Page 561 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

HUN AND PO 52 1

of visions inspired by the Huayan jing, represented here as the result of the
formation of the spiritual embryo.

Monica ESPOSITO
ID Wilhelm R. 1929, 67-78 (part. trans.); Wong Eva 1998 (trans.); Zhanran
Huizhen zi 1921
* Liu Huayang; neidan; Wu-Liu pai

hun

Yang soul(s); celestial soul(s)

See *hun and po ~ . AJU.

hun and po

Yang soul(s) and Yin soul(s); celestial soul(s) and earthly soul(s)

The notions of hun and po are central to Chinese thought and religion. Al-
though the term "souls" is often used to refer to them, they are better seen
as two types of vital entities, the source of life in every individual. The hun
is Yang, luminous, and volatile, while the po is Yin, sombre, and heavy. They
are, moreover, to be considered the epitome of the spiritual (*shen) and the
demonic (*gui): the hun represents spirit, consciousness, and intelligence,
whereas the po represents physical nature, bodily strength, and movement.
When natural death occurs, the hun disperses in heaven, and the po returns
to earth. A violent death, on the other hand, causes the hun and po to remain
among humans and perform evil deeds.
Early Zhou period classical theory maintained that each aristocrat was pos-
sessed of two distinct souls which, when death came, followed separate paths,
the hun mounting to heaven, the po sinking into the grave with the corpse or
into the Yellow Springs (huangquan J.i51t), a netherworld located below the
earth. The nobility built shrines in which the hun of their ancestors received
offerings to ensure both their welfare in the post-mortem and the prosper-