Chapter 7 Section 4 The Wooden Fish and the Legend of the Wooden Fish
Those who go to the temple to rejoice will notice that from the "Dharma Logistics Department" in the temple to the related shops and vendors outside the temple, the small ritual utensils and props sold are mainly incense burners, candlesticks, vases (collectively known as "three-legged" ), as well as rosary beads and wooden fish.Among them, the small wooden fish seems to be the representative of the chanting instrument (a sounding instrument used to recite scriptures, etc.), while large musical instruments such as bells and drums and other copper musical instruments such as clangs, chimes, and bells are rare.The reason for this is probably because the shape of wooden fish can be large or small, unlike bells and drums, which are temple utensils, which are large in size and very popular.Second, because of wood, it is cheaper than copper utensils.The third and most important point is that it is used to harmonize syllables when praying to Buddha and chanting sutras.It can be used anytime, anywhere as long as you recite the scriptures and chant the Buddha.It can also be used alone, and does not necessarily have to be combined with other chant instruments.On the other hand, if you go to the temple to do your homework and practice rituals, other chant instruments must cooperate with it.It can be said that wooden fish is the representative of chanting instruments, a special instrument created by Sinicized Buddhism and unique to Buddhism.
The wooden fish used in Sinicized Buddhist temples can be clearly divided into two types.One is the one we mentioned above: the shape is roughly like a steamed bun that collapses to one side, with a big frog mouth dug out at the slightly taller end, and a bas-relief carving of two fish or two dragons holding the mouth together. A bead and the tail are engraved in the middle of the wooden fish body.Its main use is to harmonize syllables for chanting.There is also a fish shape (or a dragon's head and a fish body), which is hung outside the door of the Zhaitang or warehouse for public use.Its shape and pronunciation are similar to the folk sounder "bang", so it is commonly called "Yu bang"; because it is often used for clapping during fasting meals, it is commonly called "fan bang".The origin of these two kinds of wooden fish is quite early, and it has been popular in temples around the Sui and Tang Dynasties.Songs are repeatedly seen in Tang Dynasty poems.For example, there are two poems "Ode to Wooden Fish and Drums" under the volume of "Quotations of Zen Master Xuefeng Yicun" (Volume 5, Volume 2, Part 2, Part A of "Xu Zang Jing"), as an example:
I am temporarily a fish drum, hanging my head for the suffering of all.Poor Yuguzi, who was raised from the ground by nature.
From these two poems, we know that wooden fish is also called "Yugu", or "Yuguzi" with a suffix.Hitting it is the assembly order for monks to eat vegetarian meals.The poem also specifically mentions beating the fish drum in the early morning, which presumably has something to do with morning lessons and early fasting.Later, the famous Su Dongpo also reflected in his poems:
What Su Dongpo refers to in these two poems is probably the sound of wooden fish calling Zaozhai.Refer to the descriptions in the two poems quoted above. The two of them are talking about the fish-shaped wooden fish hanging in front of the Zhaitang.
As for the wooden fish used for chanting scriptures, there are many reflections in the poems of Tang and Song Dynasties, such as:
What they talked about was the sound of the wooden fish when chanting scriptures and doing Buddhist rituals.Su Zhe still confirmed that the "partition wall" belonged to the Buddhist temple by hearing the sound of wooden fish performing rituals at night.The unique sound of wooden fish is indeed the sound of spreading Buddhism that guides people to Buddhist temples!
It is worth noting that in ancient times, or since the Song Dynasty with clear records, the wooden fish for chanting also had two uses.
One use is for early morning dawn.According to the third volume of "Tokyo Menghualu": "Five shifts are made every day, and the monks of all temples strike iron signs or wooden fish, and follow the door to announce the dawn." This kind of use was distorted in the episode "Shi Xiuzhi killed Pei Ruhai". development used.That's a matter of tarnishing Buddhism, so I don't want to quote it here.
Another use is when going out for alms. In "Qingping Shantang Huaben" in "Quaizui Li Cuilian Ji", there is a saying: "I shaved my hair and became a teacher, wearing a straight gown (duo many) and hanging gourds. I took a big wooden fish in my hand and ate meals along the door during the day. In the temple at dusk, people recite the Buddha’s name and Nian Nanwu, and eat vegetarian food to spend time. The one whose head is shaved off is not called a little aunt!" The portrayal is quite vivid.In the twenty-fifth episode of "Psychic Jade Concealed and Encountered with Shuangzhen", when Baoyu met five ghosts who were enchanted and was dying, "Suddenly heard the faint sound of a wooden fish in the air, and said a sentence: 'Nanwu Jieyuan Jiejie Bodhisattva We are good at treating those who are not well-populated, whose homes are uneasy, and who are haunted by evil spirits!" Mrs. Jia Muwang ordered people to search for them on the street. It turned out to be a monk with a leprosy and a monk with a lameness." This is another story. A special example of the use of wooden fish in alms.
There is no doubt that wooden fish is a magic weapon created and promoted by Sinicized Buddhism.However, when it was created and what its shape and meaning are, it is still inconclusive.
According to the records in the article "August 8th of the fourth year of Yanjiu" in Volume 3 of "The Story of Wutai Mountain in Cantiantai" by Cheng Xun, a Japanese monk seeking the law in the Song Dynasty: Li to Shan County. That is to say, visit Chongbanzhi County and beg for safety. That is to say, settle down to the Shixing Temple—the real name is Qingtai Temple. Burn incense in the shadow of Fu Dashi. It is based on Fu Dashi. When the Dashi looked for Song Toutuo, he played fish drums, and Toutuo responded to the sound of drums. Since then, monasteries all over the world have played wooden fish drums for the masses, and so on." Press: Extended for four years, when Song Dynasty The fifth year of Shenzong Xining; August 8th of this year, which is September 22nd in 1072 in the Gregorian calendar.Fu Dashi was Fu Xi (497-569 A.D.), the famous lay leader during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.When he was "fishing" in Yishui, he met Song Toutuo (named Bodhidharma), a Hu monk, and became enlightened.
What Cheng Xun recorded was only an oral legend, lacking historical evidence.There is also a theory that monk Zhilin created it in the Sui Dynasty, but there is also a lack of circumstantial evidence.There is a secular historical material about the fish-shaped wooden fish, that is, Liu Ruoyu of the Ming Dynasty recorded in "The Office of the Neifu Yamen" in "Zhuo Zhongzhi". It can be about three feet long, to show that there is surplus food.” It seems that this long fish-shaped wooden fish hanging under the porch in front of the door also has the function of “praying for blessings and avoiding disasters” in folklore.Monks and common people are common, although their uses are different. Tracing back to its origin, I am afraid that it is the same as the Chinese Tripitaka and the "registration numbers" of ancient Chinese stores, which are all recorded in sequence according to the number of "Thousand Characters". It's hard to check.
There is another legend among the monks, which is said to come from scriptures, but the author has not found the source.It can only be perfunctory according to the "Jiaoyuan Qinggui" compiled by ancient monks.It is said that there was a monk who disobeyed his master's words, ruined the Dharma, and was reincarnated as a big fish with a tree growing on the back of the fish.Feng Tao swayed the fish body, the tree roots shook, the fish body was bleeding, and it was very painful.One day, his teacher in his previous life was crossing the sea. The fish wanted to murder the teacher, and said: "You didn't teach me well in the previous life, so I have become like this now. I must take revenge!" The teacher asked the fish and understood. The name of the previous life, teach him to repent.He also set up a water and land dojo for him to recommend.At night, the teacher dreamed that the fish came to see him, and said: "I have been liberated. Now put the tree on my body in the temple, so that it can also get close to the Three Jewels." The teacher found the tree, and carved the tree into a fish. Shaped, hung up, as the use of the police.By the way, there are some stories in the Buddhist scriptures about "the apprentice fell into the animal body without being taught, hurt the teacher, and then repented". This story should be based on it.
In addition, according to the posthumous article of Liu Axie's "Yi Yi" quoted by Lei Shu in the Northern Song Dynasty, there is a saying: "For monks who house wooden fish, the fish does not fit their eyes day and night, and the practitioner forgets to sleep and enlighten the Tao. Fish can transform into dragons, and everyone can become holy." Although I don’t know where it comes from, but it is related to the culture and folk customs of the Han nationality. The meaning of wooden fish, including why some long wooden fish are carved into dragon heads and fish bodies, and why some round wooden fish are carved into The meaning of the shape of the double dragon holding the bead is explained in a way that "there is something in the words, and it makes sense".We'd rather take that as the case.
"Fu Fa Zang Yuan Yuan Zhuan" six volumes, the second year of Yanxing in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 472), translated by Ji Jiaye, Sanzang of the Western Regions and Zheng Tanyao, a monk of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and accepted by Liu Xiaobiao.There are many similarities between the content of this scripture and the "Biography of King Ashoka". Some people suspect that this scripture was passed down orally and was not translated from the inherent Sanskrit scriptures.However, this sutra preserves many myths and legends of the South Asian subcontinent.
The third volume of this sutra contains a famous "fish belly" story, to the effect that: There was a man named Bakkula who was born in a Brahmin family in the South Asian subcontinent.His mother died young.The stepmother regarded him as a thorn in the side and murdered him many times (many scriptures say five times).Once, his stepmother threw him into the river, and a big fish swallowed him.The big fish are caught by fishermen and sold in the market.Thakura's father bought the fish.When cutting open the fish with a knife, Bo Juluo sang in the belly of the fish: "May the father be at peace, and don't hurt the son!" His father cut open the belly of the fish and took the child out.After experiencing various hardships, Thakura became a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha.After becoming a monk, he was free from illness and disaster, and died at the age of 160. He is known as "the number one longevity".
The myths and legends of the South Asian subcontinent have greatly enriched the treasure house of Chinese literature and folklore.Over the past two thousand years, the Chinese have used and transformed many of these stories, some have changed their appearance, some have seized parts of them, in short, they have been sinicized and used for my own use, and finally become Chinese things.
In the eleventh year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1654 A.D.), Longqi (1592-1673 A.D., named Yinyuan), an eminent monk of the Chinese Huangbo sect, traveled east to Fusang at the request of Japanese monk Yiran.Later, Long Qi expounded Zen Buddhism in Japan, and was honored as the ancestor of the Obaku School in Japan, and was bestowed the title of "Daguang Puzhao National Teacher" by the Emperor.It is said that wooden fish was promoted by him in Japanese temples.There is a Chinese story that has also become popular in Japan. It is said that the young son of an elder fell into the water and was swallowed by a big fish. Everyone does not know it yet.Master Xuanzang of Tang Sanzang came to the elder's house for fasting, and he had to eat big fish.After cutting open the belly of the big fish, the youngest son came out safely.Xuanzang said that the big fish sacrificed his life for the child, and this fish should be commemorated.So it was carved into a wooden fish and hung in the temple as a permanent memorial.This is the origin of wooden fish.
This story of the origin of the wooden fish is obviously derived from the story of the boguluo entering the belly of the fish.The ability of the Chinese to transfer flowers and plants is really not small.The new story after transformation is not only more interesting, but also explains a new problem at the end, explaining the origin of a kind of utensil, and putting a new use for the old story. "Listen to the aunt who speaks nonsense, the bean shed and the melon stand are raining like silk!"