Page 279 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

240 THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

transmission of a document to heaven, and the point of his ascent in order to
deliver the document to the Most High.
The forms of bugang used in present-day liturgy mostly derive from the ritual
compilations of the Song dynasty. They are typically performed by the high
priest alone and are described in his "secret manual" (*mijue). The practice is
highly valued by the present-day priesthood, and it is commonly conceived as
a foundational element of Taoist ritual. A similar view is expressed in many
historical texts, such as in the *Taishang zhuguo jiumin zongzhen biyao (Secret
Essentials of the Totality of Perfected, of the Most High, for Assisting the
Country and Saving the People; preface m6; 8.la), by Yuan Miaozong xfr'y
7%, who says: "The Paces of Yu along the guideline of the Dipper, and the
instructions for practices in the palm of the hand, are the great essentials of
the Way, the primordial leading thread of (all other) methods."

Poul ANDERSEN
lIB Andersen 1989-9ob; Andersen 1990; Andersen 2001, 48-71; Chen Guofu
1963, 280; Holm 1994; Hu Tiancheng, He Dejun, and Duan Ming 1999; Lager-
wey 1987C, 31-35, 99-101, and passim; Robinet 1976, 219-59 passim; Robinet
1993, 187-225; Robinet 1995b; Sakade Yoshinobu 1993C; Schafer 1977a, 187-225;
Zhang Zehong 1994
* bianshen;jintan; shoujue

buqi

spreading breath

Buqi means spreading out one's inner breath, mainly for healing purposes. Xing
Ling' sy, 18i biography in the Jinshu (History of the Jin; 95.2483) contains the
first mention of this technique. According to this story, Lii Yi's g ~~ mother
had been suffering from rheumatism and muscular atrophy in the lower limbs
for over ten years. To treat her, Xing sat down next to her in silence, with his
eyes half-closed. After some time, he asked Lii to help his mother to get up.
Lii replied that this was impossible because of his mother's illness, but when
Xing again asked him to try, Lii's mother could walk by herself. This story is
quoted by Su Shi ~.U.rt (Su Dongpo JM:)fU/:k:, 1037-1101; SB 900-968), who also
relates that one of his sons was healed by Li Ruozhi ,*;,g:.<=. with this method
(Dongpo zhilin * J:ffi: ;t**, Siku quanshu ed., 12.I2b). Another mention of buqi
occurs in an account about Immortal Maiden Zhang (Zhang xiangu ,* {ill M),