• Source: Shi Gandang

Shi Gandang (Chinese: 石敢当; pinyin: Shí Gǎndāng) is a Chinese god and the protector of the home. He was originally a spirit sent down from Mount Tai by Bixia Yuanjun to protect ordinary people from evil spirits.
As part of cultural tradition, there will also often be Taishan Shi Gandang stones set up near buildings and other places, in order to protect those places from evil spirits. These are not to be confused with spirit tablets.




Legend


A very strong and brave woodcutter named Shi Gandang lived on Mount Tai. He was taught martial arts and magic by an old Taoist. One day a demon came to the rich man Wang Yuanwai's house and put his daughter into a coma. Many Taoists used charms and incantations to exorcize the demon but to no avail. Wang Yuanwai sent out a bulletin to be posted all around the region. Wang offered half his family's wealth as a reward. In addition, if the person who saved his daughter was a young, unmarried man, he could marry the daughter. Shi Gandang saw the notice and decided to give it a try. Shi asked Wang to prepare a magic sword and a set of tight-fitting clothes, while he wrote out a charm. He pasted the charm over the door to the daughter's room. At dusk Shi put on the clothes, and grasping the sword, he went into the daughter's room. At the third watch, there was a fierce wind, and the demon arrived. He laughingly tore down the charm and burst into the room. Shi yelled out "What demon dares to enter? Taishan Shi Gandang is here!" The demon turned and fled back to his cave. Wang gave half of his wealth to Shi. Shi and Miss Wang were married, and Shi moved into the Wang household.
The demon was so frightened he dared not leave his cave for over a month. Eventually, he ventured out again and cast a spell over someone in another village. The villagers heard of Shi Gandang and sent someone to ask him to come. Shi set off to the village. Before Shi arrived, the demon heard of his coming and fled. The villagers were elated. But soon the demon appeared in another village. Shi went there, scared off the demon, but then the demon went elsewhere. This went on for a year. Shi returned home for the New Year's. His wife asked how he was doing, and he explained. She suggested a means of avoiding all his running around. "Why doesn't every village put up an inscription with your name? When the goblin sees the plaque, it won't dare enter the village." This idea worked, and word soon spread until all villages had a stone inscription with the five characters "Taishan Shi Gandang". By learning martial arts and magic within the sacred precincts of Mount Tai, Shi Gandang gains an advantage over other Taoists, who fail to control the goblin. The God of Mount Tai's role as a judge or king in the underworld gives him control over creatures such as the demon in the story. Thus, Shi Gandang, drawing on the God of Mount Tai's authority in the underworld, can quell the demon.




See also


Chinese folk religion
Chinese spiritual world concepts
Shigandang




References

• Source: Shigandang

Shigandang (simplified Chinese: 石敢当; traditional Chinese: 石敢當; pinyin: shí gǎn dāng; Wade–Giles: shih-kan-tang; Japanese: 石敢當, romanized: ishigantō) is an ornamental stone tablet with writing, which is used to exorcise evil spirits in east Asia. 石敢當 are often associated with Mount Tai, and are often placed on street intersections or three-way junctions, especially in the crossing, which is often considered a spiritually dangerous place (凶位).
Erecting Taishan shi-gan-dang nearby the houses, villages, bridges and roads has a long history in China. The phrase "石敢當" first appeared in the Han dynasty. During the Tang dynasty, these three characters have been carved on stones and were used to protect houses from evil things. Until the Song dynasty "Taishan shi-gan-dang" came out. It had been widely popular throughout the country to set up "石敢當" or "泰山石敢當" near villages and houses. What's more, this custom has also been spread to Han cultural circle overseas. No other Chinese folk-beliefs can compare with it considering its wideness. However, shi-gan-dang's function has been diversified that it not only prevents people from evil things, but also from wind, water and disasters. 泰山石敢當 has been listed among the first batch of national nonmaterial cultural heritage in 2006. Now this thousand-year-old belief has been protected as an important nonmaterial cultural heritage.
Apart from Shigandang, another option is to place a stone with Nāmó Ēmítuófó (南無阿彌陀佛).




See also


Shi Gandang
Bagua (八卦)
Chinese folk religion
Chinese ritual mastery traditions
Chinese spiritual world concepts
Fu Lu (符籙)
Kai Guang (開光)
Spirit tablets




References

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