Northern Celestial Masters
The Northern Celestial Masters are an evolution of the
History
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Northern Wei (424-450)
Kou Qianzhi was a member of Celestial Master family that came from an area near Chang'an. Inspired by the burgeoning Taoist movement in Southern China, Kou retreated to Mount Song in Henan to receive inspiration. On the mountain, as described by the text The History of the Wei Dynasty, he was visited twice by Laozi. In his first visit in 415, Laozi revealed to Kou a text known as the Laojun Yinsong Jiejing (New Code).[4] This text contained precepts designed for a new religious community. In 423, a messenger of Laozi came and offered Kou a new text called the Lutu Zhenjing (Perfect Scripture of Registers and Charts), which is now lost, and appointed him as the new Celestial Master.[5]
In 424, Kou took these texts with him to the Wei court. There, he was welcomed by
Louguan (450-688)
By the late 470s, Taoists fleeing from the Northern Wei court had transformed Louguan into an important religious center. According to legend, Louguan used to be the home of
Texts
The most important text from the Northern Wei period of the Northern Celestial Masters is the Laojun Yinsong Jiejing (New Code). This text was revealed to Kou Qianzhi in 415, and is now mostly lost apart from a few fragments. The surviving text contains thirty-six precepts that outline rules which a Daoist had to abide by. The behavioral rules outlined proper public conduct and what to do in case of sickness. There were also guidelines describing how banquets were to be set up, as well ritual instructions concerning funeral rites, immortality practice and petitions.[13]
One of the most important text's from the school's Louguan period is called the Xishengjing (The Scripture of Western Ascension). This text describes Laozi's emigration to India and the transmission of the Daode Jing to Yin Xi. However, the text is not really a narrative, but uses the stories as a framework to describe how an adept should live his life. The text describes how an adept can make use of the Dao that is inherent in the world, outlines meditation techniques, and discusses the results of living a sagely life and what happens after death.[14]
Beliefs
The Northern Celestial Master variety of Daoism was both similar and different from Zhang Lu's earlier form. Unlike prior incarnations of the Celestial Masters, which supported
Some similarities between earlier Celestial Master Daoism include the role of Laozi. Laozi was viewed as the personification of the Dao, who existed for eternity and created the world. He was believed to be the creator of the universe and came to earth intermittently to bring forth sacred scriptures, including the Daode Jing and Xisheng Jing. Moreover, Laozi continued to appear periodically and bring forth new scriptures to both Kou Qianzhi and adherents at Louguan, surrounded by a celestial entourage and announced by a celestial envoy. Laozi was also extremely closely linked with the Buddha, and in certain sources, even became the Buddha or announced Yinxi as the Buddha.[20]
Practices
The Northern Celestial Masters followed certain regular, communal rites. One of these communal rites involved formal
While monasticism had existed in Chinese Buddhism, the Northern Celestial Masters were one of the first Daoist groups to practice it. Kou lived a monastic lifestyle on Songshan, known today for being the location of the Shaolin Monastery.[22] Monasticism developed further during the Louguan phase of the Northern Celestial Masters due to this influence of Buddhism. During this period, a clear distinction developed between lay and monastic followers in Daoism. The ordination, precepts and way in which monks sought salvation were all influenced by Buddhism.[19]
Art
Many art objects were produced in Northern China during the time of the Northern Celestial Masters. These objects were closely modeled on Buddhist designs. The image of the god (usually Laozi), would be carved on the front side of a stone stele, with inscriptions on the back or side of the carving. The inscriptions were usually prayers to the dead, a wish for the happiness of family members or wishes for political peace. The iconography and contents of the inscriptions show that a close relationship between Daoism and Buddhism existed in the Northern Wei state.[23] This relationship is especially evident in some four-sided stelae that had carvings of both Laozi on two sides and the Buddha on the other two.[24]
References
Footnotes
- ^ Harper, (2002) p. 452.
- ^ Kohn (2000), p. 283.
- ^ Kohn (2000), p. 284-285.
- ^ Ware (1933), p. 228.
- ^ a b Kohn (2000), p. 284.
- ^ Mather (1979), p. 112-113.
- ^ Mather (1979), p. 116-117.
- ^ Mather (1979), p. 120-121.
- ^ Kohn (2000), p. 285.
- ^ Kohn (2000), p. 286-287.
- ^ Kohn (2008), p. 710.
- ^ Kohn (2000), p. 289-290.
- ^ Kohn (2008), 609-610.
- ^ Kohn (2008), 1135.
- ^ Despeux, (2000), 399.
- ^ Kohn (2000), p. 299.
- ^ a b Kohn (2000), p. 302.
- ^ Robinet (1997), p. 76.
- ^ a b Kohn (2000), p. 304.
- ^ Kohn (2000), p. 298-299.
- ^ Toshiaki, (1995), 73.
- ^ Goosseart (2008), p. 916.
- ^ Kohn (2000), p. 303.
- ^ Kohn and Lafargue (1998), p. 67.
General sources
- Despeux, Catherine. "Women in Daoism." in Livia Kohn ed., Daoism Handbook (Leiden: Brill, 2000), 384–412.
- Goossaert, Vincent. "Songshan." in Fabrizio Pregadio, ed., The Encyclopedia of Taoism (London: Routledge, 2008), 915–916.
- Harper, Damian ed. China. London: Lonely Planet, 2002.
- Kohn, Livia. "Laojun Yinsong Jiejing." in Fabrizio Pregadio, ed., The Encyclopedia of Taoism (London: Routledge, 2008), 609–610.
- Kohn, Livia. "Louguan Pai." in Fabrizio Pregadio, ed., The Encyclopedia of Taoism (London: Routledge, 2008), 710–711.
- Kohn, Livia. "The Northern Celestial Masters." in Livia Kohn ed., Daoism Handbook (Leiden: Brill, 2000), 283–308.
- Kohn, Livia. "Xisheng Jing." in Fabrizio Pregadio, ed., The Encyclopedia of Taoism (London: Routledge, 2008), 1114–1115.
- Kohn, Livia and Michael LaFargue eds. Lao-Tzu and the Tao-Te-Ching. Albany: State University of New York, 1998.
- Mather, Richard. "K'ou Ch'ien-chih and the Taoist Theocracy at the Northern Wei court 425-451" In Facets of Taoism, edited by Holmes Welch and Anna Seidel, 103–133. New Haven: Yale University, 1979.
- Robinet, Isabelle. Taoism: Growth of a Religion. Stanford: Stanford University, 1997.
- Yamada, Toshiaki (1995). "The Evolution of Taoist Ritual: K'ou Ch'ien Chih and Lu Hsiu-Ching". Acta Asiatica. 68: 69–83.
- Ware, James (1933). "The Wei Shu and the Sui Shu on Taoism". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 53 (3): 215–250. JSTOR 594400.
External links