Instructions on Chinese Buddhist Deity Worship

[anand]

Dears

I am looking for books, links, groups etc. that can provide me with detailed practical instructions in English on deity worship within the context of Chinese Buddhism. Not Pure Land though as they seem to focus only on Amitabha and I prefer a more polytheistic approach.

I actually want to practice Chinese Folk Religion, but because it is hard to get access to any decently structured path, due to language and cultural barriers, I feel attracted to the way, for example, Chan Buddhism goes about worship.

My purpose with the worship is self-purification and enlightenment via communion with divine entities, through ritual, mantra recitation and visualization.

Main deities I am interested in are Yu Huang, Ne Zha and Pu-Tai (Maitreya).

Any tips highly appreciated!

Thank you!

ananda

[HauntedHotel]

I actually want to practice Chinese Folk Religion

I know a bit about these things.
If you have some specific questions or specific things you are interested in, I could probably share somethings that would be interesting or usefull.

About Na Zha, generally there are two: Lotus Taizi & Nine dragon Taizi.

As far as books go. Read journey to the west! and the good show from the 80's is on youtube with eng subs, you can watch it.

I feel attracted to the way, for example, Chan Buddhism goes about worship.

What does this mean?

[Zhen Li]

Dears

I am looking for books, links, groups etc. that can provide me with detailed practical instructions in English on deity worship within the context of Chinese Buddhism. Not Pure Land though as they seem to focus only on Amitabha and I prefer a more polytheistic approach.

I actually want to practice Chinese Folk Religion, but because it is hard to get access to any decently structured path, due to language and cultural barriers, I feel attracted to the way, for example, Chan Buddhism goes about worship.

My purpose with the worship is self-purification and enlightenment via communion with divine entities, through ritual, mantra recitation and visualization.

Main deities I am interested in are Yu Huang, Ne Zha and Pu-Tai (Maitreya).

Any tips highly appreciated!

Thank you!

ananda

In Chan, Amitābha is worshipped alongside many other buddhas and bodhisattvas. So, he will come up in every sect of Chinese practice.

In terms of ritual, mantras, and visualisation, alongside folk religion elements, what comes to mind is Wuzhishan (五智山光明王寺): http://www.kmkt.org.tw/

They don't have anything in English, and there are no such groups that practise in English of which I know. This researcher has many articles about it. Their lineage is linked to Japanese Shingon, but visualisation and mantra recitation is not a big thing in East Asian Buddhism outside of some kind of Vajrayāna. Otherwise, visualisation does occur in more strictly Pure Land contexts.

[bowsamic]

Dears

I am looking for books, links, groups etc. that can provide me with detailed practical instructions in English on deity worship within the context of Chinese Buddhism. Not Pure Land though as they seem to focus only on Amitabha and I prefer a more polytheistic approach.

I actually want to practice Chinese Folk Religion, but because it is hard to get access to any decently structured path, due to language and cultural barriers, I feel attracted to the way, for example, Chan Buddhism goes about worship.

My purpose with the worship is self-purification and enlightenment via communion with divine entities, through ritual, mantra recitation and visualization.

Main deities I am interested in are Yu Huang, Ne Zha and Pu-Tai (Maitreya).

Any tips highly appreciated!

Thank you!

ananda

Are you the one called "shen-shaman" on Discord?

[anand]

I actually want to practice Chinese Folk Religion

I know a bit about these things.
If you have some specific questions or specific things you are interested in, I could probably share somethings that would be interesting or usefull.

About Na Zha, generally there are two: Lotus Taizi & Nine dragon Taizi.

As far as books go. Read journey to the west! and the good show from the 80's is on youtube with eng subs, you can watch it.

I feel attracted to the way, for example, Chan Buddhism goes about worship.

What does this mean?

Thank you for your response. A Journey to the West is a wonderful source of inspiration for sure, to know more about the nature of the deities. Such things are also quite easy to find. What is less easy (unless one knows Chinese) is the way rituals have to be conducted and offerings have to be made, to each specific deity, to show them one's devotion and sincerity and to strengthen mindfulness of action. Then which mantras / chants / prayers can be used for each deity, how the Chinese or Sanskrit should be pronounced? Which materials malas or ritual tools should be made of, and for example how wholesome 'magical' incantations or evocations are made that fit particular deities, to activate their force in the world.

What is "Lotus Taizi & Nine dragon Taizi" ?

In Chan, Amitābha is worshipped alongside many other buddhas and bodhisattvas. So, he will come up in every sect of Chinese practice.

In terms of ritual, mantras, and visualisation, alongside folk religion elements, what comes to mind is Wuzhishan (五智山光明王寺): http://www.kmkt.org.tw/

They don't have anything in English, and there are no such groups that practise in English of which I know. This researcher has many articles about it. Their lineage is linked to Japanese Shingon, but visualisation and mantra recitation is not a big thing in East Asian Buddhism outside of some kind of Vajrayāna. Otherwise, visualisation does occur in more strictly Pure Land contexts.

Yes I am aware that Amitabha is worshipped in other schools to, but there it's alongside the other deities, and that's perfectly fine with me - I like Amitabha I just prefer not to make my worship too monotheistic so to speak. I like it how each deity brings their particular energy into existence.

Wuzhishan looks nice and knowing how many esoteric schools there probably are in China, I feel pressured to learn Chinese so that I can get access to the very vast field of knowledge that is probably out there. I will probably try to get in touch with a school like that regardless, maybe there are some practitioners who know sufficient English to explain me how they practice. You say Wuzhishan is inspired by Shingon. Well Shingon came originally from China I think (Zhenyan esoteric Buddhism), and I guess Shingon has helped to revive the tradition again after the destruction of the lineages by nationalist and communist repression throughout the 20th century?

You say that outside Vajrayana mantra isn't a thing in East Asian Buddhism. I think I would like to question that, if I may, as far as China goes. I have the impression that most schools of Chinese Buddhism practice mantra extensively, also Chan? And this is because I think that all Chinese schools got affected quite a bit by esoteric practices? Initially during the Tang dynasty? While in Japan this deity worship and mantra are situated mostly in Pure Land and Shingon and the other schools there practice mostly zazen style of meditation, I think in China generally mantra and deity worship have a much stronger position as methods for meditation, in nearly all schools? But please correct me if you think I am wrong.

Are you the one called "shen-shaman" on Discord?

Yes, I am And I think that it is a bit sad that I stick out so much with my questions, as it shows, I think, how western secularism is impacting Buddhist tradition. It is hard to get simple information about Buddhist deity worship in English, probably because not many western Buddhists practice it. Many western Buddhists seem to want to cut out these elements from the teachings as being a kind of corruption of the 'original, true, pure' secular teachings of the Buddha. While I think they are in line with Buddhist principles, and one of the genuine paths to enlightenment within Buddhism, and a very strong one at that, because I think they appeal directly to the heart, which immediately solves the obstacle that the intellect often poses to deeper experience.

I think my main conclusion is that I got to find people who practice this path, and ask them. And for that learning Chinese will probably be very beneficial.

Thanks everyone!

Ananda

[dawn of peace]

Dears

I am looking for books, links, groups etc. that can provide me with detailed practical instructions in English on deity worship within the context of Chinese Buddhism.

as far as I can tell, the Chinese form of Buddhism is not as popular in English speaking circle compare to Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism.

if you want to learn more about Chinese Buddhism, you can visit this link:http://www.cttbusa.org/

Not Pure Land though as they seem to focus only on Amitabha and I prefer a more polytheistic approach.

the pureland practice is consider to be the dominant form of Buddhism in modern Chinese circle.

[anand]

as far as I can tell, the Chinese form of Buddhism is not as popular in English speaking circle compare to Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism.

if you want to learn more about Chinese Buddhism, you can visit this link:http://www.cttbusa.org/

Not Pure Land though as they seem to focus only on Amitabha and I prefer a more polytheistic approach.

the pureland practice is consider to be the dominant form of Buddhism in modern Chinese circle.

Thank you, dawn of peace! They worship Pu-Tai, so that's interesting.

[VolkerK]

Jinyin Temple of Sino Esoteric Buddhism
https://www.facebook.com/JinyinTempleUSA/

American Buddhist Temple
https://www.abtemple.org/index.php?rout ... =2&store=2

Mantra School Bright Lineage Buddhism
http://www.mantrabright.org/

Hua Giam Si
https://www.facebook.com/HUAGIAM

International Buddha Dharma Society for Cosmic Law
https://www.facebook.com/IBDSCL

Chinese Esoteric Buddhism
http://cup.columbia.edu/book/chinese-es ... 0231194082

Ximing monastery’s esoteric Buddhist traditions
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10. ... 21.2015141

Esoteric Buddhism in Mediaeval Maritime Asia
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/ ... 95091/html

Esoteric Buddhism in China (Zhenyan and Mijiao)
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/di ... 1-0183.xml

[anand]

Jinyin Temple of Sino Esoteric Buddhism
https://www.facebook.com/JinyinTempleUSA/

American Buddhist Temple
https://www.abtemple.org/index.php?rout ... =2&store=2

Mantra School Bright Lineage Buddhism
http://www.mantrabright.org/

Hua Giam Si
https://www.facebook.com/HUAGIAM

International Buddha Dharma Society for Cosmic Law
https://www.facebook.com/IBDSCL

Chinese Esoteric Buddhism
http://cup.columbia.edu/book/chinese-es ... 0231194082

Ximing monastery’s esoteric Buddhist traditions
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10. ... 21.2015141

Esoteric Buddhism in Mediaeval Maritime Asia
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/ ... 95091/html

Esoteric Buddhism in China (Zhenyan and Mijiao)
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/di ... 1-0183.xml

Thanks!! I am sniffing through the links

I am also finding interesting stuff on 'Ritual Mastery Schools and 'Red Daoism', these are fully devoted to worship and ritual, and in Esoteric Buddhism there seems to be an overlap/ Some groups take deity worship more seriously than others, but hell, I got to know Chinese to understand what the differences and nuances are and what it is all about. Again thanks for your input.

[dawn of peace]

Main deities I am interested in are Yu Huang, Ne Zha and Pu-Tai (Maitreya).

yu huang is a Daoist term. His title in Buddhism is Indra (帝释天).

Ne Zha is considered to be the third prince of Vessavaṇa (one of four heavenly kings) in Chinese folk religion. He is more popular among Chinese folk religions than Buddhist circles.

[tingdzin]

My limited experience is that if you don't know Chinese, people who do these kinds of practices will think you are a tourist and not take you seriously.

[Kai lord]

Main deities I am interested in are Yu Huang, Ne Zha and Pu-Tai (Maitreya).

yu huang is a Daoist term. His title in Buddhism is Indra (帝释天).

This is controversial among the Chinese especially the Taoists because Buddhists put jade emperor as the lord of the second lowest heaven but Taoists put him much higher.

Furthermore jade emperor doesn't use lightning bolt or vajra as weapon. That would be lei gong.

Ne Zha is considered to be the third prince of Vessavaṇa (one of four heavenly kings) in Chinese folk religion. He is more popular among Chinese folk religions than Buddhist circles.

I prefer his dad's vedic origin, where his brother is none other than the infamous Ravana.

[anand]

My limited experience is that if you don't know Chinese, people who do these kinds of practices will think you are a tourist and not take you seriously.

Yeah, I think so too, it really feels like a handicap to not be able to speak it, so I am working hard on Chinese at the moment


Thanks everyone for the input! I find it a bit annoying that we can't put likes, but now you got my like!

[Kai lord]

My limited experience is that if you don't know Chinese, people who do these kinds of practices will think you are a tourist and not take you seriously.

Yeah, I think so too, it really feels like a handicap to not be able to speak it, so I am working hard on Chinese at the moment

One of the advantages of that is the ability to differentiate between deities with Indian origins and their latter Chinese interpolation.

[ronnymarsh]

In Buddhism, devotion to deities is more closely related to vajrayana, and the Chinese lineage was lost a long time ago, surviving only through the Japanese Shingon and Tendai schools.
Currently in China there are processes of reformulation of a Vajrayana Buddhism, but they are more related to the Tibetan schools, which have a different philosophical perspective from the Chinese Mahayana tradition.
And in these contexts, to carry out devotional practices you need to be accepted as a disciple of a master and be related to yoga practice (relationship of dependence from disciple to master).
But even so, every Vajrayana Buddhist devotional has an essentially "monotheistic" character, since what justifies this devotion is the recognition of the Buddha in Everything, thus, the deities are only transitory forms that the Primordial Buddha assumes to direct beings to the Dharma.

If you are more interested in religious worship of Chinese deities, and less interested in the more philosophical and religious aspects of Buddhism, I think you should look into a Taoist community.

Even Yu Hua is an originally Taoist deity, and Ne Zha and Pu Tai, despite their Indian origin, are also more associated with Taoism.

So, as you are more interested in practicing traditional Chinese religion, then you are more inclined to join a Taoist religious community (in Chinese there are two words that are translated as Taoism, one is related to the philosophical literature and the other to the manifestations traditional Chinese religions).

[HauntedHotel]

Ne Zha and Pu Tai, despite their Indian origin, are also more associated with Taoism.

I am pleased that you know thia about Nezha.
I once told a group of people this and they didnt believe me until we all looked it up

About Na Zha, generally there are two: Lotus Taizi & Nine dragon Taizi.

What is "Lotus Taizi & Nine dragon Taizi" ?

In the context of worship, we dont call him by his name, but by his title.
Those are the names of the two most common forms or emnations of him. They have different personalitys

[HauntedHotel]

My limited experience is that if you don't know Chinese, people who do these kinds of practices will think you are a tourist and not take you seriously.

I'd be interested to hear more about your experiance

[HauntedHotel]

Thank you for your response. A Journey to the West is a wonderful source of inspiration for sure, to know more about the nature of the deities. Such things are also quite easy to find. What is less easy (unless one knows Chinese) is the way rituals have to be conducted and offerings have to be made, to each specific deity, to show them one's devotion and sincerity and to strengthen mindfulness of action. Then which mantras / chants / prayers can be used for each deity, how the Chinese or Sanskrit should be pronounced? Which materials malas or ritual tools should be made of, and for example how wholesome 'magical' incantations or evocations are made that fit particular deities, to activate their force in the world.

Try to read it carefully. Knowing the nature of the deity informs one on how to interact with the deity.

One scholar once looked at some pretty old ritual manuals and texts and found that in several places in the commentary, someone had written in the margin comments like 'if you want to knkw why this is done this way; look at this or that chapter of creation of the gods'

[anand]

In Buddhism, devotion to deities is more closely related to vajrayana, and the Chinese lineage was lost a long time ago, surviving only through the Japanese Shingon and Tendai schools.
Currently in China there are processes of reformulation of a Vajrayana Buddhism, but they are more related to the Tibetan schools, which have a different philosophical perspective from the Chinese Mahayana tradition.
And in these contexts, to carry out devotional practices you need to be accepted as a disciple of a master and be related to yoga practice (relationship of dependence from disciple to master).
But even so, every Vajrayana Buddhist devotional has an essentially "monotheistic" character, since what justifies this devotion is the recognition of the Buddha in Everything, thus, the deities are only transitory forms that the Primordial Buddha assumes to direct beings to the Dharma.

If you are more interested in religious worship of Chinese deities, and less interested in the more philosophical and religious aspects of Buddhism, I think you should look into a Taoist community.

Even Yu Hua is an originally Taoist deity, and Ne Zha and Pu Tai, despite their Indian origin, are also more associated with Taoism.

So, as you are more interested in practicing traditional Chinese religion, then you are more inclined to join a Taoist religious community (in Chinese there are two words that are translated as Taoism, one is related to the philosophical literature and the other to the manifestations traditional Chinese religions).

Yes, I think true, but, I remember reading stories of non-concessional Buddhist monks, as well as old ladies, in the twentieth century, who were solely worshiping Quan Yin or other Bodhisattva's and only using mantra and ritual, in much the same way Hindu bhaktas do. And I am hoping that some are doing this for Pu'Tai as well. I can't help but think, among the myriad of Chinese Buddhist esoteric sects, that even exist today, be it more new agery maybe, This must be happening. I think this is difficult to see as westerners, because we base ourselves on academic studies and not so much on daily life in China.

Of course in folk religion - bu my Chinese isn't ready.

Dang, I only need a mantra, for now I am certain there must be a Chinese mantra out there for Pu'Tai And later, when I know Chinese well I can find out all else there is to know on on his worship.

[anand]

Ne Zha and Pu Tai, despite their Indian origin, are also more associated with Taoism.

I am pleased that you know thia about Nezha.
I once told a group of people this and they didnt believe me until we all looked it up

About Na Zha, generally there are two: Lotus Taizi & Nine dragon Taizi.

What is "Lotus Taizi & Nine dragon Taizi" ?

In the context of worship, we dont call him by his name, but by his title.
Those are the names of the two most common forms or emnations of him. They have different personalitys

Do you worship Ne Zha? I am interested to know more

I found the Pu Tai mantra: ZONG SA DIÉ HA MÓ LA DOU