Page 79 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L
P. 79

OVE RV IE W                       39





                                             lu



                                           register


              In  Taoism the term "register" refers to records that identify an individual
              either in this world or in the otherworld, and to lists of deities and super-
              natural beings over which an initiate has command. Texts listing demon
              names have been found in a Shuihudi 9lE m ~ (Hubei)  tomb dated to 217
              BCE  (Harper 1985). Their symbolism and meaning anticipates their usage in
              both Taoist religion and in Chinese tales of the otherworld; in particular,
              these documents are related to the belief that one can control demons and
              spirits simply by knowing their names.  Later Han dynasty tomb texts also
              mention registers of life and death (Seidel 1987e), foreshadowing another Taoist
              topos.
                During the  Han dynasty,  registers  were  also  one  of many items be-
              stowed by Heaven signaling the mandate to rule. Begun in the Zhou period,
              religious legitimation was granted with the appearance of special objects and
              was gradually replaced with written documents and diagrams (see *lingbao,
              and *TAOISM  AND  THE  APOCRYPHA).  Wang Mang (r.  9-23) tapped into this
              tradition,  using texts to validate the establishment of his own dynasty and
              to legitimize his control of the throne. In his Dongjingfu * g  i!Jit  (Rhapsody
              on the Eastern Capital),  Zhang Heng ~~ (78- 139; IC 2II-I2) describes the
              bestowal of registers and charts on Gaozu (r.  202- 195  BCE), the founder of
              the Han dynasty, at his investiture (Knechtges 1982-96, I: 245). Both registers
              and charts were later bestowed on Taoist masters during their ordination
              rituals.

              Registers in Taoist traditions. Registers were the earliest documents of the Celes-
              tial Masters (*Tianshi dao). Their maintenance was crucial for the religious and
              social organization of the church. The Celestial Masters, heading a theocracy
              in the second century Sichuan area, kept records of all births, deaths, and mar-
              riages, using them to determine taxes and corvee lab or requirements. As copies
              of these records were also kept in the otherworld, it behooved the populace
              to update them periodically. Any mistake might lead to the ineffectiveness of
              deities to aid the living in healing rituals, or to being summoned to the world
              of the dead prematurely: during the Six Dynasties, many tales circulated con-
              cerning mistaken summons to the otherworld due to errors in the registers
              of life  and death. To update the registers,  the Celestial Masters held three
   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84