Staff Legends 105
combat. Here, then, we perceive a connection between the ring staff and the
fighting staff. Slightly altered, the Buddhist symbol is indistinguishable from
the monastic weapon.
The Magic Weapon
The similarity of the ring staff and the fighting staff extends beyond their
shape. Occasionally the two poles have been used for the same purpose. To
this day, Shaolin monks sometimes employ the ring staff in martial demonstra-
tions. Even more intriguing, the Buddhist emblem has been used as a magic
weapon. Beginning in the medieval period, the ring staff figured in ritual war-
fare. In this respect the monastic symbol is not unique. The staff has been ac-
corded magic qualities in numerous cultures, where it has served as a symbol of
religious and political authority. Comparative analysis could therefore shed
light on its Buddhist significance.
The staff has been used as an insignia of office across religious and politi-
cal boundaries. Egyptian priests and Roman augurs wielded it, just as today it
serves as an emblem of Catholic bishops (whose crosier is crook-shaped).^58 In
these clerical instances the staff signifies religious authority, but in a political
context it symbolizes sovereignty. In Western kingship the scepter is borne by
the sovereign in his coronation ceremony, and in ancient Israel it was carried
by the chiefs of the nation’s twelve tribes (for which reason the Hebrew word
ma’teh has two meanings: staff and tribe). Other rulers in the ancient Near East
likewise bore the staff: Hittite, Phoenician, Babylonian, and Assyrian kings
wielded it, as did the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.^59 Precisely because its purport
has not been limited to a given cultural context, it is tempting to interpret the
staff psychoanalytically as a phallic symbol.
In the ancient Near East, the king’s staff was believed to have been be-
stowed upon him by a god, who thereby imparted to him some of his divine
strength. Traces of this Mesopotamian and Egyptian belief are visible in the
Hebrew bible, where Moses’ staff is alluded to twice as “God’s staff.” Because
of its divine provenance, the prophet’s emblem is endowed with supernatu-
ral powers. Moses relies on it to bring the plagues upon the Egyptians and to
transform the sea into dry land, releasing his people from Egypt.^60
If God bestowed his staff on his chosen prophet, the Buddha equipped his
favorite disciple with his. According to a legend that enjoyed tremendous pop-
ularity in China, he lent his emblem to monk Mulian (Sanskrit: Maudgalyâ-
yana), who employed it to break through the infernal regions. Combining the
virtues of filial piety and Buddhist celibacy, the legend has its monkish protag-
onist descend to the netherworld to rescue his mother, who is being punished
there for her sinful life. Armed with the Buddha’s magic weapon, the monk de-
feats the demonic wardens of the underworld, smashing open the gates of the