Sacred Places in China (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1911 Excerpt: ...to this island with his ship, and his soldiers found a bronze image which they took with them. "When they were on their way, the ship became so heavy by the weight of the god that it began to sink. The admiral, suspecting that something was wrong, searched the ship. When he found the god he ordered him to be returned, and his ship regained its buoyancy. In the twenty-first year of K'ang Hi a literary man named Kao-Sz-chi wrote the book of Rewards and Punishments, a kind of commentary of modern Taoism. His wife embraced the Buddhist religion and also read the Chin Kang Chin, the Diamond Sutra--the Sutra of the Pradjna, which is able to crush diamonds. In the fourth month of this year she became ill and knew herself that she could not recover from her illness. On the twenty-seventh day she became unconscious, but soon revived, when she repeated the Sutra and said: "If I can but re-establish a temple on Poot'oo Isle, I shall live two years more." But on the fourth day of the following month she died. Before her death her husband requested of her a petition. "If in the Kingdom of Shades you really do not suffer agony, I want you to let me know through a dream." She nodded with her head and departed. On the second month and the seventh day of the following year her eldest son had a dream. In this dream he met seven or eight aged priests walking in a forest. Said one of them to him: "Would you like to see your mother? If so, come into my sleeve, and I will take you to Poot'oo." Immediately they were on the island, where he saw many large temples, and in one, named the All Pervading Majestic Temple, a number of priests were chanting prayers. One of their number said: "If any one will repair this temple his merit will last th...