 | Taiwan Ghost Research Chapter 37: Some Questions Derived from "Ghost doctor Li Baoyan"
Author :Chang Kai-Chi 張開基
translation:北展昭
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In the book "Translators of the Spiritual World", the author Sofia takes a lot of volume to describe the matter of "Li Baoyan", the eldest brother, until the end. Li Baoyan and his entire "spiritual medical group" all were killed and annihilated. So far the author has been unable to connect with Li Baoyan and has no idea where he is now.
This is an issue that is worth exploring for "ghost learning";
First, Li Baoyan is a ghost? Is a deity? Or what kind of entity?
I think Li Baoyan is just a "ghost", or it can be called a "ghost spirit". He has a considerable degree of communication ability. According to the author's book about his medical treatment and acupuncture, if the author is completely honest and not making up and exaggerating the descriptions, then Li Baoyan’s was considered quite superb about his medical skill. Based on my personal cognitive evaluation, he is at least 80% more skillful than most of deties (the same level ghosts) enshrined in the temples of the whole province. To be smart, compared to the Chinese medicine practitioners in the human world (even including Western medicine), he could be regarded as a "talented doctor".
Let us think about it: from the Northern to the southern of Taiwan, there be any deity owning such effective curing skills in temple? Not only can the prescribed medicine for disease, it can also apply the acupuncture. What is more important is that he can distinguish the body issue, evil spirits issues: especially about repelling the evil spirit, it is not the regular doctor can do in this world!
However, he has such broad medical knowledge and treatment skills, why he has been staying in the "ghost world"? And since there was a Jade Emperor's decree to practice in the mortal world, why did he need to attach himself on the idol, from the hometown of Zhejiang to the Hsinchu Lake, as a successor of Bao-Shen Emperor (in charge of health). And then because the township people turned their believing to Mazu then he (as a deity) was abandoned? Until the author Sofia went to Hsinchu to find her grandfather (has passed away), he could restart the as the medical doctor again (the original book P.65 and note 1)
This process is really a problem with many doubts.
First, was Li Baoyan really assigned by the Jade Emperor?
I don't think so. Li was abandoned by the Hukou villagers in the beginning and eventually was slaughtered by "human". This really slapped Jade Emperor’s face. Or before the end of this crisis, Emperor at least should send the troops to stop it?
Therefore, it can be seen that he is not the Jade Emperor, or as I have always advocated: there is no Jade Emperor at all; Obviously the Jade Emperor with less worshipper or incense, are not as good as the other low rank deities. It seems that Taiwan’s ghosts all do not respect Jade Emperor (per the folk beliefs, they should obey)--some of the ghosts (deities) who have titles at all would claim they are performing the duty per Heaven Law--this is really a "rebellion!" The low rank Temple of Eighteen Lords is even more prosperous than the officially entitled "Dragon King Temple" which is next door? Is the ghost more powerful than the deities?
Of course not! Because no matter what sizes of the temple or the altars are, all the offerings are for "ghosts" enjoying, not God. From the Buddha, the Bodhisattva, the Sanqing Daozu, the Jade Emperor, the Wu-Ji Mother to the bottom, whatever is the famous, the unknown, the big, the Small ghosts, etc. Anyway, everyone is a cottage version. Just like hand carrying the fake version of the cherry bag and even Hermes, you don't have to laugh at the counterfeit Chanel bag or CD bag or the brand is famous or not, as long as It’s a counterfeit, so no one is right or wrong. You don’t have to fight for ranking.
What if rogue evil tries to beat the fake Jade Emperor? If the fake Jade Emperor is old and weak and fail to beat the teenager's gang family (who is also faked, too), then fake Emperor could only accept the result and run away!
Second, the jade token is also very weird. There was nothing suspicious in the texture itself except the words: "Li Baoyan sacred king as the Superior Medical Doctor". If it was really the assignment from the Jade Emperor-- how can he was just sealed as a "sacred king"? And the "Superior Medical doctor" is also very weird. Was it strange to put the name before the title?
I think that "the order of the "Sacred King" on the front should be more fluent and conform to the system (from Ancient Chinese usage point of view). From the original book page 71, where the poem were written by Li Baoyan shows OK. On the other side, the wording of the text was very unclear. It can be said to be quite vulgar. It is hard to imagine a "Superior doctor" supposed to be familiar with poetries and fluent in writings but obviously not. Therefore, the piece of jade token material is precious but the title is really a bit nondescript. So I can't agree that it was true seal from the Jade Emperor. And he said: "I received the order from Jade Emperor so please help me”.
It is also strange. If it was the fact about the order from the Jade Emperor: with commands (and token), from the local to the capital city, including the country to the land public--- all officials were supposed to line up to welcome Li. How come he needed to attach on the idol (all deities need to attach something and there is no exceptions) but also wandering around Hsinchu Lake area (how come he claimed to "wander around" instead of got promoted ?). Instead, Li was more like barefoot doctor commonly known in Taiwan’s city market and not superior medical doctor?
Thirdly, Li attached to the idol in the Hsinchu Lake area and adopt the name as the "Baosheng Emperor" to treat villagers' illness. In the case of his later cooperation with the author, his superb medical skills should be popular in all townships. The outcome was he did not do well so the original temple was out of incense worshipping. How could it be finally ignored by the villagers?
He claimed that it was because the villagers changed their beliefs to Mazu. I assume there existed some reasons as follows: In the early years of Taiwan, the ghosts who were worshiped, the functionalities were very clear. If the same temple was dedicating to "Mazu" also "Baosheng Emperor" at the same time, it was better to add "Guan Gong" for assurance!
Under normal circumstances, just to ensure peacefulness, the believers will worship including the heaven emperor, the main temple deity plus the companion deities,etc. So they will not risk any chance! However, if there is a single issue for blessing or settlement: for justice would be “Guan Goan”, peace and security would be “Mazu” related. In particular, the seafarers must worship the "Mazu". If the family was sick then the seeking for "Baosheng Emperor" would meet the needs. It is obvious each deity had their own territory so it should not have conflict with others. How can it not be as good as "Mazu"? Moreover, the Hsinchu Huko was not a big port. Mazu worshipping should not be as popular as other sea port area. In the early years, the medical system was backward and imperfect and doctors wer very scarce in that area. Therefore, like the Hsinchu Huko area, Li’s possession as the “Baosheng Emperor” should receive a lot of incense. Theoretically, a lot of people from the province should have come to seek medical treatment. How come Li had such bad situations at that time?
Therefore, I think that the inside story was not simple. It is not Li Baoyan’s self-proclaimed. I am willing to believe in the integrity of the author Sofia. If other content is honest, she does not need to hide truth about this.
However, I think Li Baoyan did not tell the truth;
1. Is he really a person in the Ming Dynasty? This might not be important but I am ver doubtful?
Second, did he get commands from the Jade Emperor? I think "is definitely not"!
Li’s ancestors were all Chinese medicine practitioners. Later, he died of illness when he was diagnosed and treated. When he died, he was only 28 years old. Think about it; even if he inherited the knowledge from family traditions and he still needed to be smart, plus the dedicating clinical knowledge, etc. In general, the famous Chinese Medicine doctor should be at least after the age of fifty or sixty years old. And good doctor needs not only benevolence to save the world, plus the trainings should include on medical books study, pharmacology, secret prescriptions from ancestral collections, etc. I still suspect it was not sufficient training hours to make him a skillful doctor as the age of 28 years old.
Fourth, the third point of doubt, his mission was to "save the world", not merely as a "medical doctor". So the object is the living person of the yang. How many people he treated before the 28-year-old life, regardless of his death? How did he diagnose and treat a living person? Someone will be happy to let the ghost to cure the disease? So how does his clinical experience got accumulated? Did he have the nowadays skills but his death was on the Ming Dynasty?
At that time, he was enshrined under the order of the Jade Emperor then attached to the temple idol as "Baosheng Emperor” to help people for disease curing. Then, for hundreds of years, he had never reincarnated and stayed in Yang space. Therefore, he accumulated hundreds of years of clinical treatment experience and thus medical skills getting superb. Such inferences are not too reasonable; if medical skills were accumulated over the centuries, it means that when the Ming Dynasty died at the age of 28, the medical skills should not be so good.
How the Jade Emperor could give the responsibility of "saving the world" and handed over to such a "rookie"? Also received a poor literary words (on the Jade Token) and helped him make name? Is it too impossible??
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發表於 2018-12-18 12:41:28
