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

NOTES 1 (In the first year of the Yanzai 5£fS dynastic era [694]) a fuduodan 8£#ü from Persia [Bosi guo v&Ärlil, upon visiting our court, brought the false teachings of The Book of the Two Principles [Erzong jing Zlglfl] from the state Da Qin -km of the Western Sea. (Fozu tongji WftMie T2035: 0370al). 2 For summary information on the issue, see Kósa: 2000a, 2001a. 3 For details, see Kósa 2001a, pp. 178-188; Lin 1994, pp. 179-228. 4 On Chinese exorcism in Hungarian language, see Kósa 2002; on exorcism in other cultures, see e.g. Charles 1953. 5 Schäfer 1951, p. 153; Cohen 1978. 6 Boileau 2002, p. 377: Groot 1964, pp. 1269-1280. 7 Major 1999, pp. 122-124; Smith 1991, p. 223. * Groot 1964, pp. 1200-1211; Schäfer 1951, p. 134. " Groot 1964, p 1295; Nickerson 1994, p. 45. 10 Smith 1991, p. 222. " Tanghuiyao 49.11 a. 12 A commentary by ttJf (222-284 AD) to the Zuozhuan (Xigong 21). 13 Zhouli Ji]?S 50.15b, 22a. For the description of shamans in Zhouli, see Falkenhausen 1995. 14 Chunqiu fanlu ÏFiÀSÏîS 3a-5b. [Wuyingdian juzhenban quanshu ^MJ^WiH^.Hi edition], cf. Schafer 1951, p. 131. n.4. 13 Sutton 2000, p. 8. 16 Lin 1994, pp. 220-222. 17 Sutton 2000, p. 10. " Glum 1982, p. 245; Sutton 2000, pp. 7-8. 15 For instance, the collections that contain short stories of earlier periods, such as anthologies compiled in the era of the Five Dynasties and in the Song era, e.g.: Hong Mai îfiiS : Yijianzhi Liu Fu Wir'- Qingsuo gaoyi #$353*; Fei Kun Liangxi manzhi ^HKfee or Xu Xuan í£íx : Jishenlu faiiSP: (cited here), and, in general, the Taiping guangji A^JPfld. 20 Groot 1964, pp. 1323-1341. 21 In the Ming and Qing eras, the figure of the unsuccessful shaman transformed into that of a deceitful charlatan with no genuine abilities (Sutton 2000, p. 16). 22 The story may have been fairly well-known: "As I read in the work by Xu changshi WÏÏfâ

, entitled Jishenlu, 'There was a person who was an expert on demonic practices [mofa SEÎÈ and was known as (a follower of) the Religion of Light.' The Religion of Light seems to have been in existence for a long time." Laoxue anbiji ^-PfëSEfS 10.3). Obviously, Xu changshi is none other but Xu Xuan (917-992), the above-mentioned compiler of the Jishenlu. In fact, the administrative title changshi is an abbreviated form of sanqi changshi fxHS'Sii, which denotes a kind of counsellor of the Emperor. 21 At that time, this type of paper-money (zhiqian was not in use as a currency; burning it, people made offerings to the dead (as it is also evidenced by the reference to the temple). 24 For the ancient history of Chinese exorcism, see Kósa 2002a. 25 By the way, this Chinese report is by no means unique: the M781 middle-Persian text contains magic formulae against the demons that live in the house (Henning 1947. pp. 40-41) 26 Jishenlu íiííií 3.6-7. (cited in the Taiping guangji *T-ISK 355.2812). Also see Lieu 1992, pp. 267-268. 27 Also see Boltz 1987, p. 318. n.456. :

* Skar 2000, pp. 425-428, 446-447. 29 According to this part of the description, Mânî follows a tradition and teaches a technique already in existence. This may provide an interesting analogy to the information given in the anti-Manichaean Acta Archelai, which states that Mânî tried to make books written by others appear as if they had been his own (Lieu 1992, p. 292) "' One of the attributes of Vairocana (Piluozhena EJiffiiS'F) is light; most probably this is why he could become a representative of the Light nature in Manichaeism. A fragment in Uighur provides a good analogy to this extract. Here the name Vairocana appears in the form "Lusyanta": "And Mayak Tarmadan [Dharamdäna] spoke thus, 'the being of the Buddha Vairocana [Lusyanta] is the universe itself: the earth, hills, stones, sand, the water of the seas and the rivers, every basin, canal and lake, every tree, every living being and humans. There is not a single place where the nature of Vairocana is not present. If a monk lays a violent hand on something or reaches out his hand for something, he commits an offence against the nature of the Vairocana Buddha." " (T ID 200: 15-21; Zieme, 1981, p. 242. n.46, Lieu 1992, p. 292; Lieu 1998, p. 168). 51 Coptic sources mention that the electi had to mind their steps so that they would not step on the Cross of Light or crush a plant or insect to death (Kephalaia 208,17-20 [Gardner 1995, p. 217]; in general, the whole of the chapter 85 [208,11-213,20; Gardner 1995, pp. 216-221]). In the X"âstvânift (IIIC), there occurs an even more comprehensive statement: "Oh, God! We are miserable sinners; we owe to You and are indebted to You. By thought, speech and action: looking with our eyes, hearing with our ears, talking with our tongues, taking with our hands, stepping with our feet ceaselessly we tortured the light of the five gods [that is, the Light nature present in the world], the five kinds of creatures of the dry and wet earth, its five kinds of trees and plants - due to unbounded and shameless demons." (Asmussen 1975, p. 71 ). The principle of non-violence was so dominant in Manichaeism that, in certain scholars' opinion, Jainism played a crucial role in the formation of this aspect of Manichaeism (Fynes 1996; cf. Woschitz 1989, pp. 105-108). 12 Since the Earth of Magical Form [Radiance] (lingxiang tudi Stnit*) appears in the environment of highly significant mythical figures, it presumably played a dominant role in the Manichaean pantheon; therefore, it is most probably that it refers to the Earth of the Paradise of Light. "The Pure Land adorned with jewels - zhongbao zhuangyan xinjingtu.