year, ** asked the leaders of Laos: What kind of animal does the Buddha ride?
Lao Qin discussed a question in the article: China's immortals have all mastered the trick of flying clouds and fog, so why should there be mounts? He mentioned that some netizens think that the main reason why the gods have a mount is to show their worth and rank, and this point of view has some truth.
Although the current big-name star has only one butt, he has many luxury cars under his name, all to show his worth and rank. Guanyin also had a mount, and Sai Tai Sui was her mount.
In the book of Sun Wukong's three-tone banana fan, we see that the mount of the gods can not only show their value and rank, but also have other wonderful uses. For example, although the Bull Demon King can go to the sky and enter the earth, he still stepped on the mount to clear the water when he went to the banquet, because in addition to showing his identity, he could also be carried home directly by the mount after getting drunk, so as not to get lost.
As the "bearer" of "Journey to the West", the Buddha should also have a mount, so what is his mount?
The issue that is not mentioned in "Journey to the West" is about the relationship between the Buddha and Shakyamuni. In Buddhism, the Buddha is Shakyamuni. So, what exactly is "Shakya"?
It means "omnipotent" and "brave", and is the name of a tribe that lived in southern Nepal more than 2,000 years ago. And "Muni" is the honorific title given by the Shakyamuni to a person who has attained great attainment in monastic practice, which means "holy one".
Therefore, "Shakyamuni" is "the sage among the Shakyamuni". Who is this Sage referring to? Just as we think of Confucius when we talk about "the sage of Confucianism in China", when we talk about "the sage of Shakya", we think of Siddhartha Gautama.
The relationship between Shakyamuni and Nyolai is like the "Buddha" in Sanskrit in India, and the two mean the same thing. We can't find the answer to the question of Rulai's mount in "Journey to the West", but it is recorded in Buddhist texts.
According to the Sutra of Cause and Effect, when Shakyamuni was born in the world, he rode a six-tusked white elephant. Therefore, the white elephant is a very noble mount in the hearts of Buddhists, and only those who have made outstanding contributions are qualified to ride it.
Master Xuanzang once went to Nalanda Temple to copy the scriptures, and talked about Zen debates with eighteen masters, and finally won the victory. The King of the Ring Sun deeply admired this, and specially arranged for him to ride a white elephant around the city.
For this reason, Laos is known as the "Land of Vientiane" because in Laos, "Vientiane" means "million elephants". The majority of Laotians practice Theravada Buddhism, which was declared the state religion in 1961.
So when Lao leader Kaishan Phongvihan visited China in July 1970, he was very excited to talk to him about Shakyamuni, Buddhism and the white elephant.
He asked Kaishan Fung Viehan: "I don't quite understand, how did the name Vientiane come about?" Although the capital of Laos is translated as "Vientiane" in Chinese (also known as "Viencher"), in Laotian it is spelled "vieng chan which literally means "city of sandal".
Translating "vieng chan" as "Vientiane" is neither a transliteration nor a paraphrase. Perhaps the only explanation is that "Vieng Chan is the capital of the "Land of Vientiane".
"The elephants of Laos are the treasure of the whole country, and in the past, the kings could not have done without their ceremonies, especially the most precious white elephants," he explained vaguely. ”
After listening to his answer with a smile, he said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Buddhism is your state religion, I will test you, what means of transportation does the Buddha usually take when he goes out?" ”
Kaishan Fontweihan hesitated for a moment and replied, "It should still be a white elephant, right?" * When I heard this, I couldn't help but laugh and said, "In an ancient Chinese book "Qiyanlu", there is such a joke.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, a high-ranking monk was speaking in a fanciful manner on the pulpit, and suddenly someone stood up and interrupted him, asking him what means of transportation the Buddha took to go out. The monk said without hesitation that the Buddha sat on a lotus flower at home and rode a white elephant when he went out.
The person who asked the question immediately corrected him and said that he was wrong, and it seems that you did not study the Buddhist scriptures carefully. The Buddha went out to ride a cow, not a white elephant. When the monk heard this, he was taken aback and asked if this was recorded in the Buddhist scriptures?
The man said eloquently, the Buddhist scriptures say that the Buddha has a "peculiar sound", and the "Jade Chapter" says that "special" refers to a cow, and "peculiar" doesn't it mean riding a bull? * Quoting this story made the ** leaders and other foreign guests present couldn't help but laugh out loud.
However, it should be noted that this story can now only be understood through materials such as the Dunhuang scrolls and the compilation of later generations, and the original book has been dispersed.