THE RELIGION OF THE VOID (空道教)1

Diagrams of Kong-zong (空中图)

THE RELIGION OF THE VOID (空道教)
-------A new religion---------
By Hsu Yun-Ts’iao(许云樵)

Translated by Chaing Liu

I. INTRODUCTION

Ever since the founding of Islam for more than a millennium no other new religion has appeared and it looked as if the era of divine right had elapsed, but unexpectedly at the end of the nineteenth century there sprang into existence in China a new cult know as the“Religion of the Great Doctrine of the Void(空中大道,空道教)” also titled “Religion of the Genuine Void(真空教)”.

Not a few secret societies under the pseudo-denomination of church have sprung up and been kept active among the populace from the time when Han Shan-t’ung and his off-spring in Yuan Dynasty (1280-1365) feigningly declared the fallacious teaching that Amida was reincarnated upon the blossoming of the White Lotus and so founded the White Lotus Society. Even Hung Hiu-Chuan of Tai Ping Tien Kuo spread his propaganda under the name of God. But we all realize that among the Chinese with the exception of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, all cults havebeen viewed as heresies. This of course, found its origin in the selfish motive of the ruling minority for the purpose of fortifying as well as perpetuating its position for domination, so that it utilized these religions to crush any other cults.

As a matter of fact as a people the Chinese are never founders of any religion not to say they are by nature irreligious. The Hebrews (Jwes) have founded Judaism and Christianity, The Hindus have Founded Brahmanism and Buddhism, and Arabs have founded Islam. The three religion of China are, on the other hand, assuming quite dissimilar characteristics Primarily Confucianism is never a religion in Occidental sense. Buddhism is an alien cult transmitted from the Ganges. Although in all its traits Taoism is essentially Chinese, it has really been the modified from of early polytheistic Brahmanism. Besides it lacks a savior ready to sacrifice himself for mankind, nor can there be found any rigidly defined creed or dogma. Fundamentally speaking the Tao The King of Laotze(老子) is by no means a religious scripture, but not a few heretical sects have built up their existence through the adoption of this metaphysical writing with the addition of some rituals. So it is with the religion of the Doctrine of the Void. The essential feature, however, is that, its scripture consists in the eclectic combination of the teachings of the three cults. It is somewhat more highly organized than Taoism. There has been a Genuine Void Patriarch who sacrificed himself for the truth; there is the creed ofReversion to the Primordial or Return to the Unity, the Void; there is the practice of Scripture Reading on knees as well as the prohibition of opium smoking. The cult has been widely spread, having extended from Kiangsi (江西) to Fukien (福建), Kwangtung(广东), Hunan湖南, Hupeh（湖北）, Kiangsu（江苏）, and Chekiang（浙江）. Finally it has been introduced to the South seas, where in cities and towns can be found church highest of the Religion of the Genuine Void, In fact it resembles a religion far more than Taoism itself.

II. THE FOUNDER
The founder of the cult, the Patriarch of the Genuine Void(真空祖师), was surnamed Liao（廖）， named Ti P’ing ( 帝聘 )， officially called Chao K’ung （兆空），alias Ta Chun（达群）. He happened to be the eldest of six sons of Mr. Liao Chiao Tai (廖交泰), an inhabitant of Shui Tung Village (水东村)，Kui Ling（桂岭）, of Hsun Wu District(寻乌县)， of Kiangsi Province (江西 省) .Madam Lai gave birth to him on the ninth of the April in the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Tao Kuang (1827). An unexperienced perfume filled the chamber while a band of fairy orchestra played special music in the courtyard at that hour. He proved a character distinguished from the rest of his brothers. Ever since childhood he possessed an unusual bearing . He rarely spoke or laughed, but was fond of quiet sitting inmeditation. He had acquired the habit of planting trees on roadside, picking up thrown away written papers, trimming brambles and thorns that thwarted passages, clearing broken tiles and stones on pathways, relieving sufferers from miseries and calamities, enjoying charity works such as rendering financial subsidies and giving alms. From his paternal uncle Li Tai (履泰) he received his early education. Under him he proved studious and scholastic but he was deeply interested in the scriptures of the three cults, and scorned efforts at compositions for earning government degrees or poetry for winning favour . At the age of twenty he ws united with Miss Wong in wedlock. Two years afterwards a daughter was born to the couple, but failure to bring her up discouraged the mother, who, two years later passed away. By this time the Patriarch resolved to divorce himself from temporal life, but his attempt was obstructed by his parents.

At the age of thirty-one he contemplated one day, “ the bonds of the dusty entangled world will never be severed unless a strong determination is made; besides, if life is taken away, where, then will be the chance of salvation? ” Thus on the day of Lantern Festival in the fist moon of the seventh year of Emperor Hsien Feng (咸丰) , he bid parents farewell before he visited the mountain where he became the disciple of Patriarch Liu Pi-Fa (刘必发) of Yun Kai Tung Ancient Monastery (云盖崠古刹) under whom he learned the way of truth. Realizing his devotion to teachings Patriarch Liu brought him to Hsiu Chueh Mountain (修觉山) for further cultivation. Having lived an ascetic life for a period of six years he discovered that his faith would inspire the Void. While sitting quietly he witnessed in his vision an auspicious halo encircling him. Meanwhile a deity in the space addressed him, “ You are not a carnal being, but a reincarnated person of the unfathomable. You shall be the founder of the Religion of the Void, yet you need not abstain from shedding blood or take vegetable diet. ” A few nights afterwards in his dream he saw in person a deity deliver him an object resembling a hen’s egg, which he was made to swallow. While waking he felt the object still in his throat. From this time on he became the Great Principle or Way of the Void. He, then, ceased his vegetable diet and began to devour flesh and animal food. Having bidden his master farewell he returned to his home village. There he dwelt in Pei Kwei Garden (培桂园) at Hwang Hsieh Mount (黄畲山), where he devoted himself earnestly to both exoteric and esoteric activities. He became thoroughly familiarized with the scriptures of the three cults such as Meditation and Return to the Void, Extinction of Exterior Image, Repay for Grace and other precious volumes, which are texts the followers of the cult have been reciting at present. The year following he prepared an altar for the purpose of saving the multitude especially in curing opium smoking.
Diagrams of Kong-dao(空道图)

Like other founder of religion, the Patriarch of the Genuine Void has undergone all sufferings of the Mundane World. Not long after he had set up the altar he was arrested by Tang Chia Tung the District Magistrate of Hsun Wu District who condemned him as a heretic trying to tempt people into evil. He has been detained 120 days and tried seven times in which suffering he has received various kinds of tortures. Nevertheless, as he stood firm in his conviction, upheld his fundamental principle, and was unbending and unyielding, he was finally released in the spring of 1864. Realizing that his personal sacrifice would mean the extinction of the Principle of the Void, he imparted his teaching and tenet to his third brother Ti-Tsuo (帝佐) and fifth brother Ti- Chao (帝召). To them he manifested in detail the Five ways of Proselytes (五皈) expounded the doctrine of the Four Examinations (四考). One day upon his sudden comprehension of the Diagram of the Void and the Diagram of the Three Cults, he ordered his two brothers to make diagrams of both and hung them in the hall for the purpose of preaching his principle through illustration. Thus the Three unoccupied seats in the hall of the chapel of the cult in later ages trace the original to the fact that the triumvirate he and his two younger brother in the mystic meditation.

Having transmitted his teaching to his two younger brothers, the Patriarch (祖师) took three other disciples, Lai (赖), Ling (凌), and Chang (张). Lai, whose prename was Ren-Chang （仁章） had been afflicted with a peculiar disease so that when he called on his Patriarch, at a sudden hefell to the floor as if he were gathered to his fathers. Three Patriarchs then closed their eyes, concentrated their mind, but faced him and sat still. In a moment, clear mind and pleasant attitude possessed the sufferer so that all thoughts came into Void. It is said that he had already departed from the temporal world and entered into the state of holiness. From now on he behaved as a pupil toward the Patriarch. His good life companion nee Lan(蓝氏)accompanied him to live a nun. Mr.Ling(凌)named Pan-Pi(邦璧) who had nearly become a victim of opium smoking, went to mountain for healing. Scarcely several days elapsed when his abominable habit had lost its control over him. For this he attached himself to the Patriarch. Mr. Chang (张) whose given name was Sheng-Chien( 声见) travelled several miles to the mountain in order to kill his habit of opium smoking. Success made him a disciple of the three.

Not only did he take disciples and followers, but even he tried to convert the adherents of other cults. At that time there lived a wizard, Li Yun-Yuan(李运元) by name, who maintained that he received the real doctrine of Mou Shan Patriarch(茅山真传) with black arts of supreme scale, and challenged the Patriarch in ability and attainment after having arrived from Hui-Chang District(会昌县). Having preconceived his wicked intention, the Patriarch and his two brother together with the three disciples overflowed nature and sat upright with the true word constantly kept in the mind. For this Yun-Yuan failed in his attempt to foil them even in the slightest degree, repented, and brought his follower to subscribe to the creed of the Genuine Void. Another opponent was an elderly Buddhist Ho Shan-Ta(何上达) who had studied Buddhism for many years and won adherents of considerable number. He protested against the Patriarch admonishing him for breaking vegetable diet and demanded, “Why should you fall into side gate after having attained Mahayana? ”The reply was,” I have been instructed by a divine that as an untold calamity would soon take place it is necessary to propitiate human beings and animals by taking the live of creatures,” Ho Shan-Ta, at once came to a clear understanding and joined the cult as disciple.
Diagrams of Void(空字图)

In 1884 the Patriarch brought his disciples to preach on a journey. Upon his arrival at An Yuan District (安远县), Wan Shun-Lan(王顺澜) welcomed him to Po Chu Wai Soh Nau(泊竹围崠脑). After he had propagated his teachings for a year, a chapel was erected in the name of Fu Yun Shan(浮云山).
When the building was being completed the Diagrams of Void (空字图) and of Without Void (无空图) were produced. Yun-Yuan was ordered to write the characters and to hang them in the Chapel. A couplet was also composed verbally. The first line ran :”Void, void, void, void, void without a thing (空空空空空无一物)”. The second line ran :”End, end, end, end, end with all dust(了了了了脱凡尘).” Three years later Ti-Tsuo passed away; two years still later Ti- Chao likewise drew his last breath. The Patriarch then ordered Ling Pan Pi to take charge of the chapel, while he himself brought a group to travel over Hui Chang (会昌), Yun Tu (于都), Hsing Kuo(兴国), Shui Chin(瑞金), Kung Hsie(赣县) and other districts to propagate his teachings. Followers came in vast number so that he was afterwards invited to Pei Tou (北斗) Mountain to preach the fundamental principles of Five Proselytes and Four Examinations.
Diagrams of Without Void(无空图)

In 1892 calamity befell our founder. In the evening of the 22nd of the December he was accused by a local bandit, by the name of Lai Kerh-Ming (赖克明), as a heretic. The last brought with him tribunal servants to besiege the mountain. When they failed to extort suns, they arrested the Patriarch and sent him to the prison. With him were involved the two disciples, Lai and Chang. Under severe torture and inhumane trail the Patriarch did not alter his ordinary attitude, as he continued discuss teachings with Chang and Lai. His nephew Yi Ching (一清), grand nephew Yi Pu(艺圃), cousin Chie Wu(接武) and disciple Ling hastened to the court to devise means for the Governor of Kiangsi, but instead of attaining his wishes he himself was detained and sent to his native district to be imprisoned. Now , as the district magistrate witnessed the Patriarch toassume grievous countenance in prison, fell no pain under server penalty, and talk as usual, he was seized with suspicion. He sent a dispatch to Lung HU Mountain(龙虎山) to the Taoist Pope Chang Tien Shih (张天师) for advice. The reply of the latter ran, “Liao and his disciple are all good people and his teachings likewise are good teachings. No discourteous harm, therefore, should be done to them.” Upon this district magistrate intended to set him and his disciples free ; but as the tribunal servants failed in their extortion, they insisted on their detention. In the first part of the November, 1893 the Patriarch ordered Yi Ching and Yi Pu to enter the prison, and at the same time summoned Lai, Chang, Chie Wu to come before him. He told them that sixteenth of the month would be the day for him to ascend to the Void. When the five persons shed tears, the Patriarch consoled them, “I have come to the world for the purpose of preaching my principles. Inasmuch as I accomplished my wishes, by destiny I should ascend to the Void. It was last night that I received decree from the Void, ordering me to be The Patriarch of Genuine Void (真空祖师). Within seven days, I am to inaugurate the office. Thus it is an auspicious omen for us all, and why should you weep? But after I have ascended to the Void, a chapel should be erected at Huang Hsieh Shan (黃畲山) in memorial of me. ” On the designated day at month when the Patriarch was sitting upright, he smiled toward the space and said, “Here comes the covered carriage to welcome me. ”He then repeated, “Return to the Primordial and attach to the One, the Void, ” before he vanished. There appeared red light of the size of a tremendous sieve which rose up the space. On the next day Lin, Yi Ching, and other interred the corpse of the Patriarch outside the east gate of the City of Kung Hsien. In 1894, Lai, Chang, and Chie Wu were released ; on the 18th of the second month, 1895, Chang likewise ascended up to the Void, while Lai and Ling received his will to serve the populace from this time on the teachings of he Void spead far and wide even beyond the seas of China.