Page 269 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

230 THE ENCYC LOP ED IA OF TAOISM A- L

a more instrumental way explaining its use by the dragon (sec. 26) and the
spirits (sec. 36). Just as the dragon is a metaphor for the sage, its ability to use
bianhua is a characteristic of Laozi in the *Laozi bianhua jing (Scripture of the
Transformations of Laozi), a text that reflects the many historical transforma-
tions of the sage Laozi.
The harnessing of bianhua was particularly important in later Taoism,
where it became linked with the eschatological picture of the Shangqing
tradition. Like Laozi, the diverse spirits of the Shangqing tradition are able to
transform themselves, and the adept had to be able to identify their different
manifestations. Adepts, in turn, might use bianhua to transform themselves.
The Shangqing text Shenzhou qizhuan qibian wutian jing ;f$ ~'I'I-t; ~ -t; ~ n:7( ~~
(Scripture of the Divine Continent on the Dance in Heaven in Seven Revolu-
tions and Seven Transformations; CT 1331) describes methods for transforming
into clouds, light, fire, water, and dragons (Robinet 1993,161). Isabelle Robinet
notes that "the powers of metamorphosis had always been a key characteristic
of the immortals, but these powers came to be even more central in Shang-
qing where they were synonymous with deliverance and salvation" (Robinet
2000,219).
Mark CSIKSZENTMIHALYI

III Robinet 1979b; Robinet 1993, 153"-69; Sivin 1991
* shijie; ring; zaohua; ziran

bianshen

"transformation of the body" or "transformation of the spirit"

The term bianshen has been used in Taoist ritual texts since the Song dynasty,
with special reference to various practices-comprising notably visualiza-
tions and spells-through which a priest may transform himself into being
identical, either with the cosmos as a whole, or with the specific deity that
presides over the particular method or rite that he is about to perform. There
is an obvious connection between practices of this kind and the theme of the
cosmic body of Laozi, which in early legends is identified with the Dao or
with the primordial Chaos (*hundun), and which is said to have given rise to
the universe. A number of practices of transformation (*bianhua or bianxing
~ ~, "transformation of the body"), related to this theme and to the general
notion of a parallelism between the human body and the universe, formed