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

summed up in eight words: "Pure and tranquil, clear and bright, great and mighty, wise and of great intelligence."

3- So would it be fit if nowadays people behaved in conformity with these eight words and desired their full realisation? They call (their teachings) the Religion of Light! And yet they blind themselves!' "

34 Due to the influence organised Taoist schools gained in the court, their negative opinion on shamanic cults (already perceptible in earlier periods)

35 was put into practice. This is why the persecution of shamans in 981 and 992 took place and culminated in the first year of Rezong's ÍZTK (1023-1063) reign.

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" Regardless of all this, ambiguous Taoist attitude to shamanism, perceptible from the beginning, abided in the Song era as well, since Taoists kept on attempting to integrate contemporary shamanic (more specifically, mediumistic) notions and rituals into their own system. 3.3. "Manichaeism and shamanism are equally to be prohibited." The paradigm of the Ming era (1368-1644 AD) It is a well-known fact that the Ming era, which followed the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (1279-1368 AD) tried to introduce stronger state control over every layers and phenomena of society and thus establish a kind of religious orthodoxy. An essential condition of the latter was a yet more detailed concretization of lawgoverned religious norms.

37 It is no accident that the most numerous references to the religious customs of commoners with no office or rank (shuren ,I*A) are made in the Ming law codes (more specifically, in the Da Ming huidiari).

M As a consequence, from the Ming era on antishamanism (perceptible in earlier periods as well) became yet more intensified.

39 #4. "Buddhist communities that observe fasts and Taoist sects that perform ritual offerings must not make petitions or requests (to the spirits), must not place blue writings (for the spirits),

40 furthermore, they must not mould or paint images of heavenly or earthly spirits. We strictly prohibit the followings: the White Lotus Society, the religion of the One Honoured by Light, the White Cloud sect as well as all those male and female shamans

41 who practise spirit writing,

42 pray to saints, make talismans, lay spells on the water (mixed with the talismans) and perform other kinds of tricks.

43 (Prohibiting all these,) we may stave off heretics' rebellion and prevent people from having all kinds of confused intentions. The imperial decree has assented (the above proposition)."

44 zm • smmmm - tmzm - mmn •• mm^mm KM • ' ri > fëft - &tëfc—

5 ' ?/ÍL_-S ° "The leaders (of the groups enlisted below) are to be strangled, their followers are to suffer one hundred strokes and to be exiled to 3000 li lapprox. 1500 km] : (1.) All shaman-masters who fallaciously conjure evil spirits, make talismans and lay spells on the water (mixed with these talismans), practise spirit writing and pray to saints and, furthermore, call themselves Able Master, Great Protector or Woman Master. 15 (2) Those who fallaciously call themselves the followers of the Buddha Maitreya (3) The White Lotus Society, the religion of the Venerable Light and the White Cloud Sect, as well as other (similar) communities whose (members) are fully dedicated to these heretic techniques and thus disturb the order (of the state). Those of them who hide pictures or images, bum incense, form groups, meet at night and depart only at dawn, and behave as they were doing good and thereby disturb and stir up people."

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'' Summary Naturally, the rather heterogeneous nature of the sources renders it difficult to provide an objective estimation of the extracts published