Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 23. (Budapest, 2004)

Gábor KÓSA: Extatic Flight and the Realm of Light. Changes in the Estimation of Chinese Manichaeism as mirrored in its relationship with Shamanism

shamanism, but the fact that shamanic practice may serve as the most exact (and, occasionally, the only) analogy to certain phenomena of Chinese religion. Some of the important functions of the central figure of Chinese shamanism (wu) in this interpretation are as follows: 1. Shamans can see and conjure spirits. 2. They can exercise influence on natural phenomena; first and foremost, they can put an end to long aridity and can bring rain. 3. They can expel demons and heal sickness with prayers and other techniques. 4. They conduct ceremonies and perform sacrifices. 5. They can call back the soul of the dying and the sick. 6. They make prophecies. 7. They dance (often accompanied by drums).' Prophesying, ritual dance and the performance of sacrifices are not exclusively characteristic of the WMS; however, expelling demons (exorcism)

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, bringing rain

5 and, later, mediumism (for instance, spirit writing) are shamanic activities par excellence.

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' Shamanic practice was a general phenomenon, that is, it was prevalent among the Han Chinese as well as among (to employ a modern term) the minorities; nevertheless, most certainly, there were certain local preferences (the vicinity of Yangtse and the territories South and East of it) to be discerned from the early periods on.

7 From the Eastern Han period on ( 1 st-2nd centuries AD) Chinese shamanism gradually got thrown into the background;

8 by the Tang era (618-907), its swing towards mediumism became yet more accentuated;

9 and, from the Song era on, of the variegated practices employed by shamans formerly, mediumism gradually became dominant."

1 3. Documents illustrating the relationship between Manichaeism and shamanism In the followings, I am going to give the translation and brief analysis of five extracts. Four of them directly mention shamanism and Manichaeism parallel, while one contains an indirect reference. A remarkable feature of the documents is that they date back to three various eras (two to the Tang era, one to the Song era and two to the Ming era) and they provide a very good representation of the relation to Manichaeism characteristic of the given period. 3.1. "Manichaeism overwrites Shamanism". The paradigm of the Tang era (618-907 AD) and of the era of the Five Dynasties (907-960 AD) The first document to be examined is from the Tanghuiyao li#5£ compiled by Wang Bo zEW (922-982) in 961. The work deals with Chinese establishment; its following sentence relates request for rain (a typically shamanic activity) with Manichaeism. #1. Mît-i KÇ-vnn - lÀxm - %mfm^n ° "in the fourth month of the fifteenth year of the Zhenyuan \KJc period [799], as it had not rained for long, a Manichaean master was ordered to pray for rain."" As evidenced by several sources, rain ceremony belonged to the traditional range of activity of Chinese "shamans" (wu M)'- "It is the female shamans\nuwu) duty to pray for rain."

12 "In case there is great aridity in the country, (the Supervisor of the Shamans) makes the shamans to perform the rainmaking dance (...) If aridity or sweltering heat prevails, (female shamans) perform the rainmaking dance."

11 "If it still does not begin to rain, order the shamans to repeat their spells."

14 However, by the Tang era shamans basically ceased to be considered as persons accepted by the court

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, so in their place other, "outside experts" (that is, Taoists and Buddhists) were employed.

16 It happened not earlier than in the Song era that the shamans' official ceremony of invoking rain was definitely terminated

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; nevertheless, in the country they kept this function of theirs.

18 In all likelihood, Manichaeans, being proficient in astronomy and astrology, were predestined to deal with invoking rain, this other celestial phenomenon. Manichaeism here fulfils a function already in existence, which is well represented by the fact that the Jiu Tangshu (13.11b) associates this very same event with