Readers who are familiar with The Journey to the West have all heard of such a stalk, that is, all the immortals with no background were killed during the journey to the West, and all the immortals with background survived and were taken away. This stalk basically sums up the fate of many fairies, but there are exceptions. For example, the black bear stole the robes of Tang Priest and tried to attack the Guanyin Bodhisattva invited by the Monkey King, but Guanyin Bodhisattva only subdued it and later released it.
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, mammal, Carnivora, Xiong Ke. According to the survey, there are a large number of bear worship relics in the northern hemisphere, and there are also a large number of bear worship relics in the vast north, which shows that? Bear sacrifice? And customs and taboos related to bears. China? Bear sacrifice? It first appeared in the sacrificial ceremony in Hongshan Culture, in the goddess temple of Niulianghe site. Archaeologists once found a real bear's mandible, its clay-carved head and claws. In the traditional culture of China, bears represent men and symbolize courage and strength.
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The deification of bears comes from the ancient people's observation of their living habits, which is recorded in Shan Hai Jing. There is a cave in Xiongshan, and he will always be a god, while Xia Qidong is closed? ! Ancient ancestors thought that bears were animals that could hibernate like insects and come out in summer to give people a kind of? Back from the dead? This feeling. Bears can still give birth to new life during hibernation, and are worshipped by ancient ancestors as magical power, so bear totem came into being, and the bear culture in China was born.
For thousands of years, it has been widely believed that. Dragon? It is a symbol of the Chinese nation and a spiritual totem. In fact, as early as 8,000 years ago, before the birth of loong culture, the bear culture had flourished.
"Bear" was originally considered by the Chinese nation as the surname of the tribe where the ancestor Huangdi belonged, and it was also the first legendary belief of Wang Chaoxia in the history of China. Historical records: China? The ancestors of mankind? After the Yellow Emperor inherited the status of the tribal leader of his father Xiong Guo, he took the bear as a totem and called himself the bear's child. As for summer, according to historical records? Xia Benji was originally a descendant of Xiong in Huangdi Neijing. There are many records in the literature that bears and bears became bears after their death. Three years after Yu Tingzheng, the Shanghai Museum collected bamboo slips of the Warring States Period. The starting flag? Made the national flags of the East, West, South, North and China, among which the bear is the most important? The symbol of Chiang Kai-shek; There are also gluttonous patterns on the bronze medals unearthed from Erlitou site. At present, they are considered as the remains of Xia culture, and some scholars think they are bears, which symbolizes the unique position of bears in Xia culture.
In the long history of China, various totems have appeared in the splendid spiritual civilization created by our ancestors. In the totem zoo, which represents the spiritual belief of our ancestors, the bear is definitely a lightweight role. Together with other totems, it plays the role of national spiritual comfort and continues to bear the spiritual sustenance of Chinese sons and daughters in past dynasties.
The moral of bear
Bears represent men in China traditional culture, symbolizing courage and strength; Some scholars believe that the seasonal activities of bears, especially the habit of hibernation, give primitive people an impression of coming back from the dead, so bears are worshipped as the embodiment of the rebirth of natural forces.
Bears in literary works
The seventeenth time in The Journey to the West, it mainly describes the story that the Monkey King, with the help of Avalokitesvara, surrendered the black bear spirit who stole the forbidden cassock and brought it back to Putuo Mountain as a protector.
Zhuangzi? Deliberately wrote in the article:? Breathe, born for birds, only for longevity. This instructor, the person who improves the shape, is also the favorite of examiner Peng Zushou. ? It means imitating the activities of bears and birds, stretching limbs and harmonizing qi and blood to achieve the goal of health and longevity.
Mencius said:? Fish, what I want, bear's paw, what I want, you can't have both, and you can take bear's paw instead of fish. ? What is the misunderstanding of many people today? Fish and bear's paw are both delicious food, and you can't have both. Then it is deduced that both of them have their own demands and it is difficult to choose. ?
In Zuo Zhuan and other historical books, there are also records that Wang Cheng of Chu State and Duke Jinling ate the Eucharist of the Bear. ? Totem communication? This is the primitive form of the widely popular Eucharist. In primitive people's view, using totem's blood and meat as a sacred restaurant can consolidate their close relationship with totem and regain its power.
Bear image in poetry
Storks lurk and bears live in caves. October in winter? Wei and Jin dynasties? Cao Cao
Bears eat people's souls, and snow and frost break people's bones. "The public doesn't go out"? Don? Li he
If the water doesn't go, the bear can still come. "Miscellaneous songs?" Qin Nv Juan Yi? Don? Lipper
Bears and dragons raged on mountains and rivers, disturbing forests and making mountains tremble. Tianmu Mountain ascended to heaven in a dream? Don? Lipper
The bear's ears should arrive at the beginning, and the bull's head should go there. "The wind makes you cross the water, and the monk blocks the children"? Don? Guanxiu
The sun rises, the snow melts, the mountains look more silent and empty, the bear slowly climbs up the tree, and the deer leisurely sips the stream. A trip to Lushan Mountain? Song? mei yao chen
The old god had support in the end, but he joked that he could be a thousand bears. Is the Vimo statue in Tangyanghui shaped in Tianzhu Temple? Song? Su Shi
Bear's nickname
Luz: "Continue to search for God" says: The bear lives in a tree hole, and the natives of the East hit a tree and called for it? Lutz? Don't move until you shout.
Neng: the legendary bear, the energy in the water. Therefore, the word bear can be used.
Probe into the origin of Xiong surname
Originated from Xiong's family and the tribal surname of Huangdi, it belongs to Juyi surname. According to the history book Yuan He Xing Bian, the Yellow Emperor was born in Shouqiu, grew up in Jishui and lived in Xuanyuan Mountain. His capital is Xiong (now Xinzheng, Henan), also known as the Xiong family. Among the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, some people named this place as a surname and called it a bear. Bear is one of the earliest surnames in China.
Xiong is a multi-ethnic and multi-source surname group, ranking 72nd in the current surname list, belonging to the big surname series, with a population of about 4.483 million, accounting for 0.32% of the total population in China.
Among many totem animals representing the spiritual beliefs of our ancestors, the bear is an irreplaceable role. Because of this, Xiong Dun received extraordinary courtesy in The Journey to the West.
Although the black bear essence is a monster, the place where it lives is quiet and unique, and its speech is gentle and gentle, revealing an elegant demeanor everywhere. Even the Monkey King said with emotion: This fellow is also a monster in know life. ? Guanyin Bodhisattva accepted Wukong's request and came to subdue the demon. As soon as she stepped into the cave of the black bear essence, she secretly said happily: This animal has occupied this cave, but it also has some points. .
Conclusion: The image of Journey to the West's Black Bear Essence is basically positive, and it is not accidental that there is a good result, which makes the author make such a treatment. It should be that the subconscious mind is influenced by the respect for bears in China culture.