CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS - University of Oregon

— 360 —
"Pure Land School'", also known as the "Lotus School" (1). In
the latter years of his life, he had several apparitions of Amitabha,
O-mi-Vo-fuh |5pJ ff |?g {$. He died about A.D. 454 (2).
Illustration n° 65 represents him as a venerable old man, with
heavy eyebrows, scanty beard, and bearing
right hand.
6. Shch-teh-tze Ya # i 1 * or the "Foundling".
a teacher's staff in the
As the Arhat Fung-kan fg -T- was travelling one day
to Ch'ih-
ch'eng ff jj|, he found a child abandoned near the roadside. Taking
him in his arms, he bore him to the monastery, and had him
in
brought up as a monk. This was Sheh-teh-tze }fr % i 1 , who
memory of the above fact, is known as the "Foundling".
He spent his whole life in performing
the menial duties of the
monastery, trimming and lighting the lamps, and cooking the meals
for the brotherhood. One day he ran away from the kitchen, and
upon returning, found that rooks had devoured the rice prepared
for the monks. Hereupon he thrashed K'ia-lan j)$ §£, the Tutelary
Genius of the Monastery (3), saying: "} r ou have been unable to
protect the brethren's rice, how can you shield yourself from my
blows?" — The following night, K'ia-lan jjjfl j*; appeared to the
Abbot, and complained
of the harsh treatment received at the hands
of Sheh-leh-tze Ya ^ "? He is said to have been an incarnation
of Samantabhadra, P f u-hsien ^ Jf (4).
(1) To this school belongs the popular legend of the Western Heavens,
the abode of the fabulous Buddhist divinity Amitabha. Edkins. Chinese
Buddhism, p. 170.
(2) He became a disciple of Tcto-ngan ^ t£, A.D. 420, and lived 30 years
in the Lii-shan monastery, so this date seems to be fairly correct. Chinese
Superstitions. Vol. VII. Art. XXV. — General Mirror of Gods and Immortals,
Sheri-i,ien t'ung-hien jpfi f|l| M Hi- Book XII. Art. 3, 4 and 8.
(3) See on the K'ia-lan $fl jj£. Chinese Superstitions. Vol. VII. p. 313-
314 (Tutelary Gods of Buddhist Temples).
Saints).
(4) Chinese Superstitions. Vol. VIII. Art. 04. n° 3 (Six Great Buddhist