Ask for a detailed introduction about dragons.

Dragon is a miraculous animal in China mythology, fickle, sexually stimulating and beneficial to all things. It is said that it can be hidden and displayed, reaching the sky in the spring breeze and diving in the autumn wind. It can also cause clouds and rain. It was the leader of many scales, the head of the four spirits (dragon, phoenix, unicorn and turtle), and later became a symbol of imperial power. Emperors all claimed to be dragons, and their vessels were decorated with dragons. According to Shan Hai Jing, Xia Houqi, Ru Shou and Ju Mang all "rode the rain dragon". There are other secretaries, Zhuan Xu, Lapras and the Four Seas, Di Ku, Spring and Summer, Lapras. The predecessors divided dragons into four types: the scaly ones are called dragons; The winged one is called Ying Long; Those with horns are called dragons; A man without horns is called a dragon.

The origin of dragons

The dragon first appeared in the tomb of a primitive society 5000 years ago, and now it is displayed in the museum of Puyang City, Henan Province. This is a dragon made of shells. It looks rough and looks like a lizard without bright colors. Archaeologists call it "a dragon in China".

In the early days, the ancients could not make a reasonable explanation for most natural phenomena, so they hoped that their national totem would have the power of wind, rain and lightning. The mountains are so majestic that they can swim in the water like fish and fly in the air like birds. Therefore, the characteristics of many animals are concentrated on the dragon, and gradually become: Luo head, snake neck, antlers, turtle eyes, fish scales, Tiger Claw, eagle claws and ox ears. This composite structure means that the dragon is a beast of all beasts, an omnipotent beast and an omnipotent god.

It is important to note that dragons only have five fingers, and the four fingers are not dragons, but lizards and crocodiles.

As the totem of Chinese ancestors, dragon was just a piece of rubble just collected from barren hills at first, which was rough and crude. In the hands of the historical old man, it is constantly cut and pondered. Shang and Zhou dynasties gave it strength, and Han and Tang dynasties gave it generosity; Dragons are like the seven sages of bamboo forest in Wei and Jin Dynasties, but also like sages; In the Liao and Jin Dynasties, it was like a wild horse on the grassland, galloping wildly. The emperors and nobles honored it as supreme, while the people let it do as the Romans do.

There are many different images in ancient books. Speaking of slender, it has four feet, anticlimactic. Speaking of piercing scales, there are whiskers on the head and five claws. Compendium of Materia Medica says that "dragons have nine similarities", and it is a heterogeneous animal with the advantages of various animals. It has many names. Those with scales are called dragons, those with wings are called Ying Long, those with horns are called dragons, and those without horns are called dragons. The little one is called Jiao, and the big one is called Dragon. Legend has it that it can be hidden, detailed and huge, short and long. The vernal equinox ascends to the sky, and the autumnal equinox dives into the deep, omnipotent. In mythology, it is the master of the underwater world (the Dragon King), a symbol of good fortune among the people, and the embodiment of ancient imperial power.

There are "Dragon King Products" in Taishang Cave's Divine Mantra Classic, which lists "Five Emperors Dragon King" by orientation, "Four Seas Dragon King" by ocean, and lists the names of 54 dragon kings and 62 dragon kings by everything in the world. In Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, an altar official was set up to offer sacrifices to the Dragon King. Song Taizu followed the Five Dragon Sacrifice System in Tang Dynasty. In the second year of Song Huizong Daguan (1 108), all the five dragons in the world were crowned kings. Seal Qinglong God as King of Ren Guang, Red Dragon God as King Jiaze, Huanglong God as King Fu Ying, White Dragon God as King Yiji, and Black Dragon God as King Lingze. In the second year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (1863), the dragon god of the canal was named "the dragon god who should divide the water", which made the river chief sacrifice in time. The dragon kings in The Journey to the West are Ao Guang in the East China Sea, Aoqin in the South China Sea, Aorun in the West Sea and Aoshun in the North Sea, which are collectively called the Four Seas Dragon Kings.

Regarding the birthday of the Dragon King, there are differences between various literature records and local folklore. In the past, temples dedicated to the dragon king were almost as common as temples in the city god. Whenever the wind and rain are unbalanced, it doesn't rain for a long time, or it rains for a long time, the people will go to the Longwang Temple to burn incense and pray for the Dragon King to control the water and the good weather.

Archaeologists believe that the early dragons were snakes with horns on their heads and were pure reptiles; Some people think that dragons are primitive, with a head like a pig and a body like a snake. Others pointed out that dragons evolved from crocodiles.

With regard to the origin of the dragon, after long-term research and textual research, people finally reached a relatively consistent understanding: the dragon is a synthesis of various animals and a symbol of totem worship formed in primitive society.

Dragons originated in the early Neolithic age, and the time from today will not be less than 8000 years. During this period, primitive ancestors did not simply and passively rely on God's reward. They raise wild horses, bison, wild boar and so on. We don't just eat those picked wild fruits, but selectively plant grains to harvest them. They can skillfully use fire, learn to build simple houses with wood, start grinding stone tools and bones, make pottery by hand, and gradually settle down and engage in production activities. Production activities make people's contact with nature more and more extensive, and nature, as an incredible force outside people, has a greater impact on people's spiritual world.

Why can't fish swim? Crocodiles in the bay sound like Hong Zhong, snakes are eerie and lizards have strange shapes. Why are clouds rolling, thunder and lightning, and heavy rain pouring down? Why do waves roll, rainbows run through the sky, and mudslides roar down, devouring people and animals and being invincible? ..... The behavior of these animals and the ever-changing natural phenomena are beyond the scientific explanation of the ancients.

They vaguely guessed that there should be such a powerful "sacred object" related to "water" to command, manipulate and manage these animals and astronomical phenomena, just as a clan must have a leader; In other words, these animals and natural phenomena are the embodiment of this "sacred object", just like people want to talk, scream, eat, drink, sleep, laugh and curse.

As a worship phenomenon and an "understanding" of incredible natural forces, the dragon began its "fuzzy collection" from this time.

The "dragon carving" unearthed from the site of the original village of Chahai in Fuxin, Liaoning Province provides evidence for our "time positioning". Chahai site belongs to the "pre-Hongshan Culture" remains, dating back about 8,000 years. The "Dragon Sculpture" is located in the central square of this primitive village site and is made of red-brown stones of equal size. This dragon is nearly 20 meters long and 2 meters wide. Its first mouth is tilted, its back is bent and its tail is looming. This stone dragon is the oldest and largest dragon found in China so far. It is said that there is a 10,000-year-old fish-tailed deer Longyan painting on the stone cliff of Persimmon Beach in Jixian County, Shanxi Province, which is considered as the earliest prototype of the dragon. This rock painting has not been published, and its appearance is still unknown. Then there are pottery dragon patterns unearthed in Xinglong Valley, Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia, painted pottery dragon patterns unearthed in Beishouling Site, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, and dragon patterns unearthed in Xishuipo, Puyang City, Henan Province, dating back more than 6,400 years.

The process of fuzzy dragon mining began in the Neolithic Age, and it basically took shape in the Qin and Han Dynasties after considerable development in the Shang, Zhou and Warring States periods. This "basic" has two meanings. One is that the framework, elements and styles of dragons were basically available in Qin and Han dynasties; Second, the dragon is an open and constantly absorbing new system, which does not conform to the basic formation of the Qin and Han Dynasties. Later dynasties, until today, are constantly changing and developing.

The prototype of the dragon has sprouted in the late Neolithic period, and it is a virtual imagination with the totem of Xia nationality as the main body. The ancients had various explanations for this. It is said that [tng] snakes can fly without feet (see Xunzi? Persuade "); Those with scales are called dragons, those with horns are called dragons, and those without horns are called dragons. (See Li Sao and Guang Ya quoted by Hong Bu. ) The one with wings is called (Wang Note). Some people say that dragons are like dogs and cows, while Lun Heng said, "The image of dragons is anticlimactic. "Others say that the shape of the dragon is the horn of a deer, the ear of a cow, the head of a camel, the eyes of a rabbit, the neck of a snake, the belly of a slug, the scales of a fish, the soles of a deer and the claws of an eagle. This is obviously the late development of the dragon image, which is more and more complicated than the original dragon, and more and more totems are integrated, indicating that it is constantly enriching and developing. Scholars have done a lot of useful research on the main prototype of the dragon. There are crocodiles, lizards, horses and so on. But it is generally believed that the keynote of the dragon is snake. Wen Yiduo's masterpiece Fuxi Kao was the first to put forward this view systematically. The dragon is a big snake and the snake is a little dragon. Wen Yiduo believes that after the snake clan merged with other clans, it "absorbed many other totem clans (clans), and the serpent accepted the four feet of animals, the head of horses, the tail of raccoons, the horns of deer, the claws of dogs, the scales and whiskers of fish" and became the later dragon. On the basis of Wen Yiduo's research, later generations have done a lot of enrichment and supplement.

To investigate the dragon, we must first understand its tone, trunk or subject prototype. To sum up briefly, the dragon has been continuous since its initial appearance and is the main part of the dragon. Without it, the dragon is not a dragon. This is the keynote, trunk or main prototype of the dragon. On the dragon, if the snake's body is removed, the dragon will not exist. Long Bian comes and goes. Sometimes his head looks like a crocodile, sometimes like a horse. Its feet are sometimes like lizard's feet and sometimes like dog's claws; Only the snake's slender body has never changed. In ancient times, the clan tribes who worshipped snakes were very common. Snakes have strong vitality, which accords with the wishes of primitive ancestors. Snakes are also a great threat to people, especially poisonous snakes, which can kill people and make people afraid. Many gods in Shan Hai Jing are snakes or dragons. Snakes themselves are multi-ethnic. In modern terms, the worship of snakes was very popular at that time. Taking it as the main body of the dragon is a sign of great national integration, and even those who are integrated are willing to accept it. The formal formation of the dragon may have started in the Yu Xia period. After Yu consolidated his position in the Central Plains, the social conditions for combining snakes with other tribal totems to create dragons were ripe. Dragons were made to adapt to the emergence of the country. Because of the wide coverage of snake worship, taking snakes as the main body of dragons can be recognized by all ethnic groups in the north and south of the Chinese people. Dragons are the crystallization of multiculturalism. Once it was formed, it firmly established its authoritative position as a symbol of the Chinese nation.

The dragon is great because it is respected by all people in China. The dragon is nothing, because it is only a spirit, not a substance.

In China's myths and legends, it is a magical animal, with the image of snake body, lizard legs, talons, snake tail, antlers, fish scales, whiskers in the mouth and beads under the forehead. According to Shan Hai Jing, Xia Houqi, Ru Shou and Ju Mang all "rode the rain dragon". There are other secretaries, Zhuan Xu, Lapras and the Four Seas, Di Ku, Spring and Summer, Lapras. The predecessors divided dragons into four types: those with scales, those with wings, Ying Long, those with horns and those without horns. Some people think that this is the image formed by the totem of each clan after the ancient Yanhuang unified the tribes in the Central Plains. Legend has it that you can hide and show, climb the sky in the spring breeze and dive into the deep sea in the autumn wind. It also brought clouds and rain, and later became a symbol of imperial power. Emperors of past dynasties used dragons as costumes, and their utensils were also decorated with dragons. Dragon was worshipped by Chinese ancestors as the ancestor god, and was generally called "dragon". People in China often call themselves "descendants of dragons".

Dragon ranks fifth among the traditional Chinese zodiac animals in China. Dragon, phoenix, unicorn and tortoise are also called "four great beasts". (There are also many ancient books and history books that refer to the "four auspicious beasts" as: caring for each other, nurturing, caring for each other and caring for each other. ) Qinglong and Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu are the four astronomical phenomena in China.

Taoism and dragons

Taoism, a native religion in China, was formed on the basis of primitive religion, which combined witchcraft, nature worship, animal worship and fairy witchcraft in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and became theoretical and systematic. Obeying the emperor in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling advocated the Five Mi Dou Doctrine, with Laozi as the leader and Laozi's Five Thousand Books as the main classic, and gradually formed an artificial religious form with doctrine, doctrine and canon as the main content. Taoism has had an indissoluble bond with dragon worship since its formation. In the pre-Qin period, Lapras's belief in Zhou Zhou's four seas, Lapras's belief in ascending to heaven, and the belief in connecting heaven and man with dragons were all completely inherited by Taoism.

The descendants of Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism, all inherited his career and were called "Shi Tian", and were told that they were predestined friends with dragons. According to legend, the third generation surnamed Lu had ten sons, nicknamed "Zhang's Ten Dragons". Another legend is that Zhang Lu's daughter was washing clothes at the foot of the mountain, and suddenly there was white fog around her, so she got pregnant before marriage and committed suicide in shame. Leave last words before dying. Be sure to dissect the body and see what's in it. As a result, there were two twin dragons in the belly, and the maid put them into the Hanshui River. Many later Taoist representatives are said to have a mysterious relationship with dragons, such as Tao Hongjing, a Taoist representative in the Southern Dynasties. It is said that his mother was born a dragon, and he is a kind of dragon.

The most important role of dragons in Taoism is to help Taoists bury themselves and communicate with ghosts and gods. The dragon is considered as one of the "three sedan chairs". The "three sedan chairs" referred to here are dragon sedan chairs, tiger sedan chairs and deer sedan chairs. The sedan chair of Taoism is mainly used as a riding tool for burial. Mr. Zhang Guangzhi thinks: "The owner of No.45 tomb in Puyang is the primitive Taoist or wizard in Yangshao cultural society, and the dragon, tiger and deer made of clam shells are the artistic images of the three sedan chairs he can summon." He linked the clam, dragon, tiger and deer with the three sedan chairs in ancient primitive Taoism, and thought they were related. Legend has it that Shi Tian and Zhenjun, who have magical powers, can also summon and drive away dragons. Youyang mixed. Strange art said: in a landlord's house called Yun 'an, there are fifteen dangerous beaches by the river, and no one can pull the fiber boat across. Zhai Ganyou, a thin generation of Shi Tian, saw a business trip, tied an altar, called a dragon, *** 14, and all became old people. Zhai Shitian asked them to level the dangerous beach to make it easier to travel by boat. The dragon was led away, and overnight, the wind and thunder struck, and all the rapids in 14 turned into Pingtan, leaving only one mile. Zhai knew at a glance that the dragon didn't arrive yesterday, so he went to the altar and called him. Three days later, a woman came to Fang. It turned out to be a female dragon. Eloquence: wealthy businessmen cross the river by boat, and the poor in Yunan pull the fiber for them. They always make a living by pulling fibers. If the shoal is gone and the boat is unimpeded, how can we eat and wear it? I would rather take a dangerous beach to support a tracker than use a boat to help a rich businessman. Zhai Shitian nodded after hearing this, so he told Zhu Long to put everything back to its original state.

In Taoism, dragons are not natural dragons, but snakes. There is a cloud in "Yellow and White Articles": "The dragon of the snake is no different from the one he gave birth to. However, the root causes are all caused by natural feelings.

After Buddhism was introduced into China, the belief in the Dragon King was also introduced. Taoism was also introduced into the Buddhist dragon king and reformed, forming its own dragon king belief, called the heavenly dragon king, the four seas dragon king and the five sides dragon king. Later, where there was water, there were dragon kings in rivers, lakes and ponds. They were responsible for local floods and droughts. Therefore, there are many temples of Wang Long in the north and south of the Yangtze River, which has become an important part of dragon worship.

Buddhism and dragons

The reason why the dragon culture can last for a long time is not only that Confucianism and Taoism, as the ruling ideology, completely inherited and vigorously promoted the dragon belief, and made some innovations and developments, but also related to the "Dragon Palace" and "Dragon King" in foreign Buddhism.

There is no worship of the "Dragon King" in China, which came into being after the introduction of Buddhism. Before the Han Dynasty, there were only dragon gods, but there was no "dragon king". After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhist beliefs were introduced into China, and the belief in the Dragon King spread throughout the Middle-earth. Scholars generally believe that the belief in Dragon King and Dragon Palace originated in India and was introduced with the spread of Buddhism.

In Buddhist scriptures, there are many names of dragon kings. For example, there are eight dragon kings recorded in the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Method, one is the dragon king of Nanduo, the other is the dragon king of Jialuo, the fourth is the dragon king of Hexiuji, the fifth is the dragon king of Deyijia, the sixth is the dragon king of Anaboda, the seventh is the dragon king of Monas and the eighth is the dragon king of Luoluo.

Which is more important, the dragon worship in China or the dragon worship in Buddhism? What is the relationship between the two? Is it passed from one party to the other, or is it produced separately?

According to some indications, the dragon in Indian Buddhism was handed down by China and recreated as the "Dragon King" by Indians. With the spread of Buddhism to the east, the worship of the Dragon King was also introduced to China. With the widespread spread of Buddhism in China, the belief in the Dragon King also spread rapidly. There are seven reasons.

First, the dragon culture of the Chinese nation has a long history and has been excavated in an orderly way. The earliest dragon image is a Xinglongwa Culture stone carving dragon found in the Chahai site in Fuxin, Liaoning Province, followed by the clam shell dragon in Xishuipo, Henan Province, attracting worldwide attention. The third piece is a dragon made of pebbles found in Jiaodun site of Zhangcheng Village, Baihu Township, Huangmei County. The fourth is the well-known Inner Mongolia Samsung Tara Yulong and so on. All these fully prove that dragon worship was very common in China as early as six or seven thousand years ago, and that dragon culture is a local culture in China, not a foreign culture.

Secondly, according to the earliest archaeological data of Indian dragons, the murals "The Dragon King and His Family" in the first century BC and "The Dragon Worship Bodhi Tree" before and after the times are about 5,000 years later than the Shilong in Chahai, Liaoning, China.

Thirdly, in terms of written records, according to the known historical data, the written records of dragons in India were written by Long Shu around the second century A.D., and this record is only about 1800 years ago. China recorded dragons much earlier than India. There are many "dragons" and some records of dragon worship in Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty, which shows that dragon worship in China was very common 3500 years ago.

Fourthly, since its formation, Dragon Culture has spread rapidly not only at home, but also abroad. Long Dan in Indian Buddhism was handed down from China. There may be two ways of transmission: one is through Tibet. According to archaeological data, as early as the Neolithic Age, the stone culture in the Yellow River Basin spread to Tibet and its south. It is entirely possible that the dragon culture will spread to Tibet and then to India. Another way to spread dragon culture is the Silk Road in the Western Regions. The Central Plains Dynasty had contact with the Western Regions as early as 3,000 years ago. It is said that immigrants came to Conglindong at the beginning of the week. After the Shang Dynasty destroyed Xia Hou, some people in Xia Xunluo migrated to the northwest. After arriving in Gansu and other places, they continued to migrate to the west and entered the Yanqi country in the western regions. Later, these dragon tribes who moved into Yanqi were the rulers of the country in the Jin Dynasty, taking "Dragon" as their surname. To be sure, they brought their own dragon culture to the western regions.

Fifth, there was no concept of dragon in ancient India, and there was no special word "dragon" in Sanskrit. "Dragon" and "elephant" are the same word. In ancient Indian mythology, lightning was caused by Indra, a great god riding a white elephant and holding a lightning chisel. After the dragon was introduced into India, the dragon god quickly replaced Indra and became the master of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. So the word "elephant" also means "dragon".

Sixthly, there are about 20 legends of dragons recorded in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, including 5 legends of the Western Regions, 5 legends of North India, 0 legends of China India 10, and none legends of South India. Judging from the contents of the coming year, the dragon legends of Qiuci and Yutian are very similar to those of ancient China. There is a story about Lapras and dragons mating with women, which has nothing to do with Buddhism. However, the myths and legends about the dragon south of Congling and adjacent to India in the Records of the Western Regions of Datang are related to the figures in Buddhism. This also shows that the western regions are a way for the dragon culture to spread to India.

Seventh, primitive dragons in China have many images and attributes of snakes, and so do Indian dragons, which are closely related to snakes. In Buddhist painting and sculpture, the dragon king usually has an unfolded cobra crown with three or five or seven heads behind his head. In addition, Buddhist scriptures often say that "dragons are shaped like snakes", which also shows that Indian dragons have the attributes of snakes.

Dragons native to China have the characteristics of horses, cattle, fish, deer, snakes and other animals. The dragon king in Buddhism is similar, with the characteristics of animals such as elephants, snakes, horses, fish and shrimps. According to the facts, it is reasonable to think that the dragon in Buddhism was introduced from China.

There are also differences between dragons and dragons in Buddhism, mainly in the following aspects:

one

The biggest difference between dragon and Indian dragon is the different social status. In animal worship, dragons have the supreme status. Especially after the combination of dragon worship and politics, the dragon became the symbol of the emperor and the sacred animal god. Indian dragon is a general god, such as the "dragon" in Buddhist scriptures, but it is only an ordinary protector and has no supreme status. In the animal worship in India, the golden winged bird is the highest worship, and the dragon is often the prey of the golden winged bird. In Buddhist scriptures, one of the "three evils" of dragons is the golden winged bird. Legend has it that the golden-winged bird feeds on dragons every day, and it needs a big dragon king and 500 little dragons a day. This shows that the status of the dragon is far below that of the golden-winged bird, while that of China is just the opposite, far above that of the phoenix bird.

Secondly,

The dragon in the ancient legend of China can ascend to heaven and enter the earth to communicate with heaven and man; You can ride for god and shuttle between heaven and earth. For example, the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven, and Zhuan Xu and He Kai also arrived. The dragon in Indian Buddhism has no such divinity. The great god rides a golden winged bird. For example, Vishnu, an ancient Indian god, often flew on a golden winged bird. Manjushri in Buddhism rides a lion or sits on a white lotus platform; Bodhisattva Samantabhadra rides a six-toothed white elephant or sits on the Qinglintai.

third

Before the introduction of the worship of the Buddhist Dragon King, dragons in China were not regional. Dragon is regarded as the god who dominates the rain and is widely worshipped by all ethnic groups in China. The images of dragons are basically the same, but the colors are different, which are divided into five types: blue, red, white, black and yellow. Although Indians named dragons "kings" and built "palaces" for them, the characteristics of local gods of Indian dragons are obvious. There are many kinds of dragon kings, and there are dragon kings and dragon palaces in all waters, which shows that dragons are only the dominant gods in a certain water area.

Judging from the above differences, dragon culture was introduced to India before Qin and Han Dynasties, because in Qin and Han Dynasties, dragons began to combine with emperor worship. Before this, the dragon god naturally dominated the rain, and so did the Indian dragon king, which dominated the sea, lakes and pools. After dragon worship was introduced into India, it was recreated and combined with local culture to form a dragon culture with Indian characteristics.

After Buddhism came into being, dragon culture was combined with Buddhism. With the spread of Buddhism to the east, the dragon culture in Buddhism was introduced to China through the Silk Road and merged with the original dragon culture in China, thus making the dragon culture in China more colorful. When was Buddhism introduced to China? There are many sayings. It is generally believed in academic circles that the first year of Emperor Yuan Shou of the Han Dynasty was the beginning of the introduction of Buddhism into China. According to historical records, Dayue was a nomadic people in Dunhuang and Qilian Mountains in Gansu Province. When Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty, he was forced by Xiongnu to move to Ili Valley in Xinjiang. Soon after, it was jointly attacked by Hungary and Wusun, so it moved the capital to the present between the Syr Darya River and the Amu Darya River, and built the Wang Ting in the north of the Amu Darya River. Around 130 BC, he crossed the Amu Darya River and captured Daxia, which was claimed by his country. Because the Great Xia had worshipped Buddhism at that time, he also converted to Buddhism. In the first year of Yuan Shuo, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian was sent to other countries. In the middle of the first century, Guishuang State was established. Since then, the national strength has gradually strengthened, Tianzhu and other countries have been destroyed, the national situation has flourished, and Buddhism has developed.

Because Da Yue's country is originally in China, they have special feelings with China and have frequent contacts with each other. They played a special role in spreading Buddhism. The worship of the Dragon King, introduced from China and incorporated into the Buddhist system through localization, was fed back to China with the eastward spread of Buddhism. Before the Dragon King belief was introduced into China, there were only sea gods, water gods, river gods or Hebo beliefs. The immortals in pre-Qin and early Taoism didn't talk about the Dragon King. After Buddhism was introduced into China, it experienced a process of China. The same is true of the belief in the Dragon King. After the dragon king of China was introduced into China, it was rebuilt and became the dragon king of China, which was different from the Indian dragon king. In India, the Dragon King is a believer, provider or patron of Buddhism, while in China, influenced by Taoism and Confucianism, the belief in the Dragon King has also undergone various changes. Under the influence of Taoism, the Dragon King of China became a subordinate of the Jade Emperor. Under the influence of Confucianism, the legend of the Dragon King in China emphasizes benevolence, faith and righteousness, and emphasizes the love between husband and wife, brothers and father and daughter, which is divided into good and evil. In addition, the Dragon King in different parts of Chinese herbal medicines generally has a surname, a first name and a title, which is also unique to China.

The introduction of Indian Buddhist art also had a great influence on the image of dragons. From the Han and Jin Dynasties to the Tang and Song Dynasties, the image of the dragon was obviously influenced by Buddhist art during its evolution. For example, the dragon on the murals of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Dunhuang is dynamic, but it gives people a sense of tranquility. This shape obviously comes from the flying in contemporary Buddhism. The lion in Indian Buddhism also has a great influence on the evolution of the image of the dragon. The dragon in the Tang and Song Dynasties absorbed the image of the lion. The head is round and plump, the back of the head is covered with shackles, and the nose is similar to a lion's nose. The dragon on the mural of Nantang Tomb in Jiangning, Jiangxi Province looks like a lion not only in the head, but also in the whole body. The dragon absorbs the image of a lion mainly to show its great power and increase its magical power.

The Dragon Ball only appeared after Buddhism spread to the east. In Buddhism, there is a kind of treasure bead, also called Manizu and Ruyi Pearl. After the Tang and Song Dynasties in China, the appearance of dragon playing with pearls was closely related to Buddhism.

The legend of the dragon

For thousands of years, dragons have penetrated into all aspects of China society and become a kind of cultural cohesion and accumulation. Dragon has become a symbol of China, the Chinese nation and China culture. For every Chinese descendant, the image of the dragon is a symbol, a mood, and a feeling of flesh and blood! . The names "Descendants of the Dragon" and "Descendants of the Dragon" often make us excited, energetic and proud. Besides spreading and inheriting in China, Dragon Culture has also been brought to all parts of the world by overseas Chinese. In China residential areas or in China, dragons are still the most eye-catching decorations. Therefore, "Descendants of the Dragon" and "Dragon Country" have also been recognized by the world.

Find the trace of the dragon, enter the ancient history and the world of the dragon, and understand and explore the mystery of the dragon. ...

The legend of the dragon-the dragon king;

Dragon is one of the four gods in ancient China mythology. There are "Dragon King Products" in Taishang Cave's Divine Mantra Classic, which lists "Five Emperors Dragon King" by orientation, "Four Seas Dragon King" by ocean, 54 dragon king names and 62 dragon king names by everything in the world. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Dragon Pool in the temple was called and an altar official was set up to worship the Dragon King. Song Taizu followed the Five Dragon Sacrifice System in Tang Dynasty. In the second year of Song Huizong Daguan (1 108), all the five dragons in the world were awarded titles. Seal Qinglong God as King of Ren Guang, Red Dragon God as King Jiaze, Huanglong God as King Fu Ying, White Dragon God as King Yiji, and Black Dragon God as King Lingze. In the second year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (1863), the dragon god of the canal was named "the god of the dragon king who should divide the water", so that the river chief could pay homage at the right time. The Dragon Kings in Journey to the West are Ao Guang in the East China Sea, Aoqin in the West Sea, Aorun in the South China Sea and Aoshun in the North Sea, which are collectively called the Four Seas Dragon Kings.

Dragon Legend-Dragon Ball;

People often see "dragon playing with beads" (such as "single dragon playing with beads" and "double dragon playing with beads") on architectural colorful paintings, sculptures, clothing embroidery and other carriers. A friend asked: What is the "Dragon Ball"? Where did the "Dragon Ball" come from? What about "dragon playing with pearls"?

Dragon balls are related to dragons. "The pearl of a thousand dollars must be under the dragon's jaw of the nine abyss." That's what Zhuangzi said. "Yaya" also said that "the dragon ball is in the jaw". Strange Tales says: "Where there is a dragon ball, the dragon will spit it out ... The Vietnamese proverb says,' It is better to plant a dragon ball than to plant a thousand mu of wooden slaves. "The above statement has two meanings: first, the dragon ball is often hidden in the dragon's mouth, and at the right time, the dragon will spit it out; Second, the value of the Dragon Ball is very high. In the folk proverb, it is better to plant a thousand acres of citrus than to get a dragon ball.

So, where did the Dragon Ball come from? Why do dragons play with pearls? As we know, pearls are some mollusks in the water. Under certain external conditions, their shells are endocrine and form round particles, which are loved by people because of their bright luster, so they are called pearls. Since animals in the water can give birth to pearls, as the dragon of the aquarium, it is natural to have pearls and give birth to jujubes, which should be a basic idea of the Dragon Ball myth.

However, it seems that things are not that simple. Dragons are vaguely assembled creatures in mythology. The objects of assembly are fish, crocodiles, snakes, pigs, horses, cows, lightning, clouds, rainbows and so on. Among them, crocodiles and snakes lay eggs. Eggs are round or granular, much larger than pearls. Then, will the ancients regard crocodile eggs and snake eggs as a kind of "bead"? The answer is yes. The ancients could mainly collect crocodiles and snakes, and naturally they would not ignore their eggs; For crocodiles and snakes, eggs are of great significance and the source of life. If there are eggs, there will be crocodiles, snakes and then dragons. So eggs can completely enter the dragon's life as "beads". Then, the dragon ball is the dragon egg; Playing with pearls is actually an "egg" played by dragons, a sacred object of dragons, and a care, caress and respect for life. Among them, it embodies and expresses a kind of "life consciousness" of the ancients, that is, the understanding, understanding and exertion of endless life phenomena.

The folk legend of swallowing pearls and turning dragons provides a footnote for our point of view: a teenager mows grass (or draws water), gets a treasure pearl, puts it in a rice jar to increase rice, and puts it in a till to make money. When a rich man found out, he brought people to rob pearls. The teenager put the beads in his mouth in a hurry, but accidentally swallowed them. So I longed for water, and when the water in the jar dried up, I went to drink river water, river water. Drinking and drinking, his head has horns, his eyes protrude outward, and his body has scales, turning into a dragon. Such legends are widely circulated in Sichuan, Zhejiang, Guangdong and other places, revealing the preciousness of "pearls" and the relationship between pearls and dragon life.

The sun is another understanding of "pearl". Some dragon-playing bead patterns we have seen, especially two dragon-playing bead patterns, mostly have flames rising, which are clearly a "fire bead" or a "fireball"; Below is the turbulent sea, which can be understood as a fireball jumping out of the sea. In people's vision and concept, it can be called "fireball", and the sun can rank first. So, obviously, the fireball went out to sea, which means the sun went out to sea. Now that the sun is out to sea, why should dragons "play"? Here we would like to introduce the four gods in the eyes of the ancients: Oriental Dragon, Western White Tiger, Southern Suzaku and Northern Xuanwu. The sun rises in the east, and the dragon is a sacred object representing the east. In this way, dragon playing with beads is the sun worship, which is the fusion of sun worship and dragon worship.

Dragons are divided into male and female, which is also the reason why Erlong plays with more bead patterns. If a pearl lays an egg, it means that both parents care about and care for the child; If pearls are the solution of the sun, then it is the male dragon and the female dragon that greet the rising sun and let the bright sunshine shine on the earth. Furthermore, the two dragons are symmetrical, the dragons are long, the beads are round and smooth, and there is also a sense of composition.

The legend of the dragon-Oolong;

There are only a dozen families in Longtan Fort under Shaohua Mountain. There are two people living in the village: a father and a daughter named Liu, who make a living by selling tofu. My daughter is a pearl phoenix. She looks beautiful and handsome. One day, Zhu Feng went to fetch water and caught a little black snake. She caught the little black snake, put it on the well platform and said, "Poor thing, let it go!" " "The little black snake nodded to her, turned and ran into the well.

Zhu Fenggang came into the room carrying water when she heard someone calling her from behind. Turning around, I saw a beautiful young man in his twenties. The young man took Zhu Feng's hand and stuffed a ball into her hand.