The dragon, image, and demon; or, The three religions of China: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, giving an account of the mythology, idolatry, and demonolatry of the Chinese . rest the mortal remains of loved ones, dear to us ?In the soft days of spring, do we not carry in our handsthe wreath of flowers to decorate the sacred spots?Does not the traveler from distant lands make pilgrimagesto the revered tombs of his parents ? And where do weretire for meditation and record our solemn vows ? Ah ! yes, but we did not worship our dead father andmother, we worshipped Grod; we did not make our vo
The dragon, image, and demon; or, The three religions of China: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, giving an account of the mythology, idolatry, and demonolatry of the Chinese . rest the mortal remains of loved ones, dear to us ?In the soft days of spring, do we not carry in our handsthe wreath of flowers to decorate the sacred spots?Does not the traveler from distant lands make pilgrimagesto the revered tombs of his parents ? And where do weretire for meditation and record our solemn vows ? Ah ! yes, but we did not worship our dead father andmother, we worshipped Grod; we did not make our vowsbefore the monument of marble, we recorded them beforeGod; we did not pray to our forefathers, we prayed toGod. Ancestral Idolatry. 83 In April the people everywhere gather at the familygraves to sweep them and put the grounds in repair. Ifin the country, the family, male and female, old and young,dressed in their richest robes, go in a boat with a loadof paper money, their provision baskets, and also lanterns,which are necessary, that the spirits may see. Beforethe grave, which is a mound, the master of ceremoniesarranges the various offerings of meats, vegetables, and. Worshipping at the Grave. fruits; burns the incense and paper sycee, and lights the candles, for the spirits, being in the dark, needlight; the straw baskets, filled with tin-foil money, apaper trunk, packed with paper clothing, and a papersedan chair for the deceased to ride in, are committedto the flames; and libations of wine are poured on torender the fluid invisible, and consequently available forthe spirits. As the blaze of the burning mass ascends,the master of ceremonies kneelr. on a red cloth spread 84 The Dragon, Image, and Demon, before his offerings and bows his head nine times,precisely as the people do in the temples before theirdeities. His example is followed by all the members ofthe family present, not excepting even the younger, whoare receiving their first lessons in ancestral
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbuddhis, bookyear1887
