Page 65 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

OVERVIEW 25

Fig. 3. "Primordial graphs"
in a revealed text. Lil1gbao
wuliangdurenshal1gpil1 miao-
jil1g , Jl~ {It!.tAL &It!&
*lll. (Wondrous Scripture
of the Upper Chapters of
the Numinous Treasure on
Limitless Salvation; CT I),
5· 2 Ia.

complement each other: copying a text is a pious act, texts are meant to be
present during rituals, and spells must be written down; but texts should also
be recited, and their terrestrial recitation is echoed by the deities who chant
them in Heaven. .
These notions account for the form of the sacred scriptures, which differs not
only from the Confucian classics but also from other Taoist writings containing
essays or teachings by a known master. The jing are either anonymous or ascribed
to legendary immortals; they are often cryptic as they contain a secret language,
and timeless as they give no indication of historical places or features.

Transmission in the world. Transmission of the sacred scriptures within the
human world was subject to specific rules, which the Shangqing school was
the first to emphasize. These ritual rules of transmission were later codified
in bureaucratic form. The scriptures were to be transmitted from master to
diSCiple after a fast that lasted several days. The two parties swore a covenant
(meng MO after performing a rite inspired by ancient ceremonies of consecration
and feudal bonding, in which gods and spirits were invited as witnesses. The
disciple gave gifts to his master as tokens of sincerity, called xin f* (pledges).
Rings and seals were broken in two parts, and master and disciple each retained
one half, thus reproducing the ancient tesserae lfu) used in contracts.
Above all, disciples swore never to reveal the scriptures to the uninitiated.
A text could be transmitted only to those who were worthy of receiving it,