Page 756 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

7 I 4 THE ENCYCLOPE DI A O F TAO ISM A- L

As Isabelle Ang (1993) has shown, there were traces of Lii's cult in the North-
ern Song capital Kaifeng (Henan), but the main center was along the lower
Yangzi River, from the Jiangnan rI ~¥i region down to the southern part of
Hunan. The status of the cult was originally rather low, its main forms being
worship in homes, through mediums, and in shrines. In II19, however, Lii was
awarded the low-rank official title of Perfected of Wondrous Powers (Miaotong
zhenren P')illi~A) by Huizong and was integrated in official temples such
as the Tianqing guan *mrm (Abbey of Celestial Blessings; abbeys with this
name existed in major cities throughout the empire). Later, during the Yuan
dynasty, the increased popularity of the Quanzhen order led to Lii's promo-
tion to zhenjun At!" (Perfected Lord). A Yuan text by *Chen Zhixu describes
a ritual performed in his honor on his birthday (*Jindan dayao, Xianpai {W ~;
CT T070, 2a- 8a).
The Northern Song dynasty also saw the appearance of several *neidan texts
attributed to Zhongli Quan and Lii Oongbin. Some of these so-called *Zhong-
Lii texts are directly related to the cui tic centers in Hunan and Jiangxi. For
example, one of them, the *Qinyuan chun, was revealed in Yuezhou and another,
the Zhouhou sancheng pian M 1~ = JJ.X; m (Folios on the Three Accomplishments
to Keep at Hand; *Daoshu, j. 25), was printed and distributed by a governor
during the Shunxi reign period (II74- 89) in Yueyang Mik IWj (Hunan).
Lii Oongbin reportedly ascended to heaven from the Huanghe Iou ftt~
fIl (Pavilion of the Yellow Crane) in Jiangxi, which became the site of a stele
bearing his biography. From the Southern Song onward, writings of all kinds
were attributed to him, including moral texts and sexual manuals. The Ming
dynasty saw a spate of activity around Lii that continues to the present day.
Farzeen BALDRIAN-HUSSEIN
ID Ang 1993; Ang 1997; Baldrian-Hussein 1985; Baldrian-Hussein 1986; Boltz
J. M. 1987a, 64, 67-68, and 139-43; Chen Yuan 1988, 358; Oespeux 1990, 77-82;
Jing Anning 1996; Katz P. R. 1996; Katz P. R. 1999, 52-93; Kohn 1993b, 126-32;
Little 2000b, 324- 27; Ma Xiaohong 1986; Mori Yuria 1990; Qing Xitai 1994, I:
295-97; see also bibliography for the entry *baxian
* Yongle gong; Chunyang Lii zhenren wenji; Liizu quanshu; Qinyuan chun; Taiyi
jinhua zongzhi; Zhong-Lii chuandao ji; neidan; Nanzong; Quanzhen; Zhong-
Lii; H AGIOGRAPHY