Empowered Writing Exorcistic and Apotropaic Rituals in Medieval China

Bumbacher, Stephan Peter

ISBN 10: 193148323X / ISBN 13: 9781931483230

Published by Three Pines Pr, 2012

About this Item

221 pages. 8.75x5.75x0.55 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # 193148323X

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Empowered Writing Exorcistic and Apotropaic Rituals in Medieval China
• Publisher: Three Pines Pr
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 193148323X
• ISBN 13: 9781931483230
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.33 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

Empowered Writing explores the inherent powers of Chinese talismans, petitions, registers, and holy scriptures, presenting a systematic study of their exorcistic and apotropaic properties. The book divides into three parts: tallies, petitions, and scriptures―all inherently empowered since they originate from the very same primordial energy as Dao, the heavens, and highest gods.

Using a vast arsenal of original sources, the book traces the unfolding and transformation of empowered writing from the Warring States period through the Six Dynasties, closely examining the different kinds of writing, their uses, and interpretation as well as relating uniquely Daoist features to imperial and Buddhist usages.

About the Author

Stephan Peter Bumbacher is professor of Chinese Studies and Comparative Religion at the University of Tübingen. He also teaches Classical Chinese and Chinese religions at the University of Zurich, and Comparative Religion at the University of Basel. His main research interests are Daoist studies, the interactions between religions, as well as textual criticism. He is the author of The Fragments of the Daoxue zhuan (2000) and the co-editor of The Spread of Buddhism (2007).