Page 197 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 190
Forests and wild mountains are the chosen haunt of meditating saints and bands of
robbers. The Chinese were fond of laying out miniature landscapes in the grounds of their
own houses, and these were often very charming. Every item in such a miniature
landscape is very carefully chosen: stones representing the ‘Mountain of Longevity’,
and water representing the sea of happiness, are indispensable. These gardens form an
earthly symbol of the Land of the Blessed.
The ‘holy place of supreme joy’ is a term for the vagina, a ‘landscape’ to be explored.
Here, ‘supreme joy’ is a reference to paradise, which the devout Buddhist also hopes
to reach.

Lantern
deng

Lanterns and lamps made from various materials are known to us from very early periods
in Chinese culture. They occur in all sorts of shapes – cylindrical, cubic, spherical, etc.
In one Vietnamese grave excavation a lamp in the shape of a kneeling man was found,
and another shaped like a tree. Both were estimated to be around two thousand years old.
Nowadays, lamps are symbols of fertility. In the province of Yunnan, a lamp was
placed under the bridal bed: this lamp was called the ‘Children and Grandchildren Lamp’.
Other lamps, called the ‘All night long lamps’, were placed beside the bed, one for the
bridegroom and one for the bride. If these lamps went out at the same time, it was an
auspicious sign for a long married life. In other areas, a lantern was hung under the bed of
a pregnant woman. In Buddhism, light stands for illumination and knowledge.
Lanterns are signposts for guests and also for the souls of the departed.
They played a particularly big part in the so-called ‘Feast of Lanterns’ – the 15th day
of the first Chinese month. This was at the same time the end of the New Year festivities,
and the souls of the ancestors who had come to the celebrations had to be guided back
to the world beyond: so lanterns made of paper and woven materials were hung
up everywhere.
On the 7th day of the 7th month a second Feast of Lanterns was held in many regions,
e.g. in Yunnan. Lotus-shaped lanterns were hung by the roadside, and little lamps were
sent swimming along the rivers. The motivation here lay in the belief that during the first
15 days of the 7th month the souls of people who had no relations, or who had died far
from their families in remote places, could come back to earth. They were very hungry,
having no relations to sacrifice to them; so they were on the look-out for offerings made
to other spirits. Accordingly, special ‘community’ offerings were made to them, and on
the day of the full moon they were guided by lantern light back to the underworld.