Record of the Reconstruction of the Ching-Chen-Si
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^[inline]Kaifeng Tablet of A.D. 1489^ RECORD OF THE
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CHING-CHEN-SI. Truth-purity-temple.
A-wu-lo-han (Abraham), the patriarch who founded Israel ( )
the religion of the joyful inheritance conferred by the Great One, was the
nineteenth descendant from Pan-ku ( ), or A-tan ( Adam).
From the beginning of the world the patriarchs have handed
down the precept that we must not make images and similitudes, and that we
must not worship ghosts (Shen-gui,
) for neither can images and similitudes protect,
nor the ghosts afford us aid. The patriarch thinking upon Heaven(God), the
pure and ethereal Being who dwells on high, the Most honourable and without
compare, that Divine Providence, who, without speaking, causes the four
seasons to revolve, and the myriad of things to grow; and looking at
the budding of spring, the growth of summer, the in
gathering of harvest, and the storing of winter, at the objects that fly,
dive, move and vegetate, whether they flourish or decay, bloom or droop,
all so easy and natural in their productions and transformations, intheir
assump tions of form and colour, was suddenly
roused to reflec tion, and understood this deep
mystery; he then sincerely sought after the correct instruction, and
adoringly praised the true Heaven (God); with his whole heart he served,
and with his undivided attention reverenced Him; by this means he set
up the foundation of religion, and caused it to be hand ed down to the present day. This happened according to our enquiry, in
the 146th. year of the Chow ( ), state
[it is unclear if this text is intended to be bold or
is merely bold because it was added later] (Chow state of the
days of Shun, B.C.2254). From him the doctrines were handed down to the
great teacher and legis lator Moses ( ), who
according to our computation lived about the 613th. year of the same state.
This man was
was intelligent from his birth,
pure and disinterested, endowed with benevolence and righteousness, virtue
and wisdom all complete; he sought and obtained the sacred writings on
the top of Sinai mountain ( ),where he fasted forty days and nights,
repressing his carnal desires, refraining even from sleep, and spending
his time in sincere devotion. His piety moved the heart of heaven
(God), and the sacred writings, amounting to fifty-three sections, were
thus obtained. Their con tents are deep and
mysterious, their promises calculated to influence men's good feelings, and
their threatenings to repress their corrupt imaginations.
The doctrines were again handed down to the time of the
reformer of religion and wise instructor Ezra ( ), whose descent was
reckoned from the founder of our religion, and whose teaching contained the
right clue to his instruc tions, viz., the duty of
honouring Heaven (God) by appro priate worship; so
that he could be considered capable of unfolding the mysteries of the
religion of our forefathers. But religion must consist in the purity and
truth of Divine worship. Purity refers to the Pure One, who is without
mixture; truth to the correct One, who is without corrup tion; worship consists in reverence, and in bowing down
to the ground. Men in their daily avocations must not for a single
moment forget Heaven, but at the hours of four in the morning, mid-day, and
six in the evening, should thrice perform their adorations, which is the
true principle of the religion of Heaven. The form observed by the virtuous
men of antiquity was, first to bathe and change their clothes, taking
care at the same time to purit
^[inline]f^y their hearts and correct their senses, after which
they reverently approach ed before Eternal Reason and
the Sacred Writings. Eternal Reason is
Reason is without form or figure,
like the Eternal Reason of Heaven, exalted on high. We will here endeavour
to set forth the general course of Divine worship in order. First, the
worshipper bending his body, does reverence to Eternal Reason, by which
means he recognizes Eternal Reason as pre sent in
such bending of the body; the standing upright in the midst, without
declining, he does obeisance to Eternal Reason, by which means he
recognises Eternal Reason as stand ing in the midst;
in stillness, maintaining his spirit, and silently praising, he venerates
Eternal Reason, showing that he incessantly remembers Heaven; in motion,
examining him self, and lifting up his voice, he
honours Eternal Reason, showing that he unfailingly remembers Heaven. This
is the way in which our religion teaches us to look towards in visible space and perform our adorations.
Retiring three paces, the worshipper gets suddenly to the
rear, to show this reverence for the Eternal Reason who is behind him;
advancing five steps, he looks on before, to show his reverence for the
Eternal Reason, who is in front of his person; he bows towards the left,
reverencing Eternal Reason, whereby he admires the Eternal Reason who is
on his left; he bows towards the right, revencing Eternal Rea son, whereby he adores the Eternal Reason who is on his
right; looking up, he reverences Eternal Reason, to shew that he considers
Eternal Reason as above him; looking down, he reverences Eternal Reason, to
shew that he considers Eternal Reason as close to him; at the close, he
worships Eternal Reason, manifesting reverence in this act of
adoration. But to venerate Heaven and to neglect ancestors, is to fail
in the services which are their due. In the spring and autumn, therefore,
men sacrifice to their ancestors, to shew that they serve the dead as they
do the living, and pay
pay the same respect to the
departed, that they do to those who survive. The offer sheep and oxen, and
present the fruits of the season, to shew that they do not neglect the
honour due to ancestors, when they are gone from us. During the course
of every month we fast and abstain four times, which constitutes the door
by which religion is entered, and the basis on which goodness is
accumulated. It is called an entrance because we practise one act of
goodness today and another tomorrow; thus having commenced the merit
of abstinence, we add to our store, avoiding the practice of every
vice, and reverently performing every virtue. Every seventh day we observe
a holy rest, which when terminated begins anew; as it is said in the Book
of Diagrams, "The good man in the practice of virtue, apprehends lest
the time should prove too short". At each of the four seasons we lay
ourselves under a seven days’ restraint, in remem brance of the trials endured by our ancestors; by which means we
venerate our predecessors and reward our pro
genitors; we also abstain entirely from food during a whole day, when we
reverently pray to Heaven, repent of our former faults, and practice anew
the duties of each day. The Book of Diagrams also says, "When the wind and
thunder prevail, the good man thinks of what virtues he shall practice,
and if he has any errors he reforms them". Thus our religious system
has been handed down, and communicated from one to another. It came
originally from India ( ), those who introduced it in obedience to the
Divine command were seventy clans, viz., those of Yen Li Ngai Kao Muh
Chao Kin Chow Chang Shih Hwang Nie Tso Pah and others. These brought
as tribute some western cloth. The Emperor of the Sung Dynasty
(Heaou-tsung or Lung-hing 1163.) said, "Since they have come to our
to our Central Land, and
reverently observe the customs of their ancestors, let them hand down their
doctrines at Pien-liang (Kai-feng)" In the first year of Lung-hing, of
the Sung Dynasty, in the 20th year of the 65th Cycle (A.D. 1166 ?) Lie
Ching and Wu ^[inline]-^ssi-ta superintended this religion,
and Yen Tu-la ( ) built the synagogue. In the reign of Chin-yuen ( ) of the
Yuen dynasty, or the 16th year of the 67th Cycle (A.D. 1280).wu-ssi-ta
rebuilt the ancient temple of Truth and Purity, which was situated in the
Tu Shih tzi street, on the south-east side; on each side the area of the
temple extended 350 feet. When the first Emperor of the Ming dynasty (1390)
establish ed his throne and pacified his empire,
all those who came under the civilizing influence of our country were
present ed with ground, on which they might dwell
quietly, and profess their religion without molestation, in order to
manifest a feeling of sympathizing benevolence, which views all alike. But
as this temple required someone to look after its concerns, there were
appointed for that purpose Li-cheng, Li-shih, Yen-ping-tu, Ngai-ging,
Chou-an, Li-kang, and others, who were themselves upright and
intelligent men, and able to admonish others, having attained the
title of Man-la (Mullah) . So that up to this time, the sacred
vestments, ceremonies and music, are all maintained according to the
prescribed pattern, and every word and action is conformed to the ancient
rule; every man there fore keeps the laws, and knows
how to reverence Heaven, and respect the patriarchs, being faithful to the
prince, and filial to parents, all in consequence of the efforts of
these teachers. Yen-cheng, who was skilled in medicine, in the 19th. year
of Yung-lo (A.D. 1417), received the imperial commands communicated through
Chow-fu-ting-wang ( ( )
( ), to present incense in the
temple of Truth and purity, which was then repaired; about the same
time also there was received the imperial tablet of the Ming dynasty,
to be erected in the temple. In the 21st. year of Yung-lo (1422), the
above-named officer reported that he had executed some trust reposed in
him; whereupon the Emperor changed his surname to Chao, and conferred
upon him an embroidered garment, and a title of dignity, elevat ing him to be a magistrate in Chekiang Province.
In the 10th. year of Cheng-tung (1465), Li-yung and some
others rebuilt the three rooms in front of the synago
gue. It appears that in the 5th. year of Tien-shun (13490^[inline])^, the Yellow River had inundated the synagogue,
but the foun dations were still preserved; whereupon
Ngai-ging and others petitioned to be allowed to restore it to its original
form, and through the chief magistrate of the Prefecture, received an
order from the Treasurer of the Honan Province, granting that it might be
done in conformity with the old form of the temple of Truth and Purity that
had existed in the time of Chih-yuan (1290-; whereupon "Li-yun provided the
funds, and the whole was made quite new.
During the reign of Cheng-hwa (1470) Kao-chien provided the
funds for repairing the three rooms at the back of the synagogue. He also
deposited therein three volumes of the Sacred Writings. Such is the history
of the front and back rooms of the synagogue. During the reign of Tien-shun
(1440), Shih-pin, Kao-chien and Chang-hsuen, had brought from the
professors of this religion at Ningpo, one volume of the Sacred Writings;
while Chao Ying-cheng, of Ningpo, sent another volume of the Divine Word,
which was presented to the synagogue at Pien-liang, or Kaifeng Foo. His
younger brother Ying also provided funds, and in the second year of Hung-chih
Hung-Chih (1488) strengthened the
foundations of the synago gue. Ying with myself
Chung, entrusted to Chao-tsun the setting up of the present tablet;
Yen-tu-la had already fixed the foundation of the building, and commenced
to work; to wards the compe^[inline]l^etion of which, all the families contributed; and
thus provided the sacred implements and furniture con
nected with the cells for depositing the sacred writings, causing the whole
synagogue to be painted and ornamented, and put into a complete repair. For
I conceive that the three religions of China have each their respective
temples, and severally honour to founders of their faith; among the
li terati there is the temple of Great Perfection
(Ta-cheng), dedicated to Confucius; among the Buddhists there is the
temple of the Sacred Countenance (Sheng-yung), dedicated to Buddha (Ni-mu
); and among the Taoists there is the temple of Yi-hwang. (Jewel Emperor).
So also in the True and Pure religion there is the temple of the
inheritance of Israel (Yi-si-lo-yie erected to the honour of August
Heaven (Hwang-tien).
Although our religion agrees in many respects with the
religion of the literati, from which it differs in a slight degree, yet the
main design of it is nothing more than rever ence for
Heaven, and veneration for ancestors, fidelity to the prince, and obedience
to parents, just that which is in culcated in the
five human relations, five constant vir tues, with
the three principal connections of life. It is to be observed however that
people merely know that in the temple of 'Truth and Purity ceremonies are
performed, where we reverence Heaven, and worship towards no visible
object; but they do not know that the great origin of Eternal Reason
comes from Heaven, and that what has been handed down from of old to the
present day, must not be falsified. Although
Although, our religion enjoins worship thus
earnestly, we do not render it merely with the view of securing
hap piness to ourselves, but seeing that we have
received the favours of the prince, and enjoyed the em^o^luments conferred by him, we carry to the utmost our sincerity
in worship with the view of manifesting fidelity to our prince, and
grati tude to our country. Thus we pray that the
Emperor’s rule may be extended to myriads of years, and that the
imperial dynasty may be firmly established; as long as heaven and earth
endure, may there be favourable winds and seasonable showers, with mutual
enjoyment of tran quility.
We have engraven these our ideas on the imperishable marble,
that they may be handed down to the latest genera
tion.
Composed by a promoted literary graduate of the Kaifeng
Prefecture named Chin-chung; inscribed by a literary gra duate of purchased rank, of the Ksianh-fu district,
named Tsao-tso; and engraven by a literary graduate of purchased rank
of Kaifeng Prefecture, named Fu-ju. Erected on a for
tunate day in the middle of summer in the 2nd. year of Hung-chih (1489), in
the 46th year of the 70th cycle, by a disciple of the religion of Truth and
Purity.
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[illegible: [Kaifeng Tablet ]
^
this is written in pen upside-down and backwards so it
may be a transfer from another image
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