E1S14E€ in m INTO en CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS CO By Henry Dor6, S. J. M&nceocw TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH WITH NOTES, HISTORICAL. AND EXPLANATORY By M, Kennelly, S.J, y^*^&t ill MM, W m/\ Second Part THE CHINESE PANTHEON Profusely illustrated Vol, VIII T'USEWEI PRINTING PRESS Shanghai V.s 1926 *" ' • __* I W^ll ~~» ma i< ^ •' INTO CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS By Henpy Dpr6, S.J. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH WITH NOTES, HISTORICAL, AND EXPLANATORY By M. Kennelly, S.J, v_ Second I%rt THE CHINESE PANTHEON Profusely illustrated Vol. VIII T'USEWBI PRINTING PRESS Shanghai 1926 2)s 2>6/3 St"P26 196Z '*?*S/TY Of *0* 81*l839 — i — PREFACE This Eighth Volume of "Chinese Superstitions' is divided into two parts. i° The first, dealing with various Buddhist Worthies and Saintly Monks (pp 499-617). It contains, moreover, the amusing legend of the Monkey-king (pp. 553-562), known to among the Chinese as Sun-heu-tze 0| ff£ -=p, and intended give a fanciful account of the life and adventures of a Buddhist monk named Hsiien-tsang J ^, or Yuen-tsang x ^» who went to India in the 7 11 ' century, and after sojourning 17 years in the country, returned with 657 Buddhist books, pictures and the relics (1). 2 The second part gives short biographies on Founders of Buddhist Schools in China, and closes with a list of the various Buddhist Schools, that have arisen in the country, since the arrival of Bodhidharma (A. D. 527), Ta-moh ta-shi jg ]§i founder of the down to the ^ ftp, "Contemplative School", present day (pp. 617-716). Our sources are the same as in the preceding volume: the General History of Gods and Immortals, Shen-sien fung-kien %$ arRl lne Biographies of Gods, Show-shen-ki \% jji$ IE- fill ?! fSt — To these must be added the recent work of Chow-yih ^p , "Illustrated Edition, giving the names of Founders of Schools", Ch'ung-k'oh fuh-tsu cheng-tsung tao-ying J| £ij {$ jj& IE ^ M. W> at Soochow in the (p. 617). This was published || j>[\ 1880, author being an expert in the matter, and in nowise influenced by Western ideas or traditions. Besides these Chinese works, we have gleaned much, especially in the Notes, from Western writers: Sir Monier Williams, Edkins, Hackmann, Johnston, Sinica Eitel, Geden, Wylie, Mayers, Giles and the Encyclopaedia tender our best and that their (2). To all, we thanks, hope 119. -Giles. Chinese (1) Edkins. Chinese Buddhism, p Biographical — 572. note 2. Dictionary. 313-314. Chinese Superstitions. Vol. V1JI. p. for this Volume. (2) See List of Foreign Works consulted Eighth — II — eminent science will prove helpful in appreciating Buddhism, and elucidating many an abstruse problem. 1» First Part. — Buddhist Worthies and Saintly Monks, continued. Among those here described, many came from India, and spent a large part of their lives in China. All endeavours have been made to find their original Hindu names, place of origin, when they entered China, and the monastery where they lived and taught. It is a well-known fact that Chinese writers murder all foreign names to such an extent that these become unrecogni- zable, and create no small difficulty for historians and translators. The greater part of these foreign monks took years in reaching China, crossing the Karakoram Pass (i8,5oo feet high), then travelling along the Tarim and over the Takla-makan desert, till they reached the Western cities of China, and finally settled at or Ch'ang-ngan f< % (i), Lohyang $jf %, Nanking jf %, then known as Kin-ling (p \>£. To quote but the most eminent, let us mention Vajramati, _ who introduced Kin-kang san-tsang ^ pj|ij H. M (PP- 499 5o2), the Yogachara System into China; Amogha, Puh-k'ung 7^ 5g (pp. 5o3-5o4), who represents principally the Tantra School. It is lie also who established in the country the festival of feeding hungry ghosts, Ulamba, held annually throughout China on the h 1 1 of 3' of the 7" month (p. 5o3). Both these early Hindu monks were thorough magicians, giving and stopping rain, spiriting their persons away, and amusing the Court by curious art (2). Buddhabhadra was also a distinguished Hindu monk, who (iossed the Karakoram Bass to come to China, and meeting Ku- merajiva, worked with him for several years, translating a valuable life of Buddha, a new Amitayus Sutra, and the Vinaya of the Sangha (3 }. lern (I) The Si ngan fu g >< Hf. capital of Shensi Rfe H. See Chinese Superstitions Vol. \ III p. 501, and 504 The Ordei oi of the (:V) Sangha. Fraternity monks ; Buddhisl Brother- hood. Moniei Williams p ti 72 — Ill — The Shaman (l) Buddhayasha, a native of Kashmir, reached China in the fifth century. He also joined Kumerajiva, and helped in translating Sanscrit works into Chinese (p. 552). Among the Chinese, a few also travelled to India, studied there the Sanscrit or Pali language (2), and returned with a large number of Buddhist works. The story of Hsiien-tsang ]£ ££, in who set out from Clrang-ngan -g: ^?, A. D. 629, and returned 64a, is told at full in this Volume (pp. 567-572), and the reader is referred thereto. Others never left China, but still acquired fame through their scientific attainments. Such are Yih-hsing — ff (A. D. 672-717), who corrected the calendar of the T'ang $ dynasty; T'ung-hsiien ^ £ (A. D. 634-730), a famous writer, who produced 40 books of essays, 80 containing prayer-formulas, and 10 of annotations (p. 540). One day, travelling to a certain place, he encountered a tiger, and placing his works on the back of the monster, made him accompany him on the way (p. 539). Besides those Great Worthies, the Volume contains the list of 65 Saintly Monks (pp. 575-6o5), who preached the Law in the great monasteries, and in various parts of the country. Here again, a large number among them came from India, Kashmir, Bactria, Parthia, Sogdiana, Cambodia etc. All, whether foreign or native, are invited to the annual banquet of the gods, given by the Fairy Queen of the West, Si-wang-mu fa 3E # (3)- Of (1) Shaman (another form of Sramana). A Buddhist ascetic, subject to monastic discipline. It comprises all those who separate themselves from the world and the familj', and are admitted to the Sangha Chinese Super- stitions. Vol. VII. p. 334. (2) Pali. The vernacular Language of Magadha, called Magadhi Prakrit — Eitel. Sanscrit-Chinese Dictionary, p. 88. Chinese Superstitions. Vol. VIII. p. 541. note 3. (3) Si-wang-mu f§ 3E #, the Royal Mother, Queen of the Immortals. A legendary being supposed to dwell upon the Kuen-hm %_ -^ mountains at the head of troops of genii. In her garden grew peaches, which ripen every 3.000 years, and confer immortality upon those who eat them. Giles. Chinese Biographical Dictionar}'. p. 272 — IV — the monks who came from abroad, and acquired fame in their adopted country, we may mention Kasyapa-Matanga (p. 575), one of the immediate disciples of Sakyamuni; Dharmananda (p. 577); Buddhajanga (p. 578); the Upasaka'(i) Chi-k'ien % f§ (p. 5S4), who spoke (i languages and wrote 46 distinct works; Kaundinya (p. H04), a prince of Magadha, and maternal uncle of Sakyamuni. Among the natives, Fah-hsien j% If (A.I) 371 460) studied under Buddhajanga, and finding Buddhist works lacking in his own country, proceeded to India A. 1). 399, and returned in 414, with a full set of the Canon in the original Sanscrit. The story of his travels was given to the world under the title of "Records th of Buddhistic Kingdoms" (2). In the VI century, Yun-kwang W it lived in the "Monastery of the Heavenly Dragon", T'ien- at lung-sze ~H f[| ^p, and preached the Law Nanking f£[ tjC, flowers meanwhile falling from the heavens. Later on, the conferred on him the knoll emperor Yu-hwa-t'ai pjf :}£ £> (3), commemorating the wonderful prodigy mentioned above (p. 591). A Buddhist nun the named Wu Tsin-tsang fiffi §g |j| learned from mouth of Hwei-neng *| f£ the Nirvana Sutra (p. 399). The influence of the foreign and native monks upon one ano- ther is most interesting to observe. The Hindu brought to China his metaphysical ideas, his doctrine of Nirvana, his phantastic glorification of Buddha, his fictitious Bodhisattvas, his Sutras, which the Chinese, deprived of the critical sense, accepted as a New Gospel. Many ideas were turned to a utilitarian purpose "Contemplation" taking the place of metaphysics, and forming the great characteristic of Chinese Buddhism. (1) Upasaka. A lay Buddhist, who, without entering upon monastic observed the "> rules of conduct. life, Chinese Superstitions. Vol. VII. p. 334. Translated (2) by Rgmusot, Paris, 1883; Heal, London, 1869; Giles, London, ISTT: Legge, 1886 Oxford, Clarendon I'itss. This edition contains also the Chinese text) YQ-hwa t'ai A knoll to the (3) ffi '){{ -f; South of Nanking. At no trace of the present, monastery exists; in its stead a battery has been placed on the bill-top — V Accompanying these 65 Saintly Monks, are (S other rather " eccentric Buddhists, honoured also in temples. The Monk of the Cold Cave", the "Foundling", and the "Nesting Arhat" are the most prominent among them. The of the Legend Monkey-king, Sun-heu-tze |f| Jf£ ^f. This written legendary story, probably by a Taoist (i), is a fanciful account of the of journey Yuen-tsang ^ ij± to India, in the VII th century, for the purpose of visiting the holy places of Buddhism, and bringing back copies of the Sacred Books.