| Maori Xingguan | |||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 昴日星官 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 昴日星官 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | TheSun Rooster ofHairy Head | ||||||
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Maori Xingguan (Chinese:昴日星官;lit. 'TheSun Rooster ofHairy Head') is a deity in thetraditional Chinese spiritual beliefs. Maori is considered to be one of the28 Mansions, which are Chinese constellations. Theseconstellations are the same as those studied in Westernastrology. Maori Xingguan originated from the ancient Chinese worship of the constellations, a spiritual practice that combines Chinese mythology and astronomy. Maori Xingguan appears inChinese mythology and literature, notably in the novelsJourney to the West andFengshen Yanyi.[1][2][3]
InFengshen Yanyi, Maori Xingguan, originally named Huang Cang, was the first giantrooster in the world. After thousands of years of cultivation, this rooster was said to have finally become immortal by spiritual processes.
He was later accepted by the heavenly masterTongtian Jiaozhu as a disciple, and became the favourite of Tongtian. In the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals, he was killed by Chanjiao. After his death,Jiang Ziya deified him as theSun Rooster ofHairy Head, one of the twenty-eight stars.[1]
In the classic Chinese novelJourney to the West, Maori is depicted as a star god taking the original form of a giant rooster, six or seven feet tall. He lives in the Guangming Palace (Palace of Light) located in Heaven. He is the son of the bodhisattvaPilanpo.[1]
Tang Sanzang is captured by the powerfulscorpion demoness and taken back to her lair, where she tries to seduce Tang Sanzang to marry her.Sun Wukong andZhu Bajie fight with the scorpion but are held back by her poisonous sting. They return the next day. Sun Wukong tries to defeat the scorpion demoness but fails again.[1]
Sun Wukong pleads with the bodhisattvaGuanyin for additional help. Guanyin explains that in the scorpion's origin, the scorpion listened to the Buddha reciting scriptures in the Leiyin Temple (雷音寺) and stung him with the poisonous sting on her tail when he brushed her aside. The Buddha suffered from the pain of the sting and instructed his followers to bring the scorpion to him, but she had already fled.
Guanyin then recommends Sun Wukong to find Maori Xingguan for help. Sun Wukong and Maori Xingguan, together with Zhu Bajie, lead the scorpion out of the cave. The scorpion is eventually killed by Maori Xingguan, who transforms into a giant rooster with two combs. Many people say that it is because his body is a rooster, and his opponents happen to bescorpions andcentipedes, he could easily defeat the scorpion demoness.[1]