Kuan
Ti: The Protector of Buddhism
In
the year 162 A.D. during the period of the warring states of
the Three Kingdoms, a child was born to a humble family in Shansi
who grew up to become China's most illustrious and outstanding
son, a great hero, and was later deified to become one of the
most popular Gods of the Chinese people. His admirers and devotees
ranged from Emperors to the common people and his popularity
never waned over the long period of time. Thousands of temples
and shrines have been erected in his honour and can be seen
in all parts of the country. His images and portraits adorn
home shrines or walls of countless homes whether they be Taoist,
Confucianist or Buddhist.
In
a country with wars and rebellions throughout its history of
the various Dynasties, great heroes have emerged and distinguished
themselves in every way to deserve veneration and remembrance
but none has ever equalled Kuan Ti to gain elevation into the
ranks of Gods or enjoy worship by different classes of people
as their patron saints. To the Taoists and others, Kuan Ti was
their God of War while the Buddhists confer upon him the great
honour as their Protector.
Born
as Kuan Yu he led a simple life and made his living as a young
man by selling bean-curds, which provided the excuse for the
bean-curd sellers to respect him as their patron saint today.
He also devoted much time to serious studies and on one occasion
displayed his excellent memory power by reciting word for word,
the entire volume of the Classics after reading it but once.
Kuan Yu's other name is Yun-Chang.
Through
his great love for justice and fair-play, Kuan Yu soon got himself
into deep trouble when he slayed the licentious and corrupt
magistrate who forced a poor girl to become his concubine. This
made him into a criminal and Kuan Yu had to flee for his life
into the mountains. As he was trying to cross over to the neighbouring
province he chanced to stop by a stream to have a wash; when
to his surprise he noticed a great change to his appearance!
His facial complexion had changed from white to a reddish tint,
which saved him the trouble to disguise himself so that he was
able to walk through the sentries who were guarding the mountain
pass without the least of problem.
Upon
reaching Chu-Chou of the Szechuan Province he soon befriended
two others who shared his noble ideals and virtues and they
ended up as "sworn brothers" in a ceremony, which
has been recorded in the history as the "Brotherhood at
the Peach Orchard ... . Chang-fei, a butcher, became the youngest
brother. He was a man of fiery temper who had an unyielding
sense of justice and was well known for his immense appetite
both for food and adventure. He also had a black face, which
was full of whiskers, and together with his formidable frame
of some seven feet high, very few would dare cross his path.
His great love and loyalty to Kuan Yu has won him a place of
honour so that he is always seen standing behind Kuan Ti in
all depictions. Liu Pei, the elder brother who came from a distinguished
but impoverished family with Imperial lineage was known to be
a man of honour. He later distinguished himself by founding
the Later Han Dynasty. Kuan Yu, a powerful figure of more than
eight feet tall, possessed an enigmatic personality and integrity,
which won him respect of all whom he met.
Together
these three newly sworned brothers set out and became involved
in military pursuits, Kuan Ti once serving under the crafty
and famous Ts'ao Ts'ao. They displayed great military prowess
and fought many battles, which can be read in full details in
the famous novels of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Kiian
Yu proved himself worthy of the honour and affection of those
who fought with him for he was brave and generous and was never
known to turn aside from danger. He also proved his fidelity
on the occasion when he was taken prisoner together with the
wife and concubines of Liu Pei, and having been allocated a
common sleeping quarters with the ladies, he preserved their
reputation and his own trustworthiness by sitting all night
through, outside their door, reading a book under the bright
light of a candle There is also another version of this account
which stated that he stood through the night at the door of
the ladies' room with a lighted lantern in his hand.
In
the recorded history of his life Kuan Yu had many occasions
to display his nobility, uprightness, integrity, loyalty and
bravery. He lived at a time of great distress and chaos when
the virtue of the Han Dynasty, set up in 202 B.C., began to
decline and uprising, warring, dissatisfactions and rebellions
were rampant. Temptations of acquiring wealth, fame and power
did not deter him from remaining faithful to the oath that he
had taken with his brothers at the peach orchard: "...to
be loyal to each other in life and united in death..."
And of his ability to bear pain unflinchingly, there was an
occasion when he was wounded by a poisoned arrow, which required
the arrow and the poison to be removed. He calmly submitted
himself to the terrible ordeal and allowed his arm to be cut
opened and scratched to the bone by his physician while he concentrated
his attention on a game of chess, without showing the least
sign of pain.
In
the year 219 A.D. he was captured by Sun Chuan and put to death.
It was recorded that on the night of his death, his consciousness
appeared to a Buddhist monk seeking instruction on the Buddha's
teachings.
According
to the Buddhist account, Kuan Yu manifested himself before the
Tripitaka Master Chi Tsai, the founder of Tien Tai Buddhism,
with a retinue of spiritual beings. The Master was then in deep
meditation at the Yu Chien Mountain when he was distracted by
Kuan Yu's presence. After receiving the teachings, Kuan Yu requested
the Five Precepts and became a Buddhist practitioner. He then
vowed that he would from then on be a guardian for the Buddha
Dharma and thus, for more than a thousand years, Kuan Ti has
been worshipped as a Guardian or Dharma Protector in Buddhist
temples. The Pure Land Buddhists also respected him as the Sentinel
to the Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha. For these reasons
Kuan Ti has earned a place in the Chinese Pantheon of Deities;
his statues are normally found in the first hall of most temples
and incense is offered to him as a mark of respect.
The
honours and tributes that the succeeding Emperors of the various
Dynasties conferred upon him marked him as the greatest military
hero whoever lived. Kuan Yu earned the rank of 'TI' meaning
"God" or "Emperor" and has ever since received
worship as Kuan Ti or Wu Ti. Here are the other main awards,
which he had subsequently earned, elevating him to the ranks
of Duke, Prince and then Emperor:
1.
In 1120 the Sung Emperor ennobled him as the "Faithful
and Loyal Duke". Eight years later he again conferred him
another title, that of "The Magnificent Prince and Pacificator".
2.
In 1330 Emperor Wen of the Yuan Dynasty honoured him with the
title of "Warrior Prince and Civilizer".
3.
In 1594 Emperor Wan Li of the Ming Dynasty conferred on him
the title of "Faithful and Loyal Great Ti, Supporter of
Heaven and Protector of the Kingdom". In his honour thousands
of temples were built across the land so that people could honour
and worship him, thus making him one of the most popular Gods
of China.
4.
In 1813 the Ching Emperor added the appellation "Military
Emperor" and Kuan Ti was regarded as the Patron of the
Manchu Dynasty.
5.
In 1856 during the battle between the Imperialists and the rebels,
Kuan Ti was said to have appeared in the heavens, which helped
to turn the tide of the battle in the Emperor's favour. After
the victory, Emperor Hsein Feng quickly elevated him to the
position of reverence similar to that of Confucius, the great
Sage of China.
All
these awards have helped the people to remember and worship
Kuan Ti not only as a God of War but also as their God of Chivalry
and Prosperity. He is also regarded as the Guardian of the Brave,
Loyal and Righteous, and so on. However it must be mentioned
here that the manners of worship of Kuan Ti at his temples are
not necessarily a Buddhist practice although he has earned a
place into the Chinese Pantheon. Buddhism may accept and even
encourages its followers to revere the gods for their virtues
or pray to them for some protection or worldly boons, but they
must always be aware that Enlightenment cannot be won by such
practices and that their refuge should be sought in the Three
Jewels.
As
a Buddhist deity, Kuan Ti stands alone but as a Taoist deity
two other companions usually accompany him. A young looking
man is always portrayed beside him holding his seal while Chang
Fei can be seen with his halberd which according to tradition,
the edge of it facing towards the direction of the suspected
danger from evil influence. For this reason he is often depicted
as standing behind Kuan Ti's right so that his halberd may face
the other direction, if so required.
Kuan
Ti's anniversaries fall on the 13th day of the 2nd moon and
the 13th day of the 5th moon in Malaysia and Singapore while
Hong Kong celebrates it on the 24th day of the 6th moon. It
is also customary for the Chinese to make their ways to Kuan
Ti temples at the start of the Chinese New Year to offer prayers
of gratitude for favours rendered and to seek his continued
protection for the coming year.
