About the origin of the image of a pair of boy and girl in Chinese folk culture?

Guanyin and the boy and girl

Many Buddhist temples, such as Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, have an island behind the main statue of Buddha in the Daxiongbao Hall. The statue of Goddess of Mercy is standing on top of the island, holding a Yangzhi bottle of water, with a foot on an arowana, which is said to be the image of Goddess of Mercy in her manifestation at the Taoist site of Mount Putuo Lugashan. Holding a vase of water, symbolizing "sprinkling the Dharma", and stepping on an arowana, it is said that this is the image of Guanyin in his manifestation at the Taoist site of Putuo Lujia Mountain. The image of Guanyin holding a vase of Yangzhi symbolizes "sprinkling the Buddha's teachings", while the foot on the arowana means "rescuing the sufferings and delivering all beings" in the vast sea of suffering. This image of Guanyin, called "Island Guanyin", also known as "Guanyin of the Sea", "Ao Yu Guanyin", and the main Buddha across a screen wall standing back to back, facing the back door towards the north. On both sides of Guanyin, there is a boy, Shan Cai, on the left and a girl, Dragon Lady, on the right.

Buddhism believes that the boy Good Fortune is one of the five hundred children of the Elder of Blessed City. The Avatamsaka Sutra says: "When Good Fortune is born, all kinds of treasures naturally spring forth." The Avatamsaka Sutra also says, "By what cause is it called 'Good Fortune'? This child, when he was first conceived, had seven great treasures within his chamber, which sprang forth from the seven treasures of the pavilion, which were naturally circumscribed ...... With this story, among the Brahmins, the character of the good and bright phase teacher is 'Shan Cai'." Shan Cai once asked Manjushri to teach Buddhism, Manjushri introduced him to ask another "good knowledge" (refers to the famous Buddhist teacher who can guide people to seek the Buddha half); the second "good knowledge" and recommended him to ask the third "good knowledge "...... Shan Cai successively worshipped fifty-three "good knowledge", and finally met the Bodhisattva Pu Xian, and was able to "instantly become Buddha". Therefore, in Buddhist temples, there are often fifty-three children to represent the "fifty-three senators". The steps in Buddhist buildings are often laid out in fifty-three steps, as a metaphor for "fifty-three sangha, sangha see Buddha." According to legend, when Shan Cai paid his respects to the Abbot of Scythia, he introduced to Shan Cai that the South Sea Goddess of Mercy had great magical powers and was infinite in power, and so there was a twenty-sixth sen - that is, Shan Cai went to the Purple Bamboo Grove in Mount Puliao to worship the Goddess of Mercy as a teacher. The good fortune child *** visited fifty-three "good knowledge", which to visit the Guanyin benefit the most, so he willingly rely on the Guanyin door, become the Bodhisattva's left sidekick.

Readers may be concerned about the story of the "fifty-three visits", or at least want to know which fifty-three "good knowledge" the Good Fortune Child visited. The first is Deyun Bhikkhu, the second is Shanshu Bhikkhu, the third is Mija Elder, the fourth is Deliverance Elder, the fifth is Haikang Bhikkhu, the sixth is Xusha Upani?a, the seventh is Vimukhusha Immortal, the eighth is Shengjie Brahmana, the ninth is Cixing Nun, the 10th is Shanyimi Bhikkhu, the 11th is ZiZhongLu Child, the 12th is Sufficient Upani?a, the 13th is Dharma Wise Resident, and the 14th is Dharma Wisdom Resident. The 14th is the Elder of the Dharma Treasure Bun, the 15th is the Elder of the Zhou Luo Pu Eyes, the 16th is the King of the Myriad Fragrant Unsatiated Feet, the 17th is the King of the Great Light, the 18th is the Immovable Upani?ad, the 19th is the Partial Way, the 20th is the Elder of the Selling Fragrance, the 21st is the Master of the Boat of Brahmaputra, the 22nd is the Elder of the Heavenly Victory, the 23rd is the Shizi Pishin Bhikshuni, the 24th is the Fanshun Paschalamitra, the 25th is the Scabbard of the Sacred Heart. The twenty-fifth is the abbot Scabbatha, the twenty-sixth is the Bodhisattva Guan Zi Zi Zai, the twenty-seventh is the Bodhisattva of the Right Path, the twenty-eighth is the Great Heavenly God, the twenty-ninth is the God of the Peaceful Residence of the Earth, the thirtieth is the Brahmaputra Yandi, the thirty-first is the Night God of the Universal Virtue of the Pure Light, the thirty-second is the Night God of the Joyful Eyes of the Observation of All Living Beings, the thirty-third is the Night God of the Universal Rescue of the Wonderful Dharma, the thirty-fourth is the Night God of the Sea of the Silent Sounds, the thirty-fifth is the Night God of the Protection of All Living Beings. The thirty-fifth is the Night Deity who guards all living beings, the thirty-sixth is the Night Deity who opens the flowers of trees, the thirty-seventh is the Night Deity of Progress, the thirty-eighth is the Night Deity of Perfection of Myriad Virtues, the thirty-ninth is the Divine Lady of Gopa Sutra, the fortieth is the Mother of Moksha Buddha, the forty-first is the Queen of the Heavenly Lord's Light, the forty-second is the Master of the All-pervasive Child, the forty-third is the Child of the All-pervasive Arts, the forty-fourth is the Wise and Successful Uprava, the forty-fifth is the Elder of the Firmament of Deliverance. The forty-sixth is the Elder of the Wonderful Moon, the forty-seventh is the Elder of the Unsurpassed Army, the forty-eighth is the Silent Brahmin, the forty-ninth is the Child of Virtue and Life, the fiftieth is the Child of Virtue and Life, the fifty-first is the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the fifty-second is Manjushri, and the fifty-third is the Bodhisattva Pratyekabuddha. In fact, the forty-ninth, the Child of Virtue and Life, and the fiftieth, the Child of Virtue and Life, answered questions asked by Shan Cai in the same meeting. of the questions asked by Shan Cai, so there is also a merging of these two in one.

Some people say that the "fifty-three references" is a story about a dragon lady. The Dharma Flower Sutra records that the Dragon Lady was the daughter of the King of the Twenty Heavens, the King of the Sa Visit Dragon, and was exceptionally intelligent. At the age of eight, she had "sharp eyes of wisdom" and was able to comprehend the Buddha's teachings. The dragon lady is modest and studious, worshiped many teachers, especially often listen to Manjushri Bodhisattva said "Dharma Flower Sutra", in-depth meditation, to understand all kinds of knowledge of Buddhism, the good root maturity, in the Dharma Flower meeting, when from the manifestation of the Buddha. Or that later she went to visit Shakyamuni Buddha and offered a precious pearl in front of her, which immediately turned into a male body to become a Buddha.

"Dharma Garden Pearl Forest. Thousands of Buddhas in the Family" recorded: "At that time, the bodhisattva received his milk and rice, and held it to the Nirvana River, where a regular woman named Nirvana Tanya sprang out of the ground." This girl, who "sprang out of the ground," followed the Bodhisattva Guanyin forever.

The Buddha Speaks of the Great Manjushri Sutra. The "Records of Guan Zi Zai Bodhisattva" says, "From the pupil of his right eye, Guan Zi Zai Bodhisattva emitted light, and a wonderful maiden flowed out to honor Guan Zi Zai, holding a green lotus flower, and looked up to her and stayed there." This is yet another legend of a virgin serving Guanyin.

There are many other legends about the Dragon Lady. The general story is that the Dragon Lady is the third princess of the King of the Sea Dragon, one day out of the Dragon Palace, turned into a fish to play in the river, coincidentally caught by the fisherman's nets, sent to the market to sell. Thinking that she would never see her parents again, she was very sad and called out the name of Goddess of Mercy, hoping to be saved. Goddess of Mercy, hearing the sound of compassion, appeared in the market, bought the dragon lady who changed into a fish, and released her into the water, so that she could return to the Dragon Palace. In order to repay Kuan Yin for saving her life, the dragon lady resolved to serve Kuan Yin forever and became the right hand of the Bodhisattva.

The boy and girl, their images are lively, cute and pleasing to the eye. The Buddhist religion has portrayed them as the right hand men of Guanyin, which helps to propagate the Dharma and "universalize all sentient beings".

In addition, on the island of Guanyin wall, there are also a variety of small statues. Some of the Guanyin Bodhisattva on the surface molded riding the unicorn of the King of Tibet Bodhisattva; and then on the surface of the molding of a Shakyamuni "hungry Buddha statue", describing the Shakyamuni that year, in the snowy mountains of the situation of cultivation. Some in the Guanyin bodhisattva behind, according to the "Journey to the West" description, molding the story of the Tang Monk teacher and disciples, including how to conquer a variety of demons and ghosts scene, some in the Guanyin bodhisattva on both sides, molded eighteen luohan, or molded twenty days. Suzhou Xiyuan island Guanyin wall, but also add four flowers of the heavenly maiden. Of course, the most common, or plastic "Dharma Flower Sutra. Pu Men Pin" in the "Goddess of Mercy to save eight difficult" character story, or plastic "Avatamsaka Sutra" in the story of Shan Cai "fifty-three references".

And the image of boys and girls in big red coats should be re-modeled by modern people in accordance with today's aesthetic needs.

Reference:

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Respondent: dadidou - probationary period first class 2-8 00:29

This friend you this question count ask difficult.

I believe that you yourself have checked a lot of things and can not get it. I searched Baidu related content many pages, did not find the answer you want. So I could not help but give a friend a phone call, my friend in our county cultural center work, is a folklore workers, friends give me the answer to make me feel more reliable. Now the meaning of the relay to you --

The pair of boys and girls to pay tribute to the New Year figure is the scattering of wealth children or commonly known as the delivery of wealth children, wealth children. Originally, the image of the children of wealth dispersal originated from Buddhism, after the processing of the present day people the image of the pair of children dressed in Tang clothes into a team of cute New Year's Eve children.

Friends said, you asked the image of the children from whose creativity, this question did not send an answer, let's say, rice has long been there, so people can be made into thin rice or fried rice, as you how to arrange. If you want to ask how the rice, according to the legend or, data or to answer, but to ask why the rice will be fried this question can not be answered.

Thinking of this understanding, in fact, to send wealth to the children of this image is based on the legend, according to the festive design out, and then all the people in accordance with the general image of the design and change. As long as understand, they are a team of wealth delivery children can be.

To this question, on the answer so much, did not help what, but also my knowledge of the limitations, if there are experts can answer better, I am also willing to listen.

Responders: Gu Qu light madness - thousand total four 2-8 01:12

Quite a few Buddhist temples, such as Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, etc. in the Daxiongbao Hall behind the main statue of the Buddha, repairing an island, the Goddess of Mercy stood on top of an island, holding a Yangzhi bottle of water, feet on the arowan, it is said that this is the Goddess of Mercy in its manifestation of the sayings of the Taoist temple of the Putuo Lujiazhan the image. Holding a vase of water, symbolizing "sprinkling the Dharma", and stepping on an arowana, it is said that this is the image of Guanyin in his manifestation at the Taoist site of Putuo Lujia Mountain. The image of Guanyin holding a vase of Yangzhi symbolizes "sprinkling the Buddha's teachings", while the foot on the arowana means "rescuing the sufferings and delivering all beings" in the vast sea of suffering. This image of Guanyin, called "Island Guanyin", also known as "Guanyin of the Sea", "Ao fish Guanyin", and the main Buddha across a screen wall standing back to back, facing the back door towards the north. On either side of Guanyin, there is a boy, Shan Cai, on the left and a girl, Dragon Lady, on the right.

Responders: forty-four years of testing - apprentice magician III 2-8 04:01

Responders: zzy19950310 - Beginning Jianghu II 2-8 09:01

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