Ruyi (scepter)


A ruyi is a Chinese curved decorative object that serves as either a ceremonial scepter in Chinese Buddhism or a talisman symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. The "ruyi" image frequently appears as a motif in Asian art.
A traditional has a long S-shaped handle and a head fashioned like a fist, cloud, or lingzhi mushroom. are constructed from diverse materials. For example, the Palace Museum in Beijing has nearly 3,000 variously made of gold, silver, iron, bamboo, wood, ivory, coral, rhinoceros horn, lacquer, crystal, jade, and precious gems.

Word

The Chinese term is a compound of and.
Standard Chinese uses either as a stative verb meaning "as desired; as one wishes, as one likes; according to one's wishes; following your heart's desires", or as an adjective meaning "satisfied, pleased, happy, comfortable". The word is combined with in the expression to mean considering things only from a positive perspective; to be overly optimistic in one's plans.
Chinese was borrowed as a Buddhist loanword into other East Asian languages such as Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, with corresponding Sino-Xenic pronunciations.

History

Chinese classic texts from the Former Han dynasty contain the earliest usages of the word. For example, the history uses it both literally for "as desired" and for the given name of Liu Ruyi, who was the son of Emperor Gaozu of Han and Concubine Qi. The biography of the astrologer and mathematician Jing Fang quotes him using meaning "as you wish" in an audience with Emperor Yuan of Han, "I fear that though your Majesty acts in this way you will still not obtain what accords with your wish."
The anthropologist Berthold Laufer said that the Chinese accounts of the are "more unsatisfactory" than for any other object in Chinese culture. Scholars have proposed two basic theories for the origin of the. The former is that originated from Sanskrit "a ceremonial scepter" used by Buddhist monks in India, who later brought it to China, transliterated as or translated as. The latter theory is that originated as a backscratcher in early China, and was amalgamated with the Buddhist symbol of authority. Davidson suggests "as desired" signifies a backscratcher owing to "its apparent ability to reach otherwise inaccessible areas of the human body".
During the Later Han dynasty and Jin dynasty, literati and nobles often held during conversations and other social occasions. It was called a and was used much like the, which practitioners of the movement popularized during the Six Dynasties period. Besides the, other objects used as a tanbing included the and made from the tail of a Père David's deer. Davidson says "there seems no doubt that the primary and original function of the ju-i was that of a scepter qualifying the holder to "take the floor." Its origin was probably in India where the branch of a tree seems to have served a similar function. Any other purposes the ju-i served, such as a note tablet, honorific insignia, good luck gift, or even backscratcher, were merely later accruals."
The ca. 554 AD Weishu history records a story that when Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei wanted to retire from the throne, he tested his sons by letting them choose among a number objects, and the one who selected a bone became Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei. Kieschnick concludes "that by the end of the sixth century, not only was the common at court, but it had even begun to take on emblematic significance as the mark of a ruler." Although the symbolized imperial political power, it differed from the Western royal scepter because Chinese officials and monks commonly used it.
In Buddhist usage, holding a when teaching gave the holder the right to talk. The biography of Tiantai Buddhist patriarch Zhiyi says that when he was teaching in place of his teacher, Huisi would sit holding a in his hand.
The, which is a collection of Tang dynasty stories, records that Emperor Wenzong presented an ivory to his tutor Li Xun and said, "The may serve you as a lecture baton." The Old Book of Tang biography of Li Xun says this occurred on a hot summer day and the emperor's present was made from "heat-repelling rhinoceros horn", which is believed to be cooling in traditional Chinese medicine. were both emblems of power and tools of discourse.
Herbert Giles quoted the Song dynasty archaeologist that the "was originally made of iron, and was used 'for pointing the way' and also 'for guarding against the unexpected,' i.e. for self-defence. It was, in fact, a kind of blunt sword, and traces of basket-work are still to be found inside what must have been the sword-guard."
In the Ming dynasty, became popular as ornaments or gifts symbolizing blessings and good luck. The ca. 1627 AD, by Ming painter Wen Zhenheng, discussed aesthetics.
The was used in ancient times to give directions or to protect oneself from the unexpected. It was for this reason that it was made or iron, and not on the basis of strictly aesthetic considerations. If you can obtain an old iron inlaid with gold and silver that sparkle now and then, and if it has an ancient dull color, this is the best. As for made of natural branches or from bamboo and so on, these are all worthless.

During the Qing dynasty, scepters became luxuriant symbols of political power that were regularly used in imperial ceremonies, and were highly valued as gifts to and from the Emperor of China. Since 3 and 9 are considered lucky numbers in Chinese culture, Qing craftsmen elaborated the traditional handle and head type into two-headed with precious stones set in both heads and middle of the handle and presentational sets of nine. The Qianlong Emperor presented a to the British ambassador George Macartney in 1793, and in his description, "It is a whitish, agate-looking stone, about a foot and a half long, curiously carved, and highly prized by the Chinese, but to me it does not appear in itself to be of any great value."
During the historical evolution of Chinese "as desired", they have been used as backscratchers, ritual objects in Buddhism and later Daoism, pointers for public speakers, prized icons of political power and wealth, and auspicious gifts expressing best wishes.

Art

In Chinese art, scepters often appear as attributes of Buddhist saints and Daoist xian. The god of prosperity is often depicted holding a ruyi. Stylized repetitions of the shape are incorporated as a motif in the depiction of heavenly clouds. symbolize achieving prosperity in practice. The cloudlike or lingzhi-like head of the appears as a motif in decorative knots, glazed pottery, Oriental rug patterns, folk artifacts, and even modern corporate logos. It features in the design of traditional garments such as the Chinese 'cloud collar'. Stylized often function as a kind of ante-fixae or palmette in architecture. Beyond the Sinosphere, the -head was adopted as a decorative motif in some Central and West Asian traditions thanks to the Silk Road and Mongol influence.
Two types of are seen in Chinese Buddhist art. The early was common in Buddhist sculpture and painting from the late Six dynasties through the Tang dynasty. It was a slender stick, varying from about 15 to 24 inches, which widened and curved slightly at one end. Not only were these utensils frequently portrayed by artists and sculptors, but the Shōsōin treasure house of Tōdai-ji temple, in Nara, has preserved several 8th-century. The modern, which first appeared in the art of the Song dynasty has two forms. The first type shows minor elaborations upon the basic slender-handled structure of the early, but the slight curve at the top was exaggerated into a decorative ornament, a medallion-like form, frequently a stylized fungus. The second type of contemporary shows a radical change, in addition to the decorated end, two other smaller inlaid plaques or medallions, with one at the middle of the handle and the other at the base. Variations occur where the center medallion becomes a rectangle, or the second is omitted.
In early Chinese and Japanese Buddhist art, the bodhisattva Manjusri is usually depicted holding a sword, except in representations of his discussion with the layman Vimalakirti, when Manjusri holds a scepter instead. This representation expanded in the 10th century, concurrent with the change in forms, and holding a became an attribute of other divinities as well as Chinese emperors.
Berthold Laufer believed the first Chinese representation of a was in an 8th-century painting by Wu Daozi, which showed it held in his right hand taking the place of the usual sword. Laufer noted the artistic similarity between the curved handle of a and the long stem of a lotus blossom, which was frequently depicted in the hands of Bodhisattvas, e.g., the Longmen Grottoes.
I do not mean to say that the Buddhist emblem called has developed from the lotus, though I think that the alternation of both is suggestive. But it is not necessary at all to assume that the Chinese in general is of Buddhist origin... It may very well be that the implement is Chinese in origin and even prebuddhistic, and that, as in so many other things, a kind of compromise took place, resulting in the assimilation and amalgamation of two ideas and two forms.

Admitting that the "original significance of this implement has been lost long ago", Laufer hypothesized that the may have developed from a ritual jade that began as a Zhou dynasty "symbol of light, generative power and fertility".
Two of the emperors in the famous Thirteen Emperors Scroll by Yan Liben are holding, Emperor Wen of Chen and Emperor Xuan of Chen.
Japanese painters variously pictured Manjusri holding a in either hand. Sesshū Tōyō showed one in his left hand and nothing in his right. Kichizan Minchō and Kanō Sanraku showed the Bodhisattva with a in his right and a book-roll in his left. A 12th-century Manjusri painting attributed to the Kose School a sword in his right and a sacred lotus-flower in his left hand.

Word usage in East Asian Buddhism

With the introduction of Buddhism to China, scholars used Chinese 如意 to translate various Sanskrit terms, which Buddhism in Japan subsequently borrowed as. The primary terms and Chinese/Japanese translations are:
  • "a ceremonial mace; a priest's staff";
  • "wish fulfilling tree; the manifestation of what one wishes";
  • "wish-fulfilling jewel; jewel that grants all desires"; or
An instrument held, especially by the abbot of a temple, during ceremonies and sermons shaped as a short staff curled in an S-shape and made out of wood, or more precious materials, such as ivory. One end is broader than the other, and often has a metal plate with a decorative cloud-shaped stamp. It is said to originally have been a back-scratcher that was carried by Buddhist monks.

In some schools of Zen like Sanbo Kyodan, the ceremonial scepter of a is called bone / relic instead of.
The scepter has a slight S-shaped curve, like a human spinal column. The uses the, for example, to emphasize a point in a, to lean on when sitting, or also occasionally to strike a student.

Second, the divine is a wishing tree in Hindu mythology. The Buddhist translator Samuel Beal explained it denotes "power to produce whatever was wished". The Chinese Buddhist monk Yi Jing 義凈, who travelled in India from 673 to 695, translated as in describing the Uposatha day celebration: "Then gifts are distributed. Sometimes the host provides a 'wishing tree', and gives it to the priests". Since it is unlikely that a real tree could have been given, Davidson notes that "some sort of symbolic tree was deemed appropriate as a gift to a Buddhist priest."
Third, the legendary "wish-fulfilling jewel; jewel that grants all desires" is translated either with "pearl; bead" or "precious pearl; jewel". This famous term is frequently used in literature and art.
A -jewel; magical jewel, which manifests whatever one wishes for. According to one's desires, treasures, clothing and food can be manifested, while sickness and suffering can be removed, water can be purified, etc. It is a metaphor for the teachings and virtues of the Buddha. … Said to be obtained from the dragon-king of the sea, or the head of the great fish, Makara, or the relics of a Buddha.

Erik Zürcher suggests that association between and the legendary "wish-fulfilling gem" explains the dichotomy between it being both a mundane backscratcher and a Buddhist symbol.
The ca. 1150 AD Fusō ryakki 扶桑略記 "Brief History of Fusang" by Kōen 皇圓, the teacher of Hōnen, recounts a Japanese legend involving the monk Foshi 佛誓 "Buddha's Vow".
There lived in Northern India a Buddhist abbot, "Buddha's vow" by name, who for the sake of mankind sought the "Precious pearl which grants all desires". He went on board a ship and, when in the midst of the sea, by Buddha's power called up the Dragon-king. After having bound him by means of mystic formulae, he required the pearl from him, whereupon the dragon, unable to escape, took the pearl from his head and prepared to hand it over to the priest. The latter stretched out his left hand, at the same time making the "sword-sign"', a mudrā, with his right hand. The Dragon-king, however, said: "In former times, when the Dragon-king Sāgara's daughter gave a precious pearl to Cākyamuni, the latter received it with folded hands; why should a pupil of the Buddha accept it with one hand?" Then the priest folded his hands, giving up the mudrā, and was about to take the pearl, when the Dragon-king, no longer suppressed by the mystic sign, freed himself from his bands and ascended to the sky, leaving the abbot behind with empty hands, and destroying his boat. The only man who was saved was the priest himself. Afterwards the same abbot met Bodhidharma, the patriarch, who came across the sea from Southern India, and together they went to Japan.

Two additional Sino-Japanese Buddhist translations are: