Sexualidad y taoismo

"El cielo engendra el agua por medio del Uno". Esto es justamente la verdadera fuerza del Gran Uno. Si el hombre alcanza ese Uno se vivifica; si lo pierde, muere. Pero aunque el hombre viva en la fuerza (aire, prana) no ve la fuerza, así como los peces viven en el agua pero no ven el agua. El hombre muere cuando no tiene ningún aire de vida, así como los peces perecen sin agua. Por lo tanto, los adeptos han enseñado a la gente a tener firme lo primordial y a preservar el Uno: ése es el curso circular de la luz y la preservación del Centro. Si se preserva esta legítima fuerza, puede uno alargar su tiempo de vida y aplicar luego el método para crear un cuerpo inmortal "fundiendo y mezclando".

Lao zi, Tao te king

El Maestro dice:
"La magia del Elixir de Vida se sirve del obrar consciente al no-obrar inconsciente. El obrar consciente consiste en poner la Luz en curso circular mediante la reflexión, para que se haga manifiesta la liberación del Cielo. Si nace entonces la verdadera simiente, y se aplica el método correcto para fundirla y mezclarla y crear así el Elixir de Vida, entonces pasa uno a través del desfiladero; se forma el embrión, que debe ser desarrollado mediante el Trabajo de calentar, nutrir, bañar y lavar. Eso pasa al campo del no-obrar inconsciente. Todo un año de ese periodo de fuego es necesario antes de que nazca el embrión, se deshaga de la cáscara y pase del mundo común al santo.
Este método es enteramente simple y fácil. Pero hay en él tantos estados mutantes y cambiantes que se dice: No se puede llegar ahí de repente de un salto. Quien busca la vida eterna debe buscar el lugar donde surge originalmente la esencia de la vida."

El secreto de la Flor de Oro

El texto que presento en esta ocasión es el ensayo titulado: Ciencia, Magia y Mística del cuerpo, de Kristofer Shipper. Lo he extraído directamente del número triple sobre taoísmo y arte chino de la revista ya hace tiempo desaparecida EL PASEANTE. Esta fue una revista trimestral que publicó 28 números entre los años 1986 y 1995 Editorial Siruela. Las imágenes que lo acompañan, así como los textos con los que da comienzo y termina esta entrada no aparecen en esa edición, siendo seleccionados por Fragmentalia con la finalidad de ilustrar el interesante trabajo en esta versión digital.

Las prácticas taoístas se basan en dos conceptos cosmológicos: el Tao (Camino, Curso) es el principio único que regula las fuerzas complementarias Yin (principio femenino, sombra, luna, etc.) y Yang (principio masculino, luz, sol, etc.). El destino de toda criatura está determinado por ellas: la noche sucede al día, la luz tiene su sombra, la vida lleva a la muerte, etc. Superar la polaridad de ambos principios y armonizarlos en la absoluta y eterna unidad del Camino es el objetivo de los taoístas. El gran sinólogo francés Marcel Granet demostró que estos conceptos no eran meras especulaciones. En la antigua China, la unión del Yin y el Yang se representaba por medio de danzas y juegos entre jóvenes núbiles de ambos sexos. Estas ceremonias tenían lugar en primavera, en lugares sagrados.

En ellas se desarrollaban ritos sexuales: las uniones surgidas en primavera acababan en boda tras la cosecha, en otoño. Las canciones que acompañaban estas danzas y concursos se encuentran entre los textos más antiguos que se conservan en China. Incluso hoy en día se siguen practicando estos rituales en ciertos lugares de la China meridional y del sureste asiático. En ocasiones, las mismas canciones han sido transmitidas por tradición oral. Esto demuestra el caracter fundamental de ciertas prácticas y conceptos relacionados con este tema. La sexualidad, lejos de haber sido relegada a un ámbito clandestino y apócrifo, resulta ser el eje de ideas y actividades. Lo mismo ocurre con la religión. Existen muy pocos escritos taoístas en los que no se mencione de alguna manera la unión del Yin y el Yang. Este tema básico de traduce de múltiples formas, ya que la unión de elementos antitéticos también puede realizarse a través de métodos místicos, alquímicos o espirituales. A pesar de la inmutabilidad del Tao, los caminos para alcanzar son numerosos y heterogéneos. Todos ellos implican prácticas y técnicas fisiológicas características del taoísmo y de la búsqueda de la inmortalidad. Estas técnidas incluyen prácticas sexuales. Los manuales más antiguos de métodos sexuales taoístas datan del período Han (206 a,c.- 220 d. c.). A pesar de su larga historia, estas prácticas no son bien conocidas en China, fuera de los círculos taoístas. Desde la Edad Media, el puritanismo confucianista y el ascetismo budista consiguieron mantener una conspiración de silencio sobre el tema de las técnicas y costumbres sexuales, situación que se vio exarcebada por la mogigatería de los europeos. A pesar de ello, el taoísmo mantuvo su creencia de que la práctica sexual continuada era un requisito primordial para la búsqueda de la longevidad y la inmortalidad. Según Ge Hong, patriarca y filósofo taoísta del siglo IV, "nadie podrá llegar a la longevidad, si ignora el Arte de la Alcoba".Esos preceptos incluían técnicas elementales y, principálmente, cuestiones de higiene y medicina sexual con el objeto de contrarrestar los efectos de las irregularidades de salud y no perjudicarse con la actividad sexual. Se trata de promover la feliz unión del Yin y del Yang. Pero el verdeadero taoísmo no se quedaba ahí. Más bien al contrario, intentaba trascender la fatal dualidad y hacer que el ser humano fuera capaz de rehuir las leyes de la existencia. Para este fin, se experimentaba con esotéricas y heterodoxas prácticas. Desde un punto de vista cosmológico, los principios del universo son inherentes al macro y microcosmos. Yin y Yang, como otros elementos del universo, están presentes en el microcosmos del cuerpo humano, que los taoístas consideraban por encima de todas las cosas. El preservarlo implica llegar a la perfecta armonía entre el cuerpo y la naturaleza (el macrocosmos). Esta condición primordial es la que inspira El Arte de la Alcoba. El hombre no puede vivir sin la mujer, como el cielo no puede separarse de la tierra. Ésa es la doctrina de los antiguos manuales. La unión es un acto espontáneo (zi ran), y la espontaneidad, una parte importante de la filosofía taoísta. Se podría resumir, por así decirlo, en la exclamación lanzada por una de las concubinas favoritas del Emperador Amarillo, al descubrir estos métodos: "Llegar a la longevidad sin luchar contra los deseos naturales, ¡Qué placer!".La abstinencia, así como el exceso, conducen a la muerte del cuerpo. El acto sexual es necesario, pero también peligroso. Por lo tanto, uno debe conocer las técnicas apropiadas. No obstante, el conocimiento del cuerpo es sólo una condición preliminar, un primer paso hacia el mantenimiento de tan excelente salud. El objetivo es trascender el mundo material y, para ello, reemplazar el cuerpo por una sustancia sutil e inmortal que no es sino Yang puro. Por lo tanto, se debe cultivar el Yang, elemento contrario al Yin, de naturaleza terrena. En lugar de aceptar el destino sin cuestionárselo, el hombre debe nutrir su princìpio vital añadíéndole el de otros. Tras el aparente placer de la cama, se esconde una implacable guerra entre los sexos. Si un hombre carece de prudencia y se deja dominar por la lascivia, permite que sus fuerzas vitales se escapen y se deja, por lo tanto, vencer por su adversaria. Hombres y mujeres disponen de las mismas fuerzas para esa batalla, cada uno con sus ventajas. Al ser el cuerpo un microcosmos, Yin y Yang se encuentran distribuidos por los diferentes órganos, sin distinción de sexo. Naturalmente, el elemento Yang es más abundante en el hombre. Pero, como la hembra adopta una posición pasiva frente al macho, tiene la ventaja de poseer el poder de lo débil que, según ls teorías taoístas, acaba siempre por vencer a lo fuerte. Los procedimientos para nutrir el Yang a expensas del Yin, a través de la unión sexual, se basan en lo que se denomina "Alquimia interna". Se trata de una magia fisiológica y, en ocasiones, también de magia negra. El puritanismo rechazaba estas prácticas. Resultaba inmoral la explotación de jóvenes virgenes para extraerles la sabia de su juventud. Asímismo, las mujeres que se nutrían de la energía vital del hombre se convirtieron en vampiros, en la tradición popular: eran zorras o diablesas que, tras un aspecto de hermosa fémina, seducían al hombre para robarle su esencia. Otra razón por la que estas prácticas fueron rechazadas fue su evidente ineficacia. Al igual que la alquimia, la medicina, la gimnasia u otras actividades físicas, estas prácticas, a pesar de su prestigio tradicional, no pudieron resistir la emancipación del pensamiento chino (y, en eso, el budismo tuvo bastante responsabilidad). Tras la Edad Media, muchos de estos procedimientos fueron alzados a un nivel espiritual, como parte de la liturgía o de las disciplinas mentales de meditación. El hombre estaba creado a la imagen del universo y, dado que el cuerpo es un mundo en sí, ¿por qué no intentar la perfecta unión de las fuerzas antitéticas dentro del propio cuerpo? ¿Para qué buscar la salvación en otros cuerpos y no en el de uno mismo? Este razonamiento profundamente taoísta se encuentra en la base de prácticas que pueden ser descritas, en general, como meditación extática de naturaleza erótica. La importancia otorgada a estas prácticas desde esa época es evidente, si uno se molesta en consultar los cientos de libros de poesía taoísta inspirados en ellas. Compuestos en términos alegóricos, en ocasiones oscuros e ininteligibles para los no iniciados, estos poemas son practicamente desconocidos fuera de los círculos taoístas.

LA CIENCIA DEL CUERPO

Los manuales sobre el Arte de la Alcoba han sido considerados como originarios de la Antigüedad clásica pero, en realidad, aparecieron mucho más tarde, alrededor de la era cristiana. El imperio Han fue testigo del florecimiento de las ciencias en China: medicina, farmacia, matemáticas etc.

El Arte de la Alcoba pasó de formar parte de los manuales de higiene sexual a encontrarse entre la medicina y las prácticas pseudocientíficas taoístas, encaminadas a prolongar la vida y llegar a la inmortalidad. El capítulo bibliográfico de la "Historia de los Han" (primer catálogo de libros chinos) menciona ocho escritos sobre el tema, casi todos atribuidos a emperadores de la Antigüedad o sus ministros. Estos textos desaparecieron y sólo quedan algunos fragmentos. Se trata de recetas de sentido común expresadas en un lenguaje ingenuo e incluso bastante crudo. El objetivo es la obtención del máximo placer mutuo y que éste dure el mayor tiempo posible para garantizar una larga vida. El caracter Shuan xi, símbolo de deseo (y de felicidad compartida) (N. de la T.) en el arte popular, traduce bien esta idea. Es un ideograma formado con dos caracteres Xi (felicidad) juntos, de manera que evocan el caracter Shou (longevidad). Dos caracteres que significan placer, colocados juntos, al igual a longevidad. El caracter Shuang xi se escribe en color rojo con ocasión de las bodas, reflejando la idea del Arte de la Alcoba: hacer el amor es un acto solemne, una placentera necesidad. Uno de los primeros nanuales dice:

El Emperador amarillo (emperador mítico de los orígenes de la civilización china) preguntó a la muchacha Simplicidad: "Si decidiera no yacer con mujeres durante un largo periodo, ¿que efecto tendría mi decisión?" La muchacha Simplicidad contestó: "Nefasto . El Cielo y la Tierra se mueven, alternativamente, sin cesar. Yin y Yang fluyen y actúan uno sobre otro. El hombre debe imitarlos y seguir el orden de la naturaleza. Si decides no copular, tus fuerzas vitales se estancarán y Yin y Yang se verán fustrados". "Si no usas tu Tallo de Jade (pene), el sexo muere... por esa razón debe ser continuamente ejercitado."

El sexo es, pues, indispensable al hombre, pero éste debe saber cómo comportarse, ya que al ignorar los principios puede resultar peligroso.

El Emperador Amarillo preguntó a la muchacha Simplicidad: "Mis energías vitales no están en armonía, y me encuentro melancólico y temeroso. ¿Que puedo hacer?". La muchacha simplicidad contestó: "Toda decrepitud humana`proviene del mal causado por las relaciones entre Yin y Yang. La mujer que vence al hombre es como el agua (elemento Yin) que apaga el fuego (elemento Yang). Pero, si sabes cómo proceder, el amor se convierte en un crisol donde las esencias se mezclan y resultan nutrientes. Por ello debes aprender los métodos del Yin y el Yang y conocer sus delicias. Si lo ignoras, morirás temprano y tus placeres te llevarán al desastre. No lo olvides".

LA MAGIA DEL CUERPO Y LAS PRÁCTICAS HETERODOXAS

El hombre está hecho de la imagen del universo. Su cuerpo está compuesto por diversos elementos, unos puros y sutiles, de naturaleza celestial, y otros rudos y pesados, de caracter terreno. El elemento más sutil es el espíritu transcendente, Shen, traducido por los misioneros como Dios. La parte ruda se encuentra en la quintaesencia, jing, palabra que, en el presente texto, suele tener el sentido de fluido seminal o vaginal. El arte de prolongar la vida consiste en intentar producir en uno mismo la semilla de la inmortalidad, combinando las esencias materiales y espirituales. Es lo que se denomina alquimia interna, o la búsqueda de una sustancia inmortal, prescindiendo de drogas o procedimientos alquímicos, y destilando los humores producidos por los órganos del cuerpo. La alquimia interna exige cierto número de prácticas fisiológicas, principalmente respiratorias, pero también gimnásticas, dietéticas y sexuales. Ninguna de éstas es útil si se practica de forma aislada, cada una de ellas está estrechamente relacionada con las demás.

Un aspecto importante es la necesidad de preservar las esencias vitales de uno mismo. La fuerza de la mente no debe ser disipada por pesamientos frívolos provocados por deseos desordenados, ni malgastada por el goce incontrolado del sexo. "No agobiar la mente, ni agitar la esencia", dijo Zhuangzi (Chuang Tse), el filósofo taoísta de siglo III a. C. (...)

La práctica sexual tiene dos objetivos simultáneos: debe nutrir el Yang en detrimento del Yin, para aumentar la vitalidad. Debe asimismo atesorar e incrementar la quintaesencia (el esperma) para que ésta se transmute, a través de la química interna en Shen. Esta transformación se denomina "retorno del esperma", huang jing, por analogía con la expresión "retorno del cinabrio", huan dan, fórmula esencial de la preparación del elixir de la inmortalidad.(...)

LA MAGIA DEL CUERPO, LOS RITUALES ORGIÁSTICOS

La tradición popular habla con frecuencia de nobles tiránicos que reunían harenes para fortalecerse a expensas de jóvenes doncellas, o de héroes que consiguieron vencer a las mujeres-vampiro con sus propias armas.

No obstante, cabe recordar que el taoísmo no es sólo un movimiento de individuos en pos de la inmortalidad que dispone de tiempo suficiente para dedicarse a estas prácticas caras y complicadas. Es también, y principalmente, una religión que afecta a toda China y que, a través de sus rituales, templos y doctrina, proporciona la salvación a innumerables almas creyentes. La religión taoísta como sistema organizado data de los primeros años de nuestra era. Pero sus ritos, organización y doctrina se basan en su mayoría en creencias de la Antigüedad. Se trata de una religión popular, transformada y organizada. Los antiguos festejos fueron, casi en su totalidad, absorbidos y adaptados a la nueva religión de salvación. Y los placeres del sexo no fueron excepción.

Sabemos poco del taoísmo popular de los primeros siglos. Esta religión de masas era nueva y revolucionaria. No sólo proponía la salvación, sino también ideas sobre la sociedad terrenal que intentó mejorar. Se organizaban rituales colectivos, durante los cuales los adeptos confesaban sus pecados en público y los expiaban flagelándose. Otros rituales, que nos conciernen aquí, consistían en ceremonias sexuales ordenadas hasta el más mínimo detalle. Estas prácticas provocaron violentas críticas de los no creyentes, los letrados y, más tarde, los budistas. Las ceremonias sexuales taoístas, según uno de los críticos budistas, no eran sino orgías , "donde hombres y mujeres copulan libremente, como animales". Otro, convertido al taoísmo, da la siguiente descripción del ritual, al que sólo asistían los iniciados:

Cuando tenía veinte años , me gustaban las prácticas taoístas... La primera provenía de "La Unión de muchachos y doncellas ", del Libro Amarillo. Cuatro ojos, cuatro orificios nasales, dos bocas, dos lenguas, y cuatro manos se unen para oponer Yin contra Yang... Los maridos deben intercambiarse sus esposas: el placer sensual está por encima de todo. Padres y hemanos mayores han perdido el pder de sonrojarse... Hay cosa que no pueden ser descritas en detalle.

Naturalmente, este tipo de ceremonia desapareció hace mucho. Ya en la época de esta descripción, se efectuaban rodeadas de un halo de misterio. En los siglos V y VI, empezó a haber reacciones, incluso dentro de los círculos taoístas. La religión fue reformada a la imagen del budismo y los sacerdotes organizados en comunidades monásticas. A partir de entonces, la liturgia cambió y los antiguos festejos fueron eliminados. Es pura casualidad que el canon taoísta de los Ming, el único que ha sido preservado, contenga fragmentos de la liturgia del arriba mencionado Libro Amarillo. El texto se titula "Ceremonia del Libro Amarillo para pasar a la Otra Orilla".

El Libro Amarillo era un libro talismánico que revelaba la estructura secreta del universo, una especie de Mandala. Toda la ceremonia estaba organizada en torno a las ideas de este plano cósmico. Los participante debían ser iniciados y mayores de 18 años. Se desarrollaba en una "Estancia Pura", celda cerrada que se reservaba para la meditación y los ritos secretos, en los lugares sagrados del taoísmo. El objeto de la ceremonia era el de "obtener vida", el perdón por los pecados, el cambio de nombre del adepto en el Registro de los Muertos, del Cielo, y el desarrollo de grandes familias. El término "pasar a la Otra Orilla" significa que, tras la unión de Yin y Yang, uno cruza el río de la existencia y llega a los dominios de los inmortales. Esta expresión se sigue utilizando para las bodas, incluso hoy en día.

La ceremonia se iniciaba con una larga preparación. Los participantes debían purificarse mediante un retiro de varios días, antes de entrar en la "Estancia Pura". La sesión estaba dirigida por un maestro que presidía todo el rito. Éste empezaba por una invocación a los divinos patriarcas taoístas, a quienes se anunciaba dicha ceremonia y cuya presencia se solicitaba. Después, se realizaban diversos ejercicios mentales para preparar el espíritu y evocar las divinidades cósmicas.

Las parejas se colocaban frente a frente, se cogían las manos, entrelazando los dedos, con el índice del hombre entre el índice y el medio de la mujer. Mediante oraciones y meditación, evocaban a los mensajeros divinos, que llevaban el anuncio de la ceremonia al cielo. Luego, se concentraban en los dioses del cuerpo, los espíritus de la estación, del día y la hora en que tenía lugar la ceremonia, y el sacerdote pronunciaba una larga invocación. Una vez hecho esto, la pareja se separaba y, cada uno por su lado, meditaba sobre los gestos eróticos y las actitudes prescritas. A cada nueva fase seguía una invocación y una oración. Finalmente, el maestro ordenaba a los adeptos que se desnudaran y soltaran el pelo. Las parejas iniciaban una danza larga y lenta. Primero de pie, luego sentados y finalmente tendidos, ejecutaban un gran número de complicados movimientos que se desriben minuciosamente. Cada posición, cada gesto, tenía su significado simbólico y su propia orientación. Cada paso del hombre era imitado por el de la mujer, como si de un espejo se tratara. Si el hombre levantaba su mano izquierda, ella también. Lentamente, atravesaban las distintas fases, ejecutando una danza cósmica, abrazándose unos a otros de manera que oponían exactamene las distintas partes del cuerpo. Poco apoco, los movimientos se aceleraban:"Quiero sacudir el Cielo y la Tierra", decía la oración. Las parejas, tendidas, mantenían unidas sus manos, se colocaban uno encima del otro, tocándose mutuamente la cabeza, el pecho y el sexo. Cada movimiento se acompañaba de ejercicios respiratorios. El hombre iniciaba entonces una serie de movimientos llamados "guiarse por la mano". Posaba su mano junto al pecho izquierdo de la mujer, acariciándole tres veces hacia la pierna, diciendo, al mismo tiempo: "El Ser supremo de la Izquierda". Repite la operación en el lado derecho, diciendo: "El Anciano Misterioso de la Derecha". Luego , con su mano izquierda, la acaricia desde el cuello hasta el sexo , diciendo: "Oh, Ser Supremo", y repite el movimiento con la mano derecha. Con la misma mano, toca el sexo de la mujer por tres veces. Coloca su mano sobre la puerta de la Vida (Genitalia), y abre el Portal de Oro (la vulva). Con la mano derecha, coge su Tallo de Jade (pene) y lo coloca sobre la Puerta de la Vida. Con la mano izquierda, toca la cabeza de la mujer, mientras, con la derecha, acaricia la Puerta de la Vida, diciendo: "El agua fluye hacia el este (lado masculino), las nubes retornan hacia el oeste (lado femenino), el Yin nutre las fuerzas del Yang, ¡cuán sutil es la esencia misteriosa! Este líquido ascenderá hasta la Puerta Magistral (el cerebro)". Acto seguido, el hombre pronuncia la oración siguiente: "El Muchacho Sagrado mantiene el camino. La Hija de Jade le abre la puerta; unamos nuestras esencias, que Yin me entregue su energía vital". La mujer reza entonces: "De Yin y Yang proviene la creación, los Diez Mil seres nacieron en abundancia. El Cielo (elemento masculino) cubre y la Tierra (elemento femenino) soporta. Deseo llenar mi cuerpo de tu fuerza".

LA MÍSTICA DEL CUERPO, LA BODA DIVINA

Más de cien años después de la caída de los Han, encontraremos por vez primera un gran movimiento que declara que los textos y los manuales sobre el tema de la longevidad no deben ser entendidos en su sentido literal, sino de manera figurada y simbólica. "Las drogas que confieren inmortalidad deben de ser buscadas en el corazón" es uno de los preceptos de un libro, y característico de esta nueva idea. Éste movimiento, por lo que se sabe de él, fue iniciado por una secta de China central, a fines del siglo IV. Era una secta espiritualista, la primera de una serie que todavía perdura.
En las reuniones de esta escuela de Maoshan, los diose utilizaban la escritura automática o aparecían en visiones, en el transcurso de las sesiones. Algunos de los registros de estas revelaciones han sido preservados hasta nuestros días. Enre otras cosas, describen como Yang Xi, el principal medium de la secta, tuvo una importante visión, en una noche de otoño del año 365. En esa ocasión, recibió la visita de una gran diosa, la dama Zi Wei, que presentó a Yang Xi una de las doncellas de la corte. He aquí la descripción de esa doncella:
Llevaba una túnica transparente de colores rojo y verde, con bordados centelleantes. Rodeaba su talle una cinta verde esmeralda con pequeñas campanillas verdes y amarillas, cada una distinta de la otra. De su lado izquierdo pendía un colgante de jade, como los que hay en la tierra, pero más pequeño. Todas sus prendas relumbraban de tal manera que iluminaron la estancia, como un pedazo de mica bajo el sol. Su abundante pelo, hermosamente arreglado sobre sus sienes, era demasiado bello para ser descrito. Llevaba un moño en lo alto de la cabeza, y el resto de su pelo llegaba hasta más allá de su cintura. Llevaba anillos de oro y pulseras de perlas. Dos sirvientas la seguían, una vestida de rojo, que portaba una caja para el sello y un bolso e brocado en sus manos. Las sirvientas parecían tener diecisiete o dieciocho años y llevaban hermosas joyas. La joven diosa, así como sus sirvientas, tenían una cara radiante, luminosa como el jade, y emanaba un fragante perfume, como de exótico incienso.
Las diosas se colocaron en sus puestos. La diosa mayor se la presentó al recién llegado. Se llama Divina Concubina. La gran diosa preguntó entonces a Yang Xi si había visto alguna vez una mujer tan hermosa. Y, cuando él contestó respetusamente que los seres celestiales eran tan magníficos y refinados que nada se les podía comparar, la dama echó a reír diciendo: "¿Y que te parece, entonces?". Desconcertado y confuso, Yang Xi no supo qué responder. Las diosas compartieron entonces con el humano el fruto maravilloso que habían traído y, durante el banquete, se entretuvieron componiendo poemas. Inmediatamente después, la joven diosa preguntó a Yang Xi su fecha de nacimiento. Para el lector chino, todo queda claro: la intención de la dama Zi Wei es conceder la mano de su joven compañera a Yang Xi. Y eso fue lo que ocurrió a la mañana siguiente. Una vez concluida la unión entre el mortal y el hada, rodeado por numerosas divinidades descendidas del cielo para la ocasión, la joven diosa tomó la mano de Yuang Xi y le dijo: "Juntos cruzaremos el cielo de Jade, llevados por la cuádriga... y recogeremos el sagrado fruto del huerto divino". La boda de Yang Xi con una diosa es más que un suceso espiritualista. Para los taoístas de esta secta, esta unión marca el acceso de Yang Xi al rango de inmortal divino, así como su salvación. La unión entre Yin y Yang supera la separación entre cielo y tierra. La historia de Yang Xi es sólo un ejemplo entre miles de historias similares. La secta de Maoshan reconoció un gran número de patriarcas que fueron personajes más o menos históricos. Inventaron, obviamente gracias a la ayuda de médiums, innumerables leyendas sobre el tema. El banquete y la boda divina son siempre el eje de la historia. Este tipo de cuento de hadas inspiró todo un género literario de historias de caballería, cuyo tema central era siempre el encuentro entre un joven mortal y una o varias diosas. Este estilo se hizo muy popular durante la dinastía Tang y produjo numerosos escritos de caracter erótico. Nuestro objetivo es ver cómo la sabiduría popular se traduce en práctica religiosa. Una vez más, escasean los documentos, lo que no resulta sorprendente en esas circunstancias. El Canon taoísta tiene una pequeña sección titulada: "Fórmulas secretas del libro de la Diosa de la Alcoba Relumbrante, proveniente de la Secta de Maoshan". La terminología empleada es extremadamente oscura pero, afortunadamente, existe un comentario antiguo que esclarece muchas de estas dificultades. El texto empieza por una exortación al lector a no divulgar el contenido entre los no iniciados, seguida por una descripción de los métodos de la diosa:

Primeramente (por medio de la meditación se ha de fijar el sol o la luna, sol: día, luna: noche) y recordar que el adepto se encuentra en una estancia completamente cerrada; se ha de permitir que los rayos entren por la boca... el adepto podrá contemplar a una joven, sentada en actitud reverente, con sus manos juntas... es hermosa, su piel brilla como el jade. Lleva sobre su cabeza un adorno de fragantes flores de hibisco. Cubren su cuerpo un chaleco de rojo brocado y una amplia falda del color del cinabrio, y una cinta verde ciñe su talle (son ropajes de novia). La doncella se arrodilla y dice: "Soy tu amada, Hija del Jade, de las nubes del cinabrio, del misterio de los misterios. Mi nombre es Chan Xuan y me llaman Hada Secreta". La doncella abre su boca y exhala un aliento escarlata (color Yang). El aliento llega a la boca del adepto, que lo aspira, mientras contempla a la doncella. Así lo hace por nueve veces... guiando su aliento, por medio de su mente, hasta la puerta del destino (el sexo).
En este relato se encuentra todo el proceso erótico taoísta, a través de la meditación extática, técnica mental que se encuentra en la base de uno de los grandes movimientos religiosos y literarios de China.
LA LÍBIDO DE LOS MONJES
(...) Tras la dinastía Tang, floreció una disciplina religiosa que iba a dominar a todas las demás y renunciar a las prácticas materiales. Esta técnica estaba basada en la unión sexual, pero ésta sólo se desarrollaba en el interior del cuerpo del adepto, en la soledad de la Estancia de Meditación. Este nuevo procedimiento se basaba en los antiguos textos reinterpretados. El cuerpo humano, según esta teoría de alquimia interna, posee dos polos: el corazón y la zona lumbar y sexual. El primero corresponde al fuego y al Yang, y la segunda al agua y al Yin. No era ninguna novedad. No obstante, los monjes creían que el corazón no era sólo Yang. Era el cenit del Yang, momento en que, al llegar el ciclo a su fin, empezaba a declinar. El apogeo del Yang se convertía entonces en resurgir del Yin, que crecía a medida que el Yang disminuía. El corazón, por lo tanto, era esencialmente Yin y, consecuentemente, su correspondiente espíritu tomó forma femenina. Por otra parte, las partes inferiores se convertían en el foco de crecimiento del Yang, a partir del Yin, teoría que se simbolizaba convirtiendo esta zona en la morada de un divino muchacho. El resto está claro: la salvación y la inmortalidad dependen de la unión de la doncella -corazón- y del joven -zona lumbar-. Esta teoría iba aún más lejos, imaginando la morada de la casamentera (sin cuya ayuda ningún matrimonio podía realizarse en China), llamada Buena Esposa Amarilla (elemento de la tierra). Ésta se encontraba a una pulgada y media debajo del ombligo. Tenía el deber de unir a los amantes: el muchacho debía llegar a la morada de la doncella, el corazón, llamado la Residencia Roja, que hacía las funciones de alcoba nupcial. De esta unión nacería un embrión inmortal que, al crecer, reemplazaría gradualmente el cuerpo mortal. Llegamos al periodo Song. Como el budismo Chan (Zen, en japonés) de la época, el taoísmo se vuelve incomprensible a partir de los complicados textos. La nueva mística era interpretada a través de poemas y anécdotas. El personaje más famoso e interesante del momento era Lü Dongbin. Todas las escuelas modernas se basan en sus enseñanzas. Numerosas anécdotas se inspiraron en este santo semihistórico. Las descripciones varían: fue un joven literato, un mendigo, un hombre licencioso que dirigía burdeles, o un alegre barbero. Se le atribuyen numerosos poemas y protagoniza diversas obras literarias y teatrales, pero los libros taoístas tienen sus propias tradiciones relativas a este personaje. Lo describen como un individuo alegre y a través de sus anécdotas transmiten todas las enseñanzas del Sabio.
En Luoyang, se encontraba una cortesana llamada Yang Liu, que pasaba por ser la mujer más hermosa de la ciudad. Un monje taoísta frecuentaba su casa y le traía regalos, pero nunca yació con ella. Una noche, estando él borracho, la cortesana intentó seducirlo. El monje le dijo: "Yin y Yang copulan en mi cuerpo. Lo hacen como hombres y mujeres y su unión ya a dado fruto. Pronto daré a luz a un Niño: ¿como podría yacer contigo? Además, copular internamente es mucho más placentero que hacerlo externamente".
Con estas palabras, el monje, que no era otro que Lü Dongbin, desapareció. Éste es el antiguo ideal del Perfecto Estado, la armonía de las energías vitales en el plano espiritual, llevada a sus últimas consecuencias. De esta manera, el taoísta se libera de toda dependencia externa: alimenticia, física y sexual. La alegoría utilizada en esta especulación mística trata de desconcertarnos y sorprendernos para dejarnos una profunda impresión. Las fantasias surgidas de la meditación igualan a la realidad. Éste es un rasgo característico de todo el pensamiento y el arte de China. Los rollos, por ejemplo, originálmente pintados por los taoístas, permiten al espectador realizar un viaje místico por un paisaje de ensueño creado según las reglas del universo e infinitamente más perfecto que cualquier paisaje real. Visitar el mundo entero sin abandonar la estancia es el ideal de los taoístas de todos los tiempos, así como la base de toda la fantasmagoría mística. Un poeta taoísta lo explica así:

La Doncella y el Muchacho son meras imágenes.
La Buena Esposa Amarilla es sólo fantasía.
Trepo por montes y riscos, en un mundo sin fin.
Entre cuatro paredes alcanzo todas las cosas.

Las delicias de la meditación erótica (los adeptos tiene el pene erecto) son tales que cualquier otra técnica es rechazada. La condena de las prácticas externas se extiende a menudo a las mujeres. La búsqueda del amor sublime manteniendo un completo autocontrol implica a menudo una misoginia sádica en las relaciones ordinarias. Las ilustraciones populares del infierno taoísta lo demuestran: una hermosa mujercita es golpeada con cachiporra por un demonio burlón, por supuesto adulterio. En otra ilustración, las mujeres son atadas y descuartizadas, etc. Despojadas de toda responsabilidad, se les venda los pies, se las encierra en gineceos y se las expulsa de la jerarquía taoísta. Se convierten en personificación del sexo, en criaturas pérfidas y abominables. Un poema de Lu Yan lo explica claramente.

Hermosa es la dulce doncella
Rebosante de gozosas promesas.
Más la espada de doble filo
Amenaza entre sus piernas.
Fatal es el sino del hombre necio.
No rodará cabeza alguna.
Sus mandobles son secretos.
De los huesos del hombre extrae la médula.

Estos versos son famosos en China. Pero más aún lo son los de Lü Dongbin, citados al principio de la larga novela erótica Jin Ping mei:

La puerta por la que vine al mundo
Es también la puerta de la muerte.

No obstante sería erróneo achacar estas tendencias sádicas al taoísmo moderno. Debe hacerse justicia al misticismo de los monjes, reconociendo el valor intrínseco de su sistema. Todas esas teorías y alegorías elaboradas contienen un bello objetivo: la armonía por encima del profundo cisma del hombre, reconocido por todas las civilizaciones: la oposición entre el amor espiritual y el físico, o la división del ser humano en dos partes, por encima y por debajo de la cintura. El matrimonio místico interno pretende elevar el sexo más allá del nivel del cuerpo, para realizar la perfecta unión entre la materia y el espíritu, lo que garantiza la libertad a través de amor.

Se cierra esta entrada con unas palabras extraídas del Tai I Gin Hua Dsung Dschï, "El secreto de la flor de Oro", en cuyo texto encontramos un auténtico tratado alquímico. Fue transmitido orálmente en su origen y luego manuscrito por un círculo esotérico de China. Su primera impresión data del siglo XVIII.

"Cuando la perla del Elixir de Vida está lista, puede formarse el embrión santo; entonces el Trabajo debe dirigirse al calentamiento y nutrición del embrión espiritual. Éste es el metodo de la conclusión. Si entonces está formado acabadamente el cuerpo de fuerza del Niño, se debe dirigir el Trabajo de manera que el embrión nazca y retorne a lo vacío. Éste es el metodo de soltar la mano. Desde los tiempos más remotos hasta hoy, ésas no son palabras vacías, sino la sucesión del Gran Sentido en el método real para producir un espíritu inmortal y un hombre santo y eternamente viviente. Pero si el Trabajo ha prosperado hasta aquí, todo lo perteneciente al principio oscuro está consumido enteramente y el cuerpo nace a lo luminoso puro. Si el espíritu consciente se ha transformado en el espíritu primordial, sólo entonces puede decirse que ha llegado a sextuple genio de oro presente. Si no se aplica este método de ennoblecimiento, ¿cómo se quiere entonces eludir el camino del nacer y morir?"

origen articulo:  http://barzaj-jan.blogspot.com.es/search/label/China

Ji Gong: An Eccentric Buddhist Monk - yi guan dao - I KUAN TAO

I-Kuan Tao 
一貫道

Símbolo del Yiguandao.

I-Kuan Tao (I.K.T.) o Yīguàn Dao, (一贯道, traducido como "la verdad ", "el omnipresente") es un nuevo movimiento religioso que se originó en China en el siglo XX.

Incorpora elementos del confucianismo, el taoísmo y el budismo chino y reconoce la validez de religiones no vinculadas a la tradición china como el cristianismo y el islam. Por esta razón, suele clasificarse como una secta sincretista o sincrética, junto con otras religiones similares en la Vía de la ex Cielo (Xian Tian Dao) de la familia.

I-Kuan Tao floreció en Taiwán a partir de la década de 1970. En la actualidad, es la tercera fe más popular en Taiwán (después de budismo y taoísmo). Afirma dos millones de miembros, junto con las comunidades chinas de ultramar de todo el mundo.


The Great Chant

大眾肅靜，各列齊班，俱整衣冠，誠敬聽宣，八卦爐中起祥煙，育化聖☉降臨壇，關帝居左純陽右，二十八宿護法壇。老☉至壇，諸神儼然，右指呼叱，左指呵鞭，雷部、風部、虎部、龍部，各顯威嚴，爾等恭立，細聽吾言，今逢三天，大道顯然，諸部神真，護庇靈壇，鬼神聽旨，切實冥頑，遇難救難，遇災除焉，遇善相助，遇事相辦，大劫遠退，星耀靈官。領帝敕令，速辦天盤，三曹之事，一一詳參，不准退意，時時皆然，各盡爾職，鎮壓三天。☉命諸真，代吾傳宣，見道成道，運轉坤乾，十二元辰，各俱其天，時勢將至，毋違持宣。

This is the Great Chant. It is to call upon all the saints and sages in your presence. Recite this loudly everyday and you will be protected. This chant has been kep as secret for a long time, and I am revelaing this to share my secret of success.

All silence, the out-pronged classes are full dressed, Cheng Jing Hui Dragon & listen to propaganda, Baguazhang Qixiang furnace smoke, Infertility altar of Lau Mu come, Guandi left, Lu DongBin right 28 law enforcement altarLau Mu to the altar, like gods, right Call refers to the left means Oh whip, Ray Department of the Ministry of the wind, the Tiger department, the Department of Liuzhou, the remarkable dignity, All listen to this every three days, Road Clear, God really descent, retaining Belilios Ling Tan, Spirits aims to listen to, and effectively impervious to the victims and rescue, disaster event in addition to behavior, when good help, when they should phase big calamity back,Soul Officer.
Royal Decree from Dili, run day-speed disk, Cao three things, one by one in detail Senate, are not allowed to retire Italy, always alike, the best post of Seoul, the suppression of three days. Lau Mu from real life, on behalf of my Xuan Chuan, see Daocheng Road, running dry-kun, 12 yuan-chen, the all their days, the trend of the times is approaching, it is not against holding declared



Heavenly Portal

The Heavenly Portal 玄關 is a gate for the opening of light that offers divine protection by which angels and heavenly beings can come and go, without demonic interference. God has designed portals to begin in the third Heaven, travel through the second Heaven, and open upon Earth.

It is also called the Third Eye. The first treasure of I Kuan Tao. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the portal is the doorway.

Once this Portal has been pointed and opened by an ordained Master in the initiation ritual, it becomes a powerful tool that can be very useful in daily life as well as in times of danger.

The Heavenly Portal is a direct link to our true selves, allowing us to tap into the greater consciousness we all possess. If the spiritual self is light, then the Portal is a way to concentrate that light into a coherent beam, with laser-like brilliance and effectiveness.


Divine Mantra


This is the Light of Life.

Say the Divine Mantra or True Sutra in Your heart to escape from calamity.
This is the second treasure of I Kuan Tao. It consists of sounds without words, so it is also known as the Wordless Sutra. It is a mantra of power that resonates at a level beyond the sound waves and writings of the material world.

The Divine Mantra should not be said aloud or written down for a very specific reason. Sages observe the typical process of reading sutra and notice that it goes through many transitions. First, the sutra starts in the eyes as the reader looks at a page. Then, it comes out of the mouth as the reader reads it aloud. Next, the sound from the reading goes into the ears as the reader hears his or her own voice. Only after all this does the sutra finally reach the heart.

Many people are not aware of the True Sutra, but it’s not a new idea. The concept goes back at least 2,500 years. The Tao Te Ching tells us that “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao.” Similarly, when the Sakyamuni Buddha wanted to pass on his true teachings, he chose to do so without words. He specifically told his disciples that his transmission of the spiritual essence would be totally apart from written scripture. Instead, it would pass directly from one heart to another.

Sound energy is the intermediary between the metaphysical realm and the solid matter of the material world. The True Sutra, as the soundless sound, is a particularly powerful way to invoke the Buddha nature that exists in all of us.

We can use the True Sutra when we encounter challenges in life. Perhaps you see an obstacle that seems too difficult to overcome; perhaps there is a temptation that seems too strong to resist; perhaps you find yourself in a confrontational situation and it is becoming harder and harder to remain polite. Whenever you feel you need extra assistance from a source outside of yourself, repeat the mantra silently to yourself. A wellspring of strength will emerge for you.

This strength seems to come from an external source, but in fact originates from the Buddha within. The essence of Buddha nature is compassion, and as Lao Tzu points out in chapter 67 of Tao Te Ching, compassion is the source of courage. Courage is the source of strength – not the false strength of brute force, but the true strength of character and heart.

The True Sutra will allow you to achieve more than you ever thought possible. If obstacles and temptations in life are like the morning fog, then the True Sutra is like the sun. When the sun comes out, the fog dissipates into nothingness. This is the second treasure of I-Kuan Tao.

The first treasure of I Kuan Tao is the Heavenly Portal. It is the spiritual nexus of your being. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the portal is the doorway.

The Heavenly Portal is not well understood by many people.
Once this doorway has been pointed and opened by an ordained Master in the initiation ritual, it becomes a powerful tool that can be very useful in daily life as well as in times of danger.

Because of the frantic pace of modern life, we can often find ourselves in chaotic situations. Our thoughts are scattered everywhere, and we’re pulled in several directions at once. When that happens, think of the Heavenly Portal as the center of your universe, and visualize all your scattered thoughts coming back to it. In an instant, you’ll find that a path of simplicity emerges out of the chaos, allowing you to deal with complex demands much more easily.

When a dangerous situation suddenly appears, it is easy to succumb to fear and panic. This serves only to confuse and overwhelm us even more, and lead us to harm. The Heavenlu Portal gives us an alternative. By bringing awareness to it, you will immediately bring about a new clarity and calmness. Armed with clear mind and alert composure, you will have the best possible chance to extricate yourself from the situation.



I Kuan Tao (Tian Tao) - Yi Guan Dao

Buddhismaustralia.org    2012-06-04

The following information has been compiled from sources on the web. The content does not contain comment by the Webmaster of this site and should be considered on its own merit. If any organization listed can show that it has been misrepresented, we apologize, and, if the content can be proved to be untrue, we will remove it. However, we currently believe the content to have substance.

The followers of I Kuan Tao claimed that it is a distinguished lineage back over 2000 years when it begins from the ancient Chinese astrologers, emperors, Confucius, and so forth. From 18th Ancient Patriarch Mencius, the lineage travels to the west, the lineage began from Shakyamuni Buddha, Mahakashyapa to 28th Indian Patriarch Bodhidharma.

But the modern practice of Tian Tao, as we know it today, was established about 70 years ago. In the 1930, Shi Zueng Zhang Tian Ran and Shi Mu Sun Hui Ming, became the 18th Patriarch and started their practice I Kuan Tao in Chi Nan City, Shang Dong Province of China. Their work spread by word of mouth, and by 1946 I Kuan Tao became prevalent among 36 provinces of China. At the end of the Civil War in 1949, many followers in China found their beliefs incompatible with Communist doctrines.

This and other reasons compelled large numbers of them to emigrate to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Tian Tao quickly took root in these new lands, spreading with its teachings Chinese culture and traditional family values. By increasing the number of I Kuan Tao temples, they believed that they are bringing the Buddhist "Western Paradise" to earth and creating a world of brotherhood and universal love as envisioned by Confucian teachings.

Presently, they claimed that the founder, 17th Patriarch Lu Zhong Yi, was an incarnation of Maitreya. He has major influence and impact on the present form of I Kuan Tao. The central teaching of Tian Tao, is based on the initiation ceremony - a new formula on the Triple Gem, namely:

1. Opening of Heavenly Eye (Dian Xuan Dao),

2. Oral Transmission of the Maitreya prayer (Chuan Ko Jue), and

3. Hand Gestures (Jie He Tong).

They believe that the recipient has obtained the Tao and that his name has been reserved in the heaven and erased from the lists in hell. Upon death, the recipient will ascend straight to heaven without having to endure the cycles of rebirth.
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Graeme Lyall (Australia), 1999, wrote:

"The group is known as Ee Kwang Tao (Yi Guan Dao). I was invited to attend the opening of one of their 'Holy Houses'. It was one of the strangest rituals that I have ever witnessed. Following the ritual we were invited to go before the 'Master' to receive initiation. I declined on the grounds that I had been invited to attend the opening but not to join anything. After a while they approached me again and they said that the 'Master' was waiting for me and I MUST go before the 'Master'. I replied that I must not do anything of the sort as I am a traditional Buddhist and had no wish to join their organization. I thanked them for their hospitality and said that I was leaving. As each person arrived they took their name. As I left they asked me for my name as they said that the names were being sent to heaven and, as I refused initiation, my name would have to be struck off the list. I consulted a Chinese friend about my experience and he immediately identified it as the Ee Kwang Tao cult which, as was said, is proliferating in Australia. The initiates are sworn to secrecy with the threat of harm to themselves and their family if the secrets are revealed. This dangerous cult bears no relation to Buddhism so beware of them."

http://www.buddhismaustralia.org/cults.htm

Una encuesta realizada en 2002 mostró que había 845.000 seguidores con más de 3.100 templos.

En la República Popular de China, I-Kuan Tao y los otros cuatro grupos de ex Camino de cielo religioso están prohibidas las sociedades secretas, como fue el caso de Taiwán hasta 1987.

Existe una sede internacional desde 1996 en El Monte, California, Estados Unidos.

Índice

• 1 El Nombre
• 2 Deidades
• 3 Maestros
• 4 Prácticas
• 5 Estructura
• 6 Historia
  • 6.1 Historia oficial
  • 6.2 En la actualidad
• 7 Referencias
• 8 Enlaces externos

El Nombre

I-kuan (Yiguan, el 一貫) significa “penetrar con uno”, “consistencia” o “una unidad.” Este término se deriva de un paso de la Analectas (4.15) donde Confucio dice que su manera es la “de una verdad de todo-impregnación” (吾道一以貫之 zhi guan del yi del yi del dao del wu).

Tao (Dao, el 道) tiene muchos significados, incluyendo “manera”, la “trayectoria” o la “verdad”. Cuando está utilizado al lado del nombre de algunas religiones chinas, significa la “religión.” Por ejemplo, Silbido de bala Tao de Tai (太平道), un grupo religioso renegado de la antigua China que había conducido directamente a la declinación del Dinastía del este de Han. La misma palabra Tao ha sido utilizada por el Taoismo y las tradiciones Confucianistas para describir los amplios patrones del universo, de la vida, y de la humanidad así como la manifestación ritual o religiosa.

Debido al nombre, I-Kuan Tao es a menudo supuesto como taoísta, y es que el taoísmo en efecto, forma parte de su patrimonio. Sin embargo, su historia, enseñanzas, prácticas, y liderazgo son diferentes de los de cualquiera de la "elite" de las formas de la religión taoísta (los Maestros Celestiales o escuelas de pureza absoluta) o la religión tradicional china de las masas. De la misma manera, I-Kuan Tao difiere, aunque también se asemeja, al confucianismo y al budismo chino.

Debido a que el grupo fue prohibido en Taiwán en los años 70 y 80, se manifiesta en diferentes nombres, tales como Confucio, Mencio, La sociedad, la moral de la sociedad, etc. También se llamaban a sí mismos Zhenli Tiandao (真理天道El Tao Celestial)

Deidades

• Ming Ming Shang Ti (明明上帝), "Emperador luminoso de lo alto" - similar a la judeo-cristiana de Dios. También se conoce como Wuji Laomu (无极老母), la Madre "Anciana del cielo ilimitado". 
• Ella (o él) es el gran ser que trasciende todos los dioses menores del panteón chino. El nombre completo más o menos traducido de esta deidad es la luz eterna Todopoderosa Ilustre Pura Tranquila Vacía sagrada y venerable, El Señor de todos los seres del Universo entero.

• Maitreya (弥勒佛), el próximo Buda para suceder al Buda histórico Shakyamuni, y que ha llegado ya de acuerdo con I-Kuan Tao. Maitreya se reencarnó como Lu Yi Zhong. # Ji Gong (济公活佛), conocido como Buda Viviente Ji Gong (Huofo Shizun) un monje budista Zen venerado como la reencarnación de un Arhat. Zhang Tian Ran, fundador de la I-Kuan Tao, se cree que es la reencarnación.

• Ji Gong, (济公活佛), conocido como Buda Viviente Ji Gong (Huofo Shizun) a Zen monje budista reverenciado como una reencarnación de un Arhat. Zhang Tian Ran, el fundador de la I-Kuan Tao, se cree que es la reencarnación.

• Yue Hui, (月慧菩萨) es el Bodhisattva Sabiduría Luna que era la reencarnación como dom Su Zhen, la matriarca de la I-Kuan Tao. Se confunde a menudo con Guan Yin, que comparte la misma imagen.

• Guan Yu (关圣帝君) (también llamada Guan Gong o Guan Yin), un general chino apoteosis de la Romance de la Tres Reinos, que es comúnmente adorada en los templos chinos, tanto budistas y taoístas. Él es un guardián celestial contra el mal. I-Kuan Tao honra a él como el comandante de los preceptos, junto con Lu Dongbin, Zhang Fei (Tres Reinos) y Yue Fei.

• Lu Dongbin(吕洞宾) es una deidad china / Immortal.. Lǚ Dongbin es el más conocido del grupo de las deidades conocido como el de los Ocho Inmortales.

 

Maestros

• Lu Zhong Yi (路中一), el Patriarca 17 de I-Kuan Tao. Se cree que es la encarnación de Maitreya. Alcanzó el título en 1905, cuando Dios le encargó continuar con el linaje de Tao.

• Zhang Tian Ran (張天然), hizo la I-Kuan nombre oficial de Tao, fue el patriarca 18. Se cree ser la encarnación de Ji Gong, y se convirtió en Tianran Antigua Buda después de su muerte.

• Sun Su Zhen (孫素真), el I-Kuan Tao matriarca 18 y la esposa en el nombre de Zhang Tian Ran. Ella se creía que era la encarnación de Yue Hui Bodhisattva y se convirtió en la Santa Madre de los chinos después de su muerte.

Prácticas

I-Kuan Tao representa una sociedad moralista, con el objetivo de ayudar a salvar a todos los humanos del último desastre (el apocalipsis). Los miembros son animados a seguir prácticas morales, tales como:

• Las "cinco éticas" y las "ocho virtudes" (del confucianismo)
• El vegetarianismo y la abstinencia de alcohol y el tabaco (como en el budismo chino)
• Iniciación de nuevos miembros en "Tao" (similar a la naturaleza de Buda en Ch'an).
• Oración diaria (2 ~ 3 veces)
• Asistir a clases de religión, ceremonias, ofrendas, oraciones, etc.
• Hacer escrituras de canto (como en todos los movimientos religiosos y las religiones chinas)

Los seguidores de I-Kuan Tao son alentados a ayudar a traer y poner en marcha los nuevos miembros, el vegetarianismo y la práctica de abrir los templos o altares en sus hogares.

Estructura

A diferencia de otras religiones, I-Kuan Tao no tiene una sola organización. Esto es porque después de la muerte de Zhang Tian Ran y la huida del comunismo chino, muchos de los seguidores han encontrado su propio camino a Hong Kong y Taiwán. Ellos establecieron sus propios grupos, sobre todo después de los nombres de sus templos ancestrales de China, la difusión de las enseñanzas de la I-Kuan Tao. Existe un consenso de los seguidores de Zhang Tian Ran y Sol para formar la sede de la I Kuan Tao, el reconocimiento de los llamados "grupos de dieciocho".
Aparte de estos "dieciocho", hay un grupo independiente iniciado por la esposa y el hijo de Zhang Tian Ran, señora Liu y el Sr. Zhang Yingyu, que no tiene muchos seguidores. Un grupo escindido grande, también reconocido por el gobierno de Taiwán, pero no reconocido por el I-Kuan Tao, es aquella fundada por Wang Hao De, ex asesor del Sol, que estableció su propia organización llamada la Gran Tao de Maitreya.

Historia

Dentro de la amplia categoría de la religión china, podemos distinguir entre las prácticas tradicionales que no esperan compromisos de adhesión ni con exigencias claras y, por otra parte, varios movimientos sectarios que gozan de una identidad más clara y, al mismo tiempo, una débil influencia sobre el sociedad en general. La gente en las prácticas religiosas son absorbidos casi inconscientemente, desde la infancia. La identidad religiosa sectaria debe ser elegida voluntariamente. Tal identidad sectaria podría ser budista, cristiana, o cualquiera de los movimientos religiosos que se han originado en el ámbito cultural chino.
Algunos movimientos sectarios religiosos, como el Budismo Chan (Zen japonés) pueden durar siglos y se rigen por el estado. Otros son más efímeros, como la familia de los movimientos budistas reunidos bajo el nombre de Loto Blanco. Estas fueron vagamente inspiradas en los vegetarianos, las religiones milenarias, la religión sincretista del maniqueísmo, que ha sobrevivido en China - y asimilada en la cultura china - un total de mil años después de que estas habían desaparecido en el Oeste. Las sectas del Loto Blanco tienden a ser suprimidas por el Estado, pero pasaron a tener ciertas influencias en grupos posteriores, como el Tien Hsien.
Philip Clart (enlace más abajo)hizo el siguiente resumen de la historia de la I-Kuan Tao:

"También se llama T'ien-tao (" Camino del Cielo "). Fundada en 1930 por el patriarca de la " XVIII" Chang Tien-jan (1889-1947) en la ciudad de Chi-nan, la capital de la provincia de Shantung, la secta en 1934 trasladó su centro de actividad a T'ien-mentón y desde allí se extendió rápidamente por toda la China continental. Después de la muerte de Chang Tien-yan en 1947, el liderazgo nominal de la secta pasó a manos de la matriarca, la señora Hui-Ming. Sin embargo, la secta se dividió en una serie de ramas separadas (por lo general dijo a los dieciocho años) que ha seguido más o menos independiente. Así pues, no existe hoy en día la dirección independiente de la secta, que se ha convertido en una familia estrechamente relacionada con las asociaciones de la rama aún autónomas ".

Historia oficial

La historia oficial de I-Kuan Tao afirmó que la I-Kuan Tao Tao se puede dividir en tres períodos. El primero es la línea 18 a principios del Este, se originó en la figura mítica Fu Xi, el creador del bagua. A este le sucedieron otras figuras míticas e históricas como Shen Nong, Huang Di (Emperador Amarillo), Laozi el autor del Dào Dé Jing, Confucio, y el último Mencio. Se dice que a causa de la crisis en China, Laozi Tao fue llevado a la India e inició el Buda Sakyamuni.
El segundo linaje, llamado el 28 de linaje del Oeste, comienzó. Esto siguió a la Ch'an budista zen o el linaje de Sakyamuni a Mahakasyapa y, finalmente, Bodhidharma. Se dice que Bodhidharma llevó el Tao de nuevo a China para comenzar el 18 linaje oriental tardío. Tras el linaje Zen de Bodhidharma, llegó al sexto y último patriarca oficial del Ch'an chino, Huineng. El linaje continúa con figuras sectaria.
Una investigación señaló que se debía a la Xiantiandao (先天道) o la Vía de la ex Cielo. El fundador de Xiantiandao es Huang Dehui (黄德辉, 1624-1690). El I-Kuan Tao y el Xiantiandao lo consideraba como el patriarca de sesiones. Los resultados de los documentos de la dinastía Ching Wang mencionaron que Jueyi (王觉)一, (1821-1884), el patriarca 15, había reproducido otra enseñanza religiosa, diferente a I-kuan Tao, llamada Sanjiao Yiguan Zhizhi (Unidad de las tres religiones) en la década de 1850.
Sin embargo, I-Kuan Tao, comenzó a florecen en China durante la dirección de Zhang Tian Ran. Durante la dirección de Zhang Tian Ran, I-Kuan Tao se propagó de Shandong hacia otras muchas ciudades en Norte, Centro y Sur de China. Zhang murió poco después durante la guerra civil en 1947. Después de la muerte de Zhang, la señora Su Zhen (孙素真), lo sucedió como matriarca de la I-Kuan Tao.
De acuerdo, con los creyentes de I-Kuan Tao, la señora Sun no era realmente la esposa de Zhang. En una época caótica en China, junto con el pensamiento tradicional, común entre las comunidades chinas en ese período, no es apropiado que un hombre y una mujer que no tenía ninguna relación familiar, viajasen juntos, y fue muy mal visto. Para silenciar a los críticos y las ideas erróneas del público,declararon que estaban casados el uno con otro. Se casaron en el nombre, pero nunca fueron un verdadero matrimonio, fue un matrimonio de conveniencia.
Cuando el comunismo tomó el poder en China, muchos seguidores de I-Kuan Tao y sus líderes emigraron a Hong Kong y Taiwán. En 1951, I-Kuan Tao fue prohibida en la República Popular China y muchos de los seguidores y dirigentes fueron perseguidos. Su Zhen y otros líderes de Kuan Tao salidos de China, y llegaron a Hong Kong. Sun luego se trasladó a Taiwán en 1954, donde vivió como un recluso virtual bajo el cuidado de los seguidores como Wang Hao De, hasta su muerte en 1975.

En la actualidad

Zhang Pei-Cheng, es el actual director de I-Kuan Tao, uno de los muchos que llevó las enseñanzas de la fe a Taiwán en 1947.(Se ha fallecido en el año 2010)
Hoy en día, la secta de los grupos de culto tiene 50.000 solicitudes (30.000 en Taiwán) y soporta varias escuelas como la Universidad de Sung Nien (Taiwán). Sus miembros operan muchos de los restaurantes vegetarianos.

Referencias

Hay muchos estudios occidentales sobre este movimiento. El primer estudio completo es de David K. Jordan y descrito en su libro The Flying Phoenix. [Cita requerida]
Los estudios recientes incluyen Philip Clart y una tesis de Jo Swinnen (en neerlandés) de la Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Un libro de Meir Shahar el titulado Crazy Gong Ji Ji tiene una sección en la I-Kuan Tao. [cita requerida]
Ver también:

• Robin Munro: "sincrétismo Sectas y sociedades secretas - Revival en la década de 1980." En: Sociología y Antropología de China (ME Sharpe, Armonk, NY) Verano 1989/Vol. 21, No. 4

• Song Guangyu(宋光宇): Tiandao Gouchen (天道钩沉), 2. Ed. Taipei 1983

• Thomas Weyrauch: Yiguan Dao - Chinas im Untergrund Volksreligion. Heuchelheim (Longtai) 2006. ISBN 3-938946-02-4

Enlaces externos

• World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters
• From the Los Angeles hall
• I-Kuan Tao Foundation of America in San Francisco
• History of Hsien Tien Dao, by Philip Clart
• Bibliography on I Kuan Tao
• A Brief Introduction to Taiwan: Religion
• Taiwan Yearbook article in Yi Guan Dao
• Amnesty International: People's Republic of China (includes report on Yi Guan Dao)

 

Zhang Tianran (張天然) (8 August 1889 – 29 September 1947) was the eighteenth patriarch as well as the founder of the I-Kuan Tao religious sect. He is usually referred to as the Father of I-Kuan Tao, or as Shi Zun (師尊), meaning the Honored Teacher.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Leadership in I-Kuan Tao
• 3 Death
• 4 See also
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Early life

He was born under the name Kui Sheng, and also as Zhang Guang Bi. Zhang Tian Ran was his official religious name. He was also known as Kung Chang (Kung and Chang are the two readings of the character Zhang). Zhang was born on the 19th day of the 7th Lunar month in 1889, in Jining prefecture, northern province Shandong. In 1908, Zhang married with a woman named Zhu, but Zhu died a year later. Two years later Zhang married again to a woman of the surname Liu.
He left home and traveled to Nanjing and Shanghai. At age 24, Zhang joined the army as a low ranking military officer. Zhang was then initiated in I-Kuan Tao in 1914. The 17th patriarch Lu Zhongyi heard the conduct of Zhang and told Zhang to join in Jining. Lu died in 1925, and was succeeded by his sister, Lu Zhongjie who temporarily looked after I Kuan Tao for 6 years. In 1930, Venerable Zhang and Sun Su Zhen became the 18th patriarch.

Leadership in I-Kuan Tao

There are various versions concerning the transfer of the 18th patriarch and the meeting of Zhang Tianran with Sun Suzhen. The most simple version states that the Venerable Mother transferred the 18th patriarchs to both Zhang and Sun. The most widely accepted version in Western literature states that Zhang took Sun Suzhen as his second wife in 1930. She was already a member of I-Kuan Tao and it was believed that Zhang married her after a "divine message". The Eastern account however, states that He married her in name only, since it was inappropriate at the time for an unmarried woman and a man to be seen traveling around alone together, which they often did to carry forth their mission, hence, their "marriage" was to quell rumours and societal taboos. In truth, they were never married.^{[citation needed]} Zhang was considered as the incarnation of Ji Gong, a Buddhist monk who was revered as an incarnation of an Arhat by Buddhists and also Taoists. Sun was then considered as the reincarnation of Yue Hui (Bodhisattva of Moon Wisdom). Yet, it is noted that Zhang and Sun were husband and wife in name without intimate relationship. Sun was only responsible for leading and propagating Tao. He didn't have much time for his kids but he had exactly 12. He would make time to spend with them.
Zhang moved out of Jining, and in 1931 traveled to Jinan the capital of Shandong, to spread the teachings. He founded the Hall of Lofty Splendor (Chong Hua Tang) and attracted many followers. These first followers later become Zhang's apostles. From Jinan I-Kuan Tao spread quickly throughout North China. Within a year, four more temples were established. In 1934, Zhang went to Tianjin established another temple and became the base of the propagation. In 1937, Tianjin had more than 100 temples. From Tianjin, Zhang's disciples propagated the teaching to various parts of China.
Under the Japanese occupation, I-Kuan Tao survived and spread rapidly, centered in Central China. The cult with apocalyptic beliefs and strong mystical elements attracted many. The political chaotic, fear and panic situation in this period helped I-Kuan Tao grow more rapidly. The apocalyptic teaching promised that by following I-Kuan Tao, one would be spared from calamity. By 1940, I-Kuan Tao reached the southern province of Jiangxi. I-Kuan Tao also attracted a number of officials of the Japanese puppet government of Wang Jingwei. During 1950, it was estimated in Beijing there were about 178,000 followers, and in Tianjin, 140,000.

Death

After the war ended, Zhang was sick and accused of conspiring with the occupying Japanese army. He died on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month, the Mid Autumn Festival, on 29 September 1947, in the city of Cheng Du in Sichuan province. He was buried in Hangzhou.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• I-Kuan Tao
• Lu Zhongyi
• Sun Suzhen

References

• Thomas DuBois. 2005. The Sacred Village: Social Change and Religious Life in Rural North China. University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 0-8248-2837-2
• David Jordan & Daniel Overmyer. 1985. The Flying Phoenix: Aspects of Chinese Sectarianism in Taiwan. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-07304-X
• Soo Khin Wah. 1997. A Study of the Yiguan Dao (Unity Sect) and its Development in Peninsular Malaysia. Ph.D. dissertation, University of British Columbia.
• Jo Swinnen. 2003. Yiguan Dao: Aspecten van een Moderne Chinese Religie. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. [1]

External links

• Patriarchs of I Kuan Tao
• History of Zhang Tian Ran according to I Kuan Tao
• Founder of I Kuan Tao

 

Heros of History: JiGong 濟公活佛 China's Buddhist Monk of the People

 Here is some history on JiGong:

JI GONG 'Mad Monk"

JiGong had many names.  He was born under the name Li Xiuyuan.  He was also called DaiJi 道濟禪師 because people in the Taoist Religion also revered him.  

His Buddhist name was JiGong  huo fo 濟公活佛 - or full name "Living Buddha JiGong."  

That was quite a title to give someone who was kicked out of the temple because he refused to follow the rules. 

In today's modern world, he is also known as "The Mad Monk" and also the "Robin Hood" of China. 

He was born to a former military advisor, Li Maochun.  His parents were not allowed to have children, therefore they sent him to live in a temple.   Upon reaching the Hall of the Five Hundred Arhats, the statue of Mahakasyapa was knocked off its lotus throne.  This was considered a sign that the arhat had descended to earth - in the form of little Li Maochun.

After his parents' death, he went to Hangzhou and became a monk at the famous Ling Yin Temple near Hangzhou. Li Gong's eccentric behavior broke the rules of the vinaya (traditional code for monks).  However, he always had a smile and a kind heart and never failed to help ordinary people.
Unlike a traditional Buddhist monk, he ate meat and drank wine. He believed that what is in your heart and soul is more important than following strict rules. Therefore he marched to his own drummer, regardless of the scoldings and punishments he received. The leaders of the monastery finally tired of his behavior and kicked him out. From then on, JiGong roamed the streets and helped people whenever he could. 
While meditating and studying the Buddha's teaching, JiGong acquired magical powers. Because of his compassionate nature, many people started thinking of him as an incarnate of a bodhisattva, or as a reincarnate of an arhat. He was soon recognized as the incarnate of the Taming Dragon Arhat  降龍羅漢.
When JiGong died at the Jing Ci monastery on the 14th day of 5th Lunar month (17 June 1207), Syncretic Taoism began to revere Daoji as a god from heaven and later adopted him as a deity. Not long after that, even Buddhism began to respect him, and added him into the list of arhats.
His statues and pictures often depic JiGong with a mischievous smile, a bottle of wine in one hand, and a magic fan in the other hand.

 that Became a Taoist Wealth God

  2012

Today, allow me to share with you another powerful, thought not very famous, wealth god called Ji Gong or Che Kong (濟公). Also spelled as Ji Kong or Che Gong.
Ji Gong is known as the ‘Legendary Monk with a Magical Fan’.

This is because he is usually portrayed as having a fan and sometimes with a bottle of wine.

I entitled this post as – JI GONG: AN ECCENTRIC BUDDHIST MONK THAT BECAME A TAOIST WEALTH GOD – because Ji Gong in reality was a Buddhist monk, was expelled from his monastic life and later on became a Taoist wealth god. The irony here, is that he’s not considered as a Buddha or a Bodhisattva in Buddhism, and it was only after the Taoist has adopted Ji Gong as a deity did the Buddhist started including him in their Koans.
(A Koan, for lack of a better description, is like a form of Sutra. It’s a fundamental part of the history and lore of Zen Buddhism and it consists of stories, dialogues, questions and statements, the meaning of which are said to be understandable through intuition or lateral thinking. )

Ji Gong was born to a famous and rich family during China’s Southern Song Dynasty. His father is a highly respected ‘businessman’ and military advisor. Ji Kong, the only son, and whose real name is Li Xiuyuan (李修元), came late in the family. His parents were actually told by a respected Feng Shui consultant that they don’t have descendant’s luck and that they will never have any children. This cause great sadness to both his parents, and considered this as one of their greatest misfortune. Since they are a religious couple they decided to make sure that they would go on various pilgrimage to different temples to ask for child.

Like most Chinese then and now, they don’t really make any distinction between Buddhism and Taoism and they would visit temples from both religions even if they were really Taoist.
It is said that in one of their pilgrimage to a Buddhist temple, they entered the hall of the 500 Arhats. Whereby the image of one of the Arhat, Mahakasyapa, fell off from the altar. It was taken as a sign that at that moment Mahakasyapa’s energy or spirit left ‘his’ image.
Not long after that, Ji Kong’s mom found out she was pregnant. They remembered the incident in the temple and believed that the baby in her womb was a gift from the Buddhas. They even began to think, that what she was carrying in her womb is the reincarnation of the Arhat Mahakasyapa!

At the age of 18, Li Xiuyuan decided to go to Hangzhou (a province in China), to enter the monastic life at the famous temple called Ling Yin Temple. After several years of studying Buddhism, he was finally ordained as a Buddhist monk and named Dao Ji Chan Shi. He was then normally called Dao Ji, thus this has become another common name of Ji Kong.
His monastic life proved to be short but memorable. Being born from a very rich family, he’s used to eating meat and drinking wine, and he was unable to give this up when he became a monk. Furthermore, he started showing some eccentricity and it is believed that he is slightly mad. However, they all agree that he is kind hearted and generous. Nevertheless, because Zen Buddhists strictly prohibits eating of meat and drinking of wine, they really didn’t have much choice but to expel him from the monastery.
After being expelled from his monastic life, Dao Ji or Ji Kong never really bothered to search for another monastery that can adopt him. He just roam on the streets and is often thought of as beggar monk, because he really didn’t gave up his Buddhist robes either.
His eccentricity continued to manifest on the streets, but so his kindness and compassionate heart. It is said, the even he looks poor he never really begged for money, and it is often a wonder as to where he gets money for food. Some say that it could be part of his inheritance, but if it were from his inheritance, it’s a mystery were he kept his wealth.
However, after a while, Dao Ji or Ji Kong started to manifest another eccentricity. Since he has a compassionate heart, he would often approach beggars on the streets and other poor families. He would listen to them, crack a joke, then murmur a prayer, after which he’ll use his fan to fan them a little. Soon after these incidents the recipient of his kindness and weird ritual will come to a good fortune. He thus earned a reputation for being a Buddhist magician, which, in turn earned him the title Ji Gong Huoto, which means the Living Buddha Ji Gong. Ji is derived from his Buddhist name Dao Ji, Gong, is a respect for a powerful elderly, and Huoto literally means living Buddha.

At his old age, Ji Kong was adopted by another monastery. This is where he passed away on the 14^th day of the 5^th Lunar month. Right after his death, Taoist immediately adopted him as their deity, and it is said the he continuously manifest his compassionate and magical powers to every one who keeps his image and go to him.
His image is usually pictured as a monk in rugged clothing, holding a bottle of wine and a ‘magical’ fan. He is always shown with a smiling face, because he has a very happy nature. Although, he is usually pictured wearing a hat with the word Fo, which means ‘Buddha’, Buddhist never really considered him as Buddha or a Bodhisattva.

However, seeing how much he is revered in Taoism, Buddhist did include him in their Koans, some sub-sects even considers him as an Arhat.







This is a jade Ji Gong pendant. It's very similar to the one that I have.





--->ZEN MASTERS











濟公活佛 Jigong huofo (1133-1209), aka 道濟 Daoji




济公 Ji Gong, 李修元 / 李修緣 Li Xiuyuan, 濟顛道濟 Jidian Daoji


















濟顛道濟 Jidian Daoji




Daoji (2 February 1130–16 May 1207), commonly known as Ji Gong, was a Chán Buddhist monk of the Southern Song Dynasty in China. He was born with the name of Li Xiuyuan. (李修元). Some sources have cited his name as Lǐ Xiūyuán (李修 缘, the only difference being the third character of his name). Dao Ji was also called Hu Yin (Recluse from the Lake) and Elder Fang Yuan (Square Circle). Ji Gong was a buddhist monk but drank alcohol and ate meat. His image usually wears a monk hat (called Ji Gong Mao), carrying a reed fan and a gourd.







Jigong huofo painted by contemporary Chinese artists (DOC)







马哲 Ma Zhe (1952-): 济公活佛百态图《缘起赞禅意卷》
http://www.360doc.com/content/12/0315/13/5975523_194525675.shtml

http://kadxlt.blog.163.com/blog/static/204561151201262142716627/ (1)

http://kadxlt.blog.163.com/blog/static/20456115120126214222820/ (2)











Ji Gong (濟公), The Drunk Monk - bamboo root carving
http://thetaiwanphotographer.com/taiwan-god-ji-gong-%E6%BF%9F%E5%85%AC-the-drunk-monk/



Crazy Ji: Chinese Religion and Popular Literature
by Meir Shahar
Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series, 48 . Cambridge (MA) and London: Harvard University Press, 1998. xviii, 330 p.
http://ccs.ncl.edu.tw/Chinese_studies_18_2/18_2_18.pdf





Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong
The Drunken Wisdom of China's Famous Chan Buddhist Monk
by Guo Xiaoting
translated by John Robert Shaw
Tuttle, 2014, 544 p.
reviewed by Vladimir K


This is the first complete English translation of a Chinese classic work that is sure to amuse and enlighten modern readers. It tells the story of the mad old Zen Buddhist monk Ji Gong, who rose from humble beginnings to become one of China's greatest folk heroes.

Follow the brilliant and hilarious adventures of a mad Zen Buddhist monk who rose from humble beginnings to become one of China's greatest folk heroes!

Ji Gong studied at the great Ling Yin monastery, an immense temple that still ranges up the steep hills above Hangzhou, near Shanghai. The Chan (Zen) Buddhist masters of the temple tried to instruct Ji Gong in the spartan practices of their sect, but the young monk, following in the footsteps of other great ne'er-do-wells, distinguished himself mainly by getting expelled. He left the monastery, became a wanderer with hardly a proper piece of clothing to wear, and achieved great renown - in seedy wine shops and drinking establishments!

This could have been where Ji Gong's story ended. But his unorthodox style of Buddhism soon made him a hero for popular storytellers of the Song dynasty era. Audiences delighted in tales where the mad old monk ignored - or even mocked - authority, defied common sense, never neglected the wine, yet still managed to save the day. Ji Gong remains popular in China even today, where he regularly appears as the wise old drunken fool in movies and TV shows. In Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong, you'll read how he has a rogue's knack for exposing the corrupt and criminal while still pursuing the twin delights of enlightenment and intoxication. This literary classic of a traveling martial arts master, fighting evil and righting wrongs, will entertain Western readers of all ages!



Biography & Story of Ji Gong
http://www.mildchina.com/history-culture/monk-jigong.html

Mentioning the story of Ji Gong, in China, the first impression of people is a TV series playing the magic experiences and legend of Ji Gong, who was widely and highly respected as the Master of Zen Buddhism and the incarnation of Taming Dragon Arhat (Xiang Long Luo Han, 降龙罗汉, one of 500 Arhats in Buddhism culture). Historically speaking, Ji Gong was a true monk with a high cultivation and reputation in China. We share what we know about this figure in history and story.



Ji Gong in History

Ji Gong(济公, 1133-1209) whose earthly name was Li Xiuyuan, was born in Yongning Village, Tiantai County, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. His father was Li Chunmao and mother had a surname Wang. At the age of 18, his parents passed away. And he went to Lingyin Temple of Hangzhou and became a monk. Since then he used the Buddhist name Daoji (道济), and his teacher was Hui Yuan, an old and blind abbot and said to know the real identity of Ji Gong. Ji Gong disliked sutra chanting and meditation sitting, and he like eating meat and drinking alcohol, and even preferred garlic dog meat. All of these foods were absolutely prohibited in Buddhism. He always wore the worn-out clothes and hats and kept a broken hand fan. Due to his unrestraint, he was accused by other monks. His teacher just said a word – “the Gate of Buddhism is so vast! Why is this crazy monk not forgiven? ”. Therefore, he had a nickname Crazy Monk(济颠). After his teacher passed away, he was forced to move to Jingci Temple. He was quite proficient in the medicine and saved many people from death, and then he was respected as Living Buddha Ji Gong. Legendarily speaking, he was the earthly Arhat of Taming Dragon. On May 16, 1209, he passed away, and before going, he left a Buddhist verse.


六十年来狼藉，- Sixty years’ life in disorder
东壁打到西壁。- From east to west, I fight always
如今收拾归来，- Today, I review and return
依旧水连天碧。- All is same as those before

He was buried in Running Tiger Spring Area, and a special monastery named Jigong Tayuan was built in memory of him. Many historical words are written in the Records of Jingci Temple.

Ji Gong in Story

The legends of Ji Gong were sourced from the late period of Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and the folk storytellers begun taking his life experience as the theme, and up to Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), a storybook named Complete Stories of Ji Gong(济公全传) was published. His stories actually were sourced the story of Master Bao Zhi who living in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589). Later, some folk stories and believes were blended, and Ji Gong became a featured immortal of Buddhism and Taoism. I-Kuan Tao worships Ji Gong and lists him as one of the Gods, and considers their founding master, Zhang Tianran, to be the incarnation of Ji Gong. There are lots of stories about Ji Gong. Hereinafter are the selected:


After living in Jingci Temple, Ji Gong acted as an amanuensis monk. On one occasion, the fire destroyed the main hall of Jingci Temple, the abbot turned to him for the big wood for restoring that hall, after he slept for three days because of overdrinking, he shouted at:"the wood is here, take it from well, the wood really effused from the well of temple continually until the woods were enough for rebuilding the hall. Nowadays, there is a Shenmu Well in Jingci Temple.

One day, Ji Gong fore-felt there would be a hill flying to the front of Lingyin Temple, for the sake of saving the villagers, he took the measure of looting bride to take the villages away from their houses and eventually avoided happening of disaster. This is the story illustrating the origin of Peak Flying-From-Afar (飞来峰).

If you are interested in the stories of Ji Gong, and understand Chinese, we recommend you to enjoy the solo story-telling of Guo Degang in Beijing, and his most famous story telling is the Legend of Ji Gong, in which nearly all the stories of Ji Gong are available such as Eight Devils Temper Ji Gong with Fire, Ji Gong Fighting Against Da Peng, said to be the uncle of Sakyamuni, Ji Gong Edified Yellow Weasel Spirit for Nine Times, and so on.



Ji Gong's fascination with crickets




Ji gong, often referred to as the “crazy monk”, was a nonconformist. On figurines of Ji gong, he is often holding a fan, cricket or flask. The fan symbolizes the act of letting negative energy go, and consciously bringing in positive energy. In China , people would put two crickets together and watch them fight. The cricket, in this case, symbolizes the internal battle we have with ourselves. We fight in order to develop our strengths and to understand and transform our weaknesses; it is a spiritual battle, and we aspire to constantly take ourselves to higher levels of understanding, awareness and practice. The flask Ji Gong carries represents non-attachment and the temporal nature of the material world. It is said that while he was alive, he carried around a flask which people presumed was alcohol. However, he could change the liquid to be vinegar, water or another liquid so people were constantly surprised when they drank out of it. Ji gong tried to teach others not to judge anything based on external appearances. He did not care what people looked like, or where they came from. If they had a good heart, he would try to help them. One time, Ji gong and his students were freezing cold and had no way of getting warm. Ji gong tore down the wooden altar they used for worship, and made a fire out of it. One of his students was horrified and cried out, “What are you doing? That's our sacred altar!” Ji gong took the statue of Buddha and cut it into two pieces. The student exclaimed, “You are cutting Buddha! Don't do that!” Ji gong answered, “This statue is not Buddha. This is just wood.” He wanted to teach his students how to let go of material attachments—that what really matters is the True Heart. Wood decays over time; compassion is timeless; it touches people at the deepest level. It was not important to Ji gong whether or not a person appeared to have great virtue: appearances meant nothing to him. He was only interested in the qualities of one's heart.



Monk Ji Gong
http://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/learn/article/read/item/spCxp5EyZws


Ji Gong was born to a wealthy family in the early part of the Southern Song Dynasty. As a young man, he joined a Buddhist monastery and took the name, Dao Ji. Unlike most monks, he dressed sloppily in torn rags and even on occasion ate meat. In short, he was a bit of a character, and his idiosyncrasies irked the other monks. This earned him the nickname “Ji the Crazy Monk,” later shortened to “Master Ji,” or Ji Gong.

Despite his eccentric personality, Ji Gong was sincere, kindhearted, and a well-accomplished follower of the Buddhist teachings. He was known for helping those in need and sometimes even saving their lives. Chinese folk legends fondly describe his various exploits.




Chinese Traditional Crafts Lacquer Folding Screen. There are 12 panels in total, with each panel 40 cm wide by 213 cm high. (Terebess Collection)



Summoning Logs from a Well

One popular story tells of Ji Gong using paranormal powers to pull logs out of a well. A temple was to be built in Hangzhou and desperately needed wood. The best wood was found only in Sichuan province, some 900 miles away. The monks were desperate.

But that did not stop Ji Gong. He used his powers to bring the logs over one after another. The other monks piled them up, until the monk charged with counting them suddenly shouted: “Enough!” Ji Gong had already beckoned another log, but hearing the monk yell, he stopped it. That last log remained half-submerged in the well, and later generations built a pavilion over it, naming it the “Divine Teleportation Well.”


Stopping a Flying Mountain Peak

Another story, which inspired the Shen Yun dance Ji Gong Abducts the Bride, recounts the monk’s creative ways of rescuing people from imminent danger, even if against their will.

One day, Monk Ji Gong was walking towards Lingyin Temple when suddenly he felt a sudden jolt to his heart. Sensing something amiss, he used his ability of clairvoyance to investigate, and saw that a mountain peak was about to come crashing down on a nearby village.

Alarmed, Ji Gong began shouting to the townspeople, warning them to run for their lives. But they just laughed and dismissed him as “that crazy monk talking nonsense again.” It was then that Ji Gong spotted a wedding procession in the village. He barged in, snatched the bride, threw her over his shoulder, and ran.

Alarmed, the groom and wedding guests called all of their family and friends to chase after the kidnapper. Before long, the entire village was chasing after them.

No sooner had they gone past the village gate than a giant mountain peak nearby collapsed, landing on the village with a crash. Huge rocks flew everywhere, shattering roofs and flattening buildings in an instant.

Ji Gong had rescued the village, but just then he noticed that back in the village a little girl was staggering behind and a gigantic boulder was thundering toward her. He immediately aimed his palm at the boulder and instantly forced it back with his powers, saving her life.

That famous boulder is now called Hangzhou’s “Flying Peak,” and today, visitors can see the imprint of a hand sunk into the base of the rock.





Poetic Leaps in Zen's Journey of Enlightenment
by Zhi, Yong
iUniverse, Bloomington, IN., 2012


A Salvation Story Featuring Ji-gong

We will start the examination with a legendary story about saving a person’s life, featuring Ji-gong, the most colorful Zen eccentric in the history of both Chinese Buddhism and the popular culture:


Once Ji-gong saw an old man trying to hang himself from a tree. The man made a noose and was placing his neck into it when suddenly he saw Ji-gong, dressed in rags, coming his way chanting, “Die, Die, everything is over after I die, death is better than living, I will hang myself now.” Ji-gong also made a noose and looked like he was going to hang himself side by side with the old man from the same tree. The old man was puzzled and asked Ji-gong why he, a monk, would want to commit suicide. Ji-gong told him that he was commissioned to raise money to remodel the monastery. He had begged for three years and collected some money, but on his way back to the monastery, he stopped at a bar, got drunk, and somebody stole all his money. Having no face to go back to the monastery, he decided to end his life. The old man believed his story and said, “Don’t worry, I happen to have some money, which is no use for me anymore.” He gave Ji-gong five pieces of silver, which is all the money he had. Ji-gong took the silver and said, “Your silver does not shine as much as what I used to have, but I will take them.” So he took the money and walked away with a grin on his face. The old man felt even sadder and proceeded his suicide attempt, but Ji-gong returned. The old man thought the monk came back to thank him for the money. But Ji-gong said: “I see you’ve got nice clothing, why don’t you give that to me also so you can nakedly leave this world just as you nakedly came?” The old man was stunned; he looked up the sky and sighed: “Why is it as difficult to die as it is to live, and how can I end my misery?” Ji-gong said, “look, after you die, the wild dogs will come to tear you up, and your nice clothing will be wasted, but if you give it to me, I will make good use of it.” Ji-gong continued to tease and play with the desperate man, until the latter became amused and started to laugh with Ji-gong. The old man soon found this eccentric monk quite friendly and extremely entertaining. He started to open his heart and told Ji-gong his tragic story about the loss of his daughter. His suicidal mind-set miraculously dissolved. Ji-gong helped him to recover his daughter and the story had a happy ending. (Wang 5-8)

Looking at the first part the story, what Ji-gong has done cannot be considered good based on conventions. He shows no pity and sorrow for a desperate man, and even cheats money out of the poor man by fabricating a story. On the other hand, he has successfully intervened a suicidal attempt and saved a person’s life, which is, indeed, not bad. Therefore, what Ji-gong has done in this story cannot be judged on the basis of conventions as either “good” or “bad.”

This story of Ji-gong is a classical example of samadhic play as a Zen’s manner of interaction with others. As discussed earlier, samadhi refers to a non-dualistic state of the mind, and samadhic play is an extraordinary mode of action in which subject and object merge to form a “heavenly flow.” In the samadhic playing with others, the line that demarcates self and others become softened or even dissolved. In the story of saving a suicidal person, Ji-gong, the savior, presents himself as a suicidal man in order to approach another suicidal man. He appears to be even more deplorable and corrupted than the one he is poised to help. In the story, the suicidal man find himself in a situation where he cannot help feeling sympathy for Ji-gong and gives the monk all the money he has. Ji-gong does not approach the suicidal man as a Bodhisattva, the traditional image of the Buddhist savior who always dedicates his compassionate to all suffering beings. Nor does he take a position as a teacher who can preach profound wisdom about life and death. He does not even present himself as a decent person who can show some pity or sorrow for the suicidal man. The roles are dramatically intertwined; the savior takes a position which is even lower than that of the one who is to be saved. The conventional labels, such as the good and the bad, are not apt to speak about Ji-gong’s character and deeds in that story. Regarding the result of the story, Ji-gong not only saves the suicidal person but also uplifts his spirit, although what Ji-gong has done seems to mock all conventional ethical rules. The question is how this samadhic play, the Zen’s way of being with others, can work out a greater good beyond the polarity of good and evil on conventional basis.

First, this samadhic play, as an act of mingling, gives rise to an extraordinary bond between people that can effectively release the sense of alienation people may suffer. In the story, the person attempts to commit suicide because he has lost all his families and feels estranged from society. Part of Ji-gong’s strategy is to build a sense of connection by closing the distance between him and the suicidal man as two strangers so the latter can feel an extraordinary intimacy with people. Suicide can be considered an unethical action, but Ji-gong does not repudiate it, instead, he imitates it. If Ji-gong chooses to approach the suicidal man as a master who takes a position to preach or criticize the latter based on any abstract doctrine, the distance between the two people will increase, and the latter may feel even more alienated.

Second, the story is not only about how Ji-gong intervenes in a suicidal attempt, but also about how the samadhic play gives rise to an event of enlightenment so the suicidal man is saved both physically and spiritually. It seems extremely cruel on the part of Ji-gong to ask the suicidal man to give up his clothing. However, this is one of Zen’s eccentric tactics for shattering a person’s habitual mindset and inducing the experience of emptiness. This tact is similar to a sudden roar projected toward a disciple or a blow on his head with a stick, which is widely used in Zen monasteries. Zen prefers to “directly point to a person’s mind” rather than to preach or criticize a man for his ignorance, because, from Zen’s perspective, enlightenment is not a theoretical understanding but an existential breakthrough or a leap into a new world of consciousness. In order to transform the suicidal person’s view about reality which underlies his suicidal mindset, Ji-gong has to conduct a show in which he plays a clown. A jovial world suddenly unfolds against the background of the desperate situation, in which the suicidal man suddenly feels emancipated from his attachment. The transmission is completed when Ji-gong and the suicidal man start to laugh together. They laugh at each other, at themselves, and at the world.

Ji-gong’s Goodness and Virtuosity

What is beyond good and evil in the spirituality of Zen may not be easily summarized in philosophical statements but can be best illustrated in Zen characters who are able to perform great deeds which cannot be fully reconciled with conventions, whether religious or secular. Ji-gong is the most colorful example of such Zen personalities. Just like the monk Bu-dai depicted in the tenth ox-herding picture, Ji-gong is another legendary monk known as a living Buddha who mingles himself with ordinary people doing good things in eccentric and miraculous ways. People generally believe that Ji-gong was a real person living in the late Sung dynasty. An English encyclopedia describes him as “the dissolute preceptor—a name given him from the dissolute life he led as a monk”(Werner 54). He is portrayed in various literatures as a cheerful and playful monk who often appears to be crazy and drunk, dancing his way to places and joking with whomever he comes across. As exemplified in the above story of saving a suicidal person, he often miraculously comes to peoples’ rescue and fulfills justice in spontaneous and dramatic ways. His performances are enlightening as well as entertaining.

The popular image of Ji-gong is the result of reconstruction by vernacular fictions, movies and other forms of art and media. Shahar, in his work, Crazy Ji, has conducted an extensive textual study about those vernacular fictions of Ji-gong. This popular image of Ji-gong reflects a popular expression of Chinese Buddhism which marks the complete synchronization of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and the popular culture. The personality of Ji-gong is a manifestation of Buddhist enlightenment, Zhuang-zi’s playfulness, Confucian kindness, and the pragmatic spirit of the popular culture. Indeed, Ji-gong has become a timeless spiritual icon in the mind of Chinese people who see him as a living Buddha, a benevolent god, a divine jester, and a poet.

One way to understand the personality of Ji-gong is to compare him with the traditional Buddhist images of Arhat, Bodhisattva and Zen master. Arhats are the enlightened ones who do not necessarily see interaction with others as a moral or spiritual vocation. They were revered as ascetic saints aloof from the secular world. Ji-gong obviously does not fall into this category since he mingles with all kinds of people. His major activities are in streets and marketplaces rather than in monasteries. There are many hilarious stories about his playfully breaking of monastic precepts, mocking at superior mocks, and performing of various kinds of pranks in monasteries. He is finally dismissed from the Ling-yin Temple, the famous monastery where he became a monk. This monastery remains one of the most famous ones in China partly because Ji-gong is from there. There is a great hall in that monastery hosting the statues of 500 Arhats. Ji-gong’s statue is not among them but right across from them outstandingly in a corridor specially dedicated to him. This arrangement clearly indicates that Ji-gong is not considered one of the Arhats who detaches himself from the worldly life. Indeed, Ji-gong does not take a superior position in his mingling with all sorts of people including those dishonored ones such as thieves, vagabonds, and prostitutes. When he intermingles with corrupted people, he himself appears to be a corrupted person, as in the aforementioned story in which he appears to be a suicidal monk in order to intervene in a suicidal attempt. The mingling with people in such a samadhic manner not only constitutes a practical and expedient strategy to approach people, but also renders an “inner touch” people by successfully dismantling the boundaries that separate them. Hershock believes that Zen’s fashion of interaction with others forms a “liberating intimacy” as a social virtuosity of Zen. As he puts it:


Liberating a sentient being means taking off the mantle of both conceptual and felt distinctions by means of which he or she is individuated or made into some ‘one’ existing apart from others even while in the closest contact with them. (98)

Ji-gong’s intermingling with others, as exemplified in the aforementioned salvation story, not only provides people with practical relief but also forms a samadhic relationship among people, in which the boundaries between people soften. The rapport gives rise to an uplifting “rapture” flowing among people. This relationship is a realization of the collective enlightenment envisioned by Mahayana Buddhism as the “big vehicle” versus the “small vehicle” reflected in the image of Arhat. This samadhic relationship can achieve a sense of harmony which is clearly different from the one envisioned by Confucianism in which harmony is rendered through a hierarchical social structure. Confucianism emphasizes the rectification of social categories and labels that tend to fixate people’s social identity, roles, and status.

The personality of Ji-gong can also be compared with the traditional image of Bodhisattva who is known for his compassion and dedication to the salvation for ordinary people. One of Ji-gong’s well-known titles is “living Bodhisattva.” The term “living” indicates that Ji-gong is different from the symbolic image of Bodhisattva which remains a religious ideal and the object of worship. The traditional images of Bodhisattva, such as Guan-yin, are conceived in Chinese culture as divine being who can answer peoples’ prayers and help them through supernatural ways. Ji-gong obviously does not take such a position as a superior savior, as he mingles and plays with all sorts of people. His compassion for people is human but unconventional. His statue at the Lin-ying Temple fairly captures the complexity of his compassion for people. From one side of the statue, people see Ji-gong laugh graciously, but viewing from the other side of the statue, Ji-gong appears to be sad. Referring back to the aforementioned salvation story, Ji-gong seems to not show any pity and sorrow to the person committing suicide. It appears that all Ji-gong does is to tease and play with the suicidal person until the latter attains a new insight that dissipates the suicidal mindset. The following quote provides a clue for understanding Ji-gong’s compassion for others:


One near enemy of compassion is pity. Instead of feeling the openness of compassion, pity says, ‘Oh, that poor person is suffering!’ Pity sets up a separation between oneself and others, a sense of distance and remoteness from the suffering of others that is affirming and gratifying to the ego. Compassion, on the other hand, recognizes the suffering of another as a reflection of one’s own pain: ‘I understand that; I suffer in the same way. It’s a part of life.’ Compassion is shared suffering. Another near enemy of compassion is grief. Compassion is not grief. It is not an immersion in or identification with the suffering of others that leads to an anguished reaction. Compassion is the tender readiness of the heart to respond to one’s own or another’s pain without grief or resentment or aversion. It is the wish to dissipate suffering. (Kornfield 84)

As illustrated in the salvation story, Ji-gong’s way to dissipate suffering is through a samadhic play which not only involves himself but also those with whom he mingles and interacts. According to Zen, in such samadhic play, the practitioner acts spontaneously following his mind and responding to ever shifting situations, and he can speak spontaneously wherever the spirit of words leads. One who has realized samadhi is emancipated from all conceptual boundaries that enable the division between subject and object, self and others, the religious and the profane, the wise and the ignorant, and the upper and the lower, which forges the “reality” of society. A samadhic player, in his intermingling with others, is able to present them a living show that can immediately and dramatically alleviate them from their old view about their social “reality” to which they are deeply attached.

A Bodhisattva is believed to have the compassion, dedication, and power to deliver people from the samsara world which is full of ignorance and suffering. Ji-gong seems to have no intention to help people with their ultimate salvation from this world. Instead, he tries to mingle with the suffering people and become one of them. In his playing with people, he surely affirms and respects their conventional values and rules, but at the same time kindly laughs at them, and through his playfulness he artistically reveals to people the limitation and transient nature of all conventionally established “reality,” so they may loosen their attachment to it. Ji-gong is completely content with living in this suffering world with “ignorant” people. This agenda is obviously different from the Bodhisattva’s, who wants to deliver people out of this suffering world.

“Zen master” is another title given to Ji-gong, but he is very different from the traditional Zen masters who spent most of their time in monasteries and interacted with their disciples. Without affiliating to any religious institution and assuming any superior moral or spiritual position, Ji-gong does not appear to be a Zen master of any kind. Lai thinks that Ji-gong represents the later period Zen movement which has completed its course of secularization and synchronization with the practical spirit of Chinese culture (143-148). Zen’s coming to streets and marketplaces in embracing the Chinese popular culture is Zen’s final step to liberate itself from doctrines and intellectual frameworks emphasized by traditional Buddhism. This process of secularization and synchronization not only infuses Chinese culture with spirituality but also further transforms Zen by directing its attention to the practical needs in the context of the secular culture. Zen’s spirituality comes to integrate with Chinese literary and performing arts, giving rise to the extraordinary Zen images such as Ji-gong, which is fully developed and circulated in popular forms of Chinese art and media. The joyful spirit of Ji-gong is appropriated by the ordinary people as the source of spirituality, wisdom, and entertainment. Shahar believes that the eccentric character of Ji-gong “offers members of society liberation and relieve (albeit in most cases temporary) from accepted social and cultural norms” (223). Indeed, the eccentricity and playfulness of Ji-gong embodies Zen’s vision of samadhi, which provides people, especially those marginalized, a spiritual way to see through and tackle social injustice and suffering. The following verse are from the theme song of a movie series about Ji-gong’s legendary stories.


Torn sandals, worn hat, shabby monk’s robe . . .
Wherever there is injustice, there I am. (Shahar 163)

We label those eccentric Zen figures such as Ji-gong and Bu-dai as poetic not only because they are all poets, but also because their attitudes, deeds, and styles cannot be described, explained, and measured in any conceptual frameworks whether doctrinal or philosophical. For example, we cannot summarize Ji-gong’s attitudes toward social injustice and suffering in philosophical statements. We cannot use conceptual terms such as “positive” or “negative” to pinpoint Ji-gong’s “thought” about conventional rules and values. If we really want to find a word that can capture Ji-gong’s personality, one of the options is “laughter.” Shahar puts it this way:


One element, however, is common to all representations of Ji-gong, in fiction and religious practice alike—his laughter. Be it a novel on Ji-gong, or a spirit-written morality book attributed to him, an actor playing the eccentric god’s role on the sate, or a medium possessed by him—the eccentric god always laughs. (222-223)

The meaning of laughter, however, essentially resists philosophical analysis. Ji-gong’s laughter, just like the one made by Mahakasyapa in the silent sermon given by the historical Buddha, cannot be reduced to conceptual statements. However, Zen’s laughter is the richest and the most accessible sign that inspires and entertains Chinese people of all generations.








This divine message from Heaven shows The Three Holy Lamps of every Tao of Heaven's Temple. The center lamp is The Lamp of Lao Mu (God) and the other two lamps are Holy Lamps of Earth. These three lamps have manifested in many photographs showing The Golden Thread and The Baptism of The Fire. The Four Chinese Words mean "The Lamp that gives Salvation." It is the center lamp that gives salvation.

Life is like a burning candle light, some long, some short, some thick and some thin. Sometimes when a sudden gust of wind blows, even though the light is still burning, it can just be extinguished, meaning life just have to stop for whatever reason.

Let yourself practise deeply, honestly and strongly in everyday life.
Then the vexation in the mind would be dissolved and removed slowly. You need to repent and correct frequently, be grateful at all times and give constantly. Then only you would discover that your wisdom will come in a steady and unbroken stream.

------------

Lauging Buddha or Mi Le' Hut

The celestial Buddha named Hotei or Pu-Tai is best known as the jolly Laughing Buddha. In China, he is known as the Loving or Friendly One. He is based on an eccentric Chinese Ch'an (Zen) monk who lived over 1,000 years ago and has become a significant part of Buddhist and Shinto culture. Because of this monk's benevolent nature, he came to be regarded as an incarnation of the bodhisattva who will be Maitreya (the Future Buddha). His large protruding stomach and jolly smile have given him the common designation "Laughing Buddha."

The Laughing Buddha's image graces many temples, restaurants, and amulets, as he has become a deity of contentment and abundance. The image of Hotei is almost always seen carrying a cloth or linen sack (that which never empties) which is filled with many precious items, including rice plants (indicating wealth), candy for children, food, or the woes of the world. He is patron of the weak, poor and children. 

Laughing Buddha statues depict a stout, smiling or laughing bald man in robes with a largely exposed pot belly stomach, which symbolizes happiness, good luck, and plenitude. Some sculpture has small children at his feet. Another item that is usually seen with the Laughing Buddha figure is a begging bowl to represent his Buddhist nature.

In some scenes the Laughing Buddha may be found sitting on a cart drawn by boys, or wielding a fan called an oogi (said to be a "wish giving" fan -- in the distant past, this type of fan was used by the aristocracy to indicate to vassals that their requests would be granted). All of these images display Hotei as a wandering monk who goes around and takes the sadness from people of this world.

According to legend, if one rubs the Laughing Buddha's great belly, it brings forth wealth, good luck, and prosperity. Hotei is also referred to as the patron saint of restaurateurs, fortunetellers and bartenders. When one overeats or over drinks, friends jokingly attribute it to the Laughing Buddha's influence.

Budai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Budai (disambiguation).

Budai
A statue of Maitreya Buddha in Budai form in Emei, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Chinese name
Chinese	布袋
[show]Transcriptions
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	笑佛
Literal meaning	Laughing Buddha
[show]Transcriptions
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	Bố Đại

Budai or Pu-Tai^[1][2] (Chinese: 布袋; pinyin: Bùdài), or 布袋 (Hotei) in Japanese,^[3] Bố Đại in Vietnamese, is a Chinese folkloric deity. His name means "Cloth Sack,"^[3][4] and comes from the bag that he is conventionally depicted as carrying. He is usually identified with or seen as an incarnation of Maitreya, the future Buddha, so much so that the Budai image is one of the main forms in which Maitreya is depicted in East Asia.^[4] He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the Laughing Buddha (Chinese: 笑佛).^[1][3][5] In the West, the image of Budai is often mistaken for Gautama Buddha.^[6]

Contents

• 1 Description
• 2 History
• 3 Traditions that revere Budai
  • 3.1 Folklore
  • 3.2 Buddhism
  • 3.3 Zen
  • 3.4 I Kuan Tao
• 4 Conflation with other religious figures
  • 4.1 Angida Arhat
  • 4.2 Phra Sangkajai / Phra Sangkachai
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Description

Budai is traditionally depicted as an obese, bald man wearing a robe^[1][5][7] and wearing or otherwise carrying prayer beads. He carries his few possessions in a cloth sack,^[5] being poor but content. He is often depicted entertaining or being followed by adoring children. His figure appears throughout Chinese culture as a representation of contentment.^[5] His image graces many temples, restaurants, amulets, and businesses.^[3]

History

According to Chinese history, Budai was an eccentric Chán monk (Chinese: 禅; pinyin: chán)^[3] who lived in China during the Later Liang (907–923 AD). He was a native of Fenghua, and his Buddhist name was Qieci (Chinese: 契此; pinyin: qiècǐ; literally: "Promise this").^[3] He was considered a man of good and loving character.
The term buddha means "one who is awake", connoting one who has awakened into enlightenment. Over the history of Buddhism, there have been several notable figures who would come to be remembered as, and referred to as, buddhas. Later followers of the Chan school would come to teach that all beings possess Buddha-nature within them, and are already enlightened, but have yet to realize it. This teaching would continue into Zen.
Budai is often conflated with the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, in spite of the distinct visual differences in how each has been depicted. In India, Nepal, and throughout southeast Asia, Gautama (who lived during the 6th century BC) is commonly depicted as being tall and slender in appearance. In contrast, in China and those areas to which Chinese cultural influence spread, the depiction of Budai (who lived during the 10th century AD) is consistently short and round.

Traditions that revere Budai

Folklore

Hotei, god of happiness at Jōchi-ji temple.

Hotei painted by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Bo Dai at Ving Trang Pagoda, Vietnam

Budai in folklore is admired for his happiness, plenitude, and wisdom of contentment. One belief popular in folklore maintains that rubbing his belly brings wealth, good luck, and prosperity.
In Japan, Hotei persists in folklore as one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichi Fukujin) of Taoism.^[7]

Buddhism

Some Buddhist traditions consider him a Buddha or a bodhisattva, often identifying him with Maitreya (the future Buddha).^[1][5][7][8]
His identification with the Maitreya is attributed to a Buddhist hymn (Chinese: 偈语; pinyin: jìyǔ) he uttered before his death:^[4]

彌勒真彌勒，化身千百億，時時示時人，時人自不識

Maitreya, the true Maitreya
has billions of incarnations.
Often he is shown to people at the time;
other times they do not recognize him.

Zen

The primary story that concerns Budai in Zen (Chán) is a short kōan.^[9] In it, Budai is said to travel giving candy to poor children, only asking a penny from Zen monks or lay practitioners he meets. One day a monk walks up to him and asks, "What is the meaning of Zen?" Budai drops his bag. "How does one realize Zen?" Budai then takes up his bag and continues on his way.^[9]

I Kuan Tao

Statues of Budai form a central part of I Kuan Tao shrines, where he is usually referred to by the Sanskrit name Maitreya.^[10] According to I Kuan Tao, he represents many teachings, including contentment, generosity, wisdom and open kindheartedness.^[10] He is predicted to succeed Gautama Buddha as the next Buddha, and helps people realize the essence within, which connects with all beings.

Indian Budai statue

Conflation with other religious figures

Angida Arhat

Angida was one of the original eighteen Arhats of Buddhism. According to legend, Angida was a talented Indian snake catcher whose aim was to catch venomous snakes to prevent them from biting passers-by. Angida would also remove the snake's venomous fangs and release them. Due to his kindness, he was able to attain bodhi.
In Chinese art, Angida is sometimes portrayed as Budai, being rotund, laughing, and carrying a bag. In Nepali, he is also called hasne buddha ("laughing Buddha").^{[citation needed]}

Phra Sangkajai / Phra Sangkachai

In Thailand, Budai is sometimes confused with another similar monk widely respected in Thailand, Phra Sangkajai or Sangkachai (Thai: พระสังกัจจายน์). Phra Sangkajai, a Thai rendering of Maha Kaccana or Mahakaccayanathera (Thai: มหากัจจายนเถระ), was a Buddhist Arhata (in Sanskrit) or Arahant (in Pali) during the time of the Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha praised Phra Sangkadchai for his excellence in explaining sophisticated dharma (or dhamma) in an easily and correctly understandable manner. Phra Sangkajai (Maha Kaccana) also composed the Madhupinadika Sutra (Madhupindika Sutta MN 18).
One tale of the Thai folklore relates that he was so handsome that once even a man wanted him for a wife. To avoid a similar situation, Phra Sangkadchai decided to transform himself into a fat monk. Another tale says he was so attractive that angels and men often compared him with the Buddha. He considered this inappropriate, so disguised himself in an unpleasantly fat body.
Although both Budai and Phra Sangkajai may be found in both Thai and Chinese temples, Phra Sangkajai is found more often in Thai temples, and Budai in Chinese temples. Two points to distinguish them from one another are:

1. Phra Sangkajai has a trace of hair on his head (looking similar to the Buddha's) while Budai is clearly bald.
2. Phra Sangkajai wears the robes in Theravadin Buddhist fashion with the robes folded across one shoulder, leaving the other uncovered. Budai wears the robes in Chinese style, covering both arms but leaving the front part of the upper body uncovered.

References

Budai, Wat Don Phra Chao, Yasothon, Thailand

1. 
   

Cook, Francis Dojun. How To Raise an Ox. Wisdom Publications. pp. 166 note 76. ISBN 9780861713172.

"The Laughing Buddha". About.com. Retrieved April 20, 2013.

Mark Schumacher. "HOTEI God of Contentment & Happiness". Onmarkproductions.com. Retrieved 2011-12-26.

"Hotei, Pu-Tai, Maitreya, all known as the Laughing Buddha". Newsfinder.org. 2002-06-16. Retrieved 2011-12-26.

"The Laughing Buddha". Religionfacts.com. Retrieved 2011-12-26.

Peterson, Christopher (July 17, 2012). "When Did the Buddha Become Fat?". Psychology Today. Retrieved December 5, 2014.

"Hotei". Uwec.edu. 2008-11-16. Retrieved 2011-12-26.

Stoneware figure of Budai ('Laughing Buddha') at British Museum

"Osho talks on the fat-bellied laughing Chinese Zen Buddhist arhat named Budai". Livingworkshop.net. Retrieved 2011-12-26.

"Tao Living: Maitreya Buddha". Taoism.net. Retrieved 2011-12-26.

kwan im love children

Kuan-Yin was a Chinese Buddhist goddess based on a real woman, the way Kuan-Ti was based on a real man. According to the story, her father murdered her, and she went down to the underworld. But when she got there, she recited the holy books, and that prevented the god of the underworld from torturing the dead souls. He didn't like that, and so he sent Kuan-Yin back to be alive again. When Kuan-Yin came back to life, she spent all her time studying Buddhist ideas, and so the Buddha made her immortal (so she would never die).

Kuan Yin became the goddess of mercy and compassion. She was very popular. People who wanted her to help them shook rattles and set off firecrackers to get her attention. She is usually shown as a lady holding a baby, dressed in white, sitting on a lotus.

Stories about Kuan-Yin seem to have actually gotten started from stories about a male Indian boddhisatva called Avalokitesvara. Somehow, along the way, Kuan-Yin changed both her name and her gender!

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Hi needhelp?, just curious, what lineage teachers are you learning from?

As for Yi Kuan Tao, they are a syncretic cult not recognized by any true, authentic Buddhist teacher/traditions. Syncretic means they try to combine all the teachings from various religions - christian, taoism, buddhism, i think hindu or muslim as well - into some kind of new age religion.

They *doctored, invented* their own Maitreya sutra and claim that their founder is in fact Maitreya Buddha as prophecised by Shakyamuni Buddha. Of course, this is but one out of many, numerous Maitreya cults that have sprout in the world. In the same way in Christianity there are also a lot of cults centered on their founders being the Messiah prophecised by Jesus - Messiah or the second coming of Jesus Christ in person, etc. Whenever there are prophecies, there will be people trying to 'fulfill' these prophecies.

Furthermore there are elements of 'fear-based tactics' in Yi Kuan Tao - for example their tang shi will initiate them and write their names on some paper to be sent to heaven, in order to "ensure" that they will be reborn in heaven in the next life. They will also be told a mantra - Wu Tai Fo Mi Le - and if they ever let out that secret, it is said that they will be struck by lightning. Apparently many believers actually believe in these stuff.

Basically - a cult. But Singapore is tolerant of cults, as long as they don't really harm people too much or prevent normal functioning of society (like Jeehovah Witness prevent people from entering NS so is banned in Singapore), Singapore is non-secular and allows freedom of religious practices.

But from the Buddhist perspective, Yi Kuan Dao is definitely far from teaching the true dharma as taught by the Buddha. Keep away.