Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.61

v2.c10.61

The *Investiture of the Gods* was another full-length god-evil novel only second to *Journey to the West* in terms of its status among Chinese novels, and its main line followed the story of Emperor Zhou Wu overthrowing the Shang Dynasty. Its author combined Buddhism and Taoism, and made up a Chan Religion (Illustration Education) representing justice, which was antagonistic to the Jie Religion representing evil. In the end, justice defeats evil. There, all characters were influenced by Indian Buddhism. For example, the prototype of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li was the northern Vaisràmana among Caturmahàràjakàyika, and the former Heavenly King Duo Wen was the God of Fortune (Kubera) in Hinduism. Prince Nezha (Nalakåbara) is the son of Vaisravana in Buddhist scriptures, while in the novel he was the son of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, whose story “Prince Nezha’s triumph against Dragon King” was handed down in folk. In addition, the Cundi Bodhisattva (Canói-avalokitesvara), Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (Samantabhadra), Dipamkara Buddha and Manjusri became gods in Daoism.