Page 670 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

Numinous Treasure) tradition also used it. While basicaIly exorcistic, it could
also be employed to break open the gates of heIl and liberate the dead. Many
notable scriptures and important deities centered their activity in a new sacred
bureaucratic department known as the Thunder Ministry (leibu it if~).

Scriptural origins. The Thunder Rites may have roots in the *Dongyuan shenzhou
jing (Scripture of the Divine Spells of the Cavernous Abyss). This original
nucleus is augmented by Tantric elements and placed within a more com-
prehensive cosmic setting. Thus the Sanskritized version of the incantatory
Tiantong yinfan xianjing j(!it #~ (Immortal Scripture of the Celestial Lad in
Hidden Brahmanic Language; CT 633) is later called the Thunder Scripture (Leijing
it ~'l() in some ritual texts. Shenxiao works also provided textual foundations,
including the Leiting yujing it rt::f. #~ (Jade Scripture of the Thunderclap;
CT 15), printed editions of which circulated in the early 1200S; the *Yushujing
(Scripture of the Jade Pivot); and the related Chaotian xielei zhenjing ?JJ *- ,)lij
it JU~ (Authentic Scripture for Giving Thanks to Thunder in Homage to
Heaven; CT 17). The main deity in the Yushu jing, the Celestial Worthy of
Universal Transformation (*Puhua tianzun), oversaw a full Thunder Ministry
that included divine civilian clerks and bureaucrats as well as spirit-generals
and sacred warriors. The main thunder deity was integrated into Taoist ritual,
and in the Ming period some sects celebrated his birthday on the twenty-fourth
day of the sixth month.
Sources. The largest variety of Thunder Ritual material is found in the *Daofa
hUiyuan (Corpus of Taoist Ritual; CT 1220). Chapters I-55 and 56-IQI of this
work are respectively concerned with the Qingwei and Shenxiao rites. Other
ritual traditions are represented in the Fahai yizhu lt i£J iI J* (Uncollected
Pearls from the Ocean of Rituals; CT n66), specifically those of the Purple
Throne (zichen '* ~ ;j. 45-46) fromJiangxi. Several separate texts also appear
in the Taoist Canon, including the following:
I.}ingyu xuanwen l'i,¥~-g r,,~ (Tranquil Remnants and Queries on the Mys-
tery; CT 1252), compiled by Bai Yuchan's disciples
2. Leifa yixuan pian '~1E- i$.~. t;;J (Folios Discussing the Mysteries of the
Thunder Rituals; CT 1254), compiled by Wan Zongshi r~ * grli in 1248
3· Daofaxinchuan @ it (."($ (Heart -to-Heart Transmission of Taoist Rites;
CT I253), a theoretical treatise by *Wang Weiyi (fl. I264-I304). a disciple
of the Jiangxi master *Mo Qiyan (I226-94)
4· Mingdao pian D}j ill ~ (Folios on Elucidating the Way; CT 273), also by Wang
Weiyi, revealing the close identity of the Thunder Rituals with neidan
5. Yuyang qihou qinji m~*t:f~~tm (The Intimate Mechanisms of Rain,
Clear Weather, and Periods of Pneumas; CT 1275), a meteorological
treatise on the Thunder rites (Kalinowski I989-90, ro6-7)