arhat

As explained on p37 of The Celestial Empire, an arhat is, in Hīnayāna Buddhism, a person who has reached the state of nirvāna and who has thus managed to escape the cycle of suffering and rebirth: saṃsāra.

Since the main form of Buddhism practised throughout Imperial China is Mahāyāna rather than Hīnayāna Buddhism, arhat are much less important in Chinese religion than in early Buddhism. However, specific groups of arhat are often portrayed in Chinese arts, such as the Sixteen Arhat or the Eighteen Arhat.

The Five Hundred Arhat would adorn richer and larger temples, often under the shape of man-sized statues each having their own different features, to show that the temple had the means to hire such a large group of talented artists. There are also instances where the Five Hundred Arhat would be represented in sets of paintings, again to decorate rich and large temples.

In Chinese: 羅漢, Romanised as luóhàn

Spring and Autumn Annals (chūnqiū 春秋)

Note: not to be confused with the Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lǚ — see an earlier post.

The Spring and Autumn Annals cover the major historical events from 722 to 481 BC. This text holds high importance in Chinese literature because scholars in Imperial China held it to be written by Confucius himself.
Also, the importance of the book is such that the period of time chronicled therein (the first half of the Eastern Zhōu dynasty) has come to be known as the Spring and Autumn Period.

Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lǚ (Lǚshì chūnqiū 呂氏 春秋)

This is a collective encyclopædia compiled in the 3rd century BC. It is a massive work, which comprises 26 juǎn (巻 "scrolls; books") in 160 piān (篇 "sections"), and which is divided into three major parts:
- 紀 Jì The Almanacs
- 覽 Lǎn The Examinations
- 論 Lùn The Discourses

It covers a vast range of topics, beginning with the seasons, the corresponding phenology and the integrative correlation of all appearances in the universe, and treating all different matters in state and society, economy, military, and behaviour. It thus serves as a handbook for a person in a high position to better understand the correlations of all things on earth. The language of the Lǚshì chūnqiū is very vivid, especially by the use of parables and allegories and the many semi-historical stories reported.
Because the book had been categorised as a "miscellaneous book" it lost attraction for long centuries. Only under the Qīng did scholars again become interested in this comprehensive manual.

As a consequence, the Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lǚ can be considered as a very rare work in campaigns set before the Qīng, and the GM can use it as a "treasure item" for scholarly-oriented characters.
A player character who peruses the volume for one full day, and who then rolls successfully under Literacy (Classical Chinese) before the use of any Mental skill will receive a bonus of 2d3×10% to the character's score in the skill; for Communication skills, the bonus is 2d3×5%.

Amitābha

The Buddha of Infinite Light, Amitābha is the most popular Mahāyāna Buddha after the historical Buddha himself, and possibly the most popular Buddha in folk religion. Amitābha possesses a paradise called the Pure Land, located in the western part of the universe, in which he welcomes anybody who was devoted to him during their life. Those reborn into the Pure Land (birth occurs painlessly through lotus flowers) will escape saṃsāra by receiving Amitābha's teachings.

Devotion to Amitābha starts spreading throughout China in the 4th century AD. In 402, the Chinese monk Huìyuǎn 慧遠 founds a Mahāyāna sect, which is the main precursor of both the White Lotus Society 白蓮 and Pure Land Buddhism 凈土.

Because of his popularity, Amitābha is very often depicted in Chinese art, and his statues and paintings are common throughout China in Buddhist temples. Amitābha is usually represented with thumbs touching and fingers together (see picture), either alone or flanked by two bodhisattvas.

Chinese name: 阿彌陀佛, Romanised as Ēmítuófó or Āmítuófó

Chinese house

This fantastic site enables you to explore a wealthy Chinese home typical of the Qīng dynasty. Enjoy!