Page 622 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

5 80 THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

jinlu zhai

Golden Register Retreat

The Golden Register Retreat, which is one of the Three Register Retreats
(sanlu zhai .: ~~ jj#f), along with the Jade Register and Yellow Register Retreats
(*yulu zhai and *huanglu zhai), was made the preeminent *Lingbao rite by
*Lu Xiujing (406-77). As described in his Wugan wen Ji !®Jt (Text on the Five
Commemorations; CT 1278), the ritual lasted nine days in spring, three days
in summer, seven days in autumn, and five days in winter.
According to Lu's description, the Golden Register altar (tan m) is a 2.4 zhang
(ca. 6 m) square built outdoors, and is surrounded by a 3.2zhang (ca. 8 m) square
enclosure with ten gates corresponding to the ten directions. At the center of
the altar is a lamp-tree, nine feet tall, with nine cups placed on it. Thirty-six
additional lamp-trees are placed around the altar in the four directions. Any
number of lamp-trees can be lit outside the altar area, depending on the wishes
and resources of the sponsor; their purpose is to illuminate the underworld.
The Authentic Scripts (zhenwen Jll; SO and the golden dragons are placed on
the altar in each of the five directions, together with lengths of silk. At the end
of the ritual, the Scripts are burned and the golden dragons are distributed to
gain merit for the dead. They can be considered variously to be the temporary
abodes of the descending deities, to represent a covenant, and to function as
a sacrifice. An important component of the ritual is the rite of Walking the
Way (*xingdao), making repentance (*chanhui) in each of the ten directions.
A liturgy for the Golden Register Retreat as performed in the Six Dynas-
ties period is found in the *Wushang biyao (Supreme Secret Essentials; j. 53;
Lagerwey 1981b, 161-63). According to the preface to *Du Guangting's (850-~m)
Jinlu zhai qitan yi 1;: fj; ~ fflJ ±l1~ (Liturgies for Inaugurating the Altar of the
Golden Register Retreat; CT 483), the Golden Register Retreat was performed
for the benefit of rulers in order to pacify the Gods of Soil and Grain (Sheji
tl: f~), protect living beings, remove calamities, and gain release from the un-
derworld. Even today, rites called Golden Register are performed in Taiwan,
where they are classified as "pure rites" (qingfa m it) to pray for peace.
MARUYAMA Hiroshi

m Lagerwey 1981b, 161-63; 6fuchi Ninji 1983, 234-422
* huanglu zhai; yulu zhai; zhai