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CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS - University of Oregon

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— 282 —<br />

2°. Those who denied retribution in an after-life.<br />

3°. Those who killed living beings (1).<br />

4°. Those who made promises <strong>of</strong> amendment but failed to keep<br />

them; also those who sought immortality by magic arts (2).<br />

5°. Those who desired the death <strong>of</strong> others,<br />

injure their neighbour.<br />

or used deceit to<br />

6°. Men who ravished females, and women who seduced men.<br />

7°. Those who coveted the riches <strong>of</strong> others, made pr<strong>of</strong>it at<br />

their expense, and did not rescue one's neighbour<br />

seriously exposed.<br />

8°. The ungrateful and revengeful.<br />

when his life was<br />

9°. Those who spread discord, deceived others, and indulged<br />

in envy and quarrelling.<br />

10°. Brigands and harlots.<br />

11°. Those who misused paper with written characters on it (3).<br />

12°. Those who burnt religious works (Buddhist and Taoist).<br />

13°. Those who cursed Buddhist monks (4), and envied folks<br />

who did good deeds.<br />

(1) Buddhism prohibits the killing <strong>of</strong> all living animals. Chinese Super-<br />

stitions. Vol. IV. p. 440; Vol. VII. p. 241. note 2; p. 242. note 4; p. 268.<br />

note !. —Johnston. Buddhist China, p. 182. — China Review. Vol. I. p. 300.<br />

Here, the account <strong>of</strong> 3 butchers is recorded as follows :<br />

slaughtered<br />

cows 72,<br />

dogs 187. The culprits are to be reborn 72 and 187 times as cows and dogs.<br />

(2) This crime seems opposed rather to Buddhism than to Taoism. The<br />

latter religion has ever sought immortality through magic peaches and herbs.<br />

Chinese Superstitions. Vol. V. p. 720.<br />

(3 Respect for written characters is a Buddhist and Confucian practice.<br />

Buddhist tracts exhort constantly to avoid treading under foot any paper with<br />

written characters on it. The literati also respectfully gather up all scraps<br />

<strong>of</strong> written paper, and consider this a holy work, and pleasing to the God <strong>of</strong><br />

Literature, who is expected in return to reward'them with literary and <strong>of</strong>ficial<br />

rank. De Groot. The Religious System <strong>of</strong> China. Vol. VI. p 1020 (Reverence<br />

for lettered paper). — Chinese Superstitk ns. Vol. V. p. 517. note 2; Vol. VTI.<br />

p. 201. note 3.<br />

(4) See Chinese Recorder. December, 1920. p. 858, where a woman is<br />

represented turned into a snake for reviling a Buddhist monk.

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