On the Origin of China's Worship of the God of Wealth (Outline) Tang Degang
Zhao Gongming, the god of wealth, is a well-known god. On the fifth day of the first lunar month and July 22nd, about a quarter of the people in the world offer sacrifices to the God of Wealth.
(A) Zhao Gongming in historical documents
1. It was first seen in the Jin Dynasty, when the man of God was the overseer of ghosts.
Jin Gan Bao's "Searching for God" said: "God brought three generals, Zhao Gongming and Zhong Shiqi, and each of them brought people from the gate of hell."
Qian's "Postscript of Seeking God" says: "Qin people have the Tao."
Tao Hongjing was replaced by Liang. It's a great honor. Xie Chang's period includes: "The Emperor of Heaven told Zhao Gongming, the upright five gods in the underground tomb, that a country's official position is like a thousand years, and it is born with the spirit of halal, and when it dies, it is in charge of the shrine, hidden but not obvious, ignoring taboos and not doing harm."
The Legend of Immortals in the Ming Dynasty said: "Zhao Gongming is a handsome ghost who travels around the world and kills all people violently. The old gentleman ordered Zhang Tianshi to rule him. "
2. During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Zhao Gongming evolved into a god of wealth.
In the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, The Complete Book of Searching for Gods said: "Zhao Gongming was from Zhong Nanshan, wearing an iron crown and holding iron whip in his hand. His face is like black charcoal and he has four beards. Across the Hei Hu, awarded the Xuantan marshal. It can drive thunder and electricity, ask for rain, eliminate epidemics and malaria, and eliminate diseases and disasters. In case of litigation, it can be said that fairness, buying and selling are money, interests are harmonious and everything goes well. " Zhao Gongming in the Romance of Gods by Lu Xixing in the Ming Dynasty appeared in the 46th time of Guangbo Golden Array. Taiyi real person cracked Master Wen's "hemolysis matrix", and Master Wen could do nothing. I suddenly remembered Zhao Gongming in Luofu Cave of Emei Mountain. But he rode a black unicorn and hung a golden whip and came to Luofu Cave. Invite him to help. Go down the mountain to help fight Zhou. Although Gong Ming's martial arts were very high, his magic reached the border and was finally killed by Taigong. After the demise of Shang Dynasty, Tai Gong named Gong Ming as the real dragon and tiger king Tan Xuan, in charge of "welcoming good luck", commanding Zhao Bao Tian Zun, Na Tian Zhen Zun, Cai Zhao emissary and Lishi Xian Guan, in charge of all the treasures in the world. 3. Prehistoric origin of Zhao Gongming.
Zhao Gongming is the essence of the sun. In ancient times, it was ten days in the sky, and Yao was ordered to shoot nine days. On the eighth day, I fell into Qingcheng Mountain and became the ghost king, which was disgusting. The only day of adulthood, riding Hei Hu, holding a silver whip, living in seclusion in Shu. It's Zhao Gongming. Zhang Daoling, later Shi Tian, asked him to guard Dan's room. After Dan succeeded, he got a copy, which changed endlessly and greatly increased his mana. Shi Tian also asked it to protect Tan Xuan, so it was called "Marshal Tan Xuan". After Shi Tian ascended to heaven, he recommended it to heaven and named it "Tian Jiang".
Wang Fu, the magistrate of Ningbo in the early Ming Dynasty, wrote in the Notes on Langya Stone: "The God of Wealth, surnamed Zhao Minglang, has been known since ancient times. The former was born in heaven for ten days, and the emperor ordered him to shoot for nine days. Eight of them fell into the sea as immortals, and the eight immortals at sea also. I have a meteorite on the rooftop, which is a stone, a sun stone, and its essence is Zhao Gongming. When I grew up, I went to Emei Mountain to practice, and I got immortal deeds. During the war in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, he was invited by Master Wen to go down the mountain to help the merchants, and was defeated and killed by Taigong. Taigong Qishan was deified, Lang was named as the mysterious altar of the true king, and the essence of the sun returned to the rooftop, so the true yang was attached to the stone, and the spirit and body were integrated. Jurisdiction Zhao Baotian Zun, that Zun, auspicious messenger, Lishi Xian Guan, specializing in the responsibility of greeting the auspicious blessings of the world. Since then, for the position of true monarch, there is a temple under the stone, and Tiantai Mountain was renamed Caishan.
Wang Xian, who lives at the foot of Tiantai Mountain in Langya Mountain, is called "Burying Soup". "Biography of Wang Fu in Ming Dynasty" contains: Wang Fu, who was born in Taolian, Rizhao. Broaden the history of classics, especially Spring and Autumn Annals. He likes epigraphy and park studies, and is good at calligraphy. At first as a professor, I sat far away. At the end of Hongwu, he was recommended by talents and awarded the magistrate of Ningbo. Since I kept my promise, I used fish soup every day and said to my wife, "If you don't remember my roots?" Life is withdrawn and buried, and several people are "buried in soup". (2) The Han folk beliefs of Zhao Gongming and God of Wealth.
Han people's belief in the god of wealth is much earlier than the list of gods. Wang Xian's "Langya Stone Collection" has the annotation of "God of Wealth". . It has existed since ancient times. "However, the general worship of the god of wealth should be after the announcement of the list of gods. According to the study of Han folk customs in various places, the god of wealth in folk beliefs was named as a god by Taigong. ③ The place of origin is Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth.
1. Zhao Gongming, the Zhongnanshan Mountain in the Qin Dynasty, was not a squire, but a Zhao Gongming.
According to the Postscript of Searching for God and the Complete Works of Searching for God by Three Religions, Zhao Gongming was a native of Zhong Nanshan, Shaanxi Province in the Qin Dynasty. Later than the time when Jiang Taigong was deified in the list of gods, Zhao Gongming was not the God of Wealth Zhao Gongming who was titled by Jiang Taigong.
2. Shi Yao Langya Zhao Gongming was named Zhao Gongming by Jiang Taigong.
Langya Shijing Note: Zhao Gongming was a native of Langya in Yao Dynasty. This coincides with Jiang Taigong's listing of Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth, in terms of time, geography and culture.
First, the time is the same. Yao Shi's big village shot at the sun, and one of the essence of the sun gave birth to a man, Zhao Gongming. Zhao Gongming went to Emei Mountain to practice, and then went down to help businessmen. He was killed by General Taigong and then deified.
Second, geography and culture are consistent. Zhao Gongming is one of the "sun gods", and Langya area is the ancient "place where the sun gods worship, the hometown where Huang Lao became immortal" (Zhang Xingjian, the champion of Rizhao Jin Dynasty) and the birthplace of Taigong.
Qi Langya area was a nation worshipping the sun god in prehistoric times, which was proved by the "Sun Volcano" Wen Tao and historical documents 5,000 years ago.
"Eclipse in the Sun" comes from Shan Hai Jing: "There are trees on the Tang Valley, and every day, every sunrise is in Wu". "He, the wife of Di Jun, was born ten days ago"; "There is a fuso on the soup valley, bathing on the 10th, in Blackpool North. Living in the water, there are big trees, No.9 lives in the lower branch, and 1 lives in the upper branch ";
"Chunqiu Yuanming Bao" said: "Yang becomes three, so there are three feet in Japan and China. Wu Zhe, Yang Jing. " Just as people have flesh and soul, "sun essence" or "yang essence" is the soul of the sun. The soul does not die after death, and the sun can regenerate after death. This is the cultural background of Zhao Gongming's "Sun Essence".
Thirdly, the story of Wang Fu's Notes on Langya Stone is similar to that of the List of Gods, but the Notes on Langya Stone was written by Hongwu (1368- 1398) or Wen Jian (1399-65438) in Ming Dynasty. Explain that the story of the list of gods comes from the legend of Qi Langya.
Fourth, Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth, is a Taoist immortal. Before Taoism, he came from Fangxian Road, and Langya area was the source of Fangxian Road. Tiantai Mountain is the place where Fang's founders, An Qisheng and others enlightened and worshipped their teachers. Conclusion: From the origin of Zhao Gongming and God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming in Tiantai Mountain of Langya Mountain should be regarded as Zhao Gongming in Jiang Taigong. Tiantai Mountain God of Wealth Temple in Langya Mountain may be the earliest temple dedicated to God of Wealth Zhao Gongming in China.
(4) Zhong Nanshan Zhao Gongming and Langya Mountain Tiantai Mountain Zhao Gongming.
The above conclusion is not to overthrow the theory that Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth, was the Mount Zhongnan in Qin Dynasty. Only think that Zhao Gongming is not Zhao Gongming sealed by Jiang Taigong. China has a vast territory and its culture has always been diverse. It is also possible that Zhong Nanshan in Shaanxi and Tiantai Mountain in Langya Mountain have different legends of the God of Wealth. Fan Li is also a god of wealth. He was an outstanding politician, thinker and strategist during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and he was also a big businessman who could make money.
Fan Li, few words, talented. When he was a teenager, he had his own ideas. Later, he was worshipped as a scholar-bureaucrat by Gou Jian, the king of Yue. The State of Yue was defeated by the State of Wu, and Fan Li followed the King of Yue to serve Fu Cha, the king of Wu. After returning home, he helped the King of Yue defeat the State of Wu. After the downfall of the State of Wu, the monarch and ministers of the State of Yue gave a banquet to celebrate their achievements. The ministers were all very happy, but Gou Jian's face was not happy. After observing, Fan Li came to the conclusion that the King of Yue did not hesitate to kill the minister in order to compete for territory. Now he has got his wish, so he doesn't want to owe his officials. Therefore, Fan Li resolutely resigned from the position of King Yue and took his family and entourage across the East China Sea to Qi.
Fan Li and his son farmed in the seaside of Qi State, and after diligent production and management, they accumulated hundreds of thousands of gold. Qi people have heard of Qi Xian. Please take a picture of him. Fan Li sighed: "If you stay at home, you will get a daughter. If you stay in an official position, you will get a dear friend. This kind of cloth is very good. It's been a long time. " So, it returned to Xiangyin, gave all the money to friends and neighbors, took only the most valuable things, secretly left Qidu and quietly came to Tao Di. He thinks that Tao is located in the center of the world and is the only way to trade, from which he can make a fortune, and that this is the guarantee for the rest of his life. From then on, he lived and called himself Tao Zhugong. ("Tao" refers to pottery land, or the argot "escape"; "Zhu" is a symbol of the rich, or I am already a senior official; "Gong", once said, is a title of respect for elders and peers, or once a duke). Through farming and raising livestock, Fan Li and his son accumulated tens of thousands of wealth in business and became monopolists of pottery land. Later, the two families shared their wealth with the people. Everyone praised Tao Zhugong and worshipped him as the God of Wealth.
Tao Zhugong's management wisdom has always been admired by the Han people, so many rich businesses have been entrusted to Tao Zhugong. For example, "eighteen taboos in business": be diligent in business and avoid laziness; The price should be specific and not vague; Save money and avoid extravagance; Credit should be recognized and abused; Goods should be inspected face to face, and abuse is strictly prohibited; Be careful when entering and leaving, and avoid doodling; Use people to be square and avoid evil; Advantages and disadvantages should be subdivided and not confused; The goods should be trimmed and must not be sloppy; The deadline should be agreed, not sloppy; Buy and sell in a timely manner and avoid delay; Be careful with your money to avoid being confused; Do your duty in case of trouble, and avoid false entrustment; Accounts should be audited, not lazy; Acceptance should be moderate and not violent; Be quiet, not rude; Speak appropriately, don't be impetuous ... 18 Avoid the experience of businessmen, and use Tao Zhugong's name. Thus, as a god of wealth, he is a wise image in the eyes of Han folk businessmen. Fan Li worked hard all his life and accumulated tens of thousands of dollars; Good at management, good at financial management, can spread money widely, naturally known as the god of wealth. Guan Yu, or Guan Yu, is a well-known figure in China. In modern times, more and more people regard Guan Gong as an all-powerful protector, professional god and god of wealth. The author of the photo exhibition of folk New Year idols said: "Guan Gong is regarded as the god of wealth and the god who protects businessmen. When people are in dispute, they should seek their insight and make a decision. During the drought, people ask him for rain, and they can ask the patient for a prescription, which is the most powerful person to exorcise evil spirits. "
According to Xu Dao's "Fairy Mirror of Past Dynasties", Guan Gong's previous life was "Xie Liang Old Dragon". When Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty was in power, there was a drought in Hedong for years, and the old dragon was anxious to pity the public. It was a night to raise clouds and draw water. Seeing that the old dragon was against his destiny, the Jade Emperor picked up the water seal and asked Cao Tian to cut it off with his sword and throw its head to the ground. It's the faucet found by the county monk by the stream, which he mentioned and put in the jar in the middle of Lu. It's a nine-day spell. When he heard the sound in the jar, he saw that there was nothing in the jar, and a baby landed at Guan Yi's house in Baochi, Xie Ping village, east of Xihe River. His name was Changshou, and his name was Changshou. Later, he named himself Feather, which had a long word. According to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu, originally from the evil mansion, got rid of people by relying on the situation, so he killed the evil mansion and traveled all over the rivers and lakes. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei "became sworn friends in Taoyuan" and vowed to live and die, fighting for hegemony with the rebels. In the fifth year of Jian 'an, Cao Cao sent troops to defeat Liu Bei. Liu Bei took refuge in Yuan Shao. Cao Cao captured Guan Yu, took a fancy to Guan Yu's loyalty and worshipped him as a partial general. After knowing that Guan Yu had no intention of staying long, Cao Cao bought it with a lot of gold, silver and jewels, high officials and beautiful women, but Guan Yu was not moved by money and fame. Knowing that Liu Bei was at Yuan Shao's place, Guan Yu immediately sealed the golden seal and went to Liu Bei after five passes. Liu Bei established himself as the king of Hanzhong and named Guan Yu the head of the Five Tigers. Cao Cao was furious and designed it with Sima Yi, and joined hands with Sun Quan to take Jingzhou. Liu Bei worshipped Guan Yu as a "former general", in charge of Jingxiang County, and ordered Fancheng to be taken. Guan Yu divided his forces and captured Fancheng, but unfortunately Monroe cheated Jingzhou away. He left Maicheng at night, was defeated and captured, and died unyielding. After the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it was recorded that after Guan Yu was killed, the ghost lingered and swayed through the city until he shouted over Yuquan Mountain in Dangyang County, Jingzhou: "Give me my head back!" Pu Wenjing, an old monk on the mountain, said, "The past is not the present. We don't want to talk about everything ... Now the general has been harmed by Lu Meng, shouting' Give me my head back', but whose head do you want?" Guan Yu suddenly realized and converted to Buddhism.
Guan Yu was brave and trustworthy all his life, and believed in Buddhism and Confucianism. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Guan Yu was very prominent and was honored as "King of Martial Arts" and "Warrior Saint". As a result, Guan Yu was endowed with "all-round" magical powers such as managing imperial examinations, treating diseases and eliminating disasters, and exorcising evil spirits. All walks of life of Han people worship Guan Di, the Almighty God. The reason why people regard Guan Yu as a god of wealth is probably because Guan Yu is unmoved by gold and silver treasures, which is in sharp contrast with some greedy and hypocritical people in the world. People all over the world, especially businessmen, admire Guan Gong's loyalty and trustworthiness and hope that Guan Gong will become the patron saint of their wealth. In addition, people hope that businessmen will stick to honesty and trade, and regard Guan Gong as a just man who maintains the traditional moral order. Wu Wen's God of Wealth is the so-called righteous God of Wealth among Han people. In addition to the positive god of wealth, there is also the partial god of wealth, which is from the position of the god where the god of wealth is located. The partial god of wealth among Han people often refers to the god of wealth known as the "Five Gods". In the Romance of the Gods, the Five-way God of Wealth refers to Marshal Zhao Gong, Zhao Baotian and Xiao Sheng, Na Tian Zhen and Cao Bao, the lucky messenger Chen Jiugong and Lishi Xian Guan Yao Shaosi. The "Five Gods" also guide the way and act as gods. Yao Fujun, a Qing man, said: "The Five-way God, commonly known as the God of Wealth, is actually a god who worships five doors. You can make money by going out five ways. " Among them, the five roads refer to the east, west, north and south, which means that you can get good luck and make a fortune when you are away from home. The five gods of wealth are auspicious gods, and they are also common images in Chinese folk auspicious New Year pictures. They are deeply loved and worshipped by people. The fifth day of the first month of every year is the birthday of Wutong God of Wealth. Even at dawn every day, firecrackers can be heard in urban and rural areas. In order to receive the God of Wealth first, merchants usually hold a ceremony to greet God on the fourth night of the fourth day, prepare sacrifices such as fruits, cakes and pig heads, and invite the God of Wealth to drink. At that time, the owner will take back the God of Wealth from the five halls of God of Wealth in the southeast, northwest and China. After the five gods of wealth get together, they will hang up the paper horses of the gods of wealth and light incense sticks, and everyone will worship and burn them together.
In the early morning of the fifth day, people first opened the gate, beat gongs and drums, set off firecrackers and greeted the god of wealth. After taking over the god of wealth, everyone got together and drank roadside wine until dawn. It is said that "business is booming and financial resources are rolling in" for one year. There is a vivid description in Cai Yun's Wu Bei Monument in Qing Dynasty: five days of financial resources, one year of reward. Beware of meeting God early elsewhere, and grabbing the road head overnight. The so-called "grabbing the road" is to grab the five-way god of wealth. People strive to set off firecrackers early, hoping to make a fortune.
Among the gods of wealth worshipped by the Han people, Lishi Xian Guan (one of the Five Gods) is always around, whether it is Marshal Zhao Gong or an official who prays for heaven. Therefore, Lishi Xian Guan can be said to be a partial god of wealth. As for the origin of Lishi Xian Guan, it is recorded in The Romance of Gods: Lishi Xian Guan, whose real name is Yao Shaosi, was a disciple of Zhao Gongming, the great god of wealth, and was later named as the god of welcoming good fortune by Jiang Ziya. The so-called "profit market" contains three meanings: first, it refers to the profits obtained when doing business; Second, it means good luck, good luck; Third, it refers to festive or festive money such as lucky money. People believe in him, hoping that the god of wealth in Deli will bless life and all the best. In modern times, during the Chinese New Year, some people, especially businessmen, will put a portrait of Lishi Xian Guan on the door, with an auspicious teenager on it, and write couplets: "Lucky boy comes" and "Lishi Xian Guan comes", which means that wealth is abundant and prosperity is great. Among the numerous gods of wealth believed by the Han people in our country, one can only be regarded as a quasi-god of wealth, that is to say, it has not won the title of god of wealth. However, because this god can bring people a certain fortune and bear some responsibilities of the god of wealth, people regard it as the god of wealth. Liu Haichan is one of the most representative prospective wealth gods. Liu Haichan, formerly known as Liu Hai, was born in Yanshan (now Beijing) in the Five Dynasties. He was a scholar in Liao Dynasty, and later he was the prime minister who assisted Liu, the prince of Yan. This person is used to "the study of Huang Lao".
There is a saying in The Mirror of Immortals in Past Dynasties: One day, a Taoist priest who claimed to be Zhengyangzi (Lv Dongbin) came to see him, and Liu Hai treated him with courtesy. Taoist practitioners practice "the sign of purity and inaction, and the golden liquid returns to Dan"! Collect ten eggs and ten dollars, one egg at a time, and pile them high into a tower. Liu Hai exclaimed, "It's too dangerous!" The Taoist replied: "Living in Rong Lu is a worry, and the danger of the Prime Minister is even worse than this!" Liu Hai suddenly realized. Later, he took off his seal and changed his name to Liu Xuanying. In the name of "The Sea Toad", he took Lv Dongbin as his teacher and became immortal, wandering between Zhong Nanshan and Taihuashan. Kublai Khan of Yuan Shizu named him "the true king who knew the great Tao by the sea toad", and Emperor Wu Zong added "the pure emperor who knew the great Tao by the sea toad".
From this perspective, Liu Hai is a Taoist who abandoned his wealth after enlightenment. He has nothing to do with the god of wealth. Perhaps Liu Hai became a god of wealth because of his Taoist name-the sea toad. Toad, that is, toad, its secretion is highly toxic and harmful to human body. It is listed as one of the five poisons (scorpion, snake, centipede, gecko and toad). Venenum Bufonis, the secretion of toad, has the functions of strengthening the heart, relieving pain and stopping bleeding, so it is also worshipped by people. "Peaceful Magnolia" quotes the cloud in Xuanzhong Ji: "Toads have horns at first, eat them, live for thousands of years, and eat mountain spirits." At that time, people regarded toad as a mascot to ward off evil spirits, suppress evil spirits, urge people to die, and manage wealth, which was a kind of aura. Liu Hai is famous for his "toad" as the road sign, and is honored as the God of Wealth with the legend of "Liu Hai hits the golden toad".
The golden toad in Liu Hai's opera appears in a large number of Han folk New Year pictures and paper-cuts, and there are many masterpieces handed down from generation to generation. In these works, Liu Hai is an urchin who dances and smiles. Fluffy hair, drooping forehead, dancing with a bunch of money in his hand. A three-legged golden toad holds the other end of the money string in a jumping shape, full of festive and auspicious wealth. The golden toad played by Liu Hai is not an ordinary toad, but a rare three-legged golden toad in the world. The golden toad is regarded as a spiritual thing, and the ancients thought it could make people rich. This is the main basis for Liu Hai to be shaped into a god of wealth. According to legend, Liu Hai used this plan to collect and pay the golden toad who had been practicing for many years, and became immortal. Liu Hai plays Jin Chan, who spits money. He scattered money everywhere, which helped many poor people. People respect him, thank him and call him a "living immortal". To this end, the Liu Hai Temple was built, and his story was made into a drama and sung everywhere.