Page 671 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

LEISHEN 629

6. Daofa zongzhi tu yanyi .iB1!* §'!b\'il qij~ (Explanations and Illustrations
of the Ultimate Purport of Taoist Rituals; CT I277), in the Thunderclap
tradition, compiled by Deng Nan ~S~ and Zhang Xixian ¥:ffl" TJ

The Thunderclap Retreat (leiting zhai ~M3l!lf) was also incorporated into
Taoist ritual, as shown by Lin Weifu's if'*1$x (I239- I302) *Lingbao lingjiao jidu
jinshu (Golden Writings for Deliverance by the Sect Leader of the Numinous
Treasure Tradition; CT 465 and 466).
Lowell SKAR

ID Boltz J. M. I987a, 47- 49, I78- 79, I86- 88, 2Io-n; Boltz J. M. I993a; Chen
Bing I985, 46-47; Davis E. 2001, 24-30, 80-82; Despeux I994, I38- 42, I73-9I; Li
Yuanguo 2002; Skar I996-97; Strickmann I975
* Leishen

Leishen

Thunder Deity or Thunder Deities

Early descriptions of Leishen, a thunder god, in old Chinese texts like the
Shanhai jing L1J m ~~ (Scripture of Mountains and Seas; fourth / third century
BeE?; trans. Mathieu I983, 503) suggest a generic beastlike divinity vaguely
linked to other figures such as the Thunder Officer (Leishi ~. Bm) and the
Thunder Sire (Leigong m 0). While many sources describe and depict him
as a figure with a beak and belly for drumming whose sound can be heard for
long distances-like thunder- others relate the figure to dragons or pigs and
say he resides in the West.
During medieval times, Leishen often designated local spirits who receive
sacrifices and ritual recognition in exchange for their help in ensuring that
the sacrificer avoids punishments from Heaven and receives a regular flow of
precipitation. Between the eighth and twelfth centuries, these divinities, fre-
quently appearing in groups, began acting as tutelary deities in charge of both
local weather conditions and lesser, often malevolent, spirits who may have
represented some of the older cults spread throughout southern China.
Like the Song officials who had to deal with a shifting mix of Han and
southern peoples around them, religious practitioners began using revealed
written texts, magic, and rules to identify and administer the Thunder Dei-
ties. Besides granting them bureaucratic titles in exchange for their assistance,
ritualists also resorted to punishments according to sacred penal law and threat-