(241)   Tue 25 Nov 97  9:26
By: Steve Hayes
To: All
Re: East Asian religions atheistic?
St:
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Several people have made remarks to the effect that east Asian religions are
atheistic. It's a bit of an over generalisation.

Kuan Ti: the god of war.

    In almost every Chinese house there is an altar on the wall containing
a picture of Kuan Ti, the red-faced god of war. It always faces the
entrance, for demons and evil spirits do not dare to enter into his
presence. He is the greatest and most powerful god in the pantheon. Prior
to his deification, Kuan Ti was a historical figure who lived from AD
162-220. He was a mighty warrior. In about AD 184 there had been a peasant
rebellion against the Han dynasty. The rebels were called Yellow Turbans
from the scarves they tied round their heads. The empire was in chaos, and
was effectively ruled by a succession of warlords, and was divided into
three kingdoms, Wei in the north, Wu in the south and Shu in the west. Kuan
Yu, whose original name was Yun-chang, had been outlawed, but formed a
force in the service of general Yuan Shao with two "brothers", the senior
of whom was Liu Pei. In a time of shifting loyalties, he was admired for
his loyalty to Liu Pei. It was the fusion of "might" and "right" that led
to his deification. He was betrayed and beheaded, and his spirit appeared
to a Buddhist priest who instructed him in the law. In the 7th century his
cult was adopted by the Buddhists
              Source: Chamberlain (1987:47).

Pak Tai: Emperor of the North.

    Pak Tai is sometimes confused with Kuan Ti because they do much the
same job in heaven. In order to fit him into the Taoist scheme whereby gods
achieve their place in heaven through a prior earthly existence, there have
been several biographies. He is said to have lived around 2000 BC, and most
of the stories of him have the same elements - warer, bare feet, and a
sudden transference to heaven. There is less divergence about what he did
there. Two monsters, a tortoise and a snake, were ravaging the earth. Pak
Tai was placed at the head of the heavenly armies and sent to earth to
subdue them. Barefoot, his hair flowing over his shoulders, and wearing a
long black robe, Pak Tai destroyed the monsters. He flung them down a huge
chasm in Szechuan, which is regarded as the mouth of hell. On his return he
was made first lord of heaven.
              Source: Chamberlain (1987:56).

The Purple Planet.

    The Purple Planet is the Pole Star which, because of its fixity in the
heavens was an image of imperial stability. His image acts as a defence
against evil spirits. Like all ancient civilizations the Chinese posited a
relationship between the order of society and the harmony of the heavens.
Yellow and purple were regarded as complementary colours. He is shown as a
bald man riding a green tiger, though it looks more like a Pekinese dog.
              Source: Chamberlain (1987) 62ff).


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