Page 256 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

BAOPU Z I 2I7

~), you will be able to communicate with the gods" (18.324). On the other
hand, Guarding the Authentic One confers protection against demons and
other ominous entities: "In the shrine of a demon, in a mountain forest, in a
land infested by a plague, within a tomb, in a marsh inhabited by tigers and
wolves, or in the dwelling of snakes, if you guard the One without distraction
all evils will be expelled; but if you forget to guard the One even for a single
moment, the demons will harm you" (18.325). Similarly, the purpose of guard-
ing the Mysterious One is to obtain control of gods and demons: "You will be
able to see all the numina of heaven and the spirits of earth, and to summon
all the deities of the mountains and the rivers." (18.326)
The Baopu zi and the history of Taoism. The above reading of the contents of the
Baopu zi is supported by the author's own statements, and is consistent with the
main features of the religious traditions of third- and fourth-century Jiangnan.
Ge Hong's wish to incorporate fragments of different bodies of doctrine and
practice into his work, however, gives rise to some contradictions within the
text. Part of them may be due to the presence of quotations or summaries
from sources belonging to different traditions that are not acknowledged as
such (to give one example, virtually the whole of chapter 17 appears to be
built on quotations from earlier texts). Others may be due to Ge Hong's dis-
taste for a systematic approach. Nonetheless, Ge Hong's testimony deserves
attention as a valuable overview of the religious traditions of Jiangnan just
before the Way of the Celestial Masters (*Tianshi dao) spread to that area,
soon followed by the *Shangqing and *Lingbao revelations. From this point
of view, the Baopu zi documents important links between the earlier and later
history of Taoism (Bokenkamp 1983), as it also does for medicine and other
fields (Murakarni Yoshirni 1981; Harper 1998, 173-83).
The information provided by Ge Hong on local practices, beliefs, and
teachings is therefore useful to better appreciate earlier and later sources that
originated in the same area. These sources, in turn, are ofren essential to fully
understand individual passages of the Baopu zi and the religious perspectives
of its author.
Fabrizio PREGADIO

W Bokenkamp 1983; Campany 2002, 1-97; Che 1999 (part. trans.); Chen
Feilong 1980; Davis and Ch'en 1941 (part. trans.); Feifel 1941- 46 (part. trans.);
Hu Fuchen 1989; Kaguraoka Masatoshi 1988; Kirn Daeyeol2000; Lai Chi-tim
1998a; Needham 1976, 75- 113; Ofuchi Ninji 1991, 485- 627 (= 1964, 65- 21 4);
Pregadio 1987 (part. trans.); Pregadio 2006b, chapter 7; Robinet 1997b, 78-113;
Sailey 1978; Wang Ming 1985 (crit. ed.); Ware 1966 (trans.)

* GeHong