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Ritual Innovations and Taoism Under Tang Xuanzong

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Ritual Innovations and Taoism Under Tang Xuanzong RITUAL INNOVATIONS AND TAOISM UNDER TANG XUANZONG BY VICTOR XIONG Western Michigan University Table of Contents Tang ritual scholarship .............................................................................. 259 The Palace of Great Clarity (Taiqing gong :;t'/f!fE,') worship ..................... 263 Jiugong guishen :fL E.' j( iii$ ............................................................................. 273 Ritual justification ...................................................................................... 280 Xuanzong and "astroalchemy" .................................................................. 284 Tantrism and other sources of influence ................................................. 295 The legacy ofXuanzong ............................................................................ 301 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 304 A List of Works Cited ................................................................................. 306 Appendixes ................................................................................................. 312 Few emperors in Chinese history were as closely identified with ritual scholarship as Tang Xuanzong Jj~* (r. 712-756). Not long after the promulgation of the Rites of Kaiyuan Era (Kaiyuan li ~5Cil!) in 732, he began to introduce a number of ritual innova­ tions in the decade of 736-46. In the following pages, I will study these ritual changes in view of traditional ritual theory and prac­ tice, with a focus on the two major rites of the Palace of the Great Clarity (taiqing gong :t:mE.', or Taiqing Palace) and the Noble gods of the Nine Palaces (jiugong guishen :fL E.' j( iii$). The primary sources I mainly rely upon include compendiums of institutions such as the Da Tang Kaiyuan li :}cillf~5Cfft (or Kaiyuan li), the Tang huiyao JjWi~, the Tongdian ;1~, and the Da Tangjiaosi lu :}cfllf'i:~~E~; the collection of Tang imperial decrees, the Tang da zhaoling ji Jj :Jcw..l %~; Standard Histories such as the Xin Tang shu ffifjft]iu Tang shu t!~!f; the Zizhi tongjian ~m;IH~; encyclopedic sources such as the Cefu yuangui -JJJt Jff5C~; biographical sources such as the Song gaoseng zhuan 'OR ~ffiHW; Taoist sources such as the Zhengao Jllt~, the © EJ Brill, Leiden, 1996 T bung Pao LXXXII RITUAL AND TAOISM UNDER TANG XUANZONG 259 Xuanzhenzi ~~ J-, and the Yunji qiqian ~111::::~; and the Sui work on yin-yang and five phases, the Wuxing dayi li:ff::k!flt, which deals with the Nine Palaces system at length. I also benefit from studies of Qing scholars such as Hu Wei i'il:lrl!l, and modern scholars such as David McMullen, Seo Tatsuhiko ~~ii~. Ding Huang T~i\, Edward Schafer, Michel Strickmann andJoseph Needham.1 Tang ritual scholarship Ritual occupied a unique position in the history of the Tang dy­ nasty. A brief look at Tang ritual scholarship as recorded in the Xin Tang shu :Wrll!fil (New Tang History) reveals its rich tradition. Of the approximately 50 titles on Tang ritual listed in the "ceremo­ nies and their commentaries" (yizhu lei fii!M) section of the "Yiwen zhi" ~ )C;:t, (Treatise on bibliography) in the Xin Tang shu,2 four stand out as comprehensive works of far-reaching signifi­ cance: 1. The Rites and Ceremonies of the Great Tang (Da Tang li yi }\:ll!f~fi), 100 juan 1'i (chapters). It was compiled by some of the best-known scholars and bureaucrats of the Early Tang period: Zhangsun Wuji :ft.fffi~,~. Fang Xuanling m:1-:M, Wei Zheng tllfi&, Li Baiyao $8~. Yan Shigu ~nmil, Linghu Defen ~3meMt Kong Yingda tLffiii, and Yu Zhining 'f;E;~, among others. Completed in the 11th year of Zhenguan J'{fi. (637), it is also known as the Rites of the Zhenguan Era (Zhenguan li ~WI.~). 2. The Five Rites of the Yonghui Era (Yonghui wu li lk~li~). 150 juan. Compiled by Zhangsun Wuji, Xu Jingzong ~q:~*· et al. in the third year of Xianqing ~~~(658), it is also known as the Rites of the Xianqing Era (Xianqing li ~~~iii). 1 In his recent article on Tang ritual, David McMullen studies the Kaiyuan li and explores the nature of Tang ritual (McMullen I 987). He also deals with the subject in his book on Tang scholarship (McMullen 1988: 113-58). Seo Tatsuhiko calls attention to the importance of the Da Tangjiaosi lu. Edward Schafer's (1977) work on Tang astrology is a treasure-house of information, and a constant source of inspiration. Michel Strickmann (1979) pioneers the study of Taoist "astroalchemy." Joseph Needham's voluminous works provide a basic framework for the study of Chinese astrology and alchemy. My translation of Taoist titles are mostly based on Needham's. Chou !-liang's seminal article on Tantrism provides crucial information on Xuanzong's Tantric connections. Other modern scholars such as Chen Yinke (1977), Kaneko Shuichi, and Howard Wechsler have all made important contributions to our understanding of Tang ritual. 2 XTS 58:1490-93. .
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