In Chinese mythology, there are gods, Buddhas, saints, devils, immortals, demons, monsters and ghosts. What are the specific differences between them? Who has a higher rank!

The highest level - Buddha: Sanskrit "Buddha", short for Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Broadly speaking, it can also refer to a practitioner who has achieved great enlightenment. After the birth of the Buddha, he took seven steps in the four directions of east, west, south, and north, and with each step, the earth sprang up to receive the feet of the Buddha; the World Honored One pointed to the sky and the other pointed to the earth, and said, "I am the only one in heaven and in the world, and I am the only one in the world; I will be at peace with the sufferings of all the three worlds. This is the origin of the Buddha's appearance in the world. This is the origin of the Buddha's manifestation in the world!

The second level - the immortal, in Chinese culture, the immortal absorbed the concept of God, free from the shackles of reincarnation of all things in the world, beyond the time and space to roam between the universe, they have no birth, no death, omnipotent, and the same life as the earth and sky, they are the gods of the gods and goddesses who opened up the heaven and the earth, and there are also the cultivation of the flying immortals (Shen Xian). --though many immortals still retain many of their own ideas and characteristics. From these concepts, we can tell that the gods and immortals of Chinese mythology are much closer to the gods of other foreign mythologies, though there are some differences, which we will get to later. The so-called attainment of Taoism leads to immortality. As the highest level of Taoism in Chinese mythology, the immortal has always had the highest status, and even in Buddhist concepts such as Journey to the West, we can see these immortals and Buddhas sitting together. To this day, there is still a great deal of worship of the immortal in many southern coastal cities and famous mountain ranges - although many people's concept of the immortal has become confused.

The third level -- In Chinese culture, the concept of "God" is not religious, and is not the same as "God" in the West, "Buddha" in China, or "Immortal" in China. Unlike "God" in the West and "Buddha" and "Immortal" in China, God is a concept of faith and an institutional concept, which should be noted in detail. First, the legendary inherent creator and ruler of heaven. Secondly, after death, people are appointed to work in heaven or hell, please note that after death, the implication is that the gods must be made from the soul after the return to heaven, did not take away their own physical body in the world, and generally work in the sky, such as the last sealing list of the gods are sealed for the gods. To become a god, you don't need to have a religious background, you don't need to study and practice the relevant religious classics, and you don't need to be a Taoist priest or a monk. As long as you have the destiny, or you are a very good person in the world, or you do a lot of good deeds, or you are respected by the people on earth, you may be appointed as a god by the Heavenly Court after your death, and you will be appointed as a government official in the heavenly or hellish world. For example, in later times, people like Bao Zheng, Wen Tianxiang, Guan Yu, etc., all of them did not believe in Taoism and Buddhism, not to mention that they had not practiced cultivation, but only because of too much influence in the yang world, and being excellent, they were absorbed by the Heavenly Court as gods after their deaths.

The fourth level - Devil, is the speech of the Indian country. Originally there were two characters, so-called Moloch. The Chinese translation means that it can take away life, because it takes away the Dharma body and wisdom life of all sentient beings, so that the descendants of those who enter the devil's path can never succeed in the expectation of the Buddha's path. It is also known as the killer, because it kills the merit and wealth of all sentient beings, so that they will never be able to realize the subtle virtue of nature. Also known as obstacles, for obstructing the prospects of monks, never being able to be refined in morality. It is also called Power, because the demon king in the heaven of other realizations has great divine power and is able to make things difficult for those who cultivate worldly dharma. It is also called evil, because of the many passions and desires that lead to birth and death and kill all the good roots of the world. It is also called the evil extreme, because the good benefits obtained by relying on the Dharma are not repaid by drinking water and thinking of the source, but are destroyed by ungratefulness and ingratitude. It is also known as the Chinese arrow, because it seems as if a flower is flying, and while it looks like a flower to the eye, it is actually hit by an arrow. It is also called the five arrows, because the five dusts that color the Dharma, enter through the five roots and break the good roots of the Dharma. It must be known that arrows can shoot people and kill them, and that the devas are even more powerful than arrows.

The fifth level--Demon refers to all natural phenomena that are incomprehensible to human beings, abnormal behaviors that are beyond the scope of common sense, or individuals (energy bodies) that are capable of exerting unbelievable power, and includes all kinds of ghosts and monsters, belonging to a kind of supernatural existence. People often associate demons with Western monsters, goblins and other legendary creatures. For example: the fox demon in Liaozhai, snake spirit, tree demon, etc..

Sixth level - Saint: (1) The ancient king of the world. It is also the extreme name for the emperor or empress dowager, which is why there are seventy-one saints in the world, whose laws are all different. --Lü Shi Chun Qiu - Chajin (2) Sage. An ideal figure of high moral intelligence, as described by Confucianism. (3) A person who is proficient in one thing, and has a particularly high level of achievement in a particular discipline or skill e.g.: the Sage of Chess; the Sage of Poetry.

The seventh level--Ghosts, also known as the undead, are said to be the spirits left behind after death, and are often thought of as the ghosts of the dead. Ghosts may not exist, after all, no one can prove it, but no one can state that ghosts don't exist either. Types of ghosts: one, hungry ghosts; two, hanging ghosts; three, blood paste ghosts; four, falling corpse ghosts; five, falling water ghosts; six, whistling ghosts; seven, headless ghosts; eight, zombies; nine, oh consumptive ghosts; ten, debtor ghosts; eleven, return the love of the ghosts; twelve, the return of the ghosts; thirteen, black impermanence; fourteen, white impermanence, and so on.

The eighth level - monsters, first of all, are objects, however, they are objects that are different from human beings and frighten them. For people who are not familiar, do not understand the object, almost never seen in ordinary life; or have seen the same kind of object, but with the same kind of object is very different, so that people have "how to grow like this" wonder. Because of the unfamiliarity, do not understand, will inevitably produce a sense of mystery, fear. Ancient times, people often have to go to the Chuanze mountains and forests to go fishing and hunting, it is inevitable to come across a variety of strange "hundred things". Like the Discovery Channel broadcast many people have not seen people afraid of a variety of animals, plants, weather phenomena.