fakir

A Muslim who has taken a vow of poverty. In Muslim countries usually a hermit who does penance, lives from alms and chastises himself. The term is however often wrongly used for yogis who perform supernatural acts.

fang kong qian (方孔钱)

Chinese. 'Square hole coin'. Name for ancient Chinese coins with a round shape and a square hole in the middle. They are cast rather than stamped and made from copper, brass or iron. The shape is symbolic with the round outside representing Heaven and the square hole in the center representing Earth or the country China, referring to guo (国), the Chinese character for 'country', that equally is surrounded by a square. Different kinds of this type of coin were used in China between the 2nd Century BC and 20th Century AD. The hole enables the coins to be strung together to create a higher value and for easy transportation. This practice continues still today with yasui qian, worn for protection against sickness and death.

Fan Li (范蠡)

Name for the Chinese god of business who is also a civilian Chinese wealth god. Legend has it that he was an important figure in the Spring and Autumn Period (ca. 770 BC to 403 BC), a distinguished politician, strategist and a money-making businessman who was also very gifted and wise. He was honored as an excellent minister for governing the country and for helping King Goujian put together and train an army. He accumulated great wealth of which he distributed much to the people and thus became a Cai Shen.

feng (蜂)

Chinese for 'wasp' or 'bee'. It has the same sound and tone as the word feng (丰) which means 'abundant' or 'plentiful', but is written with a different character. Hence wasps and bees are regarded a symbol for abundance.

fenghuang (凤凰)

Chinese name for a kind of a mythical bird similar to a phoenix. Fenghuang is actually a compound word, comparable to kilen. The prefix feng refers to a male species whereas the suffix huang refers to the female. Both have become blurred into a single entity with no distinction of gender, having both male and female connotations. It is a composition of many birds and is often portrayed with the head of a golden pheasant, a short hooked beak like that of a parrot, the body of a mandarin duck, the legs of a crane bird, the tail of a peacock and the wings of a swallow. Fenghuang is considered an Immortal Bird and a representation of high merit and grace. It also symbolizes the union of yin and yang. In Thailand it is compared to the hongse.

feng shui (风水)

Chinese. 'Wind and water'. Natural elements of wind and water used in a geomantic system which determines the orientation of dwellings, cities, and graves in order to harmonize correctly with nature. A dousing rod and astrological compass (luopan) are used for this purpose which is also practiced in contemporary oriental architecture.

fen tao (分桃)

Chinese. 'To divide a peach'. The term originates from the story of Mizi Xia, the boyfriend of the ruler of Wei, who one day, when strolling in a peach orchard gave half of a sweet peach to his lover to enjoy. Besides this the peach is the symbol of immortality and eternal live. In Pinyin fēn táo. It is nowadays the vernacular expression for 'gay' or 'homosexual'. Other related expressions include long yang, nan feng, duan xiu and nan se.

ficus religiosa

Latin. Scientific name for the 'tree of knowledge', also known as a bodhi tree due to the narrative of Siddhartha Gautama who sat beneath a ficus religiosa in Bodh Gaya, to meditate until he gained Enlightenment or bodhiyan, and thus became the Buddha. The leaves of the ficus religiosa resemble the shape of a lotus, a metaphor for Enlightenment and thus a clear reference. After the original tree was cut in 600 AD, cuttings were replanted wherever Theravada Buddhism was introduced and practiced. In literature often confused with the banyan tree, the tree to which the Buddha moved to stay, seven days after he had gained Enlightenment.

First Buddha

The supreme primordial Buddha in the Vajrayana sect of Mahayana Budhhism, who created himself from the original void. In true essence this Buddha is abstract, illusionary and inconceivable, and can therefore not be represented in art, unless in his revealed and more earthly forms such as Vajradhara and Vajrasattva, as found in Khmer art, and the various bodhisatvas. Vairochana is considered the Javan Adi-Buddha. Usually depicted in royal attire or in hermaphrodite unity with a consort, a principle in Vajrayana Buddhism known as yabyum. Also Adi-Buddha.

First Noble Truth

See Four Noble Truths.

foo (福)

Chinese. 'Blessing', 'good luck' and 'happiness', especially with regards to material benefits. Foo is one of the most popular Chinese characters and is used in Chinese New Year or Trut Jihn. It regularly appears as an imprint or as an inscription on Chinese temples and in art, or as a jewel. It is also often posted upside-down on the front door of a house or an apartment. The upside-down foo means good luck already came, since the character for 'upside-down' in Chinese sounds the same as the Chinese character for 'came'. Foo is also one of the Three Star Gods, Hok Lok Siw or Fu Lu Shou, and is often worshipped as an informal Chinese wealth god. The word fu also has a sound loan word meaning 'bat', the mouse-like nocturnal flying mammal. Therefore also the bat has become a symbol for good luck and often appears in Chinese iconography as well as in Chinese art. Also transcribed fu and in Cantonese pronounced fuk. The Chinese name of the coastal province of Fujian (福建) in eastern China begins with the character fu (foo) and translates as 'Establishing Good Luck' or 'Founding Happiness'.

Four Encounters

The four sights encountered by prince Siddhartha which made him renounce his royal life and become an ascetic. In Theravada Buddhism these are an old man, a sick man, a dead body and a mendicant ascetic who went around begging without any form of attachment or hate, and with inner peace. Attracted by the qualities of this monk and the condition of the three others Siddhartha eventually exchanges his princely life for a religious one.

Four Noble Truths

The fundamentals of Buddhism as taught by the Buddha. The first noble truth is the recognition that suffering exists; secondly, that suffering is caused by the craving for and clinging to that which is pleasant; thirdly, that after discovering the origin of suffering one can put an end to it; and fourthly, that this can be done by following the Eightfold Path.

fowl bone prognostication

Ritual in which the outcome of certain events are interpreted by reading the bones of a fowl. It is usually practiced by a shaman and the fowl used may be a chicken, hen, cock or even a small chick, depending on the occasion or function. In Thailand it is still common practice with most of the northern hill tribes. Prior to the prognostication the shaman will conduct an invocation. He holds the fowl with his left hand and his right hand holds the neck facing eastwards while reciting his oaths. After the incantation he kills the fowl, takes out the thighbones and pricks them with tiny pointed bamboo sticks. The right thighbone is extracted first and then the left one. They are then place next to each other and pricked with the bamboo sticks which position in relation to each other can than be read. Fowl bone prognostication is practiced since ancient times for settling discords, for guidance about certain major works, for hunting, in family affairs and for religious functions. A single bone can retain as many as seven sticks and the interpretation is rather complex. There are a total of 42 symbols that can branch off into various interpretations and a versed shaman has as much as 170 interpretations. According to Kayan lore the art of fowl bone prognostication started when an old man who wished to pass his legacy to his three sons earmarked a golden scroll for his firstborn, a silver scroll for the second son and a scroll of parchment for the youngest son. Since the oldest son lived far away and didn't come to collect his scroll as he was unaware of it, the youngest son took it over to him on his hill farm. On arrival he tried to explain about the scrolls but his brother was too busy to take heed and told him to wait. The youngest son grew bored of waiting and decided to keep the golden scroll for himself. He left the parchment scroll on a tree stump and returned home. After work the oldest son went looking for the scroll but couldn't find it and so asked his dog. It said it had eaten it and already dropped it as excrement. The man asked where it had dropped it and the dog said that a fowl had already eaten it. The man went to the fowl and asked the fowl where the excrement of the dog was. The fowl said it had been assimilated and it was now in its body, pointing with its wing tips to its thighbones. At the last resort the man had to read the bones of the fowl that had eaten the dung of the dog, interpreting the holes in them as if he was reading the script of the scroll.

fu (福)

See foo.

fu (蝠)

Chinese 'bat'. Since the word fú means both 'bat' (the mouse-like nocturnal flying mammal) and 'good luck', the bat has become a symbol for good luck and therefore often appears in Chinese iconography, as well as on furniture and in Chinese art. See also foo.

Fu Lu Shou (福禄寿)

Chinese names for Hok Lok Siw.