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Bugang
''Bugang'' is a Daoist ritual dance or walk, based upon the ''Yubu'' "Steps of Yu" tradition, in which a Taoist priest paces through a supernatural pattern, such as stars in the Big Dipper or numbers in the Lo Shu Square, Loshu magic square. Texts from the (4th century) Shangqing School revelations contain the earliest descriptions of ''bugang'', frequently with the practitioner pacing among constellations, especially the Big Dipper's stars. When religious Daoism began during the Six Dynasties period (220–589 CE), the expression ''bugang tadou'' 步罡踏斗 "pacing the guideline and treading on (the stars of) the Dipper" became popular. Terminology ''Bugang'' "pacing the stars of the Big Dipper" combines two Chinese words, ''bu'' wikt:步, 步 "step; tread; pace (off)" and ''gang'' wikt:罡, 罡 "Big Dipper; (esp.) stars in the handle of the Big Dipper", and was first recorded in the (c. 3rd century) ''Records of the Three Kingdoms''. The variant ''bugang'' 步綱 "pacing the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yubu
''Yubu'', translated as Pace(s) of Yu or Step(s) of Yu, is the basic mystic dance step of religious Daoism. This ancient walking or dancing technique typically involves dragging one foot after another, and is explained in reference to the legendary Yu the Great, who became lame on one side of his body from exerting himself while establishing order in the world after the Chinese mythology#Gun, Yu, and the Great Flood, Great Flood. Daoist religions, especially during the Six Dynasties period (220–589), incorporated ''Yubu'' into rituals, such as the ''Bugang'' "pace the Big Dipper", in which a Taoist priest would symbolically walk the nine stars of the ''Beidou'' "Big Dipper" in order to acquire that constellation's supernatural energy. Terminology The term Yubu , defined as ''boxing'' "limp; walk lame" (''Hanyu Da Cidian'' 1993 1.664), compound (linguistics), compounds two Chinese words. Yu was the legendary founder of the Xia dynasty (c. 2070 BCE-c. 1600 BCE), and worke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yang Xi (mystic)
Yang Xi (楊羲, 330-c. 386), courtesy name Xihe (羲和, a mythological solar deity), was an Eastern Jin dynasty scholar, calligrapher, and mystic, who is best known for the "Shangqing revelations" that were purportedly dictated to him by Taoist deities between 364 and 370. The Taoist polymath Tao Hongjing subsequently compiled and redacted Yang's revealed texts into the c. 499 ''Zhen'gao'' (真誥, Declarations of the Perfected) compendium, which formed the foundations of the Shangqing School of Taoism. Life The life of Yang Xi was closely intertwined with the aristocratic Xu (許) family in Jurong, Jiangsu. He was employed as the in-house medium/shaman and spiritual advisor when the Perfected Ones directed Yang to transmit the revelation manuscripts to Xu Mi (許謐), an official in the court of Emperor Ai of Jin, and his son Xu Hui (許翽). The sinologist Isabelle Robinet stresses that Yang Xi was a mystic or a visionary, as opposed to a medium. Contrasting a simple m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao'' (, 'Thoroughfare'); the ''Tao'' is generally defined as the source of everything and the ultimate principle underlying reality. The ''Tao Te Ching'', a book containing teachings attributed to Laozi (), together with the later writings of Zhuangzi, are both widely considered the keystone works of Taoism. Taoism teaches about the various disciplines for achieving perfection through self-cultivation. This can be done through the use of Taoist techniques and by becoming one with the unplanned rhythms of the all, called "the way" or "Tao". Taoist ethics vary depending on the particular school, but in general tend to emphasize ''wu wei'' (action without intention), naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity and the Three Treasures: , compassion, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lingbao School
The Lingbao School (), also known as the School of the Sacred Jewel or the School of Numinous Treasure, was an important Taoist School that emerged in China in between the Jin dynasty and the Liu Song dynasty in the early fifth century CE. It lasted for about two hundred years until it was absorbed into the Shangqing School and Zhengyi School currents during the Tang dynasty. The Lingbao School is a synthesis of religious ideas based on Shangqing texts, the rituals of the Celestial Masters, and Buddhist practices. The Lingbao School adopted many concepts from Buddhism, including the concept of rebirth, and also some cosmological elements. Although rebirth was an important concept in the Lingbao School, the earlier Taoist belief in attaining immortality remained. The school's pantheon is similar to Shangqing and Celestial Master Taoism, with one of its most important deities being the deified form of Laozi. Other deities also existed, some of whom were in charge of preparing s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lunar Mansion
Often called lunar mansion, a lunar station or lunar house is a segment of the ecliptic through which the Moon passes in its orbit around the Earth. The concept was used by several ancient cultures as part of their calendrical system. Stations in different cultures In general, though not always, the zodiac is divided into 27 or 28 segments relative to the vernal equinox point or the fixed stars – one for each day of the lunar month. (A sidereal month lasts about days.) The Moon's position is charted with respect to those fixed segments. Since the Moon's position at any given stage will vary according to Earth's position in its own orbit, lunar stations are an effective system for keeping track of the passage of seasons. Various cultures have used sets of lunar stations astrologically; for example, the Jyotisha astrological '' nakshatras'' of Hindu culture, the Arabic manzils (''manazil al-qamar''), the Twenty-Eight Mansions of Chinese astronomy, and the 36&n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horn (Chinese Constellation)
The Horn mansion (角宿, pinyin: Jiǎo Xiù) is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations Traditional Chinese astronomy has a system of dividing the celestial sphere into asterisms or constellations, known as "officials" ( Chinese ''xīng guān''). The Chinese asterisms are generally smaller than the constellations of Hellenisti .... It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon. Asterisms {{DEFAULTSORT:Horn (Chinese Constellation) Chinese constellations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purple Forbidden Enclosure
The Purple Forbidden enclosure ( Zǐ wēi yuán) is one of the San Yuan ( Sān yuán) or Three Enclosures. Stars and constellations of this group lie near the north celestial pole and are visible all year from temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Asterisms The asterisms are : See also * Twenty-eight mansions References Chinese constellations Chinese astrology {{china-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ursa Minor (Chinese Astronomy)
According to traditional Chinese uranography, the modern constellation Ursa Minor is located in Three Enclosures (三垣, ''Sān Yuán'') The name of the western constellation in modern Chinese is 小熊座 (''xiǎo xióng zuò''), meaning "the little bear constellation". Stars The map of Ursa Minor in the Chinese constellation: See also *Traditional Chinese star names Chinese star names ( Chinese: , ''xīng míng'') are named according to ancient Chinese astronomy and astrology. The sky is divided into star mansions (, ''xīng xiù'', also translated as "lodges") and asterisms (, ''xīng guān''). The system of ... * Chinese constellations References {{reflist External linksUrsa Minor – Chinese associations香港太空館https://web.archive.org/web/20120813070951/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/Research/c_index.htm 研究資源] *中國星區、星官及星名英譯表*台灣自然科學博物館http://aeea.nmns.edu.tw/ 天文教育資訊網] *中國古天文* Ast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pole Star
A pole star or polar star is a star, preferably bright, nearly aligned with the axis of a rotating astronomical body. Currently, Earth's pole stars are Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris), a bright magnitude-2 star aligned approximately with its northern axis that serves as a pre-eminent star in celestial navigation, and a much dimmer magnitude-5.5 star on its southern axis, Polaris Australis (Sigma Octantis). From around 1700 BC until just after 300 AD, Kochab (Beta Ursae Minoris) and Pherkad (Gamma Ursae Minoris) were twin northern pole stars, though neither was as close to the pole as Polaris is now. History In classical antiquity, Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab) was closer to the celestial north pole than Alpha Ursae Minoris. While there was no naked-eye star close to the pole, the midpoint between Alpha and Beta Ursae Minoris was reasonably close to the pole, and it appears that the entire constellation of Ursa Minor, in antiquity known as '' Cynosura'' (Greek Κυνό� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beta Ursae Minoris
Beta Ursae Minoris (β Ursae Minoris, abbreviated β UMi, Beta UMi), formally named Kochab , is the brightest star in the bowl of the Little Dipper asterism (which is part of the constellation of Ursa Minor), and only slightly fainter than Polaris, the northern pole star and brightest star in Ursa Minor. Kochab is 16 degrees from Polaris and has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.08. The distance to this star from the Sun can be deduced from the parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission, yielding a value of . Amateur astronomers can use Kochab as a precise guide for equatorial mount alignment: The celestial north pole is located 38 arcminutes away from Polaris, very close to the line connecting Polaris with Kochab. Nomenclature ''β Ursae Minoris'' ( Latinised to ''Beta Ursae Minoris'') is the star's Bayer designation. It bore the traditional name ''Kochab'', which appeared in the Renaissance and has an uncertain meaning. It may be from ar, ا� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of the mythology involves exciting stories full of fantastic people and beings, the use of magical powers, often taking place in an exotic mythological place or time. Like many mythologies, Chinese mythology has in the past been believed to be, at least in part, a factual recording of history. Along with Chinese folklore, Chinese mythology forms an important part of Chinese folk religion. Many stories regarding characters and events of the distant past have a double tradition: ones which present a more historicized or euhemerized version and ones which present a more mythological version. Many myths involve the creation and cosmology of the universe and its deities and inhabitants. Some mythology involves creation myths, the origin of things, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warring States Period
The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to the Qin state's victory in 221 BC as the first unified Chinese empire, known as the Qin dynasty. Although different scholars point toward different dates ranging from 481 BC to 403 BC as the true beginning of the Warring States, Sima Qian's choice of 475 BC is the most often cited. The Warring States era also overlaps with the second half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, though the Chinese sovereign, known as the king of Zhou, ruled merely as a figurehead and served as a backdrop against the machinations of the warring states. The "Warring States Period" derives its name from the ''Record of the Warring States'', a work compiled early in the Han dynasty. Geogra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
