The system of awarding talismans originated from the Zhengyi League's prestige

Many sects of talismans were formed in later generations, each with its own system of awarding and receiving talismans. Zhengyimeng Weidao was founded in the Eastern Han Dynasty. At that time, it established many rules and regulations, which made Taoism, which originated among the people, take a big step towards an institutionalized religion. One of them is the conferment system. The details of the method of conferring 瓓生 when Zhang Daoling founded the Taoism are unknown, but the title "瓓生" is mentioned in many places in the "Zhengyi Fawen Jingzhang Guanpin", which shows that a complete system was already in place at that time. According to legend, around the end of the Jin Dynasty, Zhang Sheng, the fourth grandson of Zhang Daoling, moved to Longhu Mountain in Guixi, Jiangxi Province, and this place became the seat of the Zhengyi Sect's ancestral altar. Zhang Sheng also brought the system of granting urns to Longhu Mountain. It is said that the system of giving three yuan a day was established at that time. At the same time as Zhang Tianshi founded Taoism or later, many other Taoist schools, large or small, were formed. However, at first, they all practiced the method of apprenticeship and learning Taoism. Masters and disciples set up an oath to express that their Taoism would remain unchanged and they would not disobey their masters. This method is more suitable for a single line of inheritance, but is obviously not suitable for the stability and expansion of the religious order. Therefore, later all Taoist sects saw the superiority of the Zhengyi League's method of teaching the way of teaching. Taoist sects such as Shangqing and Lingbao, which were formed during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, also formulated their own methods and adopted the method of teaching to recruit disciples. method. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, various sects of Taoism had their own sects, but they appeared as a unified religion in society to distinguish themselves from other religions (such as Buddhism). Therefore, the legal instruments of various schools are also arranged in a unified manner. In the Tang Dynasty, starting from the Zhengyi urn at the lowest level, the Shangqing urn was the highest, with 120 levels, forming a strict and standardized system. After the Song Dynasty, there were still new talismans appearing, such as Shenxiao, Qingwei, Jingming, etc., which were all new and important Taoist sects of talismans, each with its own method of giving and receiving talismans. Starting from the Northern Wei Dynasty, emperors of all dynasties or those who believed in Taoism also received talismans, and the Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous. Even more dignitaries and scholar-bureaucrats were punished. These have promoted the improvement of the system of conferring urns and also improved the social status of tao urns.

Each school of talismans often has many levels. Obtaining a talisman is a certificate for entering the Tao. At the same time, moving from a low-level talisman to a high-level talisman means that the Taoist level is rising. Therefore, as far as a sect is concerned, from entering the Tao to being promoted, there must be many sacrifices. If you want to achieve a higher status in the entire Taoist world, you must accept the Taoist teachings comprehensively arranged by various sects.

Era of the Southern Song Dynasty

By the early Ming Dynasty, most of the talisman sects belonged to the Zhengyi sect, and the teaching of talismans became the main method of inheritance of the Zhengyi sect. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, many kinds of talismans appeared successively. Among them, the most influential ones are Longhushan (Zhengyi Zongtan), Maoshan (Shangqing Zongtan), and Gezaoshan (Lingbao Zongtan), collectively known as Sanshan Talisman. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial court ordered Zhengyi Zhenren (called Zhang Tianshi among Taoists and among the people) to raise the Sanshan Talisman, so all the talismans of various schools were under the control of Zhang Tianshi. In the Ming Dynasty, the original Fulu Taoist sects were merged into the Zhengyi sect, and the Zhengyi sect actually became the general name for all Fulu Taoist sects. It follows the original method of teaching, but the specific levels of the teachings have been changed. In modern times, the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master claimed to have thirty-six kinds of urns and seventy-two kinds of talismans. However, due to the social unrest and political changes in modern times, its talismans are no longer complete.

The strict rituals of conferrals

However, there have been various changes in development. In general, contemporary conferrals have been greatly streamlined. Conferring gifts is a major event for a Taoist sect or an individual. "Zhengyi Cultivation Brief Rite" says, "Those who follow the precepts should discipline their temperament, stop mistakes, restrain evil roots, and generate karma." "From the ordinary to the holy, from beginning to end, you must first accept the precepts, and then ascend to the true level." Therefore, receiving is The necessary conditions for ascending to immortality have a very sacred meaning. Because of this, the burial ceremony is solemn and sacred, and has formed a strict ritual in history. For example, the "Zhengyi Conferment Instrument" of the Tang Dynasty covers many aspects. Because in the past dynasties, high-ranking officials, nobles and even emperors were enshrined, so the mandala was set up and the offerings to Taoist gods and masters were very rich. Moreover, a large urn often includes many parts, and the granting process is not completed at one time, but takes many times or even several years to complete. In modern times, social unrest has made it difficult to hold the enshrinement ceremony normally. Even if it is held, it is impossible to fully follow the cumbersome etiquette of ancient times.

Into the mid-20th century

Due to political changes and because China has experienced many political movements, especially the impact of the "Cultural Revolution", the granting of conferments has actually Kuangyi. It was not until the 1980s that Taoist temples were restored, and the enshrinement ceremony was gradually restored.

First, several ceremonies were held at the Sihan Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi Province, to confer burials on fellow Taoists from overseas and Taiwan. On the Xiayuan Festival of Yihai year (December 6, 1995 in the Gregorian calendar), the China Taoist Association officially held the first domestic burial ceremony in Longhu Mountain. This time, the traditional organizational system was restored, but several changes were made in the specific form. First, the time is short. The ancient enshrinement ceremony usually lasted at least seven days, but this time it only lasted three days. The time is shortened, and of course the links involved are also reduced accordingly. However, its major programs remain. The whole ceremony went through the initiation, worship, transmission, fasting, worshiping, sending off the saints, etc. At the same time, according to the tradition, there are messengers, supervisors and recommenders in the ceremony of conferring urn; and there are also urn-protecting masters, dharma-protecting masters, sutra-protecting masters, precept-protecting masters, altar-protecting masters and Tao-protecting masters

Currently

The conferment of urn has been included in the system. In addition to Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi, the ceremony of conferring urn can be held in the original ancestral altar locations such as Maoshan.

Today’s conferring system

Today, with the prosperity of Taoism, the conferring of conferments has become increasingly standardized and institutionalized. Below, we will only give a brief introduction to the Zhengyi sect’s teachings.

Conditions for conferring urns

According to the China Taoist Association's "Regulations on the Conferment of Energizers to Taoist Priests of the Zhengyi Sect", the conditions for Taoist priests of the Zhengyi Sect to receive urns are:

(1) Become a believer in the Three Treasures of "Tao, Sutra, and Master", and have traditional teachers and disciples from the Dharma sect,

(2) Taoist priests of the Zhengyi sect who have been recognized and registered by provincial Taoist groups.

(3) Be patriotic and love the religion, abide by the law, have pure beliefs, have good conduct, be physically and mentally healthy, be dignified and tidy, and abide by the rules;

(4) Understand the basic knowledge of Taoism, Be able to practice and recite sutras at all levels according to the subject;

(5) Be familiar with the main religious rituals and norms of Taoism, and be able to engage in fasting and ritual activities;

(6) The provincial Taoist religion where the sutra is located Association review and recommendation. In areas where no Taoist association has been established, recommendations can be made by the temple and submitted to the higher-level Taoist association for review.

The "Three Masters" who Confer Sutras

The altar where the Taoist priests of the Zhengyi sect teach and receive sutras is called the "urn altar". Also known as the "Wanfa Zongtan". At the enshrinement ceremony, three masters must be present, namely: the engraving master, the engraving master, and the recommending master. These three masters were appointed by the Taoist palace where the enshrinement ceremony was held. In addition to inspecting the basic situation of the student, familiarity with classics, Taoist cultivation, etc., the three masters were also responsible for signing the "Official Certificate" issued before the conferment took effect. Their specific division of labor is as follows: ◎Transfer Master: The person who presides over the ceremony of conferring the urn. ◎Supervisor: Generally, the hereditary Zhang Tianshi of the Zhengyi sect serves as the supervisor. He supervises that the entire engraving activity is carried out in accordance with Taoist rituals.

◎Recommender: Responsible for recommending Zhengdao priests to participate in the ceremony.

Levels of conferring urns

According to the provisions of the "Temple of Heaven Jade Grid", the standard reference material for ceremonial ceremonies, there are 5 levels of conferring urns:

First time award: Awarded "Tai Shang San Wu Du Gong Sutra Ripe", referred to as "Du Gong Sutra", requirements: proficient in "Morning and Evening Work Sutra", reciting "Laozi's Tao Te Ching" and "Saving People Sutra", belonging to the sixth and seventh grades Title;

Second addition: promotion to "Taishang Zhengyi Mengweijinglu", referred to as "Mengweijinglu", requirements: proficient in all Zhengyi classics, belonging to the fourth or fifth rank title;

The third addition of the 瓓: the additional award of the "Shangqing Three Cave and Five Thunder Sutras", referred to as the "Five Thunder Sutras", requires: proficiency in the "Shangqing Sutra", a third-grade title;

< p>The fourth addition: "Shangqing Three Cave Sutra Rui" is promoted, referred to as "Three Cave Sutra Rui", the requirements are: proficiency in "Three Cave Sutra", belonging to the second-grade title;

The fifth addition Ru: To be promoted to "Shangqing Dadong Sutra Ru", referred to as "Shangqing Ru", it requires a thorough understanding of the Tibetan scriptures. It is a first-level title. It is usually only awarded to the real Celestial Master and not to outsiders.

According to relevant regulations, "You can apply for promotion three years after the initial award; you can apply for additional promotion eight years after the promotion; you can apply for the promotion twelve years after the promotion." However, the Shangqing Three Cave Sutra Ruins and the Shangqing Dadong Sutra Ruins are high-level legal positions in Taoism. You do not have to be old enough to apply for them. You must also be proficient in relevant classics and pass the assessment of the "Three Masters", and can be selectively promoted based on merit.

To be specific, the requirements for conferment and promotion are more complicated:

"Those who request promotion and promotion must rely on their merits and deeds to gain promotion. Du Gong It takes three years to be promoted to the Alliance Prestige; eight years to be promoted to the Five Thunder Sutras; it takes 12 years to be promoted to the Three Holes and Five Thunders; if you have no merit, you will not be promoted. If you have outstanding merit or special contributions to society (referring to the world) People, saving oneself and benefiting others, doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, etc.) can be promoted in an exceptional manner.

Those who have no merit or virtue and wish to be promoted will be sent down by heaven instead. ”

The corresponding “title” after the award

In the above introduction, encyclopedia readers may notice that each level of award is followed by the sentence “belongs to a certain title” ". The above-mentioned "titles" were only recognized within Taoism in the past dynasties and are not equivalent to the positions and grades of officials in the world. You should pay attention to the difference. According to Taoist theory, the above-mentioned "titles" are the job grades of Taoist priests in the world of immortals.

So, what kind of positions in heaven do these conferments correspond to? Since there are actually many different versions of "Temple of Heaven Jade" in circulation, the following is only written by Zhang Hongren, the fifty-third generation of heavenly masters. Preface, the version of "Temple of Heaven Jade" written by Zhu Heqing in 1902 (the 28th year of Guangxu) is used as a reference to introduce: The "position" of rank in heaven Select Jinshi from the Ninth Rank Taiji Palace and the right judge of Wuleiyuan and work together The Procurator of the Thunder City is the ninth-grade Tai Chi palace. He selects the left judge of Jinshi Wu Lei Yuan and works with him. The Secretary of the Thunder City is leading the troops from the right to enforce the law from the eighth-grade Tai Chi coder. The Lord of Thunder City, the Secretary of Thunder City, signed the book from the Immortal Officer of the Right Palace of Tai Chi, Shang Qing Si Lu. The order is from the left palace of the sixth level of Tai Chi, the Immortal Official Palm. The order from the thunder is from the right palace of the fifth level of Tai Chi, Dongyang. The deputy ambassador of Xianqing Wulei, the right servant of the Taiji Palace of the fourth rank, and the deputy ambassador of Xianqing Wulei, the minister of the Leisure Sifu, who is the right servant of the Taiji Palace of the fourth rank. Xianqing Shenxiao Yushu, the deputy Yishi, judged the affairs of the sifu in the north and south. The third-grade Tai Chi Zhenyi Xianqing Shenxiao Yushu You Yishi judged the affairs of the sifu in the north and south. The second-grade Taichi Shenxiao Yushu Tongzhen both judged the north and south. The official affairs of the Leiting Sifu are upright. The second-grade Tai Chi Shenxiao Yushu visited and judged the affairs of the Leiting Sifu in the north and south. The first-grade Taichi Right Immortal Weng Jiutian Jinque Shizhong Shenxiao Yushu interviewed and judged the Shenxiao Yufu Leiting Zhu. Among them, the "official position" part seems to continue the style of official names since the Tang Dynasty. "Know something" means "specifically responsible for such affairs and work", and "judge something" means "supervisor" Such-and-such affairs and work". The "official rank" here is divided into 9 grades with differences between senior and subordinate, which is different from the 7 grades in the current conferment system. This is probably due to the simplification of the conferment system in modern times. .

The ritual of conferment

Today's conferment ritual has been greatly simplified compared with history. It usually includes the following steps:

Students (those who are awarded the 瓓堂) should register, and check relevant documents, letters of introduction from local religious departments, letters of recommendation from famous Taoist teachers, etc.;

Lu students accept the collective assessment of the 瓓堂 assessment team and review their understanding of relevant Familiarity with the classics;

Lusheng participated in the rituals of the Shangbiao and welcomed Luan;

Under the guidance of the "Three Masters", Lusheng saluted the ancestral heavenly master and took refuge in the three refuges. Nine times of worship;

Lu Sheng knelt down and recited the "Sutra of Saving People";

Lu Sheng received the sutra basket and the "Zu Du" (also known as the "Lu Sutra") in the Tianshi Hall. Corresponding instruments (such as tokens, flags, scriptures, Taoist uniforms, etc.) will be issued according to the level of the ceremony, and the ritual will be completed.