The most interesting folklore

Chapter 23 The Most Interesting Worship Belief (3)
Panwang worship is also reflected in taboos.Because the She, Yao and other ethnic groups regard dogs as their totem worship objects, some taboos have emerged accordingly. For example, it is not allowed to scold the dog. Kneel down and accompany the salute.Dogs are also not allowed to be killed, and dog meat cannot be eaten.When sacrificing Panhu, outsiders are not allowed to participate, and totem worship objects such as ancestral pictures, dragon head sticks, dragon umbrellas, etc. must be kept secret and stored safely, and must not be shown to outsiders.The Yao people not only do not kill their own totems, but also try their best to protect them.The Yao people keep dogs only for hunting and housekeeping. When the dogs are old and can’t move, they would rather let them die or sell them to the strong and Han people outside the mountains than kill themselves.

Whether it is in terms of festival sacrifices, food and clothing, wedding and funeral etiquette, ethnic groups such as She and Yao try their best to imitate the shape and movement of totem objects, which are important contents of totem worship.The Yao people hold a dog sacrifice ceremony every New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve. They set up a square table in front of the ancestor's shrine at home, and list all kinds of offerings. The family members pray to the ancestors, and imitate the dog's movements to sneak under the table and eat one or two. Rice, or put pork, tofu, and rice in a dog trough and put them in front of the shrine. While worshiping the ancestors, dogs are invited to eat the offerings.

In the Yao people’s offering ceremony to return the king’s pan, the sacrifice is made of pigs, which is in line with the myth that the king of the pan encountered a strong storm when he crossed the sea. The ancestors of the Yao people prayed to the king for protection and promised to use pigs as offerings.The dog totem worship of the She nationality is also very obvious, and it has gone through a process of evolution. The first thing that appeared in the ancestral map was Panhu itself, which was a dog, and then combined with a human to become a dog with a human body.In the ancestral picture, there are scenes of wedding, naming, going to Guangdong, etc., while Panhu is the image of a human body with the head of a dog, which later turned into a worship of mysterious worship objects.For example, the dog head stick of the She nationality was changed to the dragon head stick, the dog head bun was changed to the dragon head bun, the dog emperor song was changed to Gaohuang song, and the dog king was changed to pan king, etc.And all of these, the most important symbol is the dragon head staff, which is the symbol of the ancestors, the patron saint of the family, and an authoritative tool for commanding the yang soldiers and the yin soldiers.

28. How did "Mount Tai Stone Gandang" become a godly stone to ward off evil spirits?

In order to ward off evil spirits and disasters, in addition to setting up land gods, people also have some methods to relieve evil spirits, that is, we often erect a stone tablet on the housestead with the words "Taishan Shidadan".Sometimes the whole village will also have such stone monuments, and they are often set up at the entrance of the village, on the bank of a river or pond, or at the alley in front of the gate, or at the straight edge of the three-way intersection.

Regarding the origin of Shi Gandang, there is such a legend: in the age of the Yellow Emperor, Chiyou was very cruel and invincible, and the Yellow Emperor fought against him and suffered disastrous defeats.Once Chi You climbed Mount Tai and said to himself on Mount Tai: "Who in the world dares to be?"Chiyou's arrogance angered Nvwa, so Nvwa threw a refining stone to restrain his cruelty, engraved on it "Taishan stone dare to be", and Chiyou was eventually defeated.The Yellow Emperor set up "Mount Tai Stone Gandang", every time Chiyou saw this stone, he fled in fear, and was captured in Zhuolu.Since then, "Taishan Stone Gandang" has become the folk god's stone to ward off evil spirits.

29. When was Confucianism introduced to China

Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam are called the world's three major religions.Buddhism was born in ancient India in the 6th to 5th centuries BC, and the founder was Gautama?Siddhartha (approximately 563-483 BC), at that time, India divided the crowd into four levels, Brahmin, who represented theocracy, was the highest, followed by Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra.Buddhism was one of the anti-Brahman thoughts in India at that time, and it spread rapidly with the support of the Kshatriya and Vaishya castes.

Buddhism was introduced to China in the Han Dynasty.The earliest temple was the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, built in the Eastern Han Dynasty.Buddhism flourished most during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

In the first year of Yuanshou first year of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty (2 BC), Jing Lu, a doctoral student, was taught Buddhist scriptures by Yi Cun, an envoy of King Dayueshi.In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Ming sent envoys to Da Yueshi to copy 42 chapters of Buddhist scriptures, which is the so-called "42 Chapters".After Buddhism was introduced to China, most of the earliest believers were emperors and nobles. At that time, people regarded Buddha as a kind of shrine, which was close to the alchemy of gods. And sacrifice.During the period of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty, monks An Shigao and Zhilou Jiazhen came to China one after another to translate Buddhist scriptures in Luoyang on a large scale.In 193 A.D., Ruo Rong, a native of Danyang, built Buddhist temples and statues on a large scale, and used the method of exempting from corvee to attract Buddhist believers.This is the beginning of Buddhist statues in my country and the large-scale attracting of believers.

30. How did the phrase "holding Buddha's feet temporarily" come from?
"Usually don't burn incense, but hold Buddha's feet temporarily" is a proverb we often hear, which means that we are not prepared at ordinary times, and we have to deal with it in a hurry or ask for help in a hurry.It is usually used to criticize people who don't work hard at ordinary times and only rush to make up for things when they happen.So, where did the phrase "holding Buddha's feet temporarily" come from?
It is said that this common saying was introduced into China by foreigners during the Eastern Han Dynasty.According to legend, there is a country in the south of Yunnan, and the whole country is full of devout Buddhists. Once, a criminal sentenced to death broke his chain and wooden shackles and escaped in the middle of the night.In the early morning of the next day, when the government found out, it sent soldiers and officers to hunt them down.The criminal was exhausted after fleeing for a day and a night. Seeing that the pursuers were approaching, he knew that he could not escape, so he slammed into an ancient temple.There is a sitting statue of Sakyamuni in this temple, and the Buddha statue is extremely tall.When the criminal saw the Buddha statue, he was deeply remorseful. He hugged the feet of the Buddha statue, cried loudly, and kept kowtow to express his repentance.While kowtowing, the criminal kept saying, "The Buddha is merciful. I know I have committed a crime, and I request to be ordained as a monk. From now on, I will never dare to do evil again!" After a while, his head was also smashed. , made blood all over the body.

At this moment, the pursuers arrived.Seeing this scene, the soldiers were moved by the criminal's devotion to Buddhism and sincere repentance, so they sent someone to report to the government, asking for forgiveness.After hearing this, the government did not dare to make decisions, and immediately reported to the king.The king believed in the Buddha, pardoned the criminal's capital crime, and let him enter the temple to shave his head and become a monk.Later, monks from that country came to China to pass on scriptures, and by the way, the phrase "do not burn incense when you are free, but hug Buddha's feet when you are in the land" was introduced to China.

30. What is Theravada Buddhism and what is Mahayana Buddhism
The names of Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism are taken by Mahayana Buddhists (Mahayana Buddhism believes that the other party only seeks self-liberation and is unwilling to transcend others, while Mahayana Buddhism itself focuses on transcending sentient beings).

Theravada Buddhism sticks to the original intention of the Buddha, so Theravada Buddhism generally does not worship Buddha statues, but worships stupas and mandalas that symbolize the order of the universe.However, under the influence of Mahayana Buddhism in modern times, Buddha statues have also begun to be built.Theravada Buddhists call themselves Theravada, and Mahayana Buddhism as the Ministry of the Masses, both of which have some connotations of praise and derogation. Now they often use more neutral names, namely Southern Buddhism and Northern Buddhism.Because of its popularity in China, Mahayana Buddhism is also known as Han Buddhism.

The difference between Mahayana and Hinayana is manifested in many aspects.First of all, in terms of the view of Buddha Sakyamuni, Theravada Buddhism generally regards him as a leader, a teacher, and a person who has achieved complete enlightenment.Mahayana Buddhism regards Sakyamuni as a powerful, boundless, omniscient and omnipotent Buddha, and believes that in addition to Sakyamuni Buddha, there are countless Buddhas in the ten directions (south, south, northwest, four dimensions) in the three generations (past, present, and future) Buddha.

Secondly, in terms of practice methods, Hinayana Buddhism advocates the "three learnings" of precepts, samadhi, and wisdom (obtaining wisdom by abiding by precepts and practicing meditation), and "eightfold path" (eight correct ways of thinking and acting).Mahayana Buddhism, in addition to the "Three Learnings" and the "Eightfold Path", also focuses on the practice of "Bodhisattva deeds" including the "Six Perfections" and "Four Perceptions".

Therefore, Theravada Buddhism in the early form of Indian Buddhism is inherited by Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism in the middle period of India is inherited by Chinese Buddhism, and Tantric Buddhism in late India is inherited by Tibetan Buddhism.

Buddhism can be divided into primitive Buddhism and late Buddhism.Primitive Buddhism is also called Theravada Buddhism, and later Buddhism is also called Mahayana Buddhism.Since it refers to Mahayana and Hinayana, it is a metaphor.The Mahayana metaphor can cross countless sentient beings.Hinayana is a metaphor for crossing a few sentient beings.The difference between Mahayana and Hinayana is the difference between the level of enlightenment.

31. What are the eight major sects of Chinese Buddhism?

There are eight main schools of Chinese Buddhism, namely Xing, Xiang, Tai, Xian, Zen, Jing, Law, and Secret.

①Fa Xing Zong, also known as San Lun Zong.This sect is mainly based on the classics of Madhyamaka, Hundred Treatises, and Twelve Gates.

②Faxiangzong, also known as Yogazong.The classics that this sect is mainly based on are "Unraveling the Deep Secret Sutra", "Yogi Master's Land Theory", "Cheng Wei Consciousness Theory" and so on.

③ Tiantai sect.This sect is mainly based on the classics such as "Lotus Sutra", "Great Wisdom", "Zhonglun" and so on.

④ Huayan sect, the first sect with famous sages.The main basis of this school is the "Avatamsaka Sutra".

⑤ Zen.Although it is said that the single transmission of the Zen Buddhism does not establish words, it is called a non-teaching biography outside the teaching.However, Bodhidharma, the first patriarch, passed on the Lenga Sutra to his second patriarch, Hui Ke, as a guideline for printing. Hongren and Hui Neng also taught people to recite and hold the Diamond Sutra.Therefore, "Langa" and "Prajna" are the classic basis of this sect.In addition, there is the "Six Patriarch Altar Sutra".

⑥ Pure Land sect.The classics that this school is mainly based on are "Amitabha Sutra", "Infinite Life Sutra", "Mahayana Sutra of Infinite Life, Strong, Yan, Pure, Tranquil, Equal and Enlightened".

⑦ Law School.Vinaya is mainly for learning and researching precepts.

⑧ Esoteric Buddhism, also known as Shingon Buddhism.This sect establishes the Three Secrets of Yoga according to the "Da Nika" and "Diamond Sutra".Emphasis on respecting the old and caring for the young, and advocating that "everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world" are all manifestations of this national spirit.

32. What is the significance of the length of the Buddhist scriptures?
Buddha beads, also known as rosary beads.Rosary beads are long and short, and their length has a special Buddhist meaning that most people are not familiar with.

According to the records of the Buddhist scriptures, there are 1080 rosary beads of the highest grade.Because this kind of rosary is too long, it is used by a very small number of eminent monks or ascetics, or for famous monks to decorate at the Qing Dynasty, and very few people use it.There are 108 top-grade rosary beads (110 for Tantric practitioners), 54 middle crystals, and x number of lower crystals.There are also 42 types including 21 grains, 14 grains, 36 grains, 18 grains of Pure Land Buddhism, and 9 grains of Zen Buddhism.

The number of Buddhist rosary beads has different meanings: 1080 beads include 108 numbers of each of the ten dharma realms; 108 beads represent 108 simple troubles, or the merits of 108 Buddhas, or 108 immeasurable Samadhi, etc.; 54 The grains represent the realm of self-cultivation; the 42 grains refer to the ranks of Bodhisattvas such as residence, walking, direction, and ground; the 27 grains represent the 27 sages of the voices; The ten grounds, the ten grounds of self-cultivation and the fruit of Buddha; the 21 grains represent the fourteen forbearance (three sages, ten sages plus enlightenment) set by the Niwang Sutra.For the rest of the 14, 36 and other Buddhist beads, some are divided into one-third or one-sixth of the number 18 for the convenience of carrying; Other meanings.

33. Why do men wear Guanyin and women wear Buddha?
Buddhism is a wonderful flower in the garden of human history, which has a profound influence on oriental culture and human civilization.The vastness of Buddhism, the universal salvation of all living beings, and the elimination of disasters and difficulties have deeply influenced the Chinese people.Buddhist idols such as the Jade Buddha and Jade Guanyin appeared in the Song Dynasty, but there is still a saying in Chinese that "men wear Guanyin and women wear Buddha".That is, the male Dai Yuguanyin and the female Dai Yufo can seek good luck and avoid evil, eliminate disasters and ward off evil spirits.Why?One way of saying is: Men wear more Avalokitesvara to make men less cruel and violent, and more compassionate and gentle like Avalokitesvara, so that they will naturally be blessed by Avalokitesvara.Ladies wear more Maitreya to make women less jealous and narrow-minded, talk less about right and wrong, and be more tolerant. They should be as big-bodied as Maitreya Bodhisattva, and they will naturally be blessed by Bodhisattva to be happy and at ease.

34. Why do believers in Tibetan Buddhism need to "kowtow as a salute"

"Kowtow to the body" is also known as prostration, five-body throwing, and five-wheel throwing.This is the highest salute and prayer method for Tibetan Buddhist believers to Buddha. During the "knocking salutation", put your hands together and raise your hands high, touch your forehead, mouth and heart once each, then kneel down on your knees, prostrate your whole body, stretch your hands forward, and touch your forehead to the ground. Every movement of "kowtow is equal to the body" has a profound meaning.Heshi means that you have received the will and teachings of the Buddha; touching the forehead, touching the mouth, and touching the heart means that the heart, mouth, and mind are all integrated with the Buddha.When prostrating, the heart is devout, and the mouth prays.

There are various forms of prostration.Some kowtow hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of times in front of Buddha statues in Buddhist halls and sutra halls, commonly known as long heads.Some kowtow to the right around the temple or around the sacred mountain and lake. Every time they kowtow, they draw a horizontal line with their fingertips, and next time their toes line up with the horizontal line drawn last time. If the circumference of the temple is 3000 meters, it takes about 1700 times for an adult to kowtow.There is also a method of prostration, that is, head towards the temple, or the holy mountain and lake, and move the same distance as the width of your body every time you kowtow.According to this method of knocking, it takes about 3000 times to knock around a temple with a circumference of 6000 meters. The palms and knees of the worshipers often ooze blood due to wear and tear.This method of prostration is called "waiting for the body".

Kowtowing the long head or bowing the body is the most devout way of prayer and the highest respect for Tibetan Buddhist believers to realize their beliefs.The floors of scripture halls in major monasteries have left traces of depressions due to the wear and tear of devout believers.

35. How big is the "Big Thousand World"?
"Dagan world" is a Buddhist language.According to the fourth volume of "Avatamsaka Sutra", with Mount Sumeru as the center and Tiewei Mountain as the outline, the four continents, seven mountains and eight seas under the same sun and moon are called a world.The accumulated 1000 worlds are called "small thousand worlds"; the accumulated 1000 "small thousand worlds" are called "middle thousand worlds"; the accumulated 1000 "medium thousand worlds" are called "big thousand worlds".Because the unit is "thousand", it has been accumulated three times, so the complete name is "Three Thousand Dagan World".A "big dry world" contains a billion worlds.Buddhists point out that there are countless "great worlds" in the universe.Later, "Dagan World" was used to describe the vast and colorful world.

36. What is reincarnation in Buddhism?

Reincarnation is one of the basic concepts of Buddhism; all living beings rely on their good and evil karma, and the cycle of reincarnation between life and death is like a wheel spinning, so it is called reincarnation.Reincarnation is a metaphor for karma.

Buddhism believes that people are always in a cycle of life and death, and there are six circuits in the cycle, and which path to cycle in depends on the good and evil things you do when you are alive.

For example, if you do evil things, you will go to hell to be punished after death, and you will be reborn as an animal after your sentence is over. The cycle of an animal after death depends on the "karma" it did when it was alive.The so-called samsara is actually the ups and downs of life and death, not really a mechanical cycle like a wheel.There are six types of samsara, which are called six ways in Buddhism, that is (from top to bottom): the way of heaven, the way of Asura, the way of humanity, the way of animals, the way of evil ghosts, and the way of hell. Killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, no drinking. Ten virtues: no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, no double tongue, no harsh speech, no frivolous speech, no greed, no anger, no Wrong views) and the ten evils and five rebellions (the opposite of the ten goodnesses are the ten evils, killing fathers, mothers, arhats, destroying the harmonious Sangha, and bleeding the Buddha’s body, called the five rebellions), the five precepts and the ten The good is divided into the upper, middle and lower three crystals, which affect the three realms of heaven, human beings, and asuras.If you do good deeds, you will be born in the three upper realms, and if you do evil deeds, you will be born in the lower three realms.

Properly completing a good deed is called "consummation of merit and virtue".Good deeds have great kindness, which is called "immeasurable merit".

Regarding "merit and virtue", the monk Huiyuan of the Sui Dynasty explained: "Gong is a function. It can break life and death, attain nirvana, save sentient beings, and call it merit. Mahayana Chapter Ten Merits, Virtues, and the Three Gates of Righteousness") All Buddhists, such as chanting Buddha, chanting scriptures, watching, keeping precepts, giving, building temples, building pagodas, printing scriptures, saving sentient beings, and saving life and death, can all be called "merit and virtue". ".For example, inviting monks to do Buddhist work is called "doing meritorious virtues", and paying homage to the Three Jewels of Buddhism, Dharma and monks is called "planting meritorious virtue fields"; In the lotus pond there is "water of eight virtues"...

The Buddha Dharma is vast, and it integrates everything, without hindrance or omission, so one more "circle" is used.After the Buddha became enlightened, he turned the Dharma wheel three times and taught the "Four Noble Truths".There is a "garden light" on the top of the Buddha and Bodhisattva, which is a symbol of wisdom, also known as "great circle mirror wisdom".The Buddha said that there is no obstacle to harmony, which is called "round sound".It is called "fullness" and "perfection"; later, "consummation" also refers to perfection and abundance. For example, "Song History Zhuguo": "Fu Hui is perfect, and life is extended. "

37. What is the difference between a monk and a nun?
Monks and nuns are the general term for Buddhists who are monks.Buddhists are divided into four groups, that is, two groups of men and women who are monks and two groups of men and women who are at home.Monks and nuns are two groups of men and women who become monks. The male name is Bhikkhu. According to Buddhist precepts, when a young man becomes a monk, he is called a novice when he is first ordained.Female monks who have received full precepts are called bhikkhunis, referred to as nuns, and commonly known as nuns.Bhikkhu, nuns, and novice monks are mostly used in writing, while monks, monks, and nuns are mostly used in spoken language.Buddhists who practice at home are commonly known as lay Buddhists.

The procedures for believers to become monks vary from time to time.There are generally two types of precepts received: novice precepts and bhikkhu precepts.Those who receive the novice precepts are over seven years old and have a total of ten precepts (no killing, no stealing; no fornication, no lying, no drinking, no adornment of fragrant servant girls, no listening to singing and dancing, no sitting on high and large beds, no eating out of season, do not accumulate gold, silver, treasures, etc.).Bhikkhu precepts are also called full precepts, and those who receive precepts must be over 20 years old. There are 250 precepts for men and 348 precepts for women.According to Buddhist laws and regulations, the food and clothing of monks and monks must be different from that of the secular world, and they must be vegetarian in monk clothes.

38. How did the title of monk come from?
Buddhism believes that birth, old age, sickness and death are all suffering.The root of suffering is all kinds of desires.Eliminate all desires, practice painstakingly, stand aloof from the world, endure all pain in the world, and the soul can ascend to the "Tang" after death.The Buddhist philosophy of life and conduct advocates all harmony and opposes war. "Harmony" (that is, patience and obedience) is the fundamental method of practice advocated and followed by Buddhists. "The Tathagata respects 'harmony'" means that the Tathagata Buddha regards peace, forbearance and obedience as a noble attitude, so later generations call them "monks".This is likely to be an attachment.

(End of this chapter)