The Ming Cult is a fictional cult and martial arts school featured in the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong , first published in serial form from 1961 to 1963. It is also briefly mentioned in The Legend of the Condor Heroes , another novel also by Jin Yong. It is loosely based on Manichaeism , an actual gnostic religion which originated in Persia in the 3rd century CE and later spread to other parts of the world, including China . The cult's headquarters is at Bright Peak ( 光明頂 ; guāngmíng dǐng ) in the Kunlun Mountains and it has several other bases spread throughout China. Its most powerful skills are the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" ( 乾坤大挪移 ; qián kūn dà nuó yí ) and the "Martial Arts of the Holy Flame Tablets" ( 聖火令武功 ; shèng huǒ lìng wǔ gōng ).
57-530: In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber , the Ming Cult is also known as the "Cult of Mani " ( 摩尼教 ; mó ní jiào ) to martial artists in the jianghu but its more common name is "Mo Jiao" ( 魔教 ; mó jiào ), which literally means "Demonic Cult". The cult originated in Persia and spread to China in the seventh century. The cult is secretive and conducts its activities far away from the eyes of other schools in
114-572: A discourse to the people his history of "this Manes", very much to the effect of the recapitulation in Socrates. Among the further details are these: that Scythianus lived "in the time of the Apostles", that Terebinthus said the name of Buddas had been imposed on him, that in the mountains he had been brought up by an angel, that he had been convicted of imposture by a Persian prophet named Parcus, and by Labdacus, son of Mithra . Furthermore, that in
171-418: A historian writing in the 5th century. According to this account, one Scythianos , a Saracen, husband of an Egyptian woman, "introduced the doctrine of Empedocles and Pythagoras into Christianity"; that he had a disciple, "Buddas, formerly named Terebinthus ", who travelled in Persia, where he alleged that he had been born of a virgin , and afterwards wrote four books, one of Mysteries, a second The Gospel,
228-702: A large amount of material in Middle Persian, Coptic, and numerous other languages. Examples of surviving portions of his works include: the Shabuhragan (Middle Persian), the Book of Giants (numerous fragments in many languages), the Fundamental Epistle (quoted in length by Saint Augustine), a number of fragments of his Living Gospel (or Great Gospel ), a Syriac excerpt quoted by Theodore Bar Konai , and his Letter to Edessa contained in
285-600: A second journey. Returning in 242, Mani presented himself to Shapur I , to whom he dedicated his only work written in Persian, known as the Shabuhragan . Shapur was not converted to Manichaeism and remained Zoroastrian , but he favored Mani's teachings, which mixed Christianity, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, and took him into his court. Mani is said to have performed miracles , including levitation , teleporting and healing , which helped him to gain converts in
342-425: A third The Treasure, and a fourth Heads. While performing some mystic rites, he was hurled down a precipice by a daimon , and killed. A woman at whose house he lodged buried him, took over his property, and bought a boy of seven, named Cubricus. This boy she freed and educated, leaving him the property and books of Buddas-Terebinthus. Cubricus then travelled into Persia, where he took the name of Manes and gave forth
399-419: A warrior, on the other like a magician. In some later texts he was described as lame, a characteristic possibly attributed to him by his opponents. Mani then travelled to India ( Sakas in present day Afghanistan ), where he studied Hinduism and its various extant philosophies, as well as Buddhism . Al-Biruni says Mani only traveled to India after being banished from Persia, but this might be an error or
456-692: A year and found him, whereupon he showed them an illustrated book, called Ergenk , or Estenk Arzhang , which he said he had brought from heaven. Whereafter he had many followers, with whom he returned to Persia at the death of Shapur. The new king, Hormisdas, joined and protected the sect, and built Mani a castle. The next king, Bahram or Varanes, at first favoured Mani. After getting him to debate with certain Zoroastrian teachers, caused him to be flayed alive, and his skin to be stuffed and hung up. Thereupon most of his followers fled to India and China. Zhang Wuji Zhang Wuji ( 張無忌 ; Zhāng Wújì )
513-412: Is a Mongol princess and formerly Zhang Wuji's arch-rival as she keeps thwarting his plans to improve the Ming Cult's relations with the "orthodox" schools. However, Zhang Wuji still succeeds in gaining the trust of nearly all the "orthodox" schools. Although they start off on opposing sides, they gradually fall in love, and Zhao Min reluctantly turns against her fellow Mongols to help Zhang Wuji. Towards
570-591: Is allowed, the one Yin Li loves is the teenage Zhang Wuji, not the grown up Zhang Wuji. Meanwhile Xiaozhao has to return to Persia to succeed her mother as the Persian Ming Cult's leader. Although Zhou Zhiruo is in love with Zhang Wuji, she has no choice but to turn against him because she is bound by an oath she made to her martial arts master , Abbess Miejue of the Emei School , who hates anyone related to
627-478: Is based on a rigid dualism of good and evil , locked in eternal struggle, which was a "familiar mytholog[ical]" element of the time in many spiritual traditions that Mani deliberately borrowed. In his mid-twenties, Mani decided that salvation was possible through education, self-denial, fasting and chastity. According to Al-Biruni , a 10th-century Iranian scholar, Mani claimed to be the Paraclete promised in
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#1732781154738684-593: Is his true love and they leave to lead a reclusive life far away from society. In the afterword of the novel, the author Jin Yong explains that Zhang Wuji has less heroic traits compared to Guo Jing and Yang Guo , the protagonists of the first two books in the Condor Trilogy , and he has a fair share of strengths and weaknesses. His personality is strongly influenced by social factors and people around him, and he has no chance of escaping from harsh reality most of
741-409: Is initially mortally wounded but he wanders into an isolated valley by chance and discovers the long-lost Nine Yang Manual . He masters the inner energy skills described in the book, uses them to heal himself and becomes a formidable martial artist in the process. Later on, he helps to resolve the conflict between the "evil" Ming Cult and the six major "orthodox" schools, which are bent on destroying
798-411: Is lamentable, but death is also painful. Only with the brightness can we do good and exterminate evil. Joy and sorrow will all become dirt and dust eventually. Pity the people of my world! They face many hardships indeed! Pity the people of my world! They face many hardships indeed! The cult is actually a righteous school and not an evil cult as it is perceived in the wǔlín . Though it was welcomed during
855-612: Is more plausible that his body was mutilated via post-mortem decapitation, and his head put on display, which may be the original source of the embellishment. The canon of Mani includes six works originally written in Syriac, and one in Persian , the Shapuragan . While none of his books have survived in complete form, there are numerous fragments and quotations of them, including a long Syriac quotation from one of his works, as well as
912-531: Is now designated Codex Manichaicus Coloniensis because it is conserved at the University of Cologne . Combining a hagiographic account of Mani's career and spiritual development with information about Mani's religious teachings, and containing fragments of his writings, it is now considered the most reliable source of information about the historical Mani. All other medieval and pre-medieval accounts of his life are either legendary or hagiographical, such as
969-554: Is often regarded as a branch of the Ming Cult and deemed to be as equally evil and unorthodox in the wulin because of Yin Tianzheng's affiliation with the Ming Cult. The Heavenly Eagle Cult merges with the Ming Cult after Yin Tianzheng's maternal grandson, Zhang Wuji , becomes the new leader of the Ming Cult. The names Ming Jiao (literally "Religion of Light") and Moni Jiao (literally "Religion of Mani ") were used in China during
1026-407: Is qualified to cultivate it. (Although Yang Xiao was allowed to study it for many years when he wasn't the undisputed leader). The main purpose of the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" is to reverse the two kinds of qi of Heaven and Earth, namely rigidity and softness, yin and yang , and the red colour of the cultivator's face indicates the sinking of blood and the transformation of true qi in
1083-488: Is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong . Zhang Wuji's parents are from opposing sides of the wulin (martial artists' community). His father, Zhang Cuishan, is an apprentice of Zhang Sanfeng , the highly respected leader of the "orthodox" Wudang School ; his mother, Yin Susu, is the daughter of Yin Tianzheng, the chief of the "evil" Heavenly Eagle Cult . Zhang Wuji
1140-629: The Cologne Mani-Codex . Mani also wrote the book Arzhang , a holy book of Manichaeism unique in that it contained many drawings and paintings to express and explain the Manichaeist creation and history of the world. Mani's teaching was intended to "combine", succeed, and surpass the teachings of Christianity , Zoroastrianism , Buddhism , Marcionism , Hellenistic and Rabbinic Judaism , Gnostic movements , Babylonian and other Mesopotamian religions , and mystery cults . It
1197-468: The Five Elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Wood, Metal). The cult's members are spread throughout these five banners. The cult has headquarters and bases spread throughout the land and are often disguised as ordinary buildings, such as inns and shops, to avoid identification by the government. The cult's main headquarters, called the zǒngtán ( 總壇 ), is based on Bright Peak ( 光明頂 ; guāngmíng dǐng ) in
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#17327811547381254-580: The Kunlun Mountains . The Ming Cult's structure in Persia differs from the one in China. In Persia, the cult is led by a woman who is selected from three specially chosen virgins called "Holy Maidens" ( 聖女 ; shèng nǚ ). There are twelve Guardian Kings ( 寶樹王 ; bǎo shù wáng ) instead of four. The Three Messengers (Wind, Cloud and Moon) are tasked with safekeeping the Holy Flame Tablets, the cult's most sacred artifacts. They are also
1311-705: The New Testament , and the Last Prophet . However according to Lodewijk J. R. Ort, the term last prophet may "in all probability derived from the Quran by Al-Buruni in order to formulate Mani's pretensions and religious claims". Therefore Lodewijk J. R. Ort concludes that a definitive pronouncement about the final character of Mani's appearance is not mentioned in Manichaeistic scriptures. According to Christian eschatology, Jesus, not Mani, will perform
1368-628: The Song dynasty to describe the faith practiced by Chinese adherents of Manichaeism such as the White Lotus . Mani (prophet) Mani ( / ˈ m ɑː n i / ; c. April AD 216 – 2 March AD 274 or 26 February AD 277) was an Iranian prophet and the founder of Manichaeism , a religion most prevalent in late antiquity . Mani was born in or near Ctesiphon (south of modern Baghdad ) in Mesopotamia , at
1425-457: The Tang dynasty , it faces persecution later on by the government during the Song dynasty due to slanderous remarks made by its enemies in the imperial court. Apart from that, many martial artists and schools in the wǔlín who are unaware of the cult's real motives due to its conservative nature often speculate that it is inherently evil and start spreading rumors. The cult's image in society and in
1482-399: The historical Buddha . Mani's followers were organized in a church structure, divided into a class of "elects" ( electi ) and "auditors" ( auditores ). Only the electi are required to follow the laws strictly, while the auditores care for them, hoping to become electi in their turn after reincarnation . The Western Christian tradition of Mani is based on Socrates of Constantinople ,
1539-484: The jiào zhǔ ( 教主 ; 'cult master'). The Left and Right Bright Messengers ( 左右光明使 ; zuǒyòu guāngmíng shǐ ) serve as the leader's deputies. The cult also has four Guardian Kings ( 護教法王 ; hù jiào fǎ wáng ) who assist the leader in overseeing the cult's activities. Ranked below the Guardian Kings are the chiefs of the five banner divisions ( 旗主 ; qí zhǔ ). The five divisions are each named after one of
1596-538: The wǔlín ( 武林 "martial artists' community"). Its founding principles also deviate largely from other schools. While others typically seek to achieve a dominant position in the wǔlín , the Ming Cult strongly adheres to its faith and laws, which revolve around the notion of "delivering humankind from suffering and eliminating evil". This is aptly summed up in a mantra widely repeated by its members, which goes: 熊熊聖火，焚我殘軀。生亦何哀，死亦何苦？為善除惡，惟光明故。喜樂悲愁，皆歸塵土。憐我世人，憂患實多！憐我世人，憂患實多！ The blazing holy flame burns my withered body. Life
1653-486: The wǔlín is adversely affected and marred, and it often struggles to survive in the face of powerful rivals who seek to destroy it. During the Mongol -led Yuan dynasty , the Ming Cult starts a rebellion to overthrow the corrupt Yuan government and restore peace and order. However, its objective is not echoed by other schools and the common people; conversely, it faces hostility from them. The six leading orthodox schools in
1710-411: The wǔlín – Shaolin , Wudang , Emei , Kunlun , Kongtong and Mount Hua – form an alliance to attack the cult at its headquarters on Bright Peak. The Ming Cult's newly elected leader, Zhang Wuji , resolves the conflict and opens the cult to the wǔlín for the first time. Views and attitudes towards the cult start to change for the better, and the cult earns strong support in its mission to topple
1767-606: The Iranian elite. He was also famed as a painter . Shapur's successor Hormizd I , who reigned only for one year, continued to patronize Mani, but his successor Bahram I , a follower of the intolerant Zoroastrian reformer Kartir , began to persecute the Manichaeans. He incarcerated Mani, who died in prison within a month, in 274. According to sources, he passed his last days comforting his visiting disciples, teaching that his death would have no other consequence than
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1824-584: The Latin narrative, "Manes" is said to have come, after his flight from court, from Arabion, a frontier fortress, to Caschar or Carchar, a town said to be in Roman Mesopotamia , in the hope of converting an eminent Christian there, named Marcellus, to whom he had sent a letter beginning: "Manichæus apostle of Jesus Christ, and all the saints and virgins with me, send peace to Marcellus." In his train he brought twenty-two (or twelve) youths and virgins. At
1881-637: The Life of Mani. Mani was born near Seleucia-Ctesiphon , perhaps in the town Mardinu in the Babylonian district of Nahr Kutha; according to other accounts in the town Abrumya. Mani's father Pātik (Middle Persian Pattūg ; Koinē Greek : Παττικιος , Arabic : Futtuq ), a native of Ecbatana (now Hamadan , Iran), was a member of the Jewish Christian sect of the Elcesaites . His mother
1938-511: The Ming Cult. Before her death, Miejue devises a vicious scheme for Zhou Zhiruo to seize the Dragon-Slaying Saber and Heaven-Reliant Sword by exploiting Zhang Wuji's love for her apprentice. Zhou Zhiruo secretly carries out this plan and attempts to push the blame to Zhao Min. Later, she turns vicious after Zhang Wuji publicly embarrasses her by abandoning her for Zhao Min just as she and Zhang Wuji are about to be married. Zhao Min
1995-513: The Yuan government. Zhang Wuji eventually passes the leadership of the Ming Cult to Yang Xiao and retires from the jianghu . Zhu Yuanzhang , a minor leader in the cult, betrays his fellows and unites all rebel factions in China under his control. He ultimately topples the Yuan dynasty, defeats his rivals such as Chen Youliang , and establishes the Ming dynasty . The cult is headed by its leader, called
2052-463: The account in Fihrist by Ibn al-Nadim , purportedly by al-Biruni , or were anti-Manichaean polemics, such as the 4th-century Acta Archelai . Among these medieval accounts, Ibn al-Nadim's account of Mani's life and teachings is generally speaking the most reliable and exhaustive. Notably, the (in other accounts prominent) image of the "Third Ambassador" is only represented through a brief mention of
2109-415: The body. The Heavenly Eagle Cult ( 天鷹教 ; 天鹰教 ; Tiān Yīng Jiào ) was founded by one of the Ming Cult's Guardian Kings, "White Brows Eagle King" Yin Tianzheng. Yin left the Ming Cult in anger during its internal conflict and established his own school. The Heavenly Eagle Cult does not follow the Ming Cult's original practices and customs but its members are still morally disciplined. The Heavenly Eagle Cult
2166-444: The cult. He earns the respect of the cult's members and becomes its leader after mastering the skill " Heaven and Earth Great Shift ". He reforms the cult and helps to mend its relations with other schools. Throughout his adventures, Zhang Wuji gets romantically involved with four maidens: Yin Li (Zhu'er), Xiaozhao, Zhou Zhiruo and Zhao Min . Yin Li turns out to be Zhang Wuji's maternal cousin. Even though at that time cousin marriage
2223-469: The disputation he taught concerning the sphere, the two luminaries, the transmigration of souls, and the war of the Principia against God, that "Corbicius" or Corbicus, about the age of sixty, translated the books of Terebinthus. He made three chief disciples, Thomas, Addas, and Hermas, of whom he sent the first to Egypt, and the second to Scythia, keeping the third with him. The two former returned when he
2280-489: The doctrines of Buddas Terebinthus as his own. The king of Persia, hearing that he worked miracles, sent for him to heal his sick son, and on the child's dying put Manes in prison. Thence he escaped, flying into Mesopotamia, but was traced, captured, and flayed alive by the Persian king's orders, the skin being then stuffed with chaff and hung up before the gate of the city. According to Jerome , Archelaus wrote his account of his disputation with "Manichæus" in Syriac, whence it
2337-498: The end of the novel, Zhang Wuji saves Xie Xun, who has been captured, and exposes the truth behind the causes of the conflicts between the Ming Cult and the "orthodox" schools. He becomes a key figure in leading the wulin and rebel forces to overthrow the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty , but decides to retire from the wulin after mistakenly believing that the Ming Cult's members are plotting to betray him. He decides that Zhao Min
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2394-444: The final judgment at the conclusion of history. While his religion was not strictly a movement of Christian Gnosticism in the earlier mode, Mani did declare himself to be an "apostle of Jesus Christ", and extant Manichaean poetry frequently extols Jesus and his mother, Mary , with the highest reverence. Manichaean tradition also claims that Mani was the reincarnation of different religious figures including Jesus, Zoroaster , and
2451-464: The forbidden area of the Ming Cult's headquarters at Bright Peak in the Kunlun Mountains , where the general altar of the Ming Cult in China is located. The "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" originated from the Ming Cult of Persia, and is the most powerful skill in the Western Regions . It is a martial art handed down from generation to generation in the Ming Cult and only the leader of the cult
2508-409: The most powerful in martial arts of all the cult's members in Persia. The "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" ( 乾坤大挪移 ; qián kūn dà nuó yí ; 'Universal Grand Shift') also translated into English as "Universal Grand Shift", is one of the Ming Cult's most powerful skills. It is also the signature skill of Zhang Wuji , the protagonist of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber . Zhang Wuji learns it in
2565-561: The name bašīr , "messenger of good news", and the topos of "Mani the Painter" (which in other Islamic accounts almost completely replaces that of "the founder of a religion") is completely absent. This work and other evidence discovered in the 20th century establishes Mani as a historical individual. For an updated critique of the standard account and a radically alternative proposal see Iain Gardner's The Founder of Manichaeism: Rethinking
2622-578: The object of uplifting transformation (Greek, Coptic Mannichaios, Latin Mannichaeus, i.e., Mannam fundens "pouring out Manna"). Alternatively, due to Mani's possible origins in an Elchasai community, "Mani" could be a Hypocorism of the Hebrew name Menahem ("the consoler" or "comforter"). In 1969 in Upper Egypt a Greek parchment codex dating to c. AD 400 was discovered. It
2679-534: The request of Marcellus, he debated on religion with bishop Archelaus, by whom he was vanquished, whereupon he set out to return to Persia. On his way he proposed to debate with a priest at the town of Diodorides. But Archelaus came to take the priest's place, and again defeated him, whereupon, fearing to be given up to the Persians by the Christians, he returned to Arabion. At this stage Archelaus introduces in
2736-407: The return of his soul to the realm of light. Mani's followers depicted Mani's death as a crucifixion in a conscious analogy to the crucifixion of Jesus ; al-Biruni says that Bahram ordered the execution of Mani. There is a story which claims that he was flayed, and his corpse suspended over the main gate of the great city of Gundeshapur; however, there is no historical basis for this account. It
2793-489: The term mânâ rabba , which means "Enlightened Lord/King". Ancient Greek interpretations were skeuos ( σκεῦος , vessel, instrument ) and homilia ( ὁμιλία , intercourse, company, communion, instruction) . The same slightly contemptuous "a certain" (Manes quidam) also appears in Hegemonius' Acta Archelai (4th century), however, Hegemonius contributes a detailed description of Mani's looks. Mani’s names became
2850-697: The time part of the Parthian Empire . Seven of his major works were written in Syriac , and the eighth, dedicated to the Sasanian emperor Shapur I , was written in Middle Persian . He died shortly after being imprisoned by Bahram I in Gundeshapur . The exact meaning of the name remains unsolved. It may have derived from Babylonian-Aramaic Mânâ [luminescence]. Mandaeans used
2907-459: The time. Although he chooses Zhao Min in the end, his love life is in a mess as he is very indecisive on which of the four maidens he truly loves. He may be a formidable martial artist just like Guo Jing and Yang Guo, but he is not suited to lead a martial arts school. On a personal level, he is sincere and self-sacrificing towards his followers, but he lacks the ambition and decisiveness that would enable him to remain in power. In fact, he only becomes
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#17327811547382964-420: Was a docetic Christ . It is believed that his Christian roots might have been influenced by Marcion and Bardaisan . At ages 12 and 24 Mani had visionary experiences of a "heavenly twin" of his ( syzygos ), calling him to leave his father's sect and preach the true message of Jesus in a new gospel. It is said that his appearance was a mixture of Iranian and Mesopotamian features. On the one hand he looked like
3021-463: Was born on a reclusive volcanic island, where he spent his childhood with only his parents and his godfather, Xie Xun. When he was about ten years old, his parents brought him back to China and they soon found themselves the target of several martial artists trying to force them to reveal the whereabouts of Xie Xun, who possesses the highly coveted Dragon-Slaying Saber. His parents refused to betray Xie Xun and took their own lives. The orphaned Zhang Wuji
3078-444: Was in prison, and that he sent them to procure for him the books of the Christians, which he then studied. According to the Latin narrative, finally, Manes on his return to Arabion was seized and taken to the Persian king, by whose orders he was flayed, his body being left to the birds, and his skin, filled with air, hung at the city gate. Mani is described as a painter who set up a sectarian movement in opposition to Zoroastrianism. He
3135-525: Was of Parthian descent (from "the Armenian Arsacid family of Kamsarakan " ); her name is reported variously, among others Maryam . Mani was raised in a heterodox environment in Babylon. The Elcesaite community was ostensibly Jewish Christian, though with some Gnostic features due to their Ebionite heritage, such as the belief in recurring incarnations of heavenly apostles, one of whom
3192-427: Was persecuted by Shapur I and fled to Central Asia , where he made disciples and embellished with paintings a Tchighil (or picturarum domus Chinensis ) and another temple called Ghalbita . Provisioning in advance a cave which had a spring, he told his disciples he was going to heaven, and would not return for a year, after which time they were to seek him in the cave in question. They then came back there after
3249-600: Was translated into Greek. The Greek is lost, and the work, apart from extracts, subsists only in a Latin translation from the Greek, of doubtful age and fidelity, probably made after the 5th century. By Photius it is stated that Heraclean, bishop of Chalcedon , in his book against the Manichæans, said the Disputation of Archelaus was written by one Hegemonius, an author not otherwise traceable, and of unknown date. In
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