The Da Peng bird is a mythological creature considered even a demon but all who know will realise that all those with angelic powers or great resources but have weaknesses are demons of sorts. Even priests who decide how men worship can be demonic as well.
The term 'demon' can often be a rather misused word. Any human with weaknesses can be a demon of sorts and bigots like to type cast others who disagree with them as demons or possessed by demons. That is sheer odd.
The creature was mysterious in that it could transform from a giant fish to a great bird and vice versa. Kun referred to the fish form and it lived in the northern sea of a domain of Heaven. Peng was the bird form and it had wings with colors of the skies. When storms brew in the northern sea, the Kun would change into Peng and fly to the southern sea of Heaven.
One of the many legends has it that in his past lives, while cultivating in the Buddha’s teaching, Ji Kong was said to be a reincarnate of arahat (saint) with magic powers.
The term 'demon' can often be a rather misused word. Any human with weaknesses can be a demon of sorts and bigots like to type cast others who disagree with them as demons or possessed by demons. That is sheer odd.
The creature was mysterious in that it could transform from a giant fish to a great bird and vice versa. Kun referred to the fish form and it lived in the northern sea of a domain of Heaven. Peng was the bird form and it had wings with colors of the skies. When storms brew in the northern sea, the Kun would change into Peng and fly to the southern sea of Heaven.
One of the many legends has it that in his past lives, while cultivating in the Buddha’s teaching, Ji Kong was said to be a reincarnate of arahat (saint) with magic powers.
He chose to be a holy fool who portrayed qeer ways, often crazy and weird to provide a cover for his real identity as the incarnate of the Taming Dragon Arahat (Xiang Long Luo Han, 降龙罗汉) -- one of the eighteen legendary arahats. Thus this would enable him to undertake the mission set out by Amitabha Buddha for him to find the escaped Da Peng Bird (大鹏鸟).
Is the story of Ji Gong and the Da Peng Bird a myth or a metaphor or both? Let us dwell on the matter.
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| This is no Da Peng Bird or is it? How pleasant one looks depend on the inner self or spirit, the purity and peace one could cultivate. Da Peng Bird will not be as pleasant though many demons may look majestic and charismatic but still with sinister air |
The Da Peng bird is a very gigantic bird that arose from a mammoth fish in Heaven. Though it is so big that an earthly bird like the sparrow cannot reach what it could ascend to, in essence, it has the same nature of a bird like the sparrow.
Da Peng bird resides at the borders of Heaven and upper echelons of Hells where demons with powers of angels reside. In their previous lives, they have done both good and bad. They then would be born as demons with powers of angels but weaknesses of men.
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| The mythological bird has been incorporated in 7 computer games and depicted as above |
When the Da Peng bird breached the confines of Heaven and entered the much diminutive Earthly domain, many demons with powers of angels followed through and were reborn as men in high positions due to past lives good karma. They took on lives with so much endowment that they were leaders of men, not only at non-spiritual establishments but at spiritual ones as well.
They preached the same religions of men and sang the same tune but ensured that they controlled the minds of men and harvested what God and saints would otherwise not do. They are often even that more charismatic than many of the wise.
They would call others demons and want to save them from the Evil One but are in a way themselves demons or influenced by evil of sorts. They need to be corrected and saved. Many may think demons need to be castigated but they too deserved to be saved and be with God and saints.
Ji Gong was born as man and took on the crazy eccentric behavior both as camouflage and as bait. This was so as to be with men at large in society so as to expose the devious ways of men who still resorted to demonic ways of their past lives though now they were reborn as men from the good they did in past lives. (By the way, all have both good and bad in past lives.) They misled men in the name of goodness of God and saints.
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| Graphic depiction of Kun fish about to transform to bird |
Ji Gong was designated to handle them and to bring back the Da Peng Bird and the demons to their confines at the lower borders of Heaven and the upper echelons of Hell where many powerful demons held sway.
To this very day, he is still doing his mopping up and prophylactic mission. His main operative method is to show for others to know and emulate that what matters is not what one do or what goes through the gut but what goes through the heart. Look at the hearts of leaders and make sure they lead with heart and no less.
God or Buddha is in the heart and not in men at the pulpit. Truly, good men at the pulpit do not want to be seen as Buddha or God. Many men at pulpit would rather be seen in rags and tags like Ji Gong but with heart of gold.
They are poor yet rich and not rich yet poor. They do not and should never ever at all enrich themselves but instead they enrich the congregation they serve.
This is like Ji Gong who is depicted as beggarly in beggar's robes but yet a god of wealth in places like Taiwan and South East Asia.
This post will of course ring a bell. Lord Bo Tien did say that there will always be ants and insects coming to a flower for nectar. There will always be those who come to an organisation in guise of serving the mission of that organisation but time will reveal that they come more for the nectar of personal gains.
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| Lord Bo Tien |
The lord saint Lord Bo Tien says that we should not blame the flower for insects coming to it. Even if they are demons in guise of the holy and pious, some leading men of religion (who are like ants coming to flower for nectar) more than others deserve the chance to be in the house of God to make good. Whether they can make good is the issue.
Men should not blame God if they are misled by such leaders who thankfully are few and rare. Men have eyes and they must not end up not seeing with eyes wide open. Perhaps they see not because their eyes are wide shut. So, who is to be blamed?
But there is need to wake up men to be true to the calling, true to the heart. It is the heart that counts. See through the men at the pulpit and know them by their heart, not by their charisma or showmanship and by what they do and say. Learn from Ji Gong.
Ji Gong and the Da Peng Bird is more than a story, more than a myth and more than a metaphor. Omitofo
