NO. 2 FOLK RELIGION IN SOUTHWEST CHINA — GRAHAM I33 



is in this existence has been determined by his conduct in previous 

 existences. The good or evil which he does in this existence will de- 

 termine how he is reborn after death — as an insect, a reptile, a bird, 

 an animal, a woman, or a man, and what kind of a man — rich or 

 poor, high or low. This means that any creature may have been a 

 human being in a previous existence, so that devout Buddhists are 

 sometimes vegetarians, and many believe that it is nearly as bad to kill 

 any creature, even an insect, as to kill a human being. Abstaining 

 from killing and from eating meat and eggs is supposed to move the 

 gods so that they are more likely to cause rain. 



One method used to bring rain is to close the south gate of a city 

 so that the yang influences cannot enter. If there is too much rain and 

 cloudy weather, the north gate is closed to prevent the yin influences 

 from entering. Another method is to fire guns. It is believed that the 

 reason for the drought may be that the dragon has overslept and so 

 forgotten to send rain. Firing ofif guns is supposed to be especially 

 efficient near lakes or ponds or on high mountains, for the dragons 

 live in such localities. When going over high passes in West China, 

 natives have requested me not to fire my gun lest it should cause rain. 



In 1928 I visited Ningyuenfu, now called Chien-ch'ang. One day I 

 went out on a nearby lake with a Miao hunter and fired about 50 

 shots with a shotgun. On our way back into the city we were caught 

 in a downpour of rain. The next day we again went out on the lake 

 and fired many times, and again were caught in a heavy shower of 

 rain, which continued for three days, breaking the drought and sav- 

 ing the crops. The people in and around Ningyuenfu said that I had 

 broken the drought by shooting on the lake and were glad that I had 

 come. 



An important means of seeking rain is the ceremonial chanting of 

 the sacred books. It is called nien ching, or reading the sacred books, 

 but actually they are always chanted or sung. The books chanted are 

 generally those of the Dragon King or the Water God, those of the 

 local god or t'u-ti, or those of Wang Yeh, the god of boatmen and 

 of rivers, but the sacred books of other gods may be used. In these 

 sacred books there are incantations to purify the body, the mind or 

 heart, and the mouths of the priests, but there is generally very little 

 praying and sometimes none at all. For a Buddhist or a Taoist priest 

 to repeat or chant the sacred books ceremonially is regarded as a very 

 meritorious act that may move the gods and therefore cause rain. It 

 is primarily magic instead of prayer. 



Yet another method of seeking rain is by means of the dragon 



