Ming Cult
| Ming Cult | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 明教 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 明教 | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Míng Jiào |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Jyutping | Ming4 Gaau3 |
The Ming Cult is a fictional cult and martial arts sect featured in the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong (Louis Cha), 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 and spread to other parts of the world, including China. The cult is based on Bright Peak in the Kunlun Mountains and has several other bases spread throughout the land. Its most powerful skills are the 'Heaven and Earth Great Shift' (乾坤大挪移) and the 'Martial Arts of the Holy Flame Tablets' (聖火令武功).
In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the Ming Cult is also known as the "Cult of Mani" (摩尼教) to martial artists in the jianghu but its more common name is "Mo Jiao" (魔教), 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 sects in the wulin (martial artists' community). Its founding principles also deviate largely from other sects. While others typically seek to achieve a dominant position in the wulin, 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:
The blazing holy flame burns my withered body. Life 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 in fact a righteous sect and not an evil cult as it is perceived in the wulin. It faces persecution by the government due to slanderous remarks made by its enemies in the imperial court. Apart from that, many martial artists and sects in the wulin who are unaware of the cult's real motives due to its conservative nature often speculate that it is inherently evil and start spreading rumours. The cult's image in society and in the wulin is adversely affected and marred, and it often struggles to survive in the face of powerful rivals who seek to destroy it.
...
Wikipedia