Page 317 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

THE ENCYCLOP E DIA OF TAO ISM A- L

Ono Shihei 1964) were current under the Mongols. Quanzhen predication, in
particular, used poems in several ways. Their lyric tone suited the appeal to
conversion, and the poems of Quanzhen masters were memorized by both
adepts and devotees. Ascetics recited them at night to fight the effects of
sleep deprivation. Poems were also quoted in answer to doctrinal questions,
as attested in the recorded sayings (*yulu) of several masters, and especially
in Niu Daochun's 4J1!¥~ (£1. 1299) Xiyi zhimi lun ifJT?tiE tliff~ (Essays to
Resolve Doubts and Point out Errors; CT 276). Moreover, poems were used
for exchanges between master and disciple. For instance, Wang Zhe liked to
write cangtou shi Hi& mi ~ , poems in which the first character of each verse is
hidden so that the recipient may guess it. This pedagogical use of poetry is
also noted among contemporary Quanzhen writers such as *Tan Chuduan
and non-Quanzhen Taoist authors as well. Another non-Quanzhen, twelfth-
century example of its application is the Taixuan ji "*"R ~ (Anthology of
Great Mystery; CT 1061).
In the Quanzhen ji, most poems are ad hoc creations to exhort or stimulate
disciples or acquaintances, and therefore do not offer a coherent doctrinal
exposition. The ci tunes are similar to those used in contemporary poetry,
although Quanzhen authors sometimes changed their titles to make them
sound more Taoist. *Neidan vocabulary is used throughout the works, but not
in a didactic manner: blended with Wang's personal voice, it shapes a lyrical
discourse on the promise of immortality.
While the influence exerted by Wang's poetry is difficult to determine,
it is worthy of note that the Quanzhen ji, like most other Quanzhen works,
survives only in the Daozang edition. Among the Quanzhen collected works,
only *Qiu Chuji's Panxi ji ?iI¥~~ (Anthology of the Master from Panxi; CT
1159) and *Ji Zhizhen's Yunshanji ~ IlJ ~ (Anthology of Cloudy Mountains;
1250; CT 1140), besides the popular anthology Minghe yuyin, are also extant in
separate editions that differ from those in the current Daozang. This suggests
that the versions of these anthologies in the Canon underwent thorough
editing. Moreover, Ming and Qing bibliographic catalogues show that several
Quanzhen literary works did circulate, but Wang Zhe's anthologies were not
among them. Their circulation after the fourteenth century was probably
limited, although it was certainly widened in recent times by the *Daozang
jiyao, which gives a prominent place to early Quanzhen literature. Wang's
original poetry was thus mainly rediscovered in the contemporary period.

Vincent GOOSSAERT
m Boltz J. M. 1987a, 144-45; Hachiya Kunio 1992a; Qing Xitai 1994, 2: 213- 14;
Marsone 200Ib
* Wang Zhe; Quanzhen