Page 414 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

DONGYUAN SHENZHOU JING 375

Qing scholar ZhangJi'an *E~ later compiled a historical account of the
temple in the Yuhang xianzhi tHl1JW-;t (Monograph of the Yuhang District;
16.1a-26b ).

LowellSKAR
III BoltzJ. M. 1987a, Il7-Il8; Fu Lo-shu 1965, 36-38; Qing Xitai 1994, 4: 245-47

* TEMPLES AND SHRINES

Dong)lUan shenzhou jing

Scripture of the Divine Spells of the Cavernous Abyss

The Dongyuan shenzhou jing is the main scripture of Taoist medieval apoca-
lyptic eschatology. Spoken by the Dao, it presents itself as a revealed book. It
was conferred, no doubt through mediumism, to a worthy recipient whose
mission was to transmit it in order to save humanity from the impending
end of the world. The confused and extremely repetitive style of the text
confirms its oral, mediumistic origins. For that matter, even the book's title
is not definitively stated: the text calls itself "Scripture of the Immeasurable"
(Wuliangjing $!IilJU~), "Scripture of the Divine Spells of Samadhi" (Sanmei
shenzhou jing = ~;feIl % ~~), "Scripture of Great Exorcism" (Daqu jing ::k ~
~~), and other similar names.
Indeed, the Shenzhou jing claims to be the Book of books, the absolute scrip-
ture. It is a talismanic, prophylactic, and exorcistic text, a liturgical manual, a
receptacle containing myriads of deities, a demonological repertory, a contract
for initiates, and a passport for salvation. While the text offers no evidence of
the identity of its recipient, it includes elements indicating that it was produced
by a sect active inJiangnan 7I WJ at the beginning of the fifth century. The text
shares its basic theology, ideology, and liturgy with those of the *Tianshi dao.
Although its rnillenarian ideas are rooted in ancient autochthonous beliefs,
the emergence of the scripture can be explained partly as a reaction to the
assimilation of Buddhism.

Formation of the text. The oldest versions of the Shenzhou jing are found among
the *Dunhuang manuscripts and derive from a text in ten juan. Two manu-
scripts (P 3233 and P 2444), corresponding to j. I and 7 of the received version in
the Taoist Canon (CT 335), contain colophons dated 664 stating that the work
was copied at the order of Tang Gaozong (r. 649-83) for the crown prince Li
Hong '* 31.. (652-75, son of Empress Wu) in a metropolitan abbey, the Lingying