Horae Sinicae: Translations from the Popular Literature of the Chinese/Account of Foe
ACCOUNT
OF
FOE.
Foe was the founder of a sect, which in Japan and China now prevails to a great extent. This account of him is translated from a Chinese work, entitled, San-kiao-yuen-lieu, "The rise and progress of the three sects," viz. those of Kung-fu-tsi, Foe, and Tao-szi.
The work begins with the life of Confucius, and after the accounts of Foe, and Tao, gives the lives of a great number of subordinate deities, Foe.
The surname of She-kia-meu-ni-foe, [the lord of religion in the middle ages,] was Chai-li. His father was the king of Tsing-fan. His mother's name was Tsing-tsing-miao-wei. When at Pu, she bore Foe, then called Teu-sio-tien-kung: he was also called Shing-shen-tien-jin, ["the virtuous, heavenly man:"] and Hu-ming-ta-szi, ["the great and illustrious learned man."] He was the restorer of the multitude, and the supplier of that which was wanting. He exhibited his person, every where, as an example.
It is written in the book Pu-yeu, that Foe was born of the royal family Chai-li. He exhibited great wisdom and splendour; and was manifest in every place. Wherever he sat cross-legged, the earth produced the golden lien flower. He walked seven steps to the east, west, north and south; with the finger of his right hand he pointed to heaven; with that of his left he pointed to the earth, and speaking with the voice of a lion, said, "Above, below, and all around there is none more honourable than I." He was born on the 8th day, of the fourth moon, of the 24th year, of the reign of king Chao; during the dynasty Cheu. On the 8th day, of the second moon, of the 42nd year, of the same reign, when 19 years of age, he begged his parents that he might be permitted to leave the family, and deliberated with himself, whither he should go. He went and looked out at the four doors, and say the old, the sick, the unburied and the distressed, In the midst of joy, his heart was filled with compassion. He thought—were but age, sickness and death avoided, it would be well. That night, at midnight, a heavenly person, whose name was Tsing-kia, appeared in the middle of the southern window, and stretching out his hand said, "O prince, the time which you have mentioned to leave your family is now come; you may go." When the prince heard this, he was exceedingly glad, and immediately, having passed over the walls of the city, went to the midst of the hill Tan-te to cultivate reason. He at first remained three years at O-land and Kia-lan, where he found that they were unprofitable places. He was fully convinced that they were bad, and therefore he left them, and went to Yu-teu-lan-foe and remained three years. That place, also, he found extremely unfavourable to study; and being persuaded that it was bad, he left it, and went to Siang-teu hill, where he lived with other religionists who were not of his sect; with them he daily ate hempseed and wheat. Here he passed sixteen years. Hence the Classic says, "without having such intention; without pointing out [that it should be so] he completely subjected all the other religionists to himself. He first repeatedly tried their depraved arts, and then declared to them the square and expedient [the rule of doing that to others which we ourselves like.] He exhibited [to them] uncommon appearances, and commanded them to advance to goodness.
The book Pu-tsie says, "On the 8th day, of the second moon, when the bright stars appear, Pu-sa [the universal delivered,] in the time of [1] was 30 years of age. It was the third year of king Mo, and the year of the cycle Kuei-wei. There, in the midst of the garden So-ye, to [1] five persons he communicated the four truths, and the law of returning in a circle [the metenpsychosis;] and he discoursed on reason and certain retribution." He remained in the world and spoke of his laws forty years. Afterwards he taught his pupil the honoured Mo-ho-kia-ye, saying,—
"The law of purity; the duty of trusting in the wonderful heart of Nie-puon, [he who sits cross-legged, the posture in which Foe is always represented,] the doctrine of real appearance and no appearance; the true and supremely excellent law, I now take and deliver to you. It is your's to preserve it. Do not say that it is distressing or difficult. You will be able to assist me in promulgating my doctrines and renovating the world; do not cause them to be discontinued." He then uttered this Ki, [enigma.]
"Law, the foundation of law, no law.
No law, law, also law,
Now is delivered in the time of no law.
Law, law, where is law?[2]
At the same time that Foe, the honoured of the age, delivered this Ki to Mo-ho-kia-ye, he further added. "I now take my robe, composed of golden threads, and deliver it to you, that you may place it in the sanctuary of deity, and preserve it from injury till the age of mercy shall arrive, when Foe shall appear."
When Mo-ho-kia-ye heard the Ki, he stooped with his head and face towards his feet and said, "Most excellent! most excellent! it is mine to obey with the most profound submission the doctrines of Foe."
Foe, the honoured of the age, then went to the city of Kiu-shi-no, and addressed a vast multitude saying, "I am greatly distressed because of the people of the age. I wish to enter and sit down in the posture of meditation." He immediately went to the side of the river Hi-lien, and under twoSo-so trees, on the right side, folding his legs, he instantly expired.
He again rose from his coffin in consequence of a law which he had not delivered. He then uttered a Ki respecting death:
"All actions are improper:
Hence is produced the law of destruction.
In life destruction is instant; men destroy themselves.
After death all is repose."
His disciples all immediately hastened, and took fragrant wood to burn[3] him. After he was burned the coffin[4] yet remained as before.
The multitude immediately arranged before Foe, praised him by the following Ki.
"In all common persons is depraved fire;
How can they burn thus excellently?
We beg that honoured Foe will display his three splendid fires,
And surround his golden-coloured body."
His golden-coloured coffin then ascended high in the air, by the So-so tree; and was carried backwards and forwards, and then converted into three splended fires. The ashes were instantaneously changed into valuable globules that filled eight hu and four teu.[5]
This took place on the 15th of the 2nd moon, of the year of the cycle Jin-shin, in the 52nd year of king Mo.
A hundred and seventeen years after the burning of Foe, the honoured of the age, his religion arrived in China, the middle empire. It was in the time of the latter dynasty Han. The emperor Ming dreamed one night that he saw a golden man, of a tall stature, large neck, and splendid as the sun and moon. When he enquired of all his ministers respecting it, one said, "In the West there is a deity whose name is Foe: is it he of whom your majesty has dreamed?"
Messengers were then sent to the kingdom Tien-lo, to enquire respecting their religion; to obtain their books, and bring some of their Sha-muen, [priests.]
The Sha-muen said that Foe was fifteen cubits tall, of a yellow golden colour, his neck large, and that he shone like the sun and moon. He is capable of endless transformations. There is no place to which he cannot go; he can understand all things, and he greatly commiserates, and delivers, the multitude of living men.
The above account is accompanied by an engraving, representing Foe, sitting cross-legged on a pedestal, and two of his pupils by his side. Around the head of each are diverging rays of light.
They speak of three appearances of Foe: the first, Nan-mo-o-mi-to-foe, who presided over the state of things that preceded the present heavens and earth. The second, Nan-mo-she-kia-meu-ni-wen-foe, the lord of religion during the middle heaven, that is, the present state of things. The third, Nan-mo-mi-le-tsun-foe, who shall appear on the state of things which shall succeed the present. 120,000 years are allowed to each Sun-hwue, complete revolution or state of things.
In the temples of Foe, these are represented by the symbols of three persons seated by the side of each other. In the middle is he who presides over the present state of things. The names made use of, and which have been just now recited, are in a foreign dialect and unintelligible to the Chinese.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chasms unsupplied in the original.
- ↑ Though apparently there be no fixed law or rule of conduct, yet there must really be such a law. Exposition of the Translator's Chinese Tutor.
- ↑ It is yet the practice for the priests of Foe to be burned after death.
- ↑ The tradition is, that the fire was put within, yet the coffin was not consumed.
- ↑ About a gallon.