Page 541 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

HUANG LINGWEI SOl

is confirmed by later texts, although many kinds of buildings were subsumed
under this common term.
The huandu was made popular by Liu Biangong ~U l' Jj] (I071-II43), a Taoist
living in Shandong who built an enclosure with a small hut in the middle
and spent his entire life within it, speaking with guests through a wicket.
After his death, his disciple took his place in the huandu, and this went on
for three generations. A few decades afterward, the *Quanzhen order, which
made public displays of asceticism a formal part of its curriculum, adopted
the term huandu but changed and institutionalized the practice. Ritualized
solitary confinement in a room for a fixed term (usually one hundred days
or three years) to perform *neidan practices was introduced in Quanzhen by
*Wang Zhe and was standardized by *Ma Yu. Rows of huandu were built in
monasteries and adepts spent periods within them, at the end of which their
spiritual attainment was tested by their masters. Early Yuan historical records
mention several cases of scholars repudiating family and friends and locking
themselves up in a huandu. Once enclosed, the adept meditated night and
day with hardly any sleep; recorded sayings (*yulu) and legal cases document
instances in which such extreme asceticism led to madness and violence.
In later times, the practice was severely controlled and stays in the huandu were
limited to shorter periods. From the late Ming onward, some monasteries also
built meditation halls with compartmented cells called huantang Im:g. Adepts
then could enjoy the solitude of the huandu and still be absorbed in the discipline
of the monastic community. These various kinds of institutionalized asceticism
bear a close relationship with the Buddhist practice of biguan M Im (confine-
ment), rather common to this day, and also usually lasting three years.

Vincent GOOSSAERT
m Goossaert 1997, 171-219, Goossaert 1999; Goossaert 2001

* zuobo; Quanzhen; ASCETICISM; MEDITATION AND VISUALIZATION

Huang Lingwei
1ft 1i -ftt (or: 1ft 4---ftt)

ca. 640-72I; haD: Huagu ~j'Hi!i (Flowery Maiden)

Though many facets of her life remain poorly known, Huang Lingwei was
one of the notable Taoist women of Tang China. She was ignored by the of-
ficial historians, but we know some details of her career from two inscription
texts composed by the accomplished statesman-scholar Yan Zhenqing l1.i'!~