The Daoist Body in the Liturgy of Salvation Through Refinement

Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/f1881m36q

Abstract

This thesis addresses the concept of the body and souls in the Liturgy of Salvation through Refinement (liandu yi 鍊度儀) based on the Great Rites of Shangqing Lingbao (Shangqing Lingbao dafa 上清灵宝大法) written by Wang Qizhen 王契真. It traces the concept of refinement from texts in early Celestial Master Daoism, Shangqing revelation and the Lingbao tradition to explore how the idea of refinement gradually became a practice in ritual performance before and during the Tang dynasty. After that, it carefully examines the Liturgy of Salvation through Refinement and analyzes the metaphors of the pools of water and fire, the correlative relationship between the body and deities, and the ideas of souls and purgatory. This study intends to explore the concept of body and souls and improve the knowledge of ritual performance in Song China.

Creator