书讯 | Declarations of the Perfected Part Two

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Declarations of the Perfected Part Two: Instructions on Shaping Destiny

Author: Thomas E. Smith

2020

350 Pages

ISBN: 978-1-931483-82-7

About the book

Declarations of the Perfected is the first complete, annotated translation of Zhen’gao, Tao Hongjing’s (456-536) masterful compilation of the Shangqing or Higher Clarity revelations, setting the stage for the heyday of medieval Daoism. The present volume presents the Declarations’ second part (fasc. 5-8), which focuses on the various difficulties that Daoist practitioners are likely to encounter in a dangerous world, and how to overcome them. It begins with instructions of a more general nature, before moving on to problems faced specifically by Xu Mi (303-376) and his family and fellow officials. This volume also sheds much light on the history of its time—the kinds of moral and philosophical issues that were being debated, as well political intrigues in the Eastern Jin court.

THE AUTHOR

Thomas E. Smith received his Ph.D. in Chinese from the University of Michigan, then worked twenty years as a translator and editor for Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade before moving back to Ann Arbor in 2016. He is now a full-time, free-lance translator and editor of scholarly books and articles, mostly in Chinese social sciences and fine arts.

PRAISE

The Zhen’gao or Declarations of the Perfected offers the unique opportunity to look over the shoulders of the “founder” of a new religious tradition. The text collects notes taken by the medium Yang Xi and his adherents, dealing with questions addressed to the immortals and their answers and admonitions. Chapters 5-8, which are translated in this volume, contain information on the otherworldly destiny of deceased members of the Xu family as well as of their acquaintances and their sepulchral plaints. They present a firsthand insight into the religious ideas and concepts that became the fashion of a southern Chinese elite from the third through the sixth centuries CE. Both the author’s translation and copious comments together with helpful contextualizations are praiseworthy. Not only Daoist specialists but anybody having an interest in comparative religion and Chinese history is well advised to peruse this work.

—Stephan Peter Bumbacher, University of Tübingen

CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS VII

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS VIII

INTRODUCTION 1 

TRANSLATION

PREFACE by Tu Long 29

FASCICLE FIVE 33

Instructions on the Way (undated) 33

FASCICLE SIX 88

Introduction to the Ingestion of Atractylodes (undated, probably

August, 365) 88

Instructions and Admonitions on Practicing the Way,

Part One (undated, probably late 367 or early 368) 113

Instructions and Admonitions on Practicing the Way,

Part Two (undated, probably late 367 or early 368) 126

Answers without Questions (undated, possibly 366) 132

Lord Pei’s Admonition against Sex (undated) 139

An Admonition on Mourning, and Xu Mi’s Response

(undated, probably early 366) 142

FASCICLE SEVEN 145

February 7, 366: Consort An Warns Her Husband About Funerals 145

The Perfected Warn against Doubt and Confusion, Then

Evaluate Their Disciples (probably March 27, 366) 149

Wangzi Qiao on Retreat and Avoiding Distractions (undated) 155

Right Blossom on Eliminating Desires, and a Remark

on Suffering (undated, possibly 366) 155

The Way’s Ease and Difficulty, and the Fruits of Diligence

(undated, probably August, 365) 158

Concerning Xu Mi’s Earlier Spirit-medium Hua Qiao

(undated, probably 365 and mid-367) 161

July 28 to September 6, 367: Sepulchral Plaints 167

Responding to Sepulchral Plaints, Part One (late August

to early September, 367) 179

Responding to Sepulchral Plaints, Part Two (up to and

including September 11, 367) 182

September 16 and 15, 367: Xu Mi’s Stinginess, Tao Kedou’s Advice 191

Xu Hui Asks to Receive His Father and Brother’s

Punishments (undated, probably September 367) 194

October 3, 367: Xu Lian’s Lack of Caution Has Consequences 196

November 6, 367: Xu Mi and Xu Que Receive Treatment 197

Xu Mi Urged to Retire and Preserve His Health (undated) 201

Handling Nightmares, Tidying the Quiet Lodging (undated) 203

How Xu Mi Should Protect Himself before Retirement

(undated, probably late 367 or early 368) 205

FASCICLE EIGHT 209

How Xu Mi Should Protect Himself before Retirement,

Continued (undated, probably late 367 or early 368) 209

Tao Kedou’s Tender Advice for Her Family (undated,

probably late 367 or early 368) 210

Advice on Tomb Omens, Infusions, and Medicine for

Mr. Kong (probably mid-June, 368) 215

Advice Concerning Liu Yuanzhi (undated) 223

Advice Concerning Lu Na, Yu Zhao, and Yu He (undated,

probably 366) 229

Advice Concerning Chi Yin (probably 366 /

September 18, 365 and later) 236

Advice Concerning Gao Qi and Xie Feng (possibly

September 20, 365) 251

August 10, 361: Advice on the Princely Bedchamber 255

An Encrypted Prophecy on the Jin Dynasty’s Future

(undated, probably 369) 263

Supplement: A Spurious Manuscript Collected by Lu Xiujing 278

PAST TRANSLATIONS CONSULTED 285

BIBLIOGRAPHY 289

 INDEX 305

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