Idioms and Buddhist Culture: Enlightenment from Enlightenment
2024-10-17
The term 'Daiwu Guanding' originates from Buddhist scriptures. In ancient India, the ritual of topping with water was a special ritual that was later adopted as a religious ritual in Buddhist Tantra. Tihu is originally a essence extracted from milk, which is compared to the highest Buddha dharma by Buddhism, so the filling ceremony is also called "Tihu". In Chinese Buddhist culture, "enlightenment" metaphorically refers to the transmission of the true meaning of Buddhism to others, enabling them to fully comprehend Buddhist principles. This idiom is commonly used in later generations to metaphorically describe being greatly inspired and completely awakened by wise opinions or suggestions, and also to describe a cool and comfortable state of mind. In ancient India, whenever a new king ascended the throne or appointed a crown prince, a specific ceremony was held: the ceremony host poured water from the four major seas onto the king's or crown prince's head, symbolizing "wealth in the four seas" or "the four seas returning to the heart". This ceremony was called "topping up". Later, Buddhist Tantra adopted this ritual and held the initiation ceremony when new believers or monks were promoted to become Achali (a Buddhist term that means teaching disciples to behave properly and appropriately, and being a model teacher for disciples, also known as a normative teacher or mentor). When accepting new believers, the mentor will sprinkle clean water on their heads, symbolizing 'bathing the Buddha's head with the water of the Ganlu Dharma'. In the Buddhist scripture "Commentary on the Great Classic of Rites", it is recorded that "pouring sweet dew water into the top of the Buddha's head, so that the Buddha's seed will never cease." The so-called "Daiwu" originally referred to pure butter extracted from milk, which is a kind of oily and condensed substance with a sweet and warm taste and a cool odor. The ancients regarded it as a pure and flawless superior product. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, it is recorded that "when making cheese, the first one that solidifies is crispy, and the one that is as smooth as oil on top is called Daigo. It comes out immediately after boiling, and is rare, extremely sweet, and of little use." Because Daigo is extremely precious and has a strong penetrating power, Buddhism uses it to symbolize the highest form of Buddhism. As Shi Puji of the Song Dynasty wrote in his book "The Five Lamps Meeting": "Upon hearing the teachings, it is like drinking the elixir." In Buddhism, the enlightenment of the elixir contains profound religious and philosophical implications. Tang Xianzong mentioned in the preface to the "Mahayana Sutra of Life and Mind Observation" that "those who have been exposed to it sprinkle sweet dew on their hearts; those who have attained enlightenment flow into the realm of nature." These two sentences reveal the Buddhist concept of "enlightenment", which means that this kind of "enlightenment" is similar to the enlightenment of a Zen master, and does not necessarily originate from external language and writing teachings or indoctrination. Its essence is actually the realization of one's own mind. By reading Buddhist scriptures or comprehending Buddhist language, the aim is to inspire inner wisdom and manifest the radiance of Buddha nature. Therefore, the "Nirvana Sutra" also states: "Those who speak of enlightenment are likened to the Buddha's nature." The realm of enlightenment often arouses the longing of high sages and scholars. The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's poem "Lament the Fall of Hair" states: "It is like the enlightenment of enlightenment, sitting and enjoying cool music." Gu Kuang wrote in "Miscellaneous Songs: Three Difficulties in Traveling": "Little did he know that enlightenment could make the cool head not warm." In later generations, this idiom was widely used, mainly to describe the appearance of a person suddenly awakening after receiving teachings or guidance. As written in "Journey to the West," "When Sha Monk heard the three words' Sun Wukong, 'he felt as if he had been enlightened and his heart was filled with sweet nectar." In "Dream of the Red Chamber," he also said, "When Baoyu heard it, he felt as if he had been enlightened." In "Surprised at the First Glance," he said, "When Wang Sheng heard it, his heart was filled with joy, but it was like being enlightened and his heart was filled with sweet nectar. His illness had already been reduced by six or seven points." In "Japanese Cultural Life," Yu Dafu said, "I think that as spiritual entertainment, why suffer from the noise and chaos that make my head and mind dizzy, in order to obtain the wonderful taste of being enlightened
Edit：He ChengXi Responsible editor：Tang WanQi
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