In "Journey to the West", the black bear spirit steals the cassock, which is clearly a wrong act. Why is it accepted by Guanyin Bodhisattva as the guardian of the mountain?

In the seventeenth chapter of "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong heard that there was a monster on the Black Wind Mountain near Guanyin Temple. He concluded that the monster had stolen the cassock and rushed there. As expected, the cassock was stolen. It was a black bear spirit, and his martial arts skills were on par with Sun Wukong. Wukong had no choice but to go to the South China Sea to find Guanyin Bodhisattva. Guanyin Bodhisattva put a restraint on the black bear spirit's head and subdued it. Wukong took back the cassock, and Guanyin Bodhisattva brought the black bear spirit back. Putuo Mountain became the guardian of the mountain.

Readers who are familiar with "Journey to the West" have heard such a joke, that is, in Journey to the West, all the fairies without backgrounds were killed, and all the fairies with backgrounds survived and were taken away. This Gang's summary of the fate of many fairies is basically correct, but there are exceptions, such as the black bear spirit, which stole Tang Monk's cassock and intended to attack the Guanyin Bodhisattva invited by Sun Wukong, but Guanyin Bodhisattva only subdued it. Later, he made him his own mountain guardian.

Why is the black bear spirit so lucky?

In fact, the reason lies in the widespread bear worship in ancient China and the long-standing bear culture in China.

Bear, Mammalia, Carnivora, the general name for various species of Ursidae. According to surveys, a large number of bear worship relics exist in the northern hemisphere. In the vast north, there are a large number of bear worship relics. Among them, you can see "bear rituals" and bear-related customs and taboos. China's "Bear Sacrifice" first appeared in the sacrificial rituals of the Hongshan Culture. In the goddess temple at the Niulianghe site, archaeologists once discovered the mandible of a real bear and the head and claws of a clay sculpture. The bear represents men in traditional Chinese culture and symbolizes courage and strength.

Source

The deification of the bear comes from the ancients’ observations of the living habits of bears. It is recorded in the "Shan Hai Jing": "There is a cave in Xiong Mountain, where gods and men are always located, and they open in the summer and close in the winter?!" Ancient ancestors believed that bears were animals that could hibernate and emerge in the summer like insects, giving people a feeling of "resurrection from the dead." The bear's ability to still give birth to new life during hibernation was regarded by ancient ancestors as a magical power and they were worshiped. As a result, the bear totem came into being, and Chinese bear culture was born.

For thousands of years, people generally believe that the dragon is the symbol of the Chinese nation and a spiritual totem. In fact, as early as 8,000 years ago, before the Chinese dragon culture was born, the bear culture had already flourished. develop.

The bear was the earliest recognized ancestor of the Chinese nation, the surname of the tribe where the Yellow Emperor lived, and the legendary religious object of the Xia, the first dynasty in Chinese history. "Historical Records" records: Huangdi, the founder of Chinese humanity, inherited the position of his father, Shaodian, as the leader of the Xiong clan tribe, and took the bear as a totem, named him Xuanyuan, and called himself the bear's child. As for Xia, according to "Historical Records of Xia Benji", it was originally the Yellow Emperor who was a descendant of the Xiong family, and there are many records in the literature that Gun and Yu turned into bears after their death; the "Rongcheng Family" chapter of the Warring States Bamboo Slips collected in the Shanghai Museum talks about Yu's three years of listening to politics. After the year, he began to make flags for him, and made five flags of east, west, south, north, and center, among which the bear was the most important symbol of "Zhongzheng Flag"; there are also currently considered to be the remains of Xia culture Some scholars believe that the Taotie pattern on the bronze medal unearthed from the Erlitou site is a bear, which all hints at the unique status of bears in Xia culture.

In China’s long history, various totems have appeared in the splendid picture of spiritual civilization created by our ancestors. The bear definitely plays an important role in the totem zoo that represents the spiritual beliefs of our ancestors. Together with other totems, it plays the role of comforting the national soul and continues to carry the spiritual sustenance of Chinese people of all generations.

The meaning of the bear

The bear represents men in traditional Chinese culture and symbolizes courage and strength; some scholars believe that the seasonal activity rules of bears, especially the habit of hibernation, give primitive It creates an impression of resurrection from the dead, so the bear is worshiped as a manifestation of the power of nature to reborn.

Bear in Literary Works

The seventeenth chapter of "Journey to the West" mainly describes that Sun Wukong, with the help of Guanyin Bodhisattva, used a restraint to subdue the black bear spirit who stole the cassock, and The story of bringing the black bear spirit back to Putuo Mountain and becoming the mountain guardian.

The article "Zhuangzi: Deliberately" writes: "Blow your breath, and the bear's passage and the bird's breath are just for longevity." This person who guides and cultivates the body is the favorite of Peng Zushou. ?It means to imitate the activities of bears and birds, stretch the limbs, and coordinate qi and blood, so as to achieve the purpose of health and longevity.

"Mencius" said: "The fish is what I want, and the bear's paw is also what I want. You can't have both. One would give up the fish and take the bear's paw." ?Many people today misunderstand that both fish and bear paw are delicacies, and they cannot be obtained at the same time. It is further deduced that both are desirable and it is difficult to choose between them. ?

There are also records in historical books such as "Zuo Zhuan" that King Chu Cheng and Duke Linggong of Jin ate the bear sacrament. "Totem Holy Communion" is the original form of the widely popular Holy Communion ceremony. In the view of primitive people, using the blood and flesh of the totem as a holy meal can consolidate their close relationship with the totem and regain the spiritual power of the totem.

The image of bears in poetry

The birds of prey lurk and the bears roost in caves. "Winter in October"? Wei and Jin Dynasties? Cao Cao

Bears eat human souls, and snow and frost break human bones. "The public does not go out"? Tang Dynasty? Li He

The water will not go away, but the bear will come. "Miscellaneous Songs and Songs? Qin Girl's Rolling Clothes"? Tang Dynasty? Li Bai

The roaring bears and dragons sing in the Yinyan Spring, and the deep chestnut trees and deep forests are shocking to the top. "Sleepwalking Tianmu Yin Farewell"? Tang Dynasty? Li Bai

Xiong Er should first arrive, and Niu Tou will start to climb. "Shangfeng Shijun Crosses the Water Sengzhaozi" Tang Dynasty Guanxiu

The frost falls and the bear rises up the tree, and the deer drinks from the stream in the empty forest. "Mountain Trip to Lushan"? Song Dynasty? Mei Yaochen

This old man has everything to rely on, but he can talk and laugh, but he can be killed by thousands of bears. "The statue of Vimalakirti was sculpted by Yang Huizhi in Tianzhu Temple in the Tang Dynasty"? Su Shi, Song Dynasty If you hit a tree and call it "Zi Lu", it will rise; if you don't call it, it will not move.

Neng: "Shu Yi Ji" says: On land, it is called Xiong, and on water, it is called Neng (that is, the person transformed by Gun). Therefore, the word Xiong is Cong Neng.

The origin of the surname Xiong

It originated from the Xiong surname, which came from the tribal surname of the Yellow Emperor. It is a surname based on the name of the city. According to the historical record "Compilation of Yuanhe Surnames", it is said that the Yellow Emperor was born in Shouqiu, grew up in Jishui, lived in Xuanyuan Hill, and established his capital in Youxiong (now Xinzheng, Henan), also known as Youxiong. Some of the descendants of the Yellow Emperor took the name of the place and called them Xiong. Xiong is one of the oldest surnames in China.

The Xiong family is a multi-ethnic and multi-origin surname group. It ranks 72nd on the current surname list and belongs to the big surname series. The population is about 4.483 million. Accounting for about 0.32% of the total population of the country.

The bear is an irreplaceable role among the many totem animals that represent the spiritual beliefs of our ancestors. Because of this, the bear received extraordinary courtesy in "Journey to the West".

Although the black bear spirit is a monster, the place where it lives is quiet and unique. Its conversation is gentle and elegant, and it reveals a noble and elegant demeanor. Even Sun Wukong said with emotion: "This guy is the same." A strange person who is free from dirt and dust and knows his destiny. ?Guanyin Bodhisattva accepted Wukong's request and came to subdue the demon. As soon as he stepped into the black bear spirit's cave, he secretly rejoiced and said: ?This beast of karma has occupied this cave, but it also has some virtues?

Conclusion: The image of the black bear spirit in "Journey to the West" is basically relatively positive, and it is not accidental that it can have a good result. The author made this treatment, which should be subconsciously influenced by the treatment of the black bear in Chinese culture. The influence of bear reverence.