Page 619 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

JINJI 577

Taboos associated with Retreat and Offering rituals. The primary purpose of
the Retreat (*zhai) and Offering (*jiao) rituals is to remove impurity. Specific
taboos are associated with this purpose, such as those for building the altar,
sending petitions to the gods, and burning incense. The altar should be built
inside a temple, and places where men and women mix should be avoided.
Priests should not perform rites at times of birth or death, when in mourn-
ing, or when ill. In the Tang period, according to *Zhang Wanfu (fl. 7 1 0-1 3),
the *daoshi observed various prohibitions when attending the altar, including
those against drinking alcohol, eating the five pungent foods (chives, scallions,
onions, garlic, and ginger), and looking on the dead or the newly born. These
prohibitions were usually enforced for seven or fourteen days, though the
ideal time was forty-nine days (Jiao sandong zhenwen wufa zhengyi mengwei lu
lichengyi M = ifoJ~ .li"7tiE M.~~3LJJ.X;f~ ; CT 1212, 25b; trans. Lagerwey
1994, 272- 73).
*Du Guangting's (850-933) Huanglu zhaiyi Jt~~1i (Liturgies for the
Yellow Register Retreat; CT 507) reports that five items should be offered to
the altar when venerating the deities: incense, flowers, lamps, water, and fruit.
To offer incense, a priest should clean his hands and not touch anything raw
or polluted. Incense, which must be of good quality, should not be burned
on the days marked by the cyclical character wu ;j(; (see *ganzhi) and should
not be held in the right hand. The flowers should be fresh, of a fine variety,
and of five colors (the "fine" varieties today are considered to be plum blos-
som, orchids, chrysanthemums, and bamboo). Fruits are similarly selected for
their freshness and according to season; pomegranates, sweet potatoes, and
anything dirty are forbidden. Lamps are to illuminate the altar; sesame oil is
used, animal fats being prohibited.
The petition sent to the deities should be reverent and modest. Before
writing it, a priest should bathe himself ritually, wash his hands and face, and
burn incense. The interior of the room should not be visible from outside
and should be quiet, undisturbed by the sounds of dogs or fowl.
Taboos associated with the compounding of elixirs. In his *Baopu zi, *Ge Hong
(283- 343) states that Taoist practitioners should "enter a famous mountain,
perform the purification practices for one hundred days, abstain from the five
pungent flavors and fresh fish, and avoid associating with worldly people" (see
Ware 1966, 93). The prohibition against associating with worldly people derives
from a concern that those who do not have faith in the Dao would criticize
the compounding of the elixir and thus disrupt its preparation. These taboos
continued to be observed in later times. According to a Southern Song text,
the *Danfang xuzhi (Required Knowledge for the Chamber of the Elixirs), "to
compound the elixir, three adepts who embrace minds of purity and emptiness
should work together; they should perform the purification practices before