Page 108 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

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68 THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM VOL. I

reappeared not only in Taoism and Buddhism but also in zhiguai it: t¥: texts
("records of the strange"; Campany 1996). From these shared religious ideas,
Taoism adopted various offices and officials in charge of longevity and the
registers of life and death, such as the Director of Destinies (*Siming), and
added new ones, such as the Three Offices (*sanguan, of Heaven, Earth, and
Water). These deities, who inspected human behavior, could adversely affect
one's life span, prevent advancement in the celestial hierarchy, or relegate one
to the tortures of the "earth prisons" (diyu Jtl!.5itiD until merit from descendants
would set one free.
Entering the otherworldly pantheon. Despite the wholesale adoption of the oth-
erworld as a record-keeping archive in charge of life spans, Taoism focused
on transcendence rather than longevity as the primary goal. In the * Baopu zi,
an early-fourth-century work, longevity is subordinated as a means to aid in
the acquisition of transcendence (xian {ill; see *xianren). In the slightly later
*Shangqing tradition, transcendence in turn is relegated to a position inferior
to that of a Perfected (*zhenren).
The Shangqing tradition provided a detailed description of the otherworldly
realm, which formed the basis of all later Taoist ideas on the otherworld.
Below the Heavens of the Three Clarities (*sanqing), the middle of which
houses the Perfected and the lowest of which hosts the transcendents, are the
Nine Palaces (*jiugong) and the Grotto-Heavens (dongtian; see *dongtian and
fudi), the latter of which are populated by earthly transcendents (dixian till
{ill). The lowest realm, the Six Heavens (liutian; see *santian and liutian) and
*Fengdu, are the administrative abodes of those who have not attained the
rank of Perfected or Transcendent.
Those who do not become Perfected in this life undergo post-mortem re-
finement, advancing through the ranks of the otherworld in much the same
manner as in the secular bureaucracy. This preoccupation with appointment to
office and promotion is found in the *Zhengao (Declarations of the Perfected),
which reflects the concerns of an elite recently pushed from political office
and power.

Control over the otherworldly bureaucracy. In an attempt to differentiate themselves
from other religious specialists, the Taoists adopted a role similar to the one
played by Han dynasty officials. They borrowed the image of a bureaucratic
otherworld, abolished sacrifices to the demons of popular religion (not sanc-
tioned either by Taoism or the state), replaced blood sacrifices with written
communiques to the gods, and incorporated popular deities into the Taoist
pantheon as minor gods (and Han officials as transcendents).
Taoist priests wield control over the otherworldly bureaucracy through reg-
isters (*LU) received during ordination. Adepts interact with this otherworldly
bureaucracy both in ritual and in visualization. Since the body is a microcosm