CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS - University of Oregon

ack, and flying aloft bore away
— 307 —
to the Western Paradise his Lord
and Master. A streak of golden-tinted clouds marked his flight
through
the air.
Its defender having been spirited away,
the "Defile of the
Golden Cock", Kin-hi-ling ^ |^ $f, was forthwith occupied, and
the invading army approached the city of Kiai-p'ai-hwan J^. Jffi §fj.
Here, the forces of the enemy were strongly entrenched, and
protected by a host of Genii and Immortals (1). Foremost among
the latter was the famous Taoist, the "Heaven-pervading Sovereign
Teacher'", T'ung-t'ien kiao-chu j| ^ |[ i, whose powerful charms
rendered the combatants invulnerable.
Lao-tze ^ -^ (2), accompanied by the "Beginning, honoured
and the "Immortal
of Heaven", Yuen-shi t'ieh-tsun yt jka ^i ^- (3),
who leads to the Western Paradise", Tsieh-yin tao-jen ^ i=j| ^ff \,
descended from the blissful regions on high, and took part in the
memorable siege of the place. The city had 4 gates, and these
Heavenly Beings were but 3, so they determined to summon Chun-
t'i y#| ^g to assist them, and thus each entrance would be assailed
by
an Immortal.
Chun-t'i iijt $| was ordered to storm the gate where all Genii
had hitherto perished, TsiXeh-sien-men $g jfo f^ (4). This place
(1) Taoism embodies ancient Nature and Spirit-worship, and peoples
the world with gods, goddesses, genii, Immortals, and other fabulous heings.
Its folk-lore is filled with extravagance, magic transformations, and battles of
the genii, which surpass in fanciful inventions our best fairy tales of the West.
(2) I.cto-tze % ^f , or Lao-hun % ~&. the old or venerable philosopher.
Born B.C. 604, time and place
of death unknown. He founded the Taoist
system of philosophy and mysticism, improved upon by his disciples Mayers.
Chinese Reader's Manual, p. 110. -- Chinese Superstitions. Vol. V. p. 015:
Vol. VI. p. 2. note 3.
(3) See on this fabulous being, invented by Taoism. Chinese Super-
stitions. Vol. VI. p. 11 (The Three Pure Ones).
(4) Tsiieh jfg, to exterminate, to utterly destroy. Sien f|I|, an Immortal,
a genius or fairy. They are inferior to gods, and have the power of becoming
invisible. Men f"j, a gate, an entrance. Williams. Dictionary
Language.
of the Chinese
10