The Legend of Miaoshan by Glen Dudbridge

In this book Dudbridge traces the earliest texts of the Miaoshan story in the 12th century. He reconstructs the earliest text, in both Chinese and English. He then goes on to trace the developments of this story relying on precious scroll literature, and focusing on the main changes of the story, rather than looking at local varaiants.

I have always enjoyed this particular story about the daughter of a King who refuses to marry, is sent to a nunnery, which the King then decides to burn down, she escapes and becomes a hermit. The King becomes sick and a monk tells him the only thing that will cure him is the hands and eyes of someone without anger. The monk gets the ingredients from Miaoshan, who reveals herself to her father and transforms into the thousand armed, thousand headed Guan Yin.

At a later point in the development of the story, Miaoshan is executed by her father and goes down to hell where, as Guan Yin, she prays for the souls of the nuns in the monastary that were killed and frees them.

While this is a short book Dudbridge does look at the reasons behind the changes and developments of the story. There is also quite a bit about the role of this story as a devotional text for women.

He gives a quote from Guan Yin as to why she became a woman: "I had best go to the world below take on a woman's body and undo the calamity of the five stages of impurity as an example to future generations, so that women will know their sins and reform. They will avoid the suffering of rebirth and escape the punishments of hell, the retribution of the Bloody River and set out together on the road to enlightenment, enjoy the beautiful scenes of paradise." (86).

He also translates a lovely long passage from a sermon given by a nun about the sufferings of women...

For ten months, while a girl in her mother's womb, she turns her back to her mother, facing outward, staying aloof. If the mother moves about, the unborn child begins to stir. When the child is born everyone is disgusted. While the child is in the womb, the mother suffers as if in prison; once the child is out of the womb the mother meets only disgust. Everyone in the family, old and young, is displeased, objecting to us women for being born to our mothers. Our parents have no choice but to raise us and when we grow up we are married to someone else... When our husband's parents furiously curses us we must not answer back. If we slit or tear fine fabrics, it is a sinful crime, and it's a serious offencce if we spill rice when rinsing it in the sieve. We taint heaven and earth when we give birth to children, and in washing filth from our bloodstained skirts we offend the river gods. If we put on make-up we attract attention and we are punished for flouting the law as loose women. If our parent-in-law are kind, we may see our own families once or twice in a yaer. But if we don't meet with their approval we will never return to our homes again... Once you are married to a husband you are under his control for your whole life, all pleasures and miseries are at his discretion. When you are a man's wife you are bound to know the sufferings of childbirth, you cannot avoid the bloodstained water, and the sin of offending the sun, moon and stars."

(Fortunately the nun has an answer for avoiding this terrible fate - which is unsurprisngly to become a nun... and you'll get reborn as a man!)

"If you are a wise and clever woman, you will eat vegetarian food, recite the Buddha's name, and start religious cultivation at once. How favored and honoured you will be when you migrate from a woman's to a man's body! In your next existence you can once again follow the way to the Pure Land."

耍龙灯

中国人在药的喜庆节日里，都爱耍龙灯，那长长的金龙随着彩球上下飞舞，有的还喷出一团火来，别提多好看了。

相传很久以前，有一个小村子叫荷花村，村头有一个美丽的荷花池，每到夏天，持里开满荷花，红花绿池，映衬着蓝天白云，特别好看。荷花池边住着一对善良的夫妇，丈夫叫百叶，妻子叫荷花，他们幸福的生活着。荷花怀孕了，人家的孩子十个月就生下来了，荷花的孩子直到第九百九十九天才生下来，是一个男孩儿。这个孩子别提多奇怪了，他虽然长得白白胖胖的，可是胸口和被上却密密麻麻地长着金光闪的龙麟，一数，正好十九百九十九片。人们都对荷花夫妇说：“这孩子了不得啊，身上长满了龙麟，这是真龙的化身啊！没想到我们平常人家也能生出龙种来，真是了不得，了不得啊！”

消息很快传到了村长的耳朵里。这个村长是个坏家伙，平时其在老百姓的头上作威作福，老百姓对他敢怒不敢言。他一听说和花生了个龙钟，非常惊讶而且嫉妒，他在家里坐立不安的想：这怎么行？自古以来，只有皇上才是龙种，荷花是什么人，能省下龙重？我要把他们抓起来，献给皇上，让皇上盼他们各谋反的死罪，说不定我还会因此升官发财呢！想到这儿，他立刻带了几个喽啰前来捉拿荷花夫妇。

乡亲们得到了消息，急忙跑到荷花的家里劝他们逃跑。荷花夫妇知道村长是冲着孩子来的，就连忙把孩子放在一个小木盆里，藏到门前的荷花池里。他们刚把孩子藏好，村长就气势汹汹的赶来了。

村长他们把屋子翻了各地朝天，连小孩儿的影子都没看到，就气急败坏的把百叶绑起来严刑拷打，可怜的百叶，为了自己的孩子活活的被打死了。村长又把漂亮的荷花枪到自己的家里，百般的折磨凌辱。

荷花见自己的丈夫死了，自己又受着这样的摧残，他真想一死了之。可是每次在他就要动手的时候，他都想到了自己藏在荷花池里的小宝宝：我要是死了，谁来养我的孩子。为了我的孩子，不管怎么样我也要活下去。

每天她趁着淘米的时候，偷偷地来到荷花池边，那个小木盆就会自动地漂过来。荷花给孩子喂完奶以后，再把小木盆推走，让它漂到荷花池的深处。就这样，过了九百九十九天，荷花的孩子渐渐长大了，他身上的那些鳞片更加闪闪发光了。可恶的村长不知从哪儿得到了消息，说原来龙种藏在荷花池里。他气坏了。

这一天，荷花又照常来到荷花池边淘米喂孩子，可他哪里想到，村长已跟在她的身后。只见从荷花池的深处漂来一只小木盆，盆里坐着一个满身发光的孩子，他见到荷花，立刻伸出胖胖的手臂，扑向荷花。突然，村长从荷花身后窜出来，手拿砍刀向孩子砍去，荷花惊叫着。奇迹出现了：孩子马上变成了一条小金龙，在荷花池上空飞舞，愤怒的吼叫着，又猛冲下来，转眼间就把村长绞死了。

小金龙报仇以后，回到家里，发现妈妈已经自杀了。原来她看到小金龙已经长大，没有设么可牵挂的了，就穿着自己做的彩衣，安静的死去了。小金龙悲伤万分，把妈妈埋葬以后，就飞走了。

以后每年的正月初一，他都要飞回来给妈妈上坟，还帮助人们将雨抗旱。

人们为了纪念小金龙母子，就在大年初一用纸做成金光闪闪的龙灯，并且举行耍龙灯活动。舞龙的时候，还要在龙灯的前面舞动彩球，招引金龙，因为小金龙以为那是妈妈生前穿者的彩衣，他要把他拿过来做纪念。