Ping Sien Si - 005 Li Jing (deity) (16135565965)

Li Jing, also known as Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li is a figure in

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 ...

and a god in

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...

. He carries a tower that can capture any spirit,

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...

god In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

within its walls. He also appears in the classic Chinese novels ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popul ...

'' and '' Fengshen Yanyi'' (''Investiture of the Gods''). He is an analogue of Vaisravana.

Mythology

Li Jing is renowned throughout the

Shang Dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty a ...

as a high ranking commander officer of the Old Pond Pass. His wife is

Lady Yin Lady Yin (Chinese: 殷氏; Pinyin: Yīn Shì) is a character featured within the famed classic Chinese novel ''Fengshen Yanyi''. She is the wife of Li Jing and they have three sons, Jinzha, Muzha, and Nezha. She played a prominent role in the nurt ...

, and he has three sons,

Jinzha Jinzha () is a figure in Chinese mythology, appearing in works such as '' Investiture of the Gods''. A disciple of the superiorman Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun, he is the eldest brother of Nezha Nezha ( 哪吒) is a protection deity in Chinese folk ...

, Muzha, and

Nezha Nezha ( 哪吒) is a protection deity in Chinese folk religion. His official Taoist name is "Marshal of the Central Altar" (). He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prince" () after he became a deity. Origins According to Meir Shahar, Nez ...

. Throughout his past, Li Jing had studied under Superiorman Danger Skipper of

Mount Kunlun The Kunlun Mountains ( zh, s=昆仑山, t=崑崙山, p=Kūnlún Shān, ; ug, كۇئېنلۇن تاغ تىزمىسى / قۇرۇم تاغ تىزمىسى ) constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than . In the bro ...

, and had soon become a master of exceedingly fast underground travel (even to the extent of traveling thousands of kilometres without a single individual noticing). In time, Li Jing would have a third son by the name of

, as destined by the heavens. He and Nezha's relationship began as rocky because Nezha is disobedient and short-tempered. Nezha would cause untold chaos and trouble in the future, such as that with the Eastern Sea Dragon King

Ao Guang Ao Guang (; or ) is the Dragon King of the East Sea in Chinese folklore. He featured prominently in different works including '' Fengshen Yanyi'' and '' Journey to the West''. ''Fengshen Yanyi'' According to the ''Fengshen Yanyi'', after the p ...

. Nezha kills the Dragon King's son and gains his wrath. Due to Nezha causing trouble in the Eastern Sea Dragon's Kingdom, Li Jing was required to give his life to Ao Guang if he did not sacrifice Nezha. But Nezha sacrificed himself, handing over his flesh to his parents. Following the bitter luck attained with his third son, Li Jing burned the sacrificial temple that had been built for Nezha's spirit. However, this made Nezha wish to kill his father. After Nezha was reincarnated, his body remade by his master Taiyi Zhenren, his father saw him and said, "''You vermin! When you were my child, you caused untold calamities. Why do you reincarnate and disturb the peace?''" Thus, a major conflict between Li Jing and Nezha began to unfold. After battling Nezha, Li Jing soon realized that his mortal body did not match 1 to 100 compared to that of Nezha's. Thus, he ran as fast as he could underground in a state of incredible fear for his life. Luckily, Li Jing happened to run into his second son, Muzha. Following Muzha's defeat by Nezha's hands, Li Jing tried to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun () is a Taoist deity and character in the classic Chinese novel '' Investiture of the Gods'' (more commonly known as ''Fengshen Yanyi''). He is a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun and one of the Three Great Immortals. The characte ...

interceded, saving Li Jing's life and containing Nezha. Nezha was then forced to submit to his father after being restrained by another superiorman by the name of

Randeng Daoren Randeng Daoren () is a character in the famed classic Chinese novel ''Fengshen Yanyi''. He was renowned as the Superiorman of Mount Condor, Intuition Cave. His role originated from Dipankara Buddha of Buddhist lore, who was a past enlightened being ...

. To effectively restrain his son, Randeng Daoren would teach Li Jing how to use the golden tower art as to trap Nezha within a burning tower if opposed. Thus, Nezha would be forced to submit to Li Jing, now better known as Li the Pagoda Bearer.

References

* ''

Fengshen Bang ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese names () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Cons ...

'', chapters 12–14. Investiture of the Gods characters Chinese gods Deities in Taoism Journey to the West characters {{tao-stub