Amitabha; General’s Arrow; The Scripture of the Three Officials

These are two hanging amulet coins, forming a series, which are used to drive away bad luck, pray for good luck, forgive sins, and fight against infringements. As we have introduced in the articles on this website, in Chinese culture, characters are considered to have special powers. Hanging amulet coins with characters use characters as symbols to guide the vast beliefs of hundreds of millions of people over five thousand years and gather strength.

This set of coins consists of two pieces. The front of both coins has the words “Amitabha”, and the difference lies in the back.

The back of one coin has the words “The Scripture of the Three Officials”. This is a Taoist scripture, representing the “Three Great Officials of Taoism”, symbolizing culture and protection. The Three Officials are three Taoist officials. The Heavenly Official advocates bestowing happiness, the Earth Official forgives sins, and the Water Official drives away disasters. These three were originally conceptual gods formed based on nature worship in ancient times and had no specific images. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were revered as deities by Zhang Daoling.

The back of the other coin has the words “General’s Arrow”, which is the weapon of military generals and is also one of the “Six Arts of the Gentleman” in Confucianism, symbolizing Confucianism, military force, and attack. In ancient China, generals were required to have basic Confucian knowledge. Confucian scholars were also required to learn six skills: rites, music, archery, horseback riding, calligraphy, and mathematics. Therefore, the bow and arrow are regarded as symbols of powerful killing ability and were later absorbed by Taoism to become a specific form of magic instrument. Here, the General’s Arrow actually represents the combination of magic instruments, skills, and beliefs.

The front of both coins is engraved with Amitabha. Amitabha is the Lord of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, and the belief in him originated from Indian Mahayana Buddhism. It was introduced into China during the Eastern Han Dynasty and later became a school of Chinese Buddhism. Buddhist believers often praise the name of this Buddha, which means following his path of cultivation. Therefore, whether it is the character or the name, it is considered to have the power to purify oneself and gather beliefs.

Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism all attach importance to inner cultivation and self-improvement. This coin is suitable for you to wear with you to gather your own energy, improve yourself, and fight against infringements. The combination of the two coins symbolizes a philosophical speculation in ancient China, the “Integration of the Three Religions”. This also symbolizes the inclusiveness of Chinese culture and enables the maximum utilization of power.