Hello~Good day everyone! It’s time for Mi Gu’s Three Lives science class again. It has previously been mentioned that Dong Hua was formed from the natural essences of both Heaven and Earth. Today, we will further analyse the different methods from which all immortals in the Three Lives universe are born.
First, let’s look at the methods which are clearly described in the books.
The first method is the most common and also the most similar to mankind: birth from the womb of the mother.
For example, Bai Qian:
I held the invitation against the backlight shining towards the waterfall outside the fox den for a long time. Thinking back to Ah Niang’s difficulties when giving birth to me and how they were only alleviated through the assistance of a midwife sent by the King of the Eastern Sea’s paternal great grandfather, I decided to make a trip to the Eastern Sea, bringing with me a Night Pearl roughly the size of a pumpkin.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms ] Chapter 1
The second method is hatching from an egg.
For example, Shao Wan:
… and others, like me, who crawled out of a giant egg.
……
…by the time Pan Gu had faded, the egg which I had hatched out from had already been secured at Mount Zhang Wei, providing the surrounding Demon Clans with an ancestor to worship.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds, Bodhi Fate ] Chapter 1
Finally, there are those who come from some strange places.
For example, Dong Hua:
A hero had already answered the call and sprang forth from the Holy Blue Sea at the very end of Heaven and Earth, with neither a mother nor a father, he is a true child of Heaven. Born in the Eastern Realm where a magnificent pool lay, he simply took two words out of his location of birth and set his honorific name as “Dong Hua*”. He was Dong Hua Di Jun.
……
According to the annals, it is said that Di Jun looked skyward and received Heaven’s favour, he drank from the ground spring, absorbing the essence of life and began to transform into a spirit fetus.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book ] Volume 1, Chapter 4
And also Zu Ti:
Goddess Zu Ti and Goddess Shao Wan - the former was conceived by the very first light of creation and nurtured for over ten thousand years before taking shape and born as a true God while the latter was the Founding Ancestor God of the Demon Race.
……
The true God born from the Light, Zu Ti thus faded in the mortal world. The day of which was marked by the blooming of red lotuses within the Six Universes, and thereafter the tens of thousands of red lotuses which had transformed into that ray of light from the very beginning of creation, vanished into the untamed wilderness.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds, Lotus Steps ] Chapter Six
*Translator’s Note: Goddess Zu Ti did not actually fade. Her consciousness is now in a deep sleep and will awaken soon in a rather unexpected way. You will have to wait for Lotus Step to read the whole story.
In the Three Lives universe, the primary birth methods are as above, which are set in accordance with the Buddhist Jingang Sutra.
All species of life: birth from an egg, birth from the womb, from natural water, from transformative birth;
— [ Jin Gang Borepoluomiduo Sutra ] Sanskrit: [ Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra ]. English: [ Diamond Sutra ]. Article 3
Birth from an egg, from the womb, from natural water (e.g pools/lakes/waterfalls found in nature) and from transformative birth, these are the four methods of birth for all living things assumed by Buddhist doctrine.
Of the method ‘birth from natural water’ mentioned above, Buddhist scholars regard places with natural water as an ideal place for nurturing offspring. However, this method is not employed in the Three Lives universe as it uses only the “Birth from an egg, Birth from a womb and from transformative birth” as the means from which the gods and immortals are born.
From a word and biological point of view, it is easy to understand the similarities and differences between birth from the womb and birth from an egg. A large majority of mammals (with exceptions like the platypus) are born from the womb while most birds, reptiles, and a majority of fish and insects are born from an egg.
So, even though there are no nine-tailed white foxes in reality, Bai Qian was born from the womb in a similar fashion to ordinary foxes.
As for Shao Wan, being a mythical phoenix that does not exist in reality, she was born from an egg in a similar fashion to ordinary birds.
In the Classic of Mountain and Sea, this is how the Nine-tailed Fox is described:
300 li to the East, in the mountains of Qing Qiu… there is an animal like a fox but with nine tails.
— [ Classic of Mountain and Sea . Northern Mountain ]
In the Northern part of Qing Qiu Country, there are 4-legged foxes with nine tails.
— [ Classic of Mountain and Sea . Beyond the Eastern Sea ]
In the land of Qing Qiu Country, there are foxes with nine tails.
— [ Classic of Mountain and Sea, The Expansive Eastern Realm)
Source: Google Images.
▲ Cinematic [ Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms ] Movie Poster
In the course of creating her stories, Tang Qi followed the principles of biology and the description found in ancient records. Although the nine-tailed fox does not exist in reality, it belongs to the “animal” kingdom, and is a “fox”.
The meaning of “animal” is a generic reference to a “mammal with four limbs, none of which are particularly dominant and a fur-covered body.”
In biology, the mammalian category of animals, apart from exceptions like the platypus, are typically born from the womb. That is why it is only natural that the nine-tailed fox being an “animal” within the mammalian class, is born from the womb and is in the subgroup of “fully furred” animals. (Look here@Dong Hua Di Jun)
The word in the picture is "Shou" or "Animal"
And in relation to the Phoenix, this is what the relevant ancient texts have recorded:
Pan Flute in harmony, the Phoenix appears.
— [ Book of History, Book of Yu, Yi Ji No. 5 ]
Five hundred miles east, at the Yue Dan Xue mountains… there is a bird, a bird with five colours, a Phoenix… an avian that eats naturally, sings and dances, and seeing it signifies peace.
— [ Classic of Mountain and Sea, The Southern Mountains ]
There are three five colored birds, an Emperor Bird, a graceful Mythical Bird, and a Phoenix.
— [ Classic of Mountain and Sea, The Expansive Western Realm ]
In a fertile field, the egg of the Phoenix is food, sweet dew is drink.
— [ Classic of Mountain and Sea, The Expansive Western Realm ]
From the time the phoenix made its first appearance and its morphosis throughout history, it has always been bird-like in appearance, and has an auspicious and divine representation.
After Buddhism spread to China and integrated the Indian mythology of a divine bird that incinerates itself to ashes every 500 years, the phoenix has also taken on the characteristic of being reborn in fire.
This has its equivalence in the Greek legend of the undying bird and the Egyptian mythological sun bird that goes through rebirth in fire every 300 years. Not only that, similar legends of a self resurrecting bird with a connection to the sun are also found in ancient Japanese, Russian, American and Arabic mythology.
It is truly a case of the same phoenix set in different cultural backgrounds, but we will not go into further detail here.
▲ [ All Birds Looking up at the Phoenix ] Painting, Qing, Shen Quan
What can be concluded, however, is that regardless of country, the phoenix is always avian, and the unmissable fact in all of these legends is the appearance of the word “egg”. In fact, the [ Classic of Mountain and Sea ] specifically mentions “the egg of the phoenix”.
Therefore, in Chinese literary works, the phoenix always hatches from a phoenix egg. Based on a similar worldview of the Three Lives universe, Shao Wan was also born this way.
Of course, Tang Qi displayed originality and creativity while applying the setting of the ancient classic into her stories.
For example, the Phoenix depicted in ancient Chinese texts are five coloured, and are conventionally portrayed as bright red or gold in the West, whereas Tang Qi’s Shao Wan is a snow white phoenix. (This is the current exposition’s super large easter egg, an epic plot spoiler for all you readers to note!)
How can we omit the Dragon after discussing the Phoenix?
In the Three Lives universe, apart from the Heavenly Lord and his family and the Kings of the four seas, there are three hidden members of the dragon clan: Father God, Mother God and Mo Yuan.
That’s right!
The answer to one of your unresolved mysteries: the secret to Mo Yuan’s original form - their entire family are dragons.
In academia, there are numerous opinions on the origins of the dragon:
The Dragon: King of the scaled species, it can be dead or alive, narrow or large, short or long, ascending to Heaven during the spring equinox and descending into the deep depths during the autumn equinox.
— [ Original Han Dynasty Dictionary ] Western Han, Xu Shen
A type of totem that does not exist in the real world but a fictitious being, holistically fashioned from many different totems and their representations;
……
A result of the amalgamation of various snake totems and weaker individual symbols.
— [ Fu Xi Writings ] Wen Yi Duo
Regardless of interpretation, the Chinese dragon is always auspicious, a symbol of “divine” and “imperial” authority.
▲ Copper sculpture of a sitting dragon
The depiction of a dragon in the early Tang period still does not really resemble a snake
although the fish scales and eagle claws are present.
▲ A painting from the Southern Song period by Chen Rong
By the Southern Song period, the appearance of the dragon had gradually
evolved to its present form.
From past millennia to the present, regardless of various interpretations and how the dragon’s appearance has evolved through history, it has always carried a strong reptilian connection, just like a crocodile or a snake, while the claws resemble an eagle’s or other avian species.
In biology, reptiles such as crocodiles and snakes, and avians like the eagle are all born from an egg.
Therefore, the dragon depicted in existing legends and the Three Lives universe is an oviparous animal born from an egg.
With this background, we can now examine the birth of Mo Yuan, Ye Hua and Lian Song more meaningfully.
Mo Yuan:
Amongst us, the one most fortunate was Mo Yuan. He was the only one born from the womb of Mother Goddess.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds, Bodhi Fate ] Chapter 1
Ye Hua:
Mending the four pillars supporting Heaven greatly and adversely affected Mother God’s pregnancy. In labour, she could only safely deliver the elder child but not the younger one.
Father God strongly felt he had let his younger son down and, instead of letting his soul fade into the spirit of heaven and earth, forcibly nurtured his spirit within his own, hoping for destiny to create an opportunity to help him create an immortal foetus for his younger son, enabling him to resurrect.
Father God used half of his immortal power to create an immortal foetus; however, no matter how he tried, the spirit of the younger son could not be awakened.
Father God then transformed this immortal foetus into a shiny golden bird’s egg and hid it in the mountains of Kun Lun, intending to use it after his younger son’s spirit awakened.
“… I have a faint impression of a little boy sitting beside me mending my spirit. He did so for seven or eight thousand years but halfway through the process, he was whisked away by a ray of golden light which had arrived outside our den.
…now that I have heard what you have said, he is already the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Clan.
My guess is some lady from heaven must have arrived at Kun Lun that day and swallowed the bird’s egg that Father God had buried here. The immortal foetus must have taken root in that lady’s womb and whisked him away.”
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms ] Chapter 21
Lian Song:
But Lord Liansong’s supporters felt that the Third Prince’s intelligence was even more remarkable than the Second Prince’s. It’s just that the Third Prince was born under the Hui Yao (Brilliant) Sea, his auspicious omen was swimming fish in the water rather than flying birds in the sky.
Furthermore, when the Third Prince was born, the widespread flood of the Four Seas that gave Tian Jun a headache for many days suddenly subsided. This was also a proof of the Third Prince’s phenomenal birth.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book ] Volume 3, Chapter 1
Mo Yuan was born from Mother God’s womb via – a dragon egg;
Ye Hua was an unhatched dragon’s egg, nurtured by the primordial spirit of Father God. He later used half of his cultivation to create an immortal foetus and transformed it into a bird’s egg. This egg later found its way into Lady Le Xu’s womb enabling Lord Ye Hua to finally return to a – dragon egg.
Third Prince, Lian Song on the other hand, was a dragon egg laid in the depths of the Hui Yao (Brilliant) sea.
Finally, let’s look at Transformative Birth.
In Buddhist scriptures, Transformative Birth is called ‘upapa^duka’ in sanskrit.
The meaning of ‘upapa^duka', is “There is nothing, and yet there is a sudden birth.” Since there is nothing to depend on, the entity borrows strength from their environment to appear. In the five points of interest, the Underworld, and the Heavens, everything has an equal chance to transform;
— [ Great Dictionary of Buddhist Doctrine ]
One of the four forms of birth is transformative birth.
— [ Chen Yi Xiao Buddhist Studies Common Collection ]
The Three Lives universe takes the combined meaning of the above quotes. Dong Hua was formed from the natural essences of Heaven and Earth, while Zu Ti was conceived by the very first light of creation and nurtured for over ten thousand years before taking human form.
Regarding natural essences and the first ray of light, neither can be touched or felt although both are everywhere and they give a sense of purity, nobility and righteousness.
As for Zu Ti’s attributes, we will wait for gradual revelation from Tang Qi’s later chapters of Lotus Step. However, we can say more in relation to Dong Hua Di Jun’s attributes. Dong Hua Dijun is Taoism’s Dong Wang Gong.
Before the rise of Taoism, in the folklore and annals of the Han period, Dong Wang Gong was believed to have neither a father nor a mother. Other than the Eastern Jin dynasty’s Ge Hong who considered Dong Wang Gong as Pan Gu’s child, he is regarded in other ancient books as “having taken form from the natural essences of the east”.
By means of the natural essences of the Eastern magnificence, formed and born as Mu Gong, He was born on top of the green sea, his blue spirit found within, born with the vital energy of the sun at the Eastern Realm, his name, Dong Wang Gong.
— Tang, Du Guang Ting [ The Yong Cheng Collection of Immortal Diaries ]
Dong Wang Gong was absorbed from folklore into Taoism, applying his ascribed responsibilities, all Taoist practitioners who gain immortality must first pay homage to Dong Wang Gong before being entered into the registry of immortals.
Adapting from ancient sources and infusing her own originality is the main theme of Tang Qi’s Three Lives universe.
Consequently, in the Pillow Book, Tang Qi presented us with a silver-haired Young Sun Lord of the Purple Mansion, Dong Hua, a God born of natural divine essences and the keeper of the Immortal Registry.
He epitomises immortality, appears strong-willed and cold, indifferent to the world, preferring a low profile existence, and is hard and ruthless, ascending amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood to the peak of the Six Universes, yet he is also thick-skinned and owns a sharp, poisonous tongue.
Tell me loudly, in this “cute study of contrasts” that is Di Jun, can he still be the man all you readers love?
Will there be other interesting methods of birth in the Three Lives universe in the future? Let’s just leave it for future discussion~
Today’s homework consists of the following questions:
Is little black dragon, A Li, born from an egg or from his mother’s womb?
What kind of egg would Shao Wan and Mo Yuan’s children be born from? Dragon Egg? Phoenix Egg? Or Dragon Phoenix Egg?
Will Lian Song and Cheng Yu’s children be born from an egg, from the womb or from transformative birth?
That’s all! It’s time to pack your bags. Class dismissed!
Credits
Header Pictures: Tencent, Eternal L:ove of Dream
Article: Tang Qi
Translated from Tang Qi's Three Lives Three Worlds Wonderland WeChat
三生三世里的神仙们都是如何“生”的