The people of ancient China believed that their word for "rabbit" harmonized with their word for "spit." (Both words are pronounced "tu.") They supposed that all rabbits were female in gender, that there were no males. It was said that rabbits would gaze at the moon and become pregnant by the spittle which subsequently collected in their mouths. The birthrate of rabbits could therefore be predicted according to the relative brightness or darkness of the moon.

In addition to the moon-gazing theory, there is another story which says that all animals which chew their food and have nine bodily cavities carry their young before birth (as opposed to hatching their young from eggs). Here again the rabbit is an exception. In this version there are rabbits of both sexes, but each possesses only eight bodily cavities, so that the female becomes pregnant by merely licking the hair of the male.

In ancient times it was forbidden for pregnant women to eat rabbit meat, for fear that they would give birth to a "harelipped" child, develop hemorrhoids and frequently vomit; whereas men who made a habit of the practice would suffer restricted circulation, tremendous loss in virility and even impotency.

In Chinese thought, the rabbit is most often associated with the moon. "Chang-O Ascends to the Moon" is the most familiar story among Chinese folklore of this type. After taking the potion of longevity which her husband Hou-yi had obtained from the Grand Old Lady of the West, she flew off to the moon; there she kept company with the immortal rabbit-god of medicine. Now where did this rabbit spirit come from?

If we consult the Han Dynasty stone engravings of the Grand Old Lady of the West, we see that she is flanked on either side by a rabbit in the process of grinding medicine. Just like the rabbit spirit of the moon, we often find them in a kneeling pose with a handful of supernatural fungus grasped in their paws. It appears as though the rabbit-gods accompanying the Grand Old Lady of the West followed Chang-O right on up to the moon!

As we turn our gaze upward at night and notice the shadows on the full moon, we can't help but feel that they look incredibly like a rabbit. From this we may well know why Chinese are fond of calling the moon by various fanciful names such as "rabbit silhouette," "rabbit shadow," and "rabbit form." Along these same lines veins we have "the golden horse of the sun," so that "the rising of the rabbit and descent of the horse" has come to mean the passing of day into night.

Perhaps we can say that this medicine-grinding rabbit spirit of the moon is simply the result of a little imagination added to Chinese impressions of the shadows on the moon.

There is also recorded in the Buddhist scriptures the following story:

In the wilds of the forest there were a fox, a rabbit, and a monkey, all living happily together. In order to test them, a god changed himself into an old man and went to the three beasts, saying "Your lives all seem to be quite peaceful and calm, is there nothing that you fear?"

The three responded in unison, saying, "The grass and the trees are plentiful here; each one of us three different animals finds it quite comfortable and the days pass in peace and happiness.'

The old man then replied, "I have heard tell of your deep friendship, and I have come a long way to find you; now I am hungry, have you any food to offer me?"

The beasts answered saying, "If you will wait here for just a short time, we will go to search out something and bring it back for you!"

So they all went off in different directions in search of food to eat. The fox went along the river's edge and returned carrying a fresh carp in its mouth; the monkey went into the trees and returned with a rare fruit; but the rabbit only went skipping and hopping here and there, returning empty-handed.

To this the old man said, "I see that you are not so harmonious after all. The monkey and the fox are of one heart, honest and sincere; but you, rabbit, you have failed to keep your promise."

When the rabbit heard this he turned to his two friends and said, "Go and gather some wood, and then I shall be able to distinguish myself!"

So the fox and the monkey ran off again, gathering up dry grasses and pieces of wood, and when they returned they built a blazing fire.

The rabbit now spoke, saying "Old sir, I am not a capable animal, and it is difficult for me to fulfill your request, but I will humbly offer this body for you to feed upon." And having thus spoken, he leaped into the flames.

Hereupon the old man changed back into his original divine form, and putting out the fire, removed the bones of the rabbit from the ashes. He said, "The love and mercy of this rabbit have moved me deeply. In order to preserve his excellent example, I shall bury him in the moon. There his story will be forever retained, and the generations of the future will all know the greatness of this merciful Bodhisattva."

So this is the origin of the rabbit in the moon! And to think he was a predecessor of the Buddha himself!

A variation on this same theme has it that the god actually managed to save the rabbit from the fire and, praising his admirable conduct, took him up to live forever after on the moon. The rabbit's front feet had, however, been severely burned in the fire, this being the reason for rabbits of later generations having such long legs behind and such short ones in front.

Besides this special relationship between the rabbit and the moon that existed in the minds of the ancient Chinese, it was also looked upon as an omen of good fortune and a symbol of longevity. As we enter this new year we can all have confidence in our prospects for a good harvest, peace, and ease, knowing that we have such a kind and merciful leader to guide us along the way.