The Collecting and Editing of Taoist Ritual Texts
- The Collecting and Editing of Taoist Ritual Texts
Appendix 1. Abstracts of Individual Books in the Collection of Traditional Chinese Ritual Texts”
Yu Yi, The Chongshan Tan in Lushan County, Sichuan
The Chongshan Tan (Altar for the Exaltation of Virtue) is a troupe which combines Taoist and Buddhist rituals. Located in the Erlang Temple at the Feixian Pass in Lushan county, Ya’an prefecture, Sichuan, it is active in Lushan, Ya’an, and Tianquan. The Chongshan Tan takes the preaching of the Buddha concerning virtue to be its model and converting people by exhorting to virtue its duty. The team is composed of some 20 lay practitioners, of whom seven or eight live in the temple. There they take care of the temple affairs, and receive benefactors. The troupe also stages regular festivals, called Longhua Hui, which take place on the 12th day of the third, fifth, and ninth months respectively. They include the recitation of the Dragon-flower Litany and the expounding of the karmic relations between the four kinds of beings, e.g. those bom from the womb, from eggs, from the water and through transformation. It also holds festivals on the 24th day of the sixth month for Erlang of Guankou, known also as Lord of Sichuan and on the 19th days of the second, sixth, and ninth months for Guanyin. In addition to the recitation of scriptures and litanies, the members of the troupe also perform exorcisms and pray for good fortune for individual patrons.
Yu Yi, The Banruo Tan in Lushan County, Sichuan
Located in the township of Qingyuan, Lushan county, Sichuan, the Buddhist Banruo Tan (Altar of Prajna-wisdom) is made up primarily of lay practitioners. Legend has it that when the Buddha transmitted The Great Scripture of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita Sutra) on the Lingjiu mountain in Lushan, he exhorted people to do good and thus save all creatures. Thereafter, in response to this call, the Buddhists organized disciples into ritual troupes who, till this day, perform both “auspicious” and “mourning” (e.g. for the dead) rituals for the people. The Banruo Tan performs three types of ritual: for the salvation of the dead, exorcisms for individuals, the communal jiao (including the Pacification of the Earth, the Pure Offering, the Offering in Time of Drought, and the Offering in Time of Excessive Rain). Each of these types has its own ritual sequences and texts. The present volume includes all the various documents used in the course of the different rituals.
Yu Yi, Su Mingxing, Thе Xuhuang Tan in Liangping County, Sichuan
The Xuhuang Tan (Altar of the Sovereign of Void) is a Taoist troupe of the Orthodox Unity school which has performed in Liangping (formerly, Liangshan) county, Sichuan, ever since it came from Longhu Shan (Jiangxi) in the mid-Ming. Composed of several “hearth-dwelling” Taoists who have been duly initiated, the Xuhuang Tan troupe performs rituals of prayer for good fortune and longevity as well as exorcisms for individuals throughout the year. They also perform the yankou ritual to save orphan souls and wild ghosts and so obtain peace and tranquillity for the community. Most of the abundant ritual texts of the Xuhuang Tan are Qing dynasty manuscripts. The present volume contains over fifty scriptures and liturgical texts.
Yu Yi, Tong Xiangming, Zhang Songqin, The Zhaohou Tan in Hejiang County, Sichuan
The Zhaohou Tan (Altar of the Marquis of Zhao) is a vernacular Taoist troupe operating in Hejiang county, Sichuan. It takes its name from the fact that it worships the Marquis of Manifest Response (Taoist name, Perfection of the Pure Source), who is said to have been censor of Jiazhou during the Sui dynasty. The present volume includes a detailed account of the Zhaohou Tan’s history, its ritual repertoire and texts, as well as the highly theatrical pieces: “The Southern Barbarians Enjoy the Sacrifice,” “Luban Builds the Boat,” “Wu Daozi Paints the Beam,” “Getting Rid of the Straw Man,” and “Beating the Stick to Light the Road.” It also includes musical notations for some of the plays and pictures of hand mudras, ritual and musical instruments, and performances.
