Fengshen-Yanyi
Naming, Appointing, or Binding of Gods
Persia: Shah-Nameh and Nizami
Poetry and Amin Maaloaf (Thanks, Nick.)
India: Ramayana and Mahabharata
(Bhagavad-Gita is a part of Mahabharata...as
many interesting indian
stories)
And in China: I choose Journey to the West and Fengshen-Yanyi (Perhaps
I can
translate this into Naming of the God: "Naming" means
appointing, or more
mystically, "binding".
The list Above is from little knowledge I have from the most mythologic
/ fantastic
sagas and tales from
the POV of european standard, if they are not so good
as literature. (FREX, Fengshen-Yanyi was not so appreciated by great writer
Lu Xun (1881-1936) as Journey to the West. Though I think it is worthy for
its plotline and system
of background rather than from the POV of
literature.) And Taoistic Religion
was not unified as a modern category of
religion until the famous
religionists of late Hun dynasty appeared and
arranged philosophy of
naturalists in Warring States period and folklores
under the alien influence
of Buddhism philosophy.
Some stereotyped Indians as metaphysicians while
Chinese as realists for the
matter of religion, (thus taoism is very
Secularistic....)
*Taoistic Terms
Monkey King
and this tale is some common points, both of them depends on
real historical
facts, as Monkey King was based on the real incident for the
Buddhist priest Xuan Zang(596-664) who travelled to India for the scrolls
of mahayana
buddhism in the rule of the second Emperor of Tang Dynasty, the
legendary
battle between the tyrant Shou of Shang and the Western dukes of
Zhou. around
1050BC. Famous Historians since Sima Quan knew and wrote much
about that
legendary "fact" because Confucius approved the Founders of Zhou
dynasty
greatly in his teaching,
http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Myth/shang.htm
http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Zhou/westzhou.htm
Maybe
westerners have long puzzled for the both acceptability to each other
Taoism
and Buddhism without any competition with their bloody history
among
monotheists (I don't know a sort of Syncretism term can be applied to
such
status, more suitable words...?) in the tale, though I don't think I
should
mention here about Sikhism or Manichaesm mix tradition and their
foundation
history and suspective point of view from outsiders, but please
consider
about the completion of these tales into modern style is relatively
current
age...in Ming Dynasty.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/sun_wu-kung.html
Maybe fusion of characters like Nuocha (Nezha) appeared early to Yuan Dynasty when
popular
novels thrived under the oppression of Mongol. See below. And even
in modern
day, some of Taoism Shrines are decorated by the sculptures and
pictures of
these characters of the stories.
*Background
(But please remember Tantric Bakhti Tradition in India like worship of
Krishna
appeared from the defiance
to the sort of Pharisaism of Brahmin castes and
their method to acquire
Sacred Duty and their view to the mystical goal to
unify Artman to God
Brahman....)
In the background Fengshen-Yanyi that very, very ancient
China before the
concept of Middle Kingdom, there is no difference between Xians and Shens,
and there was no distinct boundaries among Xians, and ordinary humans.
(Maybe I can translate them into directly Sages and
Gods...or through
hinduistic terms, Risi (Great Brahmani) and Deva, and that story explains
how Sages literally banished lesser Sages into Divine World.)
Xians attain
immortality and other mystical power through ascetic disciplines
and their
long lives, but even through asceticism, they sometimes could not
help
liberating their oppressed inner impulse to brutal behavior only once in
a
thousand and a half years, and they do so together in the righteous
time
like such era.
*Providence from Heaven
There no personality in
the will of capital-G God in the Chinese
Cosmological Religion, but it keep
Cycles of Age properly and keep
temperance and Justice in Divine Order. And in the Story, the will of Heaven
certainly let the change of the ruling
Dynasty, War of Xians.
http://www.chinavista.com/experience/myth/myth.html#feature
Maybe
their POV against humanity is not far from the real state of
affairs,
certainly in the tale, some Xians intentionally or unintentionally
went
against the Will and lost, for the almost 400 numbers of
characters
appearing in this story, the number of days in a year, 365 people
will die
in both sides of Zhou and Shang, Chan and Jie. Certainly some
(many?) of the
writers to many versions failed to compromise all of demands
from
readers.....Is is right or wrong...to fight against own destiny or
doom?
*Chan
(Mountain) Sect
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/k/kun-lun.html
Many
of the Mountain Sages are from human origin (you might know, there is
no
distinct difference between humanity and non-humanity in the
mystical
discipline in the Cosmology of India and China, as "primitive"
animism
culture....) most of them sided with Jiang Taigong and Count (later
King) of
Zhou. Many of them tried to wash their Karma of Will to
Death.....Homicide
by that chance..see below.
*Jie (Isles)
Sect
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/peng-lai.html
On
the contrary of Chan Sect, the many Xians of this Sect were from
Inhuman
origin, some of them are from animals, plants and even from minerals
through
blessing the Essence of Mystical Energy....getting intelligence
through
touching with the Mystery of Cosmos and costume themselves as human
Xians,
most of them sided with losing side and met the pogrom of human
Xians.....
*Karma of Will to Death.....Homicide
About once
per 1500 years, Xians could not help oppress their darkside to
kill
something, so great war is required for their satisfaction of blood,
and who
contributes their ascension by coming to their victims...they will
become
Stellar Gods of Calendar, as in the tale. And each xians develop
their secret
weapon and magical treasures for the Battle.
*Treasures
Most of Xians
in the tale could not use their mystical power without proper
Treasures, they
use them as a sort of foci for their miracles. And disciples
of greater Xians
sometimes can use Superior Treasures and methods if they
know proper
procedure.
*"Revolution" of Shang and Zhou
Change of Ruling Dynasty of
Middle Kingdom, but I can't tell much about
here, neither about the meaning
in the tale and that in the actual ancient
history.
*Shen Gongbao, "Xian who rides on the Tiger"
One day, Emperor Yao wanted to abdicate his throne to him, but
he refused it
and washed his ears for he heard dirty things.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/yao.html
In
the tale, he always sided with Jie Sects though never directly opposed
to
Zhou Army or Xians from Mountain, but he opposed the Providence.
He has
a magical treasure which makes Thunderbolt. (Tsutomu Anou)
*Jiang
Taigong
I don't think I need to mention the writing of Masamitsu Miyagitani
for the
man, he was the Legendary Strategist and Tactician long before Sun-Tzu
(but doubted actual existence as Lao Tzu, see below.) Sima Quan himself
wrote some about him.
http://www.chinavista.com/experience/story/story2.html#3
He
is the main hero of the tale, he received the list of Binding Gods
from
Trimulty of Xians and began the War.
*Nuocha (Nezha)
He appears in
Journey to the West, as the one of the Heaven Generals against
Monkey King,
later, as one of his helpers against monsters.
http://www.china-on-site.com/literatu/classic/west/044.htm
http://www.china-on-site.com/literatu/classic/west/042.htm
In
that tale, he sided with Jinag Taigong and Zhou,
*Yang Jian
He appears in
Journey to the West, as the one of the Heaven Generals against
Monkey King and Great Master of Transformation Art, later,
as one of his helpers against monsters.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/er-lang.html
http://www.china-on-site.com/literatu/classic/west/062.htm
http://www.china-on-site.com/literatu/classic/west/065.htm
In
that tale, he sided with Jinag Taigong and Zhou,
*Lao-Tei
Lao-Tzu, when he
appeared in Mundane World and taught his mystical
philosophy.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/huang-lao-jun.html
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/l/lao-jun.html
As
one of Trimulty of Taoistic Cosmology, he appears in the Tale and
shows
rather ambiguous attitude, (varied in different
writers)
*Yuan-Shi Tian Zong
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/yuan-shi_tian-zong.html
As
one of Trimulty of Taoistic Cosmology, he appears in the Tale and he is
the
master of Chan Sect and Jiang Taigong.
*Nu-Gua
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/n/nu-gua.html
The
one of Greatest Entity of the Celestian and sent Daji and fox spirits to
the
Shang court. Again, who decide the Providence and Future? (Tsutomu
Anou)
*Daji
Fox Spirit, in Japanese Legend, she was also the monster
who seduced kings
of Indian Magada Dynasty and Xia Dynasty (before Shang) and
West Zhou of
China and destroyed them by whispering bad things, and later
crossed the sea
and wreaked havoc to Japanese Court of Kyoto....just a Legend
and a
Folktale.
Other
Fengshen-Yanyi heroes
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/huang_fei-hu.html
Fengshen-Yanyi
http://www1.plala.or.jp/fengshen/
Below
is rather harsh criticism (influenced by Confucianism Orthodox
Doctrine
(Tsutomu Anou))
<<
Attributed to Xu Zhonglin (d. 1566) or to Lu
Xixing (d. 1601), this novel
of the type of a historical romance is a great
fantasy about the overthrow
of the bad, depraved ruler Zhou of the Shang
dynasty by king Wu of Zhou .
The sources for this novel include oral and
written material about Taoist
heroes and gods, monsters and spirits that
assist king Wu in subduing the
bad ruler or help bad king Zhou to resist the
heaven appointed rebel.
Inspired by his fox-ghost concubine Daji (not
Danji!), king Zhou murders
his loyal ministers and even his own son. After
the downfall of Shang, the
suicide of king Zhou and the exorcism of Daji by
Jiang Ziya , king Wu
enfeoffs all his followers with a part of the kingdom,
creating the Zhou
feudal system. The deceased and killed heroes (the "gods"
of the title),
even the enemies, are invested with a heavenly
constellation.
The novel is well-composed and organized in an endless
sequence of battles
between the heroes that are not only fighting with
weapons but also with
words, trying to persuade the opponent to follow the
justified side. The
monotony of the endless battles makes the book a quite
boring lecture, even
if the author tries to introduce unexpected elements
like suddenly joining
Taoist or even Buddhist heroes >>
Tsutomu
Annou's refutation:
<<Ha! Confucians are all hypocrites and
supported all of oppressive tyrant
dynasties of Chinese History, they spread
lies to whole world that
Fengshen-Yanyi is childish popular tale and too
lowbrow to show as a
literature, but we all know local taoists and populace
who have true eyes to
the true pleasure could not ignore this tale, all knows
this tale, and they
built shrines for the heroes of Fengshen-Yanyi, that is
the proof propaganda
damage affects to how the true arts!>> (Maybe
contaminated by "Rightwing
Communism....?)
Though I cannot agree both
of their opinions directly, I can say at least
the latter part of "Journey to
the West" is boring as much as the perpetual
war between Shang and Zhou part
in the tale, as European Feudal Symbolic
Literatures, it is not amusement,
but at least very good for understanding
Taoistic Cosmology, I
think.
Creation of the Gods
http://clausius.engr.utk.edu/planetc/books/creation/index.html
Fengshen-Yanyi Literature
http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Novels/novels.htm#fengshen
Taoism
and Fengshen-Yanyi
http://www.taoism.org.hk/taoist-world-today/taoism&us/pg7-5-3-10.htm
Koei
Game of Fengshen-Yanyi
http://gs-real03.zdnet.com/gamespot/filters/products/0,11114,537316,00.html
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