The Observer Posted August 19, 2012 (edited) I recently bought three statues of Chinese gods. To make a long story short, I just wanted the statue of Guan Yu, but the other 2 figures came with it as a package so I bought em all. So getting to the point who are the other 2 gods flanking Guan Yu in the attached picture? Edited August 19, 2012 by The Observer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Humble Posted August 20, 2012 Looks like you got a Fu-Shou-Lu http://arts.cultural-china.com/en/84A6063A11951.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Way Is Virtue Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) Yes, I believe you have statues of the 'three star gods'. In order of appearance in your attached picture, I believe it is Fu (star/deity of good fortune), Lu (star/deity of prosperity), Shou (star/deity of longevity). It's interesting that the statue of Lu that you have, actually appears to be depicted the way Guan Yu is sometimes depicted. Not sure why that is. It may be that the manufacturer didn't know the difference and mixed up the images. Your 'Lu' statue really appears to be a Guan Yu statue. Best wishes... Edited August 20, 2012 by The Way Is Virtue Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted August 20, 2012 Also known as the Three Pure Ones. Very ancient, very much venerated. If they came to you when you weren't looking, it means they are offering a connection of sorts. That's how mine came to me too -- as soon as I created the first, most basic taoist altar, that very day at a local thrift shop the Three Stars showed up, a synchronicity very hard to miss, so of course I bought them and put them on the altar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Way Is Virtue Posted August 20, 2012 "Also known as the Three Pure Ones." No, the Three Pure Ones are the highest Deities in Taoism, I believe. They are not the same as the Three Star Deities. Regards 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Observer Posted August 20, 2012 Yikes. Well looks like Virtue is right. I may want to get a proper Lu statue...Thanks for the replies guys. On a different note if anyone happens to know about Feng Shui is it bad to have Guan Yu standing right above my head while I sleep? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted August 20, 2012 "Also known as the Three Pure Ones." No, the Three Pure Ones are the highest Deities in Taoism, I believe. They are not the same as the Three Star Deities. Regards Depends on who you ask. Depends on the sect. Depends on the region. Depends on how canonized the term "Pure" is when applied (liberally) to assorted deities (not very). In Guandong, the Three Stars are called Fuk, Suk, Luk and are far better known as "kitchen gods." The "Three Pure Ones" sometimes refers to the Star gods (aka Cantonese kitchen gods) as I said it does, and sometimes to Yu-ching (Jade Pure), Shang-ching (Upper Pure) and Tai-ching (Great Pure), but these three are sometimes understood as the highest deities, as you said they are, and sometimes as just a triad of immortals, and sometimes are believed to be different manifestations of Laozi in his deified form. Taoism is immense and tianzun ("the countless taoist deities") can be a bit confusing. Tai Sui, e.g., has 64 incarnations. Quan Yin is a bodhisattva of buddhism and yet a taoist goddess. Go figure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YMWong Posted August 20, 2012 I recently bought three statues of Chinese gods. To make a long story short, I just wanted the statue of Guan Yu, but the other 2 figures came with it as a package so I bought em all. So getting to the point who are the other 2 gods flanking Guan Yu in the attached picture? Right and left are the remains of an original trio fu-lu-shou, as somebody said. The central one is Guan Gong, not related to the other two as you can see even material and details are totally different. And yes, by the way, fu-lu-shou have nothing to do with the Three Pure Ones (sanqing) YM 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YMWong Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) Depends on who you ask. Yep, if you ask somebody who doesn't know he may say they are the same as the Three Pure Ones And by the way, also In Guandong, the Three Stars are called Fuk, Suk, Luk and are far better known as "kitchen gods. is wrong, as the Kitchen God (in Guangdong and elsewhere) is NOT related to the Three Pure Ones or to fu-lu-shou, he is a separate God YM Edited August 20, 2012 by YMWong 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Way Is Virtue Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) "On a different note if anyone happens to know about Feng Shui is it bad to have Guan Yu standing right above my head while I sleep?" I personally don't know, and you may well get different answers on that depending on who you ask. You may get an informed answer if you ask this question of the people at http://studytaoism.com/. You can email them at: info at studytaoism dot com Regards Edited August 20, 2012 by The Way Is Virtue Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted August 20, 2012 Right and left are the remains of an original trio fu-lu-shou, as somebody said. The central one is Guan Gong, not related to the other two as you can see even material and details are totally different. And yes, by the way, fu-lu-shou have nothing to do with the Three Pure Ones (sanqing) YM Have you ever tried pronouncing what you sign your posts with aloud?..Why does it actually sound as the slightly accented way to say "I am wrong?" ??? -- 'cause you usually are. You can't throw an "opinion" at me as though you put the last dot over the last "i" and closed the argument. You may want to ask me why I think what I think, what sources I have, etc.., you can't really "put me in my place," haven't you tried many times, haven't you learned?.. You can't just correct me from your high "I AM WRONG!!!!" horse and get away with it. Never could, never will. Give it a perennial rest. I know you, you know me, give it a rest. Do the "I am right" thing for a change of pace. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted August 20, 2012 Yep, if you ask somebody who doesn't know he may say they are the same as the Three Pure Ones And by the way, also is wrong, as the Kitchen God (in Guangdong and elsewhere) is NOT related to the Three Pure Ones or to fu-lu-shou, he is a separate God YM Reading comprehension 101 anyone? I didn't say The Kitchen God, I said "kitchen gods" and I know them from THE Kitchen god. YRWong again. Research. If you can't find where I got what I said from, ask. If you ask nicely, I'll point you in the general direction of a wider perspective than the pinhole you always look through. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YMWong Posted August 20, 2012 You can't throw an "opinion" ...you can't really "put me in my place ... You can't just correct me from ... You are funny YM 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted August 20, 2012 You are funny YM I'm flattered but reluctant to take the credit -- since you're amusing yourself snip-quoting me, it's entirely your own self-service whereby you succeeded in entertaining yourself, I can't possibly claim any merit, much to my chagrin. And I thought you said you don't practice anything. You're too modest. Surely the PA (Passive-Aggressive arts) practitioners can count you among their most accomplished masters?.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YMWong Posted August 20, 2012 You're too modest. Thank you YM 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baiqi Posted August 20, 2012 Come on guys, are you really gonna fight for such a trivial matter? I agree with The Way and others: the Three pure Ones are different from the "three lucky stars". And if I'm wrong, I'll still won't call you names... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flowing hands Posted August 20, 2012 The way of virtue is right, it is not the 'three pure ones'. General Guan Yu is usually depicted and placed with his two 'bond brothers' and carries a scimitar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Way Is Virtue Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) Here's a story regarding statues of Deities. One time I went to eat at a Chinese restaurant with a group of friends. The restaurant was decorated with statues of what appeared to be possibly taoist deities. These statues were about a foot and a half to two feet high or so and were made of bronze or brass, as I recall, and were sitting in alcoves built into the walls in the restaurant, and the alcoves were sealed over by panes of glass. We noticed the statues because they looked antique and some of them were partially turned inwards to different degrees towards the back of the alcoves, instead of facing forward, and one statue was turned almost fully inward with the back of the statue facing outward, instead of the front of the statue facing outward. We asked the owner of the restaurant why the statues were turned inward like that and she said that she had originally placed the statues all facing to the front, but slowly over time the statues had turned inward like that. She said the statues originated from temples, (I think temples in China). I suppose that if the restaurant was not on a really solid foundation or had a floor that was inclined to bounce and vibrate that vibrations over time might have made the statues turn, but the statues were not small and were made of bronze or brass, so the statues probably had a fair bit of weight to them. Anyway, that's the story. Edited August 20, 2012 by The Way Is Virtue 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Basher Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) Whenever you get fed up of throwing opinions at each other, I suppose you could start throwing the "Gods" !!! "On a different note if anyone happens to know about Feng Shui is it bad to have Guan Yu standing right above my head while I sleep?" Answer = Only if he needs the bathroom. ==================================== Has anybody ever seen a statue of "Feng Bo", The Earl of the Wind (holds an open ended sack) ? As I'm extremely interested in tracking one down. Think he's been usurped by the goddess "Feng Po Po". Basher Edited August 20, 2012 by Basher 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) Right and left are the remains of an original trio fu-lu-shou, as somebody said. The central one is Guan Gong, not related to the other two as you can see even material and details are totally different. And yes, by the way, fu-lu-shou have nothing to do with the Three Pure Ones (sanqing) YM YM is correct about the three statues. Sorry to say, the figure, Guan Yu, you tried to get initially is not there. Edited August 20, 2012 by ChiDragon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) YM is correct about the three statues. Sorry to say, the figure, Guan Yu, you tried to get initially is not there. Sorry, my bad... Guan Yu(關羽) is Guan Gong(關公). You do have it in the center. The one on the left is the God of Happiness. The one on the right is the God of Longevity. Edited August 20, 2012 by ChiDragon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted August 20, 2012 The "Three Pure Ones" Three Pure Ones The "Three Stars Gods" Three Stars Gods The "Kitchen Gods" The Kitchen Gods 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted August 20, 2012 Come on guys, are you really gonna fight for such a trivial matter? I agree with The Way and others: the Three pure Ones are different from the "three lucky stars". And if I'm wrong, I'll still won't call you names... That's the spirit. You are not wrong and you are not right -- it is exactly like I said: depends on who you ask. The reason I know that the name is applicable is because it is applied -- that's what I was told in the History Museum of Shaanxi Province when I asked the guide who those gods are. She cited several sources for various interpretations of their names and designations, of which I remember little except for the crucial fact that trinities are legion and "pure" among them are the ones the worshippers designate as such. When I looked online the other day, I saw only two entries and a bunch of pictures that mention it's the same thing, and a statistically larger number of those that assert it's different. (That's how I can always tell who has learned whatever they offer hot off the internet! -- the lowest common online denominator will invariably rule in their pronouncements.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harmonious Emptiness Posted August 20, 2012 Yikes. Well looks like Virtue is right. I may want to get a proper Lu statue...Thanks for the replies guys. On a different note if anyone happens to know about Feng Shui is it bad to have Guan Yu standing right above my head while I sleep? From a simple search, I've found that he is considered a protector of dharma temples for Buddhists, and a subduer of demons in Taoism. Seems to be a historical figure basically used as an archetype for these roles. If there's a fight going on, you might not want it going on right above your head when your sleeping, unless maybe there seems to be one already. I think I've seen shrines to him at entrances. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YMWong Posted August 21, 2012 You are not wrong and you are not right -- it is exactly like I said: depends on who you ask. The reason I know that the name is applicable is because it is applied -- that's what I was told in the History Museum of Shaanxi Province when I asked the guide who those gods are. She cited several sources for various interpretations of their names and designations, of which I remember little except for the crucial fact that trinities are legion and "pure" among them are the ones the worshippers designate as such. When I looked online the other day, I saw only two entries and a bunch of pictures that mention it's the same thing, and a statistically larger number of those that assert it's different. (That's how I can always tell who has learned whatever they offer hot off the internet! -- the lowest common online denominator will invariably rule in their pronouncements.) LOL YM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
