54 SMITHSONIAN MISCEI-LANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 8o 



because the student, who worshipped only the Christian God, con- 

 sidered the idols in the temples to be real gods, and was afraid of them. 

 In Szechuan the motives for the worship of the gods are fear, awe, 

 reverence, affection, and the desire to secure the help of the divinities 

 in living a happy and successful life.* 



VIII. 'll-MPLES AND SACRED PLACES 

 I. THE RELATION OF THE TEMPLE TO THE COMMUNITV 



Temples are considered more or less the property of the com- 

 munity. Practically everybody contributes towards their support — in 

 fact, they must contribute. At stated or at special times the priests 

 go from house to house, leaving at each home some evidence that 

 the inmates have contributed. Sometimes the different temples divide 

 a city into districts, each temple collecting in its own district. At other 

 times one temple will collect over the whole city. In one town, if a 

 family refuses to contribute, the priests will place an image or some 

 other evidence before the door of the house. This is considered a 

 great disgrace. People begin to crowd around, and finally in self- 

 defense the family is compelled by general disapproval to make the 

 contribution. 



2. CONFUCIAN TEMPLES 



Most Confucian temples have in them only the tablets of Confucius, 

 his disciples, Mencius, and other noted Confucian scholars. Occa- 



^ The following event took place at Ch'anglinshien. There had been no rain 

 for so long that the crops were in danger. The people and the priests had been 

 praying for rain. The magistrate went for a visit to the P'utaogin Temple 

 outside the city, where there are several dragon gods. He remarked that if the 

 gods would send a heavy rain that night he would thoroughly repair the temple, 

 a thing which was much needed. It was not stated whether or not the magis- 

 trate prayed to the gods, but it was assumed that the gods knew what he had 

 said. Possibly the priests prayed especially to the dragon gods to send rain so 

 that the temple might be repaired. At any rate, there was a great rain that 

 night, and the crops were saved, and the magistrate repaired the temple. 



Additional note on vows. — At K'ai Shan Ch'u Dien, on Mt. Omei, whicli 

 means the first monastery opened on the mountain. I saw a farmer and Iiis 

 wife worshipping. They were pilgrims who were visiting the temples on the 

 mountain. Before a famous bronze image of Mi Leh Fuh. the Buddhist Messiah, 

 they divined by means of the yinyang kua. Twice they consulted, but both 

 times the result was unlucky. The pilgrims were frightened. Then the priest 

 said, " Quickly make a vow." I could not hear what was said, but the lips ot 

 the woman moved as she made her vow. Then the divination was repeated, and 

 the results were " lucky " or good. They felt that because of her vow, which 

 we may regard as a bargain with the dt'ity, tlic god changed her luck from bad 

 to good. 



