#maoshan

How and why do talismans work? Inscriptions are symbolic embodiments of archetypal forces, representatives of invoked deities, or references to sacred entities (for example, Taoist mountains, constellations, etc.). The Word is supposed to collect and project their power. The signs of the talismanic inscription are organized as a scheme of its deployment. The methods of launching or wearing the…

Modern manuals and studies designate by the term fu any objects of magical purpose, involving an inscription and/or graphic symbols. However, in China, there has never been a single homologue for the word “talisman”. Fu as “talisman” is an obvious and pretty recent misnaming. Continue reading Terminology Jumble With Fu Talismans

The Book of Master Celestial Seclusion (天隱子) is one of the influential manuals of the Shangqing school, included in the Tang Golden Age corpus. The source is attributed to Sima Chengzhen (at least the preface). Even if this attribution is not perfectly accurate, it is evident that the treatise comes from the same Taoist circle and develops his emblematic method of “Sitting in Oblivion.” Continue…

It is not entirely clear when the Maoshan became the center of a large popular pilgrimage in addition to drawing Daoist adepts and literati.

At the heart of the religious and mystical tradition associated with the Shangqing school is the worship of the Three Perfect Sovereign Brothers. The eldest, Mao Ying, is the legendary (though not mythical) founder of the Maoshan tradition.