Page 105 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

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vague and unstable line between good and evil supernatural beings, the Celes-
tial Masters and their followers established a much sharper one. According
to *Lu Xiujing's *Daomen keliie (Abridged Codes for the Taoist Community),
one of the chief features of the new Taoist regime had been the following:
"The spirits (shen ;fEll) do not eat or drink"-i.e., the deities of local, popular
cults were no longer to receive sacrificial offerings. Continued worship of such
deities was forbidden as "licentious sacrifice" (*yinsi). Indeed, such gods were
unmasked by Taoist revelation: they were really demons, "stale pneumas" (guqi
~ w:) of the demonic realm of the Six Heavens (see *santian and liutian). Thus
the "gods" of the people are caricatured as rapacious exploiters, promising
blessings to those who give them cult, but dealing out only impoverishment,
disease, and early death (Ia-b, trans. Nickerson 1996a, 352; see also *Santian
neijie jing, 1.6a-b, trans. Bokenkamp 1997, 216- 17).
The cosmology of the administration of the dead, the Six Heavens of
*Fengdu, became highly developed in Taoism, for instance inj. 15- 16 of the
*Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected). Drawing on Han period accounts of
Mount Tai (*Taishan, Shandong), the Zhengao sets out an elaborate bureau-
cracy for this fabulous mountain in the northeastern seas, positions in which
all are filled by dead historical personages. Elsewhere, however, the *Shang-
qing scriptures name talismans, spells, and texts for, inter alia, "eliminating,"
"overawing," and even "invoking" the demonic powers of the Six Heavens
(Nickerson 1996b, esp. 582- 83), again emphasizing the value of placing the
powers of the demonic under the control of the adept through use of appropri-
ate techniques, such as talismans, spells, or even the simple act of naming.

From demon to god. Through meritorious service to the Dao, certain demons
could move up through the ranks, eventually to the status of transcendent im-
mortal, making the line between the divine and the demonic a highly porous
one. According to the Zhengao, most of the demonic officials of the Six Heav-
ens, after specified years of service and advancement through the ranks, can
eventually reach transcendent status. Similarly, in the Niiqingguilii the Celestial
Master states that he is sending out demon lords of the five directions (wufang
guizhu Jij] *.3::), each with command over a myriad of demonic troops. If
other spectres are found to be "overstepping their bounds"-attacking with
disease not only sinners but also good people- Taoists should call out the
name of the appropriate demon lord (depending on the illness contracted).
The demon lords are to disperse the recalcitrant demons, forcibly if neces-
sary, and bring aid and succor to the worthy. If they do this, then these lords
eventually will rise above their demonic status and have their names listed
on the Registers of Life (shenglu j: ~; 6.2a-b; see similar language in the fifth
century stratum of the *Dongyuan shenzhou jing; 2.6a-7b).