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During the Mid-Autumn Festival, we must worship the Bodhisattva with the moonlight!

Other articles 2016-09-15

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in our country. Generally speaking, our country's folk regard the full moon in the sky as a festival, which really has a folk foundation for reunion. According to historical records, the word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the book "Zhou Li". By the time of the Wei and Jin dynasties, there was a record of "Yu Shangshu Zhen Niu Confused, Mid-Autumn Festival and left and right disguised clothes to float the river".

The origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival

It was not until the early years of the Tang Dynasty that the Mid-Autumn Festival became a fixed festival. The "Book of Tang: Taizongji" records the "Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of August". The prevalence of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Song Dynasty, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, it had become as famous as New Year's Day and became one of the main festivals in our country.

This is also the second largest traditional festival in our country after the Spring Festival. According to our country's calendar, August of the lunar calendar is in the middle of autumn, the second month of autumn, called "Mid-Autumn", and the fifteenth day of August is in "Mid-Autumn", so it is called "Mid-Autumn".

The Mid-Autumn Festival has many other names: because the festival is on the 15th of August, it is called "August Festival" and "August Half"; Since the Chinese use the full moon in the sky to symbolize the beautiful things of reunion in the world, the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival revolve around the "moon", so they are also commonly known as "moon festivals" and "moon nights"; The moon is full during the Mid-Autumn Festival, symbolizing reunion, and according to custom, foreigners who go out should also reunite with their families on this day, so it is also called "Reunion Festival". In the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was also called the "Duanzheng Month". The record of the "Reunion Festival" was first seen in the Ming Dynasty.

As Zhu Dunru said: "Appreciating the Mid-Autumn Festival moon, from ancient times to the present." "The Mid-Autumn Festival not only fully expresses the Chinese yearning for the full moon in the sky and the reunion of the world, but also cooperates with various festivals and customs to become a festival full of joy and poetic fun. For example, in "West Lake Excursion Zhiyu", it is said: "August 15 is called the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the people give mooncakes to each other, which means reunion." The "Imperial Capital Scenery" also says: "On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the cake must be round, the melon must be wrong, and the petals are carved like lotus flowers." …… Those who have daughters-in-law returning to their families must return to their husbands' homes on that day, which is called the Reunion Festival. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, most parts of our country also have the custom of branding "reunion", that is, baking a small cake that symbolizes reunion and resembles a mooncake, which is filled with sugar, sesame seeds, osmanthus and vegetables, etc., and pressed with patterns such as the moon, laurel tree, and rabbit. In addition to a variety of mooncakes, there are also a variety of seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits that are also delicacies on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

On the night of moon viewing, the elders in the family cut the cake into pieces according to the number of people, one piece for each person, and if someone is not at home, leave a copy for them, indicating family reunion. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the cool breeze is cool, the clouds are sparse and the fog is small, and the moonlight is particularly bright and bright; In addition to a series of activities such as moon viewing, moon worship, eating mooncakes, and blessing reunions, there are also activities such as dancing grass dragons and building pagodas in some places.

Another theory of the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is that the 15th day of the eighth lunar month happens to be the time when the rice is ripe, and all families worship the land god.

The origin of moon worship (moon worship) and moon appreciation

Moon worship existed long before the Qin and Han dynasties, when it was mainly carried out in the court. Later emperors followed this ceremony, and every Mid-Autumn Festival, a grand moon worship ceremony would be held, and the Moon Altar in Beijing was specially used for the emperor's moon sacrifice. August 15 is said to be the birthday of the moon god. On the same night, incense tables will be set up in the courtyard outside the house, incense burners and candlesticks will be placed on the table, candles will be lit and incense, and grapefruit, watermelon, and mooncakes will be used to worship the moon god, and women and children will be responsible for worship (because the moon belongs to yin, so generally speaking, moon worship is only an activity for women and children, and men do not worship the moon). When worshiping the moon, the whole family gathers together to symbolize reunion. The person in charge of the officiant is a female patriarch, who first offers incense to the altar and bows three times; Then the other women bow three times according to their respect and age.

After the worship, the family sat around the moon to drink "reunion wine", eat "moon appreciation rice", taste "reunion cake" (that is, mooncake) and claw fruit; In the past, due to inconvenient transportation, the fruits of northerners to worship the moon were mostly various pears, apples, pomegranates, grapes, dates, peaches, lotus roots, watermelons, etc. The vegetables and fruits that are abundant in the south include bananas, grapefruits, star fruits, persimmons, water chestnuts, coconuts, loquats, bergamots, pineapples, tangerines, oranges, peanuts, taro, etc. The old man will point to the moonlight and tell the children the story of "Chang'e running to the moon, the jade rabbit pounding medicine, and Wu Gang cutting the laurel tree".

And women who return to their parents' homes to visit relatives on this day must return to their husbands' homes for reunion, and there is a folk proverb that "it is better to keep a woman for an autumn than to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival", which reflects this custom.

The reason why the custom of worshiping the moon quickly became popular among the people after the Tang Dynasty is closely related to the legend of Emperor Ming of Tang visiting the Moon Palace. "History of Tang Yi" records: Luo Gongyuan, a native of Ezhou, waited for Emperor Tang Ming to enjoy the moon on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Seeing Xuanzong keep looking at the bright moon intently, he invited Xuanzong to visit the Moon Palace. He took out a crutch and threw it into the air, which suddenly turned into a silver bridge, he invited Xuanzong to go up the bridge together, and after walking dozens of miles, he felt dazzling and cold, only to find that he had arrived in front of a large palace. Luo Gongyuan said: This is the Moon Palace! Xuanzong saw hundreds of fairies dressed in plain silk and wide clothes, dancing in the vast court, singing loudly and with a very beautiful sound, so he asked: "What kind of music is this?" Luo Gongyuan replied: "It's called the song of the feathered garment." Xuanzong firmly remembered the tone of the song, returned to the palace, and immediately ordered someone to compose a "Feathered Garment Song" according to the tone he remembered. This is the origin of "The Song of the Feathered Garment". This song is a famous Dharma song of the Tang Dynasty, which describes the myth of Tang Xuanzong going to the Moon Palace to see the fairy; Therefore, when the poet Bai Juyi of the Middle Tang Dynasty saw this song performed in the court during the Yuanhe period, the dancers "did not wear vulgar clothes." The rainbow dress shawl shakes the crown, and the tassels are piled up with Shanshan", just like a fairy dressed in the heavenly palace. Its dancing posture is also "floating and swirling back to the snow, graceful and longitudinal dragon startled, small hanging hands are weak, and the clouds are about to be born when the skirt is slanted", "smoke moth? Slightly unbearable, his sleeves drooping and unwinding, as if he were in deep affection. Shangyuan dotted hairpin to beckon calyx green, and the Queen Mother waved farewell to Feiqiong" (Bai Juyi's "Song of Feaden Garments and Weizhi"), it seems that its artistic conception is very consistent with the myth of the Moon Palace.

Buddhism worships "Moonlight Shines on the Bodhisattva" on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Buddhism worships "the moonlight shines all over the Bodhisattva"; The Sanskrit candra_prabha of Moonlight Bodhisattva, and the Chinese translation includes names such as Moonlight Bodhisattva, Moon Pure Bodhisattva, and Moonlight Bodhisattva. He is the right side attendant of the Medicine Buddha of the Oriental Pure Glass World. "Moonlight shines everywhere" expresses stillness on the Dharma, reflecting clear and clear brilliance, and accommodating thousands of sentient beings, so that they are free from greed, anger, foolishness, and the three poisons. The Moonlight Bodhisattva is white, riding on the goose seat, holding the moon wheel. and the left side of the sun Bodhisattva are the two major assistants of the Medicine Buddha Tathagata. Among the Infinite Bodhisattvas of the Medicine Buddha, he and the Sunlight Bodhisattva are the most important bodhisattvas at the top. Both of them are in the supplementary position, upholding the treasure of the Dharma of the Medicine Buddha.

Regarding the Jataka deeds of Moonlight Bodhisattva, they are also the same as Sunlight Bodhisattva, and they are closely related to the Medicine Buddha. In a distant past life, when the Electric Light Tathagata lived in the world, there was a Brahmin who raised two sons, one was Rizhao and the other was Yuezhao. The Brahmin was determined to be happy and sentient and save all beings in the turbid world, and his two sons also vowed to make offerings with joy. After the Buddha became a Buddha, he was the Medicine Master Liuliguang Tathagata. The moonlight of the two sons is the Moonlight Bodhisattva. Like the Sunlight Bodhisattva, the Moonlight Bodhisattva is also closely related to the Great Compassion Mantra of Avalokiteshvara. All practitioners who sincerely recite the "Great Compassion Mantra" will also increase the effectiveness of their mantras with countless gods. After reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, if the practitioner can recite the Moonlight Bodhisattva Dharani (contained in the 20th volume of the Taisho Collection, page 660), then the Moonlight Bodhisattva will come to protect the bearer, so that the person who bears the mantra can remove all obstacles and pains, and achieve all good dharmas and stay away from all kinds of fears.

Therefore, those who are disciples of the Buddha, on this Mid-Autumn Festival conscience, should wholeheartedly chant mantras, recite and worship the Moonlight Bodhisattva, and naturally receive the blessings and protection of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, remove worries and all obstacles, increase in blessings and wisdom, be healthy physically and mentally, and everything will be smooth, and everything will be auspicious!

2024-02-05 18:06
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