Buddhist deities adopted by Taoism

[Fabian]

I am trying to list deities that are worshipped in both Taoism and
Buddhism. Some examples include Guan Yu (關羽), who in Taoism is the
God of War, Business and Gangsters and in Mahayana Buddhism, Guan Yu
is recognized as the Bodhisattva Sangharama (伽藍菩薩) and in this
role, is the guardian of temples and the Dharma.


Ji Gong (李修元 ), through his compassion to ordinary people was recognized as an incarnation of the Arhat Mahākāśyapa, and after his death in 1207
C.E., he was adopted as a deity in the Taoist pantheon, and in Chinese
Buddhism, was added to the list of Arhats. I believe that Matzu is
also recognized as an incarnation of Guan Yin. Could anyone help me
add to this list, or put me in touch with someone who could provide a
full list.

Many thanks

 

[Vajradhara]

Namaste Fabian,

thank you for the post.

i am unaware of any part of the Tipitaka where we Buddhist types are instructed to worship deities of any sort.. so i would say that this view is somewhat inaccurate in that sense.

in any event.. with regards to the assimiliation of Buddha Dharma into China.. have you read the works of Bodhidharma yet? they would be a good introduction to how Buddhism was presented to the Chinese.

in terms of tracing the influence of Tao upon Buddhism in China, i would suggest investigating the history of the Ch'an school.

metta,

~v