynasty), Li Jing, the Duke of Wei during the Tang dynasty, was a general and student of Li Chun and obtained the "Ten Thousan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
