Honolulu Star Bulletin. Friday, February 22, 1957 - Clarice B. Taylor's "Tales about Hawaii"
If your Chinese grandpa was a scholar, he would have probably have told you that both T'aoism and Buddhism are a "way of life."
Buddhism, the scholar says, is divided into two schools - the big cartwheel school which prevails from India to japan and the small cartwheel school which spread through Burma, Siam, Indochina and Sumatra.
The big wheel teachings are based upon the sayings of Buddha after he sat under the Bohdi tree and received enlightenment.
The small wheel teachings are based upon the sayings of Buddha before he received enlightenment.
EVANGELICAL MONK
Big cartwheel teachings where brought by a Buddhist monk to China about 420 A.D. and the Buddhists reached their greatest influence in the seventh century during the Tun dynasty.
Buddhist monks won over many T'aoists by preaching the doctrine of incarnation and so absorbing many of the T'aoist gods into Buddhism under new names.
Buddhist monks said that the T'aoist Triad of gods were the previous incarnations of the Buddhist Triad of Three Precious Ones.
The Triad consists of Shih Chia Fo (Shakya in India), who is the Lord Buddha - he who attained perfection through enlightenment; Omit'o Fo (Amita in India), the law, and Ju Lai Fo (Tathagata), the priesthood.
The monks found the Chinese has a popular goddess Tou Mu, The Bushell mother who resides in the North Pole star and with her nine sons (stars of the Great Bear) governs the universe and controls the books of life and death.
GODDESS OF LIGHT
Buddhists recognized her as the Indian Maritchi, the goddess of light who holds aloft the moon and sun and protects the world against war.
They pictured her seated on a lotus throne with three eyes and 18 arms each holding some precious object.
Other Buddhist monks said she was Kuan Yin, the female incarnation of the Bodhisavatta Samantabhadra (great compassion) who sits on the left of the Lord Buddha as one of the two nearest perfection.
Samantabhadra is Ju Lai Fo of the Buddhist Triad of Three Precious Ones.
NEXT: Chung Kuei
Showing posts with label Kuan Yin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kuan Yin. Show all posts
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
► Chinese Lore for Chinese-Hawaiians - 3: Chinese Religion
Honolulu Star Bulletin. Wednesday, February 6, 1957 - Tales about Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor
Chinese Grandpa who lived in Honolulu was fortunate. He was near Chinese temples and scholars who conducted Chinese language schools.
Chinese Grandpa who live in the country of had to walk miles to consult a scholar who could translate or write Chinese letters for him or advise him of festival dates in the Chinese Almanac.
Grandpa did not attempt to keep the worship days of all deities.
He had a particular deity to who he was devoted - perhaps Kuan Yin - and he made his devotions regularly on the First day of the new moon and on the 15th day of the lunar month.
If he lived in the city, Grandpa may have had a statue of his special deity standing on a shelf with his ancestor tablet.
He regularly placed offerings of wine, rice, and the three living things - fish, fowl and pork - before the figure.
PICTURE OF DEITY
If he did not have a statue, he has a picture of the deity or a scroll with the name on it in Chinese characters.
It was only in the temples that incense was lighted on the days devoted to the worship of deities.
For instance, in the first month (February of 1957) almost every day is a worship day for some deity.
The first day (Chinese New Year) is a big day. Offerings must be made to the high gods (four) - Seong Yin - the moon goddess - and to the ancestors.
The second day of the first month is the day to make offerings to a great benefactor who invented the wheel. As a deified being, he is worship[p]ed as Chia (carriage) Kung (male).
DAYS OF WORSHIP
Sung Thunz Yang is worship[p]ed on the third day, the goddess who protects the bamboo container which holds chopsticks is worship[p]ed on the fourth, the king of the grain on the eighth, the Jade Emperor Yuk Wong, on the ninth.
Tu Sun, and earth god, is worship[p]ed on the 10th day of the first month; the moon goddess on the 15th; the god of order and pacification on the 16th; the door god on the 19th; the god of wealth and children, on the 20th and the great god of wealth on the 26th.
Chinese remember the youth Chew Choi Tong Gee on the 20th day by telling their children about the unfortunate lad who abused his mother and accidentally killed her on the day he had intended to reform.
NEXT: Moon worship
* worship[p]ed - original to this text
Chinese Grandpa who lived in Honolulu was fortunate. He was near Chinese temples and scholars who conducted Chinese language schools.
Chinese Grandpa who live in the country of had to walk miles to consult a scholar who could translate or write Chinese letters for him or advise him of festival dates in the Chinese Almanac.
Grandpa did not attempt to keep the worship days of all deities.
He had a particular deity to who he was devoted - perhaps Kuan Yin - and he made his devotions regularly on the First day of the new moon and on the 15th day of the lunar month.
If he lived in the city, Grandpa may have had a statue of his special deity standing on a shelf with his ancestor tablet.
He regularly placed offerings of wine, rice, and the three living things - fish, fowl and pork - before the figure.
PICTURE OF DEITY
If he did not have a statue, he has a picture of the deity or a scroll with the name on it in Chinese characters.
It was only in the temples that incense was lighted on the days devoted to the worship of deities.
For instance, in the first month (February of 1957) almost every day is a worship day for some deity.
The first day (Chinese New Year) is a big day. Offerings must be made to the high gods (four) - Seong Yin - the moon goddess - and to the ancestors.
The second day of the first month is the day to make offerings to a great benefactor who invented the wheel. As a deified being, he is worship[p]ed as Chia (carriage) Kung (male).
DAYS OF WORSHIP
Sung Thunz Yang is worship[p]ed on the third day, the goddess who protects the bamboo container which holds chopsticks is worship[p]ed on the fourth, the king of the grain on the eighth, the Jade Emperor Yuk Wong, on the ninth.
Tu Sun, and earth god, is worship[p]ed on the 10th day of the first month; the moon goddess on the 15th; the god of order and pacification on the 16th; the door god on the 19th; the god of wealth and children, on the 20th and the great god of wealth on the 26th.
Chinese remember the youth Chew Choi Tong Gee on the 20th day by telling their children about the unfortunate lad who abused his mother and accidentally killed her on the day he had intended to reform.
NEXT: Moon worship
* worship[p]ed - original to this text
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