The belief and worshipping of the Big Dipper has been around for ages and it has appeared many different cultures due to the influence of the Han culture. This is because of the popularity of Taoism as a religion. Due to the flourish of Taoism, the worshipping of Big Dipper star group bloomed among the people. However, with the fall of Taoism due to modernization and the impact of foreign religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and other religions, there has been a significant decandancy in the worshipping of stars. In this essay, I am intending to find out how the worshipping of the Big Dipper came about and the influence that it created among the different cultures in China.
The Big Dipper is a group of 7 stars in the close to the North Star (Polaris). It is made up of Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and the Alkaid. It has a special shape which resembles the Plough, or the butcher’s Cleaver which is what the English called it. When we look up a clear sky, the Big Dipper will be shown as in this picture.
The Big Dipper
This group of stars is symbolic in the many cultures. In the Mongolia culture, they are called the Seven gods . In Taoism, the Big Dipper is extremely important and many myths and legends have been derived from this group of stars. If one has read Jin Yong’s Condor Heroes, the QuanZhen Sect has a special sets of martial arts where seven taoists form the shape of the Big dipper and fight using this formation. It’s called the 北斗七星阵 which is the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper Formation.
Origins
These seven stars were also noticed by ancient astronomers in China. They gave them names such as 天枢 Tian Shu 天璇 Tian Xuan 天玑 Tian Ji 天权 Tian Quan 玉衡 Yu Heng 开阳 Kai Yang 摇光 Yao Guang . This is first see...
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...ot solely built on the philosophy of the Lao Zi philosophical Taoism. Thus, it failed, in its struggle with Buddhism or other Chinese philosophies such as Confucianism and Mencius. Buddhism in turned cooperated with Confucianism and absorbed a lot of its theory to gain an upper hand among the people. Thus, Taoism lost in its battle. Therefore as time goes by, the worshipping of stars or Big Dipper is only retained in some rituals such as funeral rituals.
The Belief of Big Dipper in Cultures not within the influence of the Han Culture
During my lesson on 民间文学 (Chinese Folklore Literature), my teacher once told me the origins of the Mongolian belief of Big Dipper. It was once said that there were six brothers in Mongolia. They were of age and had to leave the family for further pursue of their careers or to have future endeavours. Before they parted, they
Boorstin’s bias against the Chinese is initially difficult to detect because, early on, he is constantly singing their praises; they are lauded for the organization of their government, their astronomical endeavors, their cartography, and other technological advances such as Su Sung’s astronomical clock. Later, however, they are portrayed as increasingly oblivious, naïve, and literally self-centered. On their otherwise-excellent maps, China was the central and largest figure, which accurately depicts what the Chinese thought other countries and their discoveries to be – insignificant. Regarding the invention of the clock, Boorstin stated that “Tradition, custom, institutions, language, a thousand little habits . . . became barriers,” which was why the “drama of the clock in the West was not reenacted in the East.” (Boorstin, 56) He believed that China’s barriers of the mind – their zealous nationalism and insistence that theirs was the best way – caused them to lag behind in discovery. One example of the degree that their egomania extended can be seen in their reaction to a giraffe being brought from Mozambique to the Imperial Court. Believing it to be a mythical animal signifying that all was perfect under heaven, it brought “an orgy of self-congratulation,” (Boorstin, 196) showing that “’the world’s curiosities had become mere symptoms of China’s virtue. So was revealed a Chinese Wall of the Mind
To explain the unexplained the Kiowas had myths, and Momaday tells these myths of their journeys in a historical voice. One of their myths explained how they came into this world and why their numbers are so small: “the Kiowas came one by one into the world through a hollow log. They were many more than now, but not all of them got out. There was a woman whose body was swollen up with child, and she got stuck in the log. After that, no one could get through, and that is why the Kiowas are a small tribe in number”(16). The few of them that managed to come out of the log saw so many things that it made them glad to which they decided to call themselves Kwuda, and later Tepda, both of which mean “coming out”(17). The Kiowa saw an amazing new world as they came out of the hollow log; Another of the unexplained that they explain through the myths is the story of how the big dipper came to be, “Eight children were there at play, seven sisters and their brother. Suddenly the boy was struck dumb; he trembled and began to run upon his hands and feet. His fingers became claws, and his body was covered with fur. Directly there was a bear where the boy had been . . .The seven sisters were borne into the sky, and they became the stars of the Big Dipper”(8). This story shows how they explain the unknown of nature through stories. With this story Momaday uses a great deal of
“The whole character of Chinese popular religion flows in the direction of plethora of rituals and obligations without much discernable doctrinal underpinning” (Corduan, 2012, p.410). The Chinese popular religion has gravitated away the gods of Buddha and Daoism and captured the philosophy of luck and materialism (Corduan, 2012), while it “is less concerned with philosophical issues and
Perseus, the twenty-forth largest constellation, is depicted as a man holding a sword in one hand and the head of Medusa in the other. Ptolemy discovered the constellation during the second century. Measuring 28 degrees in length, it lies in the Northern Hemisphere and can be seen best in December around nine o’clock P.M. It can also be seen in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer from latitudes north of negative thirty-five degrees. (Coder pp. 85 & 87, Fanshawe, Perseus Astronomer, Perseus Champion, Perseus Constellation)
Both Confucianism and Daoism believe in ghosts and spirits of ancestors that can hinder or help the lives of their descendants, interacting with extraordinary forces of the universe (Brodd, 281). Many temples in China were created not as a space for religious people to dwell but as a space for the ancestors occupy; however, some religious rituals take place in these temples. The Yin-Yang symbol is also a key aspect of Chinese religion, symbolizing the balance between harmony and chaos on Earth and with the divine (Brodd, 280). Similarly, Shinto myths state how Japan is the chosen island of the gods (The Creation of Japan, Fieser, 228). Symbols such as the torii arches represent the entrance to a sacred place, and jinja, or the “dwelling places of the kami,” can be represented by aspects of nature (Brodd, 326). Both Chinese and Japanese religions come together as a community and experience the mythical aspect of religion, whether it be through operas, prayers, or sacred
Capricorn is well known for its several notable stars and its globular cluster Messier 30 (A Guide to the Night Sky 1, Kaler 1,Kornmessser 3, Zimmermann 1). “Also, there are five meteor showers associated with Capricornus: the Alpha Capricornids, the Chi Capricornids, the Sigma Capricornids, the Tau Capricornids, and the Capricorniden Sagittarids” (A Guide to the Night Sky 1). Capricorn is the 40th biggest constellation in our galaxy. It is one of the twelve zodiac constellations. “It is in the elliptic zone, which means it can only be seen during specific months of the year”.
Taoism follows a much different idea of the "chain of being," than that of the other major religions (i.e. Hinduism, Judeo-Christian, Islam), which is very important in consideration of the ecological sensibility which stems from it. As opposed to a God-over-man-over-nature view of the world, Taoism states:
In the early years of China, the Chinese began a period of establishment in the world with ideas and teachings of new religions, changing powers, and building empires. In a nutshell the Chinese were progressing toward new technology, writings, and belief systems. The Chinese saw many dynasties come and go as well as many ups and downs experienced with societies over the course of history. As all nation’s go through change, the Chinese experienced changes from other lands far away and produced many concepts in which helped other realms to see change for themselves. The Chinese used many inventive innovations to prosper as an economic power and stabilize intellectually. Change mixed with innovation proved to be the roots of China’s success as a powerful nation to be reckoned with for the vast numbers appeared in China’s favor.
Regarding religion, Chinese culture saw the emergence of Confucianism and Buddhism as the major influence. Confucianism stressed filial piety which meant respecting elders and superiors, ruling righteously, and obeying commands and orders. Confucianism was introduced by the Chinese thinker Confucius. Buddhism was brought to China, but originated in India and was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. Followers of Buddhism worshipped Buddh...
2, Alter Dinsmore, Cleminshaw H. Clarence, Philips G John. Pictorial Astronomy. United States: Sidney Feinberg, 1963.
As people, all of the actions we take, and as a result, the benefits and consequences which occur, are rooted from our own beliefs. This is seen every day through the way we carry ourselves, the choices we make, how we treat others, etc. But, most notably, it is seen throughout history in the actions and culture of nations. China in particular is an area with many belief systems/ideologies which have developed over its long history; these include Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, and Buddhism. With the previous statement, it is only logical to conclude that these belief systems have had a large impact on China’s development and culture.
Yang, Lihui, and Deming An. Handbook of Chinese Mythology. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Print.
Taoism, known as “The Way,” can be categorized as both a Chinese philosophy and a religion. Taoists believe in accepting and yielding to the ways of life, complementing nature and being by internalizing their goals rather than worshipping a god externally. Taoism, in its metaphysical and philosophical nature, is much like Confucianism, but the ideal interests of the two religions are contrasting. Confucianism was formulated during a time of war and relies heavily upon a moral and political system that fashioned society and the Chinese empire, while Taoism correlates to a time of peace and honors spiritual and metaphysical preoccupation (Taoism 2).
Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism constitute the essence of the traditional Chinese culture. The relationship among the three has been marked by both competition and complementation in history, with Confucianism playing a more dominant role. Confucianism emphasized a reiteration of current moral values and Taoism developed a system of based upon a harmonization of man with the natural order. These two popular philosophies, however, developed into popular religions eventually. Besides the major religions, ancestor worship and animism also have strong support in China. Chinese people are very pragmatic, worshipping gods that might answer their prayers.
Because of their beliefs, “Taoists thus always do what is required by events and their context, but they only do what is required, no more” (BBC). This shows that because of their belief Taoist politicians and leaders will always try to do what is right for everyone. Although Taoism is a religion it does not have a god figurehead like other religions have although some religious Taoist worship Laozi as the founder of Taoism as well as other deities from Chinese folklore. This makes Taoism unique in the fact that it does not have a set other worldly leader besides a power that is said to be in everything and that it holds everything in harmony. Taoism does have books that hold the teachings of Taoism such as the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching is considered the most influential Taoist texts and its origin is given to Laozi who is said to have written it. The true origins of the Tao Te Ching are not known for a certainty but the earliest version of the text have been excavated and dated back to the late 4th century BCE. The text begins