The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1027 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
5.57Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
Hsien
.
Immortal beings depicted in Chinese art, literature, religion, and folklore since the 3rd cent. BCE. As bird-like people or wise old men lost in misty mountains, they could fly great distances or change their appearance at will. Among the most popular immortals is
Hsi Wang Mu
, Queen Mother of the West, whose famous peaches of immortality ripen once every 3,000 years. Her orchards were once raided by another renowned hsien, Sun Wuk’ung, the monkey king. A Taoist group of ‘Eight Immortals’ (
Pa-hsien
) contains the famous Lu Tung-pen with his gourd of immortal
elixir
.
Hsien-t’ien
(Chin., ‘before heaven’). Taoist concept of ‘before time’, i.e. the absolute condition before the creation of heaven.
Hsin
(trust)
:
Hsing
(human nature)
:
Hsing-ch’i
(Chinese breathing practice)
:
see
CH’I
.
Hsin-hsing
(founder of school of Chinese Buddhism)
:
Hsin-hsin-ming
(Buddhist poem)
:

Other books

Less Than a Gentleman by Sparks, Kerrelyn
Death Angel by Linda Fairstein
The New Woman by Charity Norman
Now a Major Motion Picture by Stacey Wiedower
Zamani by Angelic Rodgers
It's Raining Men by Milly Johnson
The Sun Will Shine Tomorrow by Maureen Reynolds
La boca del Nilo by León Arsenal