Suanni is originally an alias for lion. Legend has it that the dragon is one of the nine sons, ranked fifth, and is a ferocious beast. It is shaped like a lion and likes to smoke and sit easily. The Lord Buddha saw that it was patient, so he put it under his crotch and used it as a mount. Therefore, the image usually appears on the incense burner, followed by swallowing smoke and blowing out mist. Lions, an animal that dares to eat even tigers and leopards and has a majestic appearance, were introduced to China along with Buddhism. Since the Buddha Sakyamuni has the metaphor of "the fearless lion", people naturally arrange him as a Buddha's seat, or carve it on the incense burner so that he can enjoy the incense.
Related records
Huilin, an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty, said: "Suanni is a lion, and it came out of the Western Regions."
Shangshi Niu of the Tang Dynasty wrote in "Lion Ode" :
The vast wilderness of poverty and sweat is the southern axis of Kunlun.
The ferocious energy of Shuo Jinggang gave birth to the beast clan of spirit beasts.
Volume 2 of Lu Rong's "Miscellaneous Notes on Shuyuan": "The golden yak looks like a lion and is good at fire and smoke, so it stands on the cover of the incense burner." Mrs. Huarui's "Gong Ci": "The number of months on the terrace at night On the first floor, golden smoke surrounds the goblet. "The goblet is at the highest corner of the hall."
"The Biography of Emperor Mu": "Suan Ni wild horses can travel five hundred miles." "Note": "Su Ni, the master's son, also eats tigers and leopards.
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Several versions of the nine sons of dragons
One theory: prisoner ox | 睚禦 | mocking the wind | Pulao | Suan Ni | 豑屃 | 狴犴 | negative 屃 | Chi Kiss
Others: Chi | Chi Kiss | Pulao | Pixiu