Sect of the white lotus
The Sect of the white lotus , or Company of the white lotus 白蓮教 (Pinyin: báilíanjiào) indicates a rather disparate whole of schools active syncretic taoists of XIVe at the XXe centuries, applicant to go up at a Buddhist school 12th century which was in its time a great success, the School of the white lotus. Prohibited by twice as of the 14th century, in 1308 and 1331, because of the behavior of some of its branches, it was quickly discredited near the authorities and of the Buddhist mediums, but kept a great prestige near the population. According to the Encyclopedia of Ming , the whole of the schools white Lotus would have added up 2 million members and takes part in of more than 80 risings. Under the emperors Qianlong and Jiaqing of the Qing, a hundred schools would have been claimed some.
The movements of revolt being often framed by popular sects, schools of the white Lotus were implied in many risings during the three last dynasties, Yuan, Ming and Qing. Among most famous, that of the red Turbans carried out by Zhu Yuanzhang, which hastened besides to make prohibit to the white Lotus emperor once. One can still quote the revolts of Tang Sai' er at the beginning of the 15th century and of Xu Hongru at the beginning of the XVIIe century (Ming), or the Rebellion of the sects of the South-west of the end of the XVIIIe century (Qing).
At the end of the Manchu dynasty one said: “North is in the white Lotus and the South with the Boxers”.
The School of the white lotus
Groups of devotion of the Pure Earth
The name of the school goes up with the Société of the white lotus , first group of devotion to the Buddha founded Amitabha in 402 on the mount Lu by the monk Huiyuan. In the following centuries, with the expansion of the movement Pure Ground, of many named similar groups Sociétés of the lotus appeared.
The foundation of the school
Probably in 1131, Mao Ziyuan, originating in the Jiangsu, disciple of a Master Tiantai but very attracted by Jingtu, founded a movement which it named white Lotus in homage to Huiyuan. In addition to the prayers and meditation, it involved its disciples to be purified and repentance to enter the pure ground of Amitabha, and founded for that the expiatory Oratoire white lotus .It became difficult to know the true nature of the school and the psychology of the founder because their image was interpreted through the movements which will be claimed some in the following centuries. It seems that it was at the beginning an authentic Buddhist school because the principal work of Mao Ziyuan, the Trésor of the school of the lotus of the mount Lu , is quoted with admiration by monks famous of the later dynasties, and even included a moment in the Buddhist gun of Ming. Mao obtained from the emperor the recognition of his new school and the title of Patriarch. A monk Chan, Youtan, appreciated much the school to which he united, and much evil was given to rehabilitate it with the eyes of the administration after its first prohibition. Thanks to its efforts, it became again legal for 20 years in 1311.
In addition, of the contained informations in the official files on Buddhism allot to Mao Ziyuan not-orthodoxe behaviors: the Pure Ground founder, in a vision, would have given to him a secret reading of his two preferred texts, the Sūtra of the Lotus and Sūtra Vimalakirti , and it would have had recourse to the divine possession for their interpretation. Obsessed by the white color, it would have ended up allowing its disciples only one kind of cabbage says “white vegetable” like food. The “vegetable of the white lotus” would have become the nickname of its school besides.
Bad reputation
Under the Song where taoism, Buddhism and Confucianisme clash and seek a synthesis at the same time, Buddhism is related to the social elites than under the Tang and penetrates more in-depth in the population. More and more of well-read men are interested in it and it continues its efforts to approach the laymen.With his made up group of disciples to some extent of monks and of laymen following on their premises softened rules, Mao Ziyuan is thus with the point of the tendency of the time, but shocks by his audacity, especially while allowing the laymen to transmit his teaching. Indeed, this detail is not foreign with the success of the school, but also with its drift, because into one century certain disciples will have completely transformed the doctrines of origin, and other movements without relation with the white Lotus will be claimed some. Some will attract on them and the school of origin the lightnings of the authorities. As of the end of XIVe century, the white Lotus, registered on the list of the rejected movements, lost its reputation of sizeable Buddhist school, and only remain the increasingly many and active popular movements. The name of “sect (S) of the white lotus” will usually indicate them starting from XVIe century.
The movement of the white Lotus
Apart from the school of origin, the groups which claim themselves white Lotus line up in the category of the popular and syncretic taoism. Their true nature, ideology and practices vary, but one finds a certain number of influences common and the same tendency to the mixture of deities and concepts of various origins.Maitreya
The central deity of the school of origin, Amitabha, was rather quickly replaced by Maitreya, the Buddha of the future, favorite of the sects millenarists. Already under Wei from North, monk Faqing, which proposed to give up Buddhism running which seemed to him degenerated with the profit of the worship of Maitreya, had begun a popular revolt.Han Shantong, initiator of the rising of 1351, the first of a series which would make fall the Mongolian dynasty, was presented in the form of an incarnation of Maitreya and organized meetings of virtual visit to the paradise Tusita for the faithful ones. It attracted many followers and inspired the lifting of a popular army called Armée with the incense of which the red Turbans and the founder of the Ming dynasty formed part.
The Luo sect
This sect was founded at the beginning of the 16th century (Ming) by the monk chan Luo Menghong of the Shandong. Syncretic movement, it associated Buddhism Pure Ground with the worship of a divinity taoist, the old Mère not . It recruited first of all in the medium of the soldiers responsible for the convoys of supply, which diffused its doctrines with the wire of their displacements. As he declared enemy white Lotus and worship of Maitreya, he obtained one moment the official recognition under the name of École of not-acting. Nevertheless, it was not long in being put at the index in its turn, had regard to the strategic role of its faithful basic, the soldiers. It did not continue any less to exert until the end of Qing a great influence, including on the sects of the white Lotus.Manicheism
Present in China starting from Tang, the Manicheism influenced the Chinese religion popular, especially under Song in the Fujian where “Schools of the light appeared” associating local religion and concepts manicheists. Centered on the topic of the good triumphing over the evil, these schools will be also at the origin of rebellions, to start with that of Fangla under Song of North. A Chinese popular belief - which forever been able to be proven - is that Zhu Yuanzhang would have chosen the name its dynasty (Ming, “light”) under the influence of the elements manicheists of the popular religion.
Running Xiantian CAD
One finds in many sects of the white Lotus the same whole of divinities as in the schools of the current of the founded Ciel of the origins at the 18th century by Huang Dehui of mobility Quanzhen. A certain number of them are claimed of two chalk-linings.
Others
The white Lotus appears in the play Mortal Kombat.| Random links: | Bénédikt Livchits | Gouy-les-Groseillers | David Thewlis | How I Length to Feel That Summer in My Heart | Claude Robitaille | Nick_Smith |