A Study Of The Cultural History Of Willow’s Elimination Of Disease And Disaster In The Middle Ages

China has a long history of willow cultivation,and there are many descriptions of willows in pre Qin literature.After the Han Dynasty,Yang Willow was endowed with more political meaning,ideological connotation and cultural representation,such as withered willows reborn,broken willows expressing emotions,and wearing willows to dispel disasters have gradually emerged.Until modern times,the concept of willow curing diseases and disasters is still an important cultural phenomenon widely spread.The elimination of diseases and disasters by willows is an important cultural phenomenon that has been passed down in China for thousands of years.Eliminating disasters by inserting willows on tomb-sweeping Day,the folk beliefs of willow bodhisattva in rescuing difficulties,and traditional Chinese medicine therapy for removing diseases of willow have deeply influenced various aspects of ancient Chinese society,such as customs,taboos,and medical treatment,which become part of traditional Chinese medicine and folklore.In terms of origin,compared with other willow worships,the concept of using willow to cure diseases does not originate from traditional Chinese culture,but from Buddhist texts.During the Wei and Jin dynasties,with successive natural disasters and constant wars,Buddhism,which was universally cared for,gradually received strong praise from rulers and oppressed people.In this context,the concept of willow as a pure thing,an offering for blessings,and a thing to eliminate evil spirits in Indian Buddhism has gradually integrated into folk customs,and the content of inserting willows to drive away evil spirits in "Qimin Yaoshu" and "Record of Jinchu District" is a direct embodiment of this concept.During the Sui and Tang Dynasties,a large number of records of willow dispelling illness can be seen in Tantrism texts,and with the integration of Buddhism,Taoism and Confucianism deepened,Taoism also drew on some of the Buddhist understanding of Yang Willow and began to use Yang Willow to pray for blessings to ward off disasters.In addition,in the process of the Buddhism with chinese characteristics,there was also a unique image that had never appeared in the Indian statue of willow bodhisattva.The willow bodhisattva,who holds a willow and a recyclable bottle to eliminate disasters,is widely spread and has become one of the important deities in East Asia.Taoism also derives a similar image of "Lord Tai Yi of Salvation",holding a willow and saving suffering.Since the Tang and Song Dynasties,the concept that willow can cure diseases and disasters has been integrated into folk festival customs.Literature such as "Suishi Guangji","Dongjing Menghua Lu","Mengliang Lu" record that many traditional festivals such as the Dragon Boat Festival,Hanshi Festival,and tomb-sweeping Day have the custom of wearing willows or inserting willows to eliminate disasters;In "Wenyuan Yinghua" and "Extensive records of the Taiping era",the legend of willow trees being able to exorcise demons and ghosts is very common.Willows are auspicious objects with magical effects.In the field of ancient medicine,the bitter and cold characteristics of willows were recognized by ancient Chinese medicine scholars.Influenced by Buddhism’s belief that willows can have the equivalent function of "dissipating food,removing cold and heat,being good at spitting and distinguishing taste,not smelling at the mouth,and having a clear eye",Tang Dynasty medical classics such as "A Supplement to Recipes Worth a Thousands Gold" and "Arcane Essentials from the Imperial Library" also added content that willows can treat eye diseases,tooth pain,and reduce swelling,willow began to appear frequently in medical classics after the Tang Dynasty.These concepts of Indian medicine and traditional Chinese medicine which have many scientific and reasonable aspects have been proven by modern medicine,reflecting the wisdom of ancient Indian and Chinese ancestors.