Page 411 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

372 THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

when he wrote his Taohuayuanji t~[1t~rUc (Record of the Peach Blossom
Font; Bokenkamp 1986d).
In the Tang period, the theories of the Grotto-Heavens and the Blissful Lands
were combined and systematized. In his TiandigongfU tu Arm E; ftf o;! (Chart
of the Palaces and Bureaus of the [Grotto-]Heavens and the [Blissful] Lands;
YJQQ 27), *Sima Chengzhen (647-735) consolidated the Grotto-Heavens and
Blissful Lands scattered around the country into ten major Grotto-Heavens,
thirty-six minor Grotto-Heavens, and seventy-two Blissful Lands, and recorded
details of their sizes, names, locations, and ruling divinities.
Spatially, the Grotto-Heavens can be said to be an inversion of the outer
world, somehow similar to Klein's bottle. There the Sun and Moon shine just
as they do in the outer world, trees and grasses grow, mountains and rivers
exist, and birds fly through the sky. The source of light, however, is other than
the Sun and Moon of our world: "Inside there is brightness in the dark and
radiance during the night. The root of the essence of the Sun (rijing zhi gen
B *~ Z 1'&) illuminates the Grotto-Heaven, and its light matches the Sun and
Moon of the outer world" (Zhengao, II.6a). Another feature of the grottoes is
that, although each one is independent of the others, they are all linked in a
network by underground passages called dimai tmnJ& Cearth channels"). For
instance, the Grotto-Heaven of Mount Mao connects eastward to the Linwu
grotto (Linwu dong 1'* ffi 11liJ) under Mount Dongting (Dongting shan 11"l f.z1
ill) in Lake Taihu * i8JJ (Jiangsu), northward to the grotto of Mount Tai
(*Taishan, Shandong), westward to the grotto of Mount Emei (*Emei shan,
Sichuan), and southward to the grotto of the Luofu Mountains (*Luofu shan,
Guangdong).
Each Grotto-Heaven is ruled by a Real Man (*zhenren) sent from Heaven,
and is inhabited by middle-rank immortals called" earthly immortals" (dixian
:Jtl!.1L1J). This status, however, is not fixed and the way is open for them to ascend
to Heaven based on the judgement of the celestial Highest Emperor (Shangdi
L '1%). Of course not just anyone can enter the grottoes. It is necessary for
an aspirant first to master techniques such as visualization and breathing in
order to train himself for immortality. It is also said that the gate to the Grotto-
Heavens is open to those who accumulate three hundred virtuous actions and
perform purification practices for three months.
The lore of the Grotto-Heavens and the Blissful Lands peaked in the Six
Dynasties period. After that, they gradually lost their power of attraction in
popular belief. By the early modern period, famous caverns had became syn-
onymous with literary outings, and only artificial caves made within decorative
mountain landscapes in urban gardens preserved their memory.

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