DOCSLIB.ORG

Eating Your Way to Immortality

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Eating Your Way to Immortality Eating Your Way to Immortality Early Daoist Self-Cultivation Diets SHAWN ARTHUR Abstract This paper examines health‑ and body‑related claims made in the Lingbao Wufuxu (The Preface to the Five Lingbao Talismans of Numinous Treasure), an early medieval Daoist text that contains seventy recipes for attaining health, lon‑ gevity, and spiritual benefit. Synthesizing the text’s myriad claims and analyzing their implicit assumptions, I work to develop an integrated picture of what was considered crucial for a healthy body, what techniques were used to attain this ideal, and what goals were sought using these practices. I examine the text’s claims about becoming physically and spiritually healthy, its proposed stages of purification and refinement, and the range of indicators by which adherents can measure progress toward their ideal state. Not only does this study provide a new interpretation of the Wufuxu’s dietary regimens, it also illustrates how Chi‑ nese medical theories influenced the text’s authors to present immortality as a logical evolution of health‑perfecting practices. This analysis leads to questions of how the idea of perfecting one’s health functions within the worldview and ritual practices of early Daoists. Daoists are well known for their emphasis on self‑cultivation practices aimed to attune them to the Dao and to achieve longevity. One signifi‑ cant practice which has received relatively little attention is religious die‑ tary asceticism. As with other Daoist practices, dietary regimes integrate a wide range of ideas – such as cosmological correlation, medical theo‑ ries, and religious symbolism – to develop a beneficial and comprehen‑ sive exercise that is expected to compliment other self‑cultivation and religious ritual practices. 32 Arthur, “Eating Your Way to Immortality” / 33 This project focuses on the Taishang lingbao wufuxu 太上靈寶五符序 (Preface to the Five Most High Numinous Treasure Talismans),1 which was written and edited from the second to the fifth centuries CE in the Jiangnan 江南 region in southeastern China. The Wufuxu’s first juan 卷 (scroll/chapter) includes instructions for specialized breathing practices as well as a description of the idealized lineage associated with the text and its talismans from its emergence during the generation of the cosmos through its various attributed owners – including ancient mythological figures, Masters of Esoterica (fangshi 方師), and famous immortals. The text’s third juan includes a detailed transmission ritual for the five Ling‑ bao talismans, which are presented (3.9b1‑11b) and which are well‑ known for their claimed ability to protect their wearer from harm when exploring wilderness areas in search of immortality elixir ingredients.2 The formal transmission ritual, first presented in this juan (3.3a‑7b3), be‑ came the ritual model adopted by Daoists from the fifth century forward (Raz 2004, 8, 15, 363‑81). 3 Situated between these sections, the middle juan of this text pro‑ vides an extensive and detailed example of Daoist dietary practices – many of which are attributed to the figures discussed in earlier parts of the text. This section, whose contents is the subject of this essay, is a technical manual of seventy recipes (listed in the appendix) that focuses on the attainment of perfected health and physical immortality through the ingestion of herbal‑ and vegetal‑based prescriptions.4 1 DZ 388; hereafter cited as Wufuxu. The numbering system in this work is based on that found in Komjathy’s Title Index to the Daoist Canon (2002). For a detailed discussion of the history of the various editions of this text and its close relation to other early manuscripts such as the Lingbao jing 靈寶經 and Lingbao wufu 靈寶五符, see Raz (2004, 9‑12, 142‑150). 2 For example, see Wufuxu 3.8b7‑9a10; Ge Hong’s Baopuzi 抱朴子 (Book of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity, DZ1185) 11.3a1‑8a2; trl. Ware 1966, p.179‑6. 3 For a complete list of the contents of the text’s first and third scrolls, see Raz (2004, 31‑37). 4 Although lacking an explicit explanatory statement, the context and placement of these recipes also seem to indicate that they function as preparatory practices for participation in the later formal ritual – which relies on the adept having attained many of the goals presented in the recipes, such as having one’s energy purified and strengthened, having the ability to fast, being in communica‑ tion with the gods, and having the protection of the Jade Maidens. 34 / Journal of Daoist Studies 2 (2009) Techniques To introduce Daoist diets, it must be recognized that all of the Wufuxu’s dietary practices and their expected benefits are predicated on early Chi‑ nese medical understandings of the physical body and the food it con‑ sumes in energetic terms. Qi 氣 (organic, material essential energy) is the fundamental energy that is found in everything throughout the cosmos, including the human body, which requires qi to maintain health and life. This idea is reflected throughout the Wufuxu, especially in its many recipes that present “benefiting and increasing 益長“ qi as a basic self‑ cultivation achievement.5 For example, properly ingesting a compound of China Root fungus (fuling 茯苓; Poria cocos), Rehmannia (dihuang 地黃; Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch), sesame seed (huma 胡麻; Sesamum indicum), and asparagus root (tianmendong 天門冬; Asparagus cochinensis) powders is thought to strengthen one’s qi in just thirty days and to double it within one hundred days – necessary attainments before further refine‑ ment can take place (2.15a3‑8; recipe 20). One result of this worldview is an attempt to ingest the most effica‑ cious forms of qi in order to have the best starting place for proficiently refining and transforming one’s body to its ultimate potential. For exam‑ ple, the text states: “Eating that which is clean and pure brings long life, and eating that which is unclean and corrupt causes one’s life (ming 命) to be interrupted” (2.23b2; recipe 28). Therefore, proper selection and preparation of foods is crucial to Daoist self‑cultivation. In fact, the Wufuxu is filled with admonitions to ingest only ingredients that are har‑ vested and prepared on particular days associated with optimal qi condi‑ tions and correspondences. The Wufuxu contains seventy‑three different ingredients, the most popular of which are Sesame seeds, Asparagus root, Rehmannia, China root fungus, Pine tree sap (songzhi 松脂; Pinus), Poke root (shanglu 商陸; Phytolacca acinosa), Locust tree seeds (huaizi 槐子; Sophora japonica), Wolf‑ berries (Gouqi 枸杞; Lycium chinense), and Ginger (jiang 薑; Zingiber offici‑ nale). 6 Each ingredient has its own medicinal properties, many of which 5 See recipes 1, 2, 7, 12, 14, 20, 25, 27a, 28, 36, 43, 44, 46. 6 The text contains forty‑one plant‑based active ingredients, as well as twelve varieties of rice (mi 米), wheat (mai 麥), and millet (chishumi 赤黍米, shu‑ Arthur, “Eating Your Way to Immortality” / 35 are stated explicitly in the text and which correspond to other early ma‑ teria medica information (see Arthur 2006a, 190‑213). In addition to the ingredient’s innate qualities, the text stipulates that adepts must take into consideration various important cosmological correlations – especially dates, seasons, yin‑yang states, and Five Phases energies when collecting, preparing, and ingesting the various ingredi‑ ents. For example, “A Recipe for Lengthening Years and Improving Life Expectancy 延年益壽方“ discusses harvesting the chrysanthemum plant (ju 菊; Chrysanthemum morifolium), each part of which has a special name indicating its key property, and says: During the course of the three spring months, on the jiayin 甲 寅 day in the middle of the day, gather ‘transform life’ 更生 leaves. During the course of the three summer months, on the bingyin 丙寅 day… in the middle of the day, gather the ‘replen‑ ish and refill’ 周盈 stalk… During the three autumn months on the yuyi 庾寅 day in the afternoon, gather the ‘sun’s essence’ 日 精. ‘Sun’s Essence’ is the chrysanthemum’s flower. Always in the winter in the tenth month on the wuyin 戊寅 day at dawn, gather the ‘spirit essence’ 神精… These are the chrysanthe‑ mum’s seeds… In winter in the eleventh or twelfth month on the renyin 壬寅 day at sunset, gather ‘longevity’ 長生. ‘Longev‑ ity’ is the chrysanthemum’s roots. (2.7a9‑9a1; recipe 12)7 In other words, to maximize efficiency in attaining their goals, ad‑ epts must remain aware of the medicinal and qi‑based properties of the ingredients they are ingesting. This is done in part because these charac‑ teristics can change depending upon the times the plants are harvested, prepared, and ingested, but also because this requires adepts to be cog‑ nizant of their own energetic needs when choosing an appropriate diet. daomi 秫稻米) that are fermented to produce alcohols with the addition of vegetal active ingredients. Additionally, there are a few non‑vegetal active ingredients [mica (yunmu 雲母), deer antler (mijiao 麋角), mercury (shuiyin 水銀), and tin (xi 錫)], and many non‑vegetal, non‑active ingredients such as water, honey, and the animal fats used for frying in some recipes. 7 See Arthur 2006, 60‑5 and Raz 2004, 361‑2 for discussion of the Chinese calendrical system and its usage in the Wufuxu. 36 / Journal of Daoist Studies 2 (2009) Ideally, normal eating habits also should be abandoned in favor of ingesting special elixir‑like compounds and cosmic qi, since these contain more specialized and rarified qi than normal foods. Accordingly, the Wufuxu contains three basic types of self‑cultivation dietary regimen, each requiring a different level of commitment. The first of these I label ‘mildly ascetic’ because it involves eating special vegetal and herbal formulas as supplements to normal meals or slightly reduced food intake.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Daoism Quiz: Questions and Answers
    kupidonia.com Daoism Quiz: questions and answers Daoism Quiz: questions and answers - 1 / 4 kupidonia.com 1. Where is Taoism native to? Korea China Japan 2. The roots of Taoism go back at least to the: 4th century BC 5th century BC 3th century BC 3. Who is regarded as the founder of Taoism? Laozi Confucius Cao Cao 4. Taoism, in form of the Shangqing school, gained official status in China again during the: Sui dynasty Zhou dynasty Tang dynasty 5. Who compiled a series of scriptures which later served as the foundation of the Lingbao school? Huizong Ge Chaofu Daoism Quiz: questions and answers - 2 / 4 kupidonia.com Qiu Chuji 6. When was the Quanzhen School founded in Shandong? 13th century 12th century 11th century 7. Which Taoist master was successful in influencing the Khan towards exerting more restraint during his brutal conquests? Qiu Chuji Ge Chaofu Chung-ying Cheng 8. Taoism can be defined as pantheistic, what does it mean? Pantheism is the belief that reality is identical with divinity Pantheism is the belief that the divine pervades and interpenetrates every part of the universe and also extends beyond time and space Pantheism is the view that consciousness, mind, or soul (psyche) is a universal and primordial feature of all things 9. Which text is widely considered the most influential Taoist text? "The Daozang" "The Zhuangzi" "Tao Te Ching" 10. What is the name of the main association of Taoism in the People's Republic of China? Chinese Taoist Association Taoist Association Taoist Association of China Daoism Quiz: questions and answers - 3 / 4 kupidonia.com Daoism Quiz: questions and answers Right answers 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Daoist Tradition Also Available from Bloomsbury
    The Daoist Tradition Also available from Bloomsbury Chinese Religion, Xinzhong Yao and Yanxia Zhao Confucius: A Guide for the Perplexed, Yong Huang The Daoist Tradition An Introduction LOUIS KOMJATHY Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square 175 Fifth Avenue London New York WC1B 3DP NY 10010 UK USA www.bloomsbury.com First published 2013 © Louis Komjathy, 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Louis Komjathy has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury Academic or the author. Permissions Cover: Kate Townsend Ch. 10: Chart 10: Livia Kohn Ch. 11: Chart 11: Harold Roth Ch. 13: Fig. 20: Michael Saso Ch. 15: Fig. 22: Wu’s Healing Art Ch. 16: Fig. 25: British Taoist Association British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 9781472508942 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Komjathy, Louis, 1971- The Daoist tradition : an introduction / Louis Komjathy. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4411-1669-7 (hardback) -- ISBN 978-1-4411-6873-3 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-4411-9645-3 (epub) 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Daoist Meditation and the Origins of Inner Alchemy
    EARLY DAOIST MEDITATION 7 EARLY DAOIST MEDITATION AND THE ORIGINS OF INNER ALCHEMY Fabrizio Pregadio According to one of the scriptures belonging to the Taiqing, or Great Clar- ity, tradition, after an adept receives alchemical texts and relevant oral instructions from his master, he withdraws to a mountain or a secluded place to perform purification practices. He establishes the ritual area, demar- cates it with talismans for protection against demons and wild animals, and builds a Chamber of the Elixirs (danshi) at the centre of this protected space. To start compounding the elixir, he chooses a favourable day based on traditional methods of calendrical computation. When all ritual, spatial and temporal conditions are fulfilled, he may finally kindle the fire. Now he offers food and drink to three deities, and asks that they grant the successful compounding of the elixir: This petty man, (name of the adept), truly and entirely devotes his thoughts to the Great Lord of the Dao, Lord Lao and the Lord of Great Harmony. Alas! This petty man, (name of the adept), covets the Medicine of Life! Lead him so that the Medicine will not volat- ilise and be lost, but rather be fixed by the fire! Let the Medicine be good and efficacious, let the transmutations take place without hesitation, and let the Yellow and the White be entirely fixed! When he ingests the Medicine, let him fly as an immortal, have audience at the Purple Palace (Zigong), live an unending life and become an accomplished man (zhiren)!1 The Great Lord of the Dao (Da Daojun), Lord Lao (Laojun, or Laozi in his divine aspect) and the Lord of Great Harmony (Taihe jun) are not mentioned together in other alchemical texts.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Reconstruction of the Shenxian Zhuan 
    On the reconstruction of the Shenxian zhuan . School of Oriental and African Studies The Shenxian zhuan is a biographical (or hagiographical) collection of great importance to our understanding of the formation of the Taoist religion in the early centuries of the Common Era. A text of this name was put together by Ge Hong (283–343), but it has long been suspected that the best-known version currently available was actually confected for commercial rather than academic purposes in the sixteenth century from quotations in other sources, and that the direct tradition of the text has been lost. The careful reconstitution of a reliable version of the original work—or at least of an ancient version—has been the goal of a number of scholars, and the appearance of such a work of scholarship in the form of a translation, as part of what will doubtless prove to be a standard reference series for Taoist texts in English, certainly gives full occasion for congratulating not only the author, Robert Ford Campany, but also the series editor and indeed the press that has made the publication of this typographically complex and lengthy monograph possible.1 There is indeed much to admire here, right from the ‘Foreword’ by the series editor, Stephen R. Bokenkamp, which provides (on p. xxii) a stout defence of academic translation against those, including tenure and promotion committees, who see it as ‘just a skill, like taking dictation’.2 This publication does, however, give an unrivalled opportunity for assessing how much we have learned concerning the reconstitution of lost texts from the period of disunion following the collapse of China's first period of imperial unity, and it is on this question of how to go about the work of reconstitution that the following remarks will concentrate.
    [Show full text]
  • Explore the Role and Function of Bigu on Taoism Health Preservation
    ISSN 1712-8358[Print] Cross-Cultural Communication ISSN 1923-6700[Online] Vol. 11, No. 10, 2015, pp. 90-93 www.cscanada.net DOI:10.3968/7639 www.cscanada.org Explore the Role and Function of Bigu on Taoism Health Preservation XUE Zhonghua[a],* [a]College of Political Science and Public Administration, Southwest his serious diseases. Ge Hong said in his masterpiece that University, Chongqing, China. Zhang Liang has focused on self-cultivation, and refrain *Corresponding author. from eating grain for an entire year, then has received Received 28 June 2015; accepted 2 August 2015 excellent effects. Thus it can be seen that Zhang Liang is Published online 26 October 2015 not only a founding father of a country, but also a practitioner, beneficiary of health preservation method, Abstract Bigu. There are several ancient sayings of the origin of “Methods of health preservation or regime” pursued by Bigu, one of them is the ascetical saying. It is said that the Chinese Taoism sects strives for immortality in a great Buddha Shakyamuni has kept ascetic practices for 6 fairyland. One of these methods is Bigu, who had its own years, eat only one kind of hemp and one kind of wheat take on the genre. Due to its excellent effect on curing each day. According to Buddhism recordings, Buddha diseases and prolonging life, Bigu has been considered as Shakyamuni does not resist on curing diseases through the only path to becoming an immortal. As a food refrainment. consequence, Bigu occupies an important position in all Obviously, if the discussion is merely on the Taoism methods of health preservation.
    [Show full text]
  • In Addition to Introducing the Genre of Biography, the Editors Intend the Chapters to Provide a Good Sense of the Broader Flow O
    300 Frontiers of History in China 2013, 8(2) In addition to introducing the genre of biography, the editors intend the chapters to provide a good sense of the broader flow of Chinese history, particularly in terms of turning points in normative expectations for women. In their introduction, Judge and Hu state that biography can show how transformations in, or the expectations for, women’s lives were most marked in times of war and social disruption and when there were rising levels of literacy for women. But this argument is not woven throughout the essays in the book nor is it summarized in the editors’ epilogue. How did conflict (such as the An Lushan Rebellion and the Sino-Japanese War) lead to changes in women’s lived experience? The reader will need to look for answers to this question, and others, on his or her own. Much of this volume will certainly be useful for students of Chinese history. Overall it provides a good overview of genres of women’s biography, some of which is nicely summarized in an appendix. Many of the essays are fine case studies in how to use particular sources and they point historians toward possible future research. Chapters that include extensive excerpts (sometimes as long as a full page) from biographical texts provide a real flavor of the sources and good instruction on how they can and should be used. Taken as a whole, these essays remind us that both reading biographical sources and writing biographies about women is a significant way to discover changes in society over time.
    [Show full text]
  • A Day in the Life of a Daoist Monk Adeline Herrou
    A Day in the Life of a Daoist Monk Adeline Herrou To cite this version: Adeline Herrou. A Day in the Life of a Daoist Monk . Journal of Daoist Studies, Three Pines Press, 2010, pp.117-148. hal-01660017 HAL Id: hal-01660017 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01660017 Submitted on 12 Jan 2018 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. A Day in the Life of Daoist Monk 1 ADELINE HERROU Abstract This article seeks to give an ethnographical description of the everyday life of an ordinary Daoist monk in China today. As it follows Yang Zhixiang from early morning until night, it deals with his current main occupations—in this case, work on the glyphomancical dissection of the Dao 道 character, fate calculation for young fiancés, preparation for a healing ritual, the ascetic practice of self­ perfecting through refinement, etc. — as well as more basic scenes such as meals, gestures and postures, various domestic tasks, and the reconstruction of the temple. It also relates fragments of his own past life and implicitly outlines the path that led him to the monastery and the vocation that made him become a monk.
    [Show full text]
  • 内經圖 Nei-Ching T'u Diagram of the Inner Channels
    内經圖 Nei-ching T'u Diagram of the Inner Channels Contents The Diagram 2 Introductory Passages 8 Translation 12 Bilingual Text 16 Transcription and Word-by-Word Translation 22 Bibliography 32 Diagram of the Inner Channels Nei-ching T'u (Neijing Tu; Jap. Daikeizu) 内經圖 Ink rubbing; ink on paper Diagram of the Inner Channels with printed Chinese characters Diagram of the Inner Channels with printed Chinese characters Diagram of the Inner Effulgences Nei-ching T'u 内景圖 The diagram of Taoist anatomy and physiology in the Shih Lin Kuang Chi encyclopedia, from the edition of + 1478. The picture is probably of the early + 13th century. Several wheels of water-raising machinery for circulating the chhi are seen, with the co-operation of Yang dragon and Yin tiger to produce the 'baby boy' enchymoma. The upward passage of the ching to nourish the brain is drawn in a railway-line convention, and at the top on the right the 'three corpses (or worms)' of death and decay are seen leaving the regenerated body. (Needham, 1983: 112) This is the thirteenth-century diagram entitled the "Section on Medical Learning" (I-hsüeh Lei 醫學類), which is preserved in the fifteenth-century encyclopedia Shih-lin Kuang-chi 事林廣記. Some editions of this diagram are titled "Diagram of Master Smoke Curtain" (Yen-luo-tzu T'u 煙蘿子圖). Introductory Passages Introductory passages selected from various sources Neijing tu and Xiuzhen tu 内經圖 or 内景圖・修真圖 Chart of the Inner Warp (or: Chart of the Inner Landscape); Chart for the Cultivation of Perfection The Neijing tu and Xiuzhen tu are two charts of the human body.
    [Show full text]
  • The Empty Vessel 1 Step Into the Tao with Dr
    The Journal of Daoist Philosophy and Practice Spring 2013 $5.95 U.S. Canada $6.95 Food Cures and Diets The Spiritual Warrior Daoist Nature Meditation The Empty Vessel 1 Step into the Tao with Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha World-Renowned Master Healer and Divine, Tao and Da Tao Channel Tao is The Way. Tao is the source of all universes. Tao is the universal principles and laws. – Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha Tao Song & Tao Dance Certification Retreat June 20–26 • In person or via webcast Toronto, ON, Canada Tao I and Tao II Retreat November 9–14 • In person or via webcast YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado Everyone is Welcome! Tao III & Tao IV Retreat November15–21 • In person or via webcast YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado 10-year Tao Training Program participants only New York Times Bestsellers! MD in China and certified doctor of TCM and acupuncture in China and Canada Grandmaster of ancient arts including tai chi, qi gong, kung fu, I Ching and feng shui Sole holder of the 4,300-year-old sacred Taoist lineage of Peng Zu More than an invitation ... a sacred calling! Institute of Soul Healing & Enlightenment™ 888.3396815 • DrSha.com • Facebook.com/DrAndMasterSha • Twitter.com/ZhiGangSha • DivineHealingHands.com 2 Spring 2013 The Empty Vessel 3 The Empty Vessel 3 Contents Spring 2013 Volume 20 Number 3 Features 8 Daoist Nature Meditation by Solala Towler 10 Food Cures and Diets by Livia Kohn Our cover: Lotus Reflection by Paul Heussenstamm 17 The Spiritual Warrior by Robert D.
    [Show full text]
  • THE DAOIST BODY in the LITURGY of SALVATION THROUGH REFINEMENT by BINGXIA BIAN B.L., South-Central University for Nationalities, 2016
    THE DAOIST BODY IN THE LITURGY OF SALVATION THROUGH REFINEMENT by BINGXIA BIAN B.L., South-Central University for Nationalities, 2016 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Religious Studies 2019 ii This thesis entitled: The Daoist Body in the Liturgy of Salvation through Refinement written by Bingxia Bian has been approved for the Department of Religious Studies Terry F. Kleeman Loriliai Biernacki Holly Gayley Date 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. iii Bian, Bingxia (M.A., Department of Religious Studies) The Daoist Body in the Liturgy of Salvation through Refinement Thesis directed by Professor Terry F. Kleeman Abstract This thesis will address the concept of the body and souls in the context of a Daoist ritual, the Liturgy of Salvation through Refinement (liandu yi 鍊度儀) based on the "Great Refinement of Numinous Treasures" (Lingbao dalian 靈寶⼤鍊) in the Great Rites of Shangqing Lingbao (Shangqing Lingbao dafa 上清灵宝⼤法) written by Wang Qizhen 王契真 (fl. ca 1250). The first chapter is a brief review of traditional Chinese ideas toward the body and souls. People believed that the deceased live in the other world having the same need as they alive. Gradually, they started to sought methods to extend their life in this world and to keep their souls alive in the other world.
    [Show full text]
  • Xiaoshuo in the Taiping Guangji 1)
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE Collection, Classification and Conception of Xiaoshuo in the Taiping Guangji 1) Xiaohuan Zhao Introducing Remarks This paper aims to investigate the classificatory system of a genre of classical Chi- nese literature known as “xiaoshuo” 小說 (petty talk) in the Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Records of the Era of Supreme Peace, hereafter as TPGJ) in 500 juan 卷 (scroll). This multi-volume xiaoshuo anthology was compiled during a period bearing the title “Supreme Peace and Nation Restored” (Taiping xingguo 太平興國, 976–983) under the reign of Emperor Taizong 太宗 (r. 976–998) of the Northern Song dynasty 北宋 (960–1127).2) I will start with a brief review of the historical background for the compilation of TPGJ and its textual history. I will then make an investigation into the organization and structure of TPGJ and analyze the rationale behind the establish- ment and arrangement of xiaoshuo categories in it. And finally I will draw a conclu- sion on the early Song conception of xiaoshuo as revealed through the xiaoshuo collec- tion and classification in TPGJ. The earliest attempt at a systematic classification of xiaoshuo as a genre of literature independent from historical and philosophical writings was made by the Ming 明 bib- liophile Hu Yinglin 胡應麟 (1551–1602),3) who divided xiaoshuo into six categories, al- though he admitted that there existed overlapping areas in his hex-classificatory scheme, especially with regard to the generic relations between zhiguai 志怪 (records of the strange) and chuanqi 傳奇 (transmissions of the marvellous).4) “In case of this,” he suggested, “classification should be based on what is most emphasized” [gu ju qi zhong er yi 姑舉其重而已].5) Some twentieth century scholars also state this principle, implicitly or explicitly, in their studies of traditional Chinese literature,6) as shown in Y.
    [Show full text]
  • Authenticity, Sincerity and Spontaneity: the Mutual Implication of Nature and Religion in China and the West
    METHOD & THEORY in the STUDY OF RELIGION Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 25 (2013) 283-307 brill.com/mtsr Authenticity, Sincerity and Spontaneity: The Mutual Implication of Nature and Religion in China and the West James Miller School of Religion, Queen’s University, Canada K7L3N6 [email protected] Abstract Fundamental approaches to ethics and morality in both China and the West are bound up not only with conceptions of religion and ultimate truth, but also with conceptions of nature. One dominant theme in the West is to see nature in terms of an original goodness that precedes human manipulation. This theme is bound up with Biblical views of divine creation by a divine lawmaker. In contrast to this view, Chinese conceptions of sincerity (cheng) and spontaneity (ziran) mitigate against such an abstract conception of the original goodness or authenticity of nature. Keywords nature, religion, authenticity, daoism, confucianism, ethics A story reported in the Western news media in the context of China’s bid for the Olympic games was that the Beijing authorities had used a chemical spray to paint the otherwise dried-out brown grass of Beijing a sparkling emerald green. Evidence of the popularity of this story, and the potential harm it did to China’s image, can be found in the fact that the People’s Daily had to publish a counter-story “Greening Liquid Does No Harm” pointing out that the chemical spray was developed by a US company and complied with all the relevant envi- ronmental and health standards. What this counter-story failed to appreciate, however, was why the story had been so popular in the first place: namely, that it had traded on a fundamental difference in conceptions of nature between China and the West.
    [Show full text]