On the Role of Religion in Tang Tales: An Introduction to Zhang Du’s Xuanshi zhi 宣室志 Fletcher Coleman B.A., Swarthmore College, 2009 A thesis submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the M.A. degree of the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, Chinese, 2013 This thesis entitled: On the Role of Religion in Tang Tales: An Introduction to Zhang Du’s Xuanshi zhi 宣室志 written by Fletcher John Coleman has been approved for the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations Professor Paul Kroll Professor Antje Richter Date: April 25, 2013 The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. Coleman, Fletcher John (M.A., Chinese, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations) On the Role of Religion in Tang Tales: An Introduction to Zhang Du’s Xuanshi zhi 宣室志 Thesis directed by Professor Paul W. Kroll Abstract Despite containing some of the most fascinating tales within the anomaly account genre, scholarship on the Xuanshi zhi remains very limited. Attributed to the Tang dynasty official Zhang Du, the work has survived in several editions for a total of 205 stories that address a wide variety of issues. However, only a handful of the longest and most influential tales have been subjected to critical examination and virtually no studies of the entire collection exist. The goal of this thesis is to address the background and textual transmission of the work while also analyzing the major theme of religion within the collection. I provide extensive background information on the collection and author, include an index and classification system, and translate and analyze 63 religious tales. Given the limited extant scholarship, it is my goal to provide an overall characterization of the work based on its background and themes. iii Acknowledgements Although I recognize that this is but a Master’s thesis, it serves as the culminating project for the past three years I have spent at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I came into this program unsure of myself and my abilities, questioning whether or not I would be able to continue on in the field of Chinese studies. While it is my nature to remain doubtful of myself, I am indebted to the faculty of the ALC department at the University of Colorado for the kindness and patience they have shown in helping me to greatly develop my skills during my time here. They have kindled an interest in materials I never even knew to exist prior to my arrival in the department and taught me numerous invaluable lessons about what it means to be a scholar and colleague in academia. Professors Paul Kroll and Antje Richter bear special mention with regard to the project at hand. It was in Professor Richter’s course on medieval anomaly accounts that I first encountered the material I have dealt with in this thesis. She continued to nurture my interest in the subject through a guided reading course and has always made herself available to answer my many questions. I am likewise indebted to Professor Kroll for his enthusiastic willingness to undertake this thesis with me. I could not have completed this project without his steadfast encouragement and insight on all aspects of Tang dynasty literature and history. Thanks are due also to Professor Matthias Richter for agreeing to serve on my committee. His comments have always helped broaden my views of the materials we have examined together. Although the aims of this thesis are humble in nature, if it does nothing more than show some marginal return on the time that these individuals have invested in me, I will look back and consider it a personal success. The only parts of this project for which I wish to take full credit are the errors that surely remain. iv Table of Contents I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 II. Family History ................................................................................................................................ 5 III. Textual Transmission ................................................................................................................... 10 IV. Thematic Breakdown .................................................................................................................. 10 V. Notes on Translation .................................................................................................................... 17 VI. Buddhist Tales ............................................................................................................................ 20 VII. Daoist Tales ............................................................................................................................... 93 VIII. Role of Religion: Problematizing Tales .................................................................................... 133 IX. Concluding Thoughts ................................................................................................................. 152 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 159 v List of Tables Table One: List of Commonly Used Citation Abbreviations ................................................................. 1 Table Two: Taiping guangji Indexing System ................................................................................... 15 Table Three: Index of Religious Tales .............................................................................................. 19 Table Four: Occurrences of Buddhist Themes .................................................................................. 21 Table Five: Occurrences of Daoist Themes ....................................................................................... 94 vi Table One: List of Commonly Used Citation Abbreviations Abbreviation Title XSZ Xuanshi zhi 宣室志 ZHSJ Zhonghua shuju 中華書局 BH Bai Hai 稗海 BBCS Baibu congshu 百部叢書 CSJC Congshu jicheng 叢書集成 TPGJ Taiping guangji 太平廣記 JTS Jiu Tang shu 舊唐書 XTS Xin Tang shu 新唐書 QTW Quan Tang wen 全唐文 ZTDZ Zhengtong daozang 正統道藏 I. Introduction Battling factionalism at court and regional threats across the empire, the Tang dynasty faced a period of notable decline over the course of the 9th century. At court, increasing entrenchment of political cliques limited the effectiveness of government officials in the face of the rising power of palace eunuchs. Failed attempts to break apart political parties and quash the influence of eunuchs led to further limitations on the power of the emperor. Struggles at court caused sustained crises over the line of imperial succession as rival factions vied to place their favored son upon the throne. With trouble brewing at court, complications boiled over on the borders of the empire as the Tibetans, Turks, and other groups challenged the authority of the Tang. Despite managing to quell major unrest until the final decades of the 9th century, the power of the Tang court was further weakened by its reliance on a system of regional military governors, who were often as much of a threat to the throne as they were supporters of it. Ultimately the court completely lost control as it faced widespread unrest in the closing decades of the century, inaugurating the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.1 1 For a more in depth description of the Tang dynasty in its waning years, see The Cambridge History of China: Volume 3, Sui and T’ang China, 589-906, Part I, ed. Denis Twitchett and John K. Fairbank (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979), 682-762. 1 Although the power of Tang court waned after the opening decades of the 9th century, population, trade, and cultural growth waxed strong until major natural disasters and rebellions in the latter half of the century crippled the empire. As was the case in the early Tang, major cities throughout the empire were still cosmopolitan confluences of international trade and culture. It is against this contradictory backdrop of court intrigue, military uncertainty, and cultural internationalism that the civil official Zhang Du 張讀 (jinshi 852) lived and wrote. Based on the little surviving evidence concerning Zhang Du’s personal life, it is known that he spent his early years serving in relatively minor regional appointments before rising to positions in the Palace Secretariat and the Ministry of Rites. Zhang Du was also the grandson and great-great grandson of the much more famous officials, Zhang Jian 張薦 (744-804) and Zhang Zhuo 張鷟 (660-740). These two officials served in high positions in earlier Tang courts and were particularly known for their literary accomplishments. Continuing the tradition of his illustrious ancestors, Zhang Du’s most famous achievement remains the compilation of a collection of strange tales known as the Xuanshi zhi 宣室志, which has been classified as part of the zhiguai 志怪 genre. Borrowing a term first coined by Robert Campany, zhiguai are well described in English as “anomaly accounts.” These types of tales often present pseudo-historical renditions of strange and miraculous occurrences, omens, and illnesses that were said to have transpired throughout the empire. They are typically cited as having originated from an oral storytelling tradition that later developed as a mode of writing