Heng and Ha
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Heng and Ha (traditional Chinese: 哼哈
Novel
[edit]In the Investiture of the Gods, the Heng (哼) or Hengjiang (哼将; 'General Heng') is named Zheng Lun (郑伦;
Buddhism
[edit]In Chinese Buddhism, Heng and Ha are the common names of the jingang lishi,[2] two guards of Buddhist temples. They are usually placed on both sides of the Shanmen. They hold vajras (short metal weapon that has the symbolic nature of a diamond), namely "Narayana" (Buddha's warrior attendant) or "Yaksha Deity" (
Originally, there was only one Narayana in Buddhism, after the introduction of Buddhism from India to China it had a profound influence on Chinese traditional culture and folk customs. In order to meet Chinese custom of being in pairs, Chinese people cast two Narayana to safeguard the Shanmen of Buddhist temples. They are wearing crowns, ethereal clothes with their upper bodies exposed, with well-developed muscles and short skirts. They have widely open eyes and protruding noses, holding Vajras in their hands, and glaring the ground awesomely and angrily. The right one, has its mouth open to pronounce the sound "a", while the other has it closed to utter the sound "heng". The symbolism is the same already seen. The generic name for statues with an open mouth is Ha (哈; "a" shape), that for those with a closed mouth Heng (哼; "heng" shape). The two sounds are the start and end sounds in Sanskrit, symbolizing the basis of sounds and bearing the profound theory of Dharma.[4] It is encountered throughout East Asia, including in Japan and Korea. In Japan, Heng and Ha are called A-un.
Gallery
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Xu Zhonglin & Lu Xinxing (2005), p. 709–718.
- ^ a b c "哼哈二将不同之处". hzcmc.com (in Simplified Chinese). 29 April 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ "
與 畫 中 『哼哈二 將 』四 眼 相 顧,驚喜 就在其中!". fgsbmc.org.tw (in Traditional Chinese). 6 September 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020. - ^ a b c Zi Yan (2012), p. 25–26.
Bibliography
[edit]- Zi Yan (2012-08-01). Famous Temples in China. Beijing: Time Publishing and Media Co., Ltd. ISBN 978-7-5461-3146-7.
- Xu Zhonglin; Lu Xinxing (2005). 《
封 神 演 义》 [Investiture of the Gods] (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai Classics Publishing House. ISBN 7-5325-3927-X.
Further reading
[edit]- Zhang Yuhuan (2012). 《图解
中国 佛教 建 筑》 [Illustration of Buddhist Architecture in China] (in Chinese). Beijing: Contemporary China Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-5154-0118-8. - Wang Guixiang (2016-06-17). 《
中国 汉传佛教 建 筑史——佛寺 的 建造 、分布 与 寺院 格 局 、建 筑类型 及其变迁》 [The History of Chinese Buddhist Temples] (in Chinese). Beijing: Tsinghua University Press. ISBN 9787302427056.