Source: TW
Andronovo-derived technology, ghosts &justice by phantoms in a didactic account of the Zhou age by old chIna philosopher Mozi.
We would posit that the successful overthrow of the Shang by the Zhou was due to late Andronovo military connections.
If an example is to be given that shows a ghost seen by many and heard by many, then the story of Du Bo is one. The King Xuan of Zhou killed his subject Du Bo unjustly. Du Bo said,
“My Lord kills me unjustly. If the dead has no sense, then that is the end. If, however, the dead possesses sense, then within three years I shall let my lord know about it.”
After three years, King Xuan assembled the vassals and hunted at the ranch, with several hundred chariots and thousands of followers that filled the field. At noon, Du Bo appeared on a black chariot drawn by a white horse, dressed in red gown and cap, holding a red bow with red arrow, and chased King Xuan. He shot the king on his chariot, hit his heart and broke his spine. The king fell in the chariot and died prostrated on his armor. At the time, all the people who followed the king saw it, and those at the distance all heard about it, and it was written in the chronicle of Zhou. Thus kings could teach their subjects and fathers could warn their sons, saying:
“Be very cautious and discreet! Whoever kills innocent people will receive inauspicious signs, and the punishment by ghosts and spirits will come as quickly as this!”
Seeing from the saying of this book, who could doubt the existence of ghosts and spirits?
The description of the ghost’s is very curious. One cannot help wondering if it was influenced by the imagery of an I-Ir rudra-class deity.
The Zhou chariot burial Image c.f. quadriga and peculiar trichakra from Andronovan site at Jamani Us Mongolia. [[Image]]
The said event is believed to have happened in the 700-800s of BCE. The chIna-religion can be seen as one of ghosts (gui). They may be associated with the deities Da Siming (the big guy) & Shao Siming (his assistant, who from a H perspective would appear like yama & chitragupta)
The curious tale of a Daoist “recipe master” summoning ghosts to punish an official from the age of the Late Han.
Liu Gen was from the district of Yingchuan, who led a reclusive life in Mount Song. Many interested people from afar would come and learn from him the Dao. The Magistrate Shi Qi regarded him as a charlatan and arrested him. He said to him:
“What kind of magic do you have so that you cheated and misled the people? If you indeed possess supernatural power, you can demonstrate with one example. Otherwise, you will immediately be executed.”
Gen said: “I have no other special talent, but am good at letting people see ghosts.”
Shi Qi said: “Call the ghosts immediately and let me see with my own eyes, then you shall be trusted.”
Therefore Liu Gen looked to his left and howled. After a while, the deceased father and grandfather and a few dozens of close relatives of Shi Qi were all with arms tied in the back and kneeled in front and kowtowed to Gen, saying: “Our son did not behave well, we ought to bear the blame.” Then they looked at Shi Qi and scolded him:
“As a descendant, you not only could not be beneficial to your ancestors, but caused the dead souls to be troubled and humiliated! You should kowtow and apologize for us."
Shi Qi was in great fear and grief, and kowtowed until bleeding, and asked to be punished. Gen was silent and did not answer. Then suddenly he disappeared; no one knows his whereabouts.
Apposite to the above: Whereas various major chIna schools like Mohism, legalism & Confucianism accepted the existence of ghosts in their teachings, & ghost rituals were a part of imperial ceremonies of multiple dynasties,
there were officials & scholars who tried to suppress ghost cults or right works debunking/doubting them.
On these occasions, the chIna-s preserve lore of how ghosts came to punish or correct them. Sometimes ghosts of Confucians come to berate scholars of Daoism for adopting the latter philosophy.
Another chIna tale from the 300s of CE that bears a thematic resemblance to the one opening this thread. However, here the avenging ghost is the father of executed individual who achieves his revenge via the deity of heaven.
In the Jin dynasty, Yu Liang executed Tao Cheng. Later, during the winter festival in the fifth year of the Xiankang period [339], dozens of civil and military officials rose suddenly and bowed toward the stairway. Yu was surprised and asked for the reason. They all replied, “Duke Tao is here." Duke Tao was actually the father of Tao Cheng, the famous general Tao Kan. Yu also arose and welcomed him. Duke Tao was accompanied by two persons who were Yu’s old enemies, and there were dozens of guards holding spears beside him. Tao said to Yu,
“This old servant of yours recommended you to replace myself [in office]. You did not try to repay this favor but on the contrary executed my son. That is why I came to find out what crime Tao Cheng had committed. I have already lodged a complaint with the Emperor [of Heaven].”
Yu was speechless and became sick. He died in the first month of the eighth year.
A variant of this tale preserved by a Daoist teacher says that Yu tried protect himself by performing a rite at a shrine but failed in the requisite vrata. He adds that Yu saw the ghost while in the toilet & died.
A comparable tale of a female ghost is recorded a little over a century later. Here again the unfairly executed female musician applies to the heavenly mandate for killing her executioners in a peculiar fashion.
At the end of the Yuanjia period [424–452], Tao Jizhi was the magistrate of Moling. Once he executed some bandits, but one of them was a musician, rather than a bandit. Tao executed her regardless. When the musician was about to die, she said,
“I am indeed not a bandit, yet I am going to die an unjust death. When I become a ghost, I will certainly make an accusation."
Not long after, Tao dreamt that the musician came to him and said,
“I was killed unjustly, and I have brought my case to the heavenly emperor and received vindication. Therefore I’m coming to get you now."
She thus jumped into Tao’s mouth and fell into his stomach. After a while she came out, and said, “If I just take Tao alone, it will be of little use. I should try to take Wang Danyang as well."
As soon as she finished, she disappeared. Tao died soon afterward, and Wang Danyang died, too.