Page 64 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

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SCRIPTURES AND TEXTS

Revelations and sacred texts

The status of sacred texts or jing fo.\~ (scriptures) in Taoism was theorized and
developed in the context of the *Shangqing and *Lingbao revelations. Both
schools in turn defined the role of texts according to the *fangshi lore of Han
times and *Ge Hong's tradition in the early Six Dynasties. The function of
Taoist scriptures is related to the sacred origin and cosmic value of writing
and graphic representation, which is rooted in Chinese antiquity.

The divine nature of Taoist scriptures. In Taoism, sacred texts have a primary
meaning and importance, existing prior to the world. They are the condensed
form of the Original Pneuma (*yuanqi), spontaneously born from the Void.
They are said to have first appeared as rays of light too luminous for the human
eye to behold, just as the Ultimate Truth cannot be grasped by thought. Sym-
bolizing the celestial effiuvia that come down to earth, they solidified as they
descended, congealing into a permanent material form. Thus the scriptures
are deemed to be the embodiment and receptacle of the original life force.
They first became nebulous "cloud seals" (yunzhuan ~~) and then were writ-
ten down in non-human characters of jade on tablets of gold, and stored in
celestial palaces or sacred mountains. Their transcription into human writing
happened later: over the course of thousands of precosmic eras, they were
transmitted only among deities, until at last certain deities revealed them to
humanity, or they were discovered in caves.
Although the prototypes of the scriptures remain in Heaven, their human
versions are like trails leading to their celestial counterparts. In one of its
senses, the word jing means "guide" or "way": the scriptures are guides or
threads that connect adepts with deities and the Origin of the world. They are
auspicious tokens of Heaven's grace, certifying its protection, equivalent in
this respect to talismans (*FU) and other symbolic treasures that were owned
by ruling families, which attest to Heaven's blessing (see *lingbao).
By unveiling the "real form" (zhenxing ~%) or real sound of divine fig-
ures and places, the scriptures serve as tools of salvation in two senses. On
one hand, they represent a contract with the gods who bestowed them; on
the other, they convey the esoteric knowledge of the unseen world, whose
hidden form is the real one. The texts embody these "real" forms and sounds,
beheld and heard by the highest divinities in their contemplation. In fact, a jing
often originates as a picture or an invocation. Writing and sound reflect and
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