Fulu
| Part ofa serieson |
| Taoism |
|---|
 |
Fulu(traditional Chinese:Phù lục;simplified Chinese:Bùa chú;pinyin:fúlù) areTaoistmagic symbols and incantations,[1][2]translatable into English as 'talismanic script',[a]which are written or painted on talismans calledLinh phù;Linh phù;língfúby Taoist practitioners.[4][5][6]
These practitioners are calledPhù lục phái;fúlù pài;'the fulu sect', an informal group made up of priests from different schools of Taoism. Like most aspects of Taoist practice, use of these objects is not confined to Taoism: they have been incorporated into several forms ofChinese Buddhism,and have inspired theofudaused inJapanese BuddhismandShintoand thebujeokused inKorean shamanism.
Etymology[edit]
Phù;fú[7]are instructions for deities and spirits, symbols forexorcism,[8]and recipes for potions or charms used to treat ailments. ALục;lùis a registry for the memberships of priests, which additionally lists the skills they are trained in.
History[edit]
Scholarly research into the history of Taoist symbolism has always been a particular challenge, because historically, Taoist priests have often used abstruse, obscure imagery writing to express their thoughts, meaning that a path to their successful decipherment and interpretation isn't always readily found inprimary sources.[9]According to scholar Yang Zhaohua, while a number of the earliest known Taoist talismans were "simple and legible", later examples had become deliberately cryptic in order to signal their divinity.[10][11]Other scholars of Taoism such as James Robson and Gil Raz have claimed that the incomprehensibility of written forms is central to the talisman's perceived authority and efficacy, and is one of talismanic script's defining features.[10][12]
During theEastern Jin dynasty(317–420), it was already considered unnecessary for users of Taoist talismans to be able to decipher the writing on them in order for them to be considered efficacious.[10]Ge Hongnoted in hisBaopuzithat as long as the inscription was authentic, successful use of the talisman did not depend on whether the user was able to decipher its script.[10]By this time, the talisman's illegibility had already become a sign that they were of divine authority and held supernatural provenance.[10]
Design[edit]
Fulutend to have irregular strokes that resembleChinese characters,often elongating existing words while incorporating non-character symbols.[3]Taoist priestsare the main interpreters of this eclectic writing system, and the characters can differ from sect to sect.[3]The method of writing down these characters is generally passed down in secret from a Taoist priest to their disciples and treated as a special craft with which to communicate to local deities and spirits.[3]According toFudan Universityprofessor Ge Zhaoguang, the unreadability of Taoist talismanic is a type of 'linguistic archaism' deliberately designed to be incomprehensible, as "a veil of unfathomable otherwordliness" that allows only a small number of qualified clergy to adequately produce them.[10][13]
Somefuluappear to have been created as a composition of two Chinese characters, by stacking one atop of the other.[3]This technique of synthesis was not unique to Taoists:fulualso appear on other kinds of Chinese charms, such asBuddhist coin charmsandwoodblock prints.[3]Fulustyle varies from sect to sect, with each having different incantations and differentmudrasused in their creation. Even the invocations used for a single deity will vary between sects.
Healthcare[edit]
Talismans have been used for centuries in China as a healing method alongside medicines, meditation,acupuncture,astrology, and massage.[14]Known asChúc từ;zhuyouin medical writings, the use of talismans enjoyed official support between theSuiand the lateMingdynasties, though seeing decline when rival acupuncture practices were recognised by the imperial court as a medicinal discipline in the 6th century.[15]
While rejected bytraditional Chinese medicine,zhuyoucontinues to be widely used amongst Chinese folk healers today. With the growing influence of Western psychology in the 20th century,zhuyoubegan to be interpreted as a Chinese counterpart of Western hypnosis.[16]
Literary references[edit]
One of the earliest references tofuluis found in theHuangdi Yinfujing,though without adequate instructions for the writing thereof. The second chapter of each of the three grottoes in theDaozangis a record of the history and feats of the 'fulusect', wherefuluare said to originate with the condensation of clouds in the sky.[3]
On coins[edit]
Fuluwas also incorporated into coin talismans, of which many resemblecash.Many of these talismans have not yet been deciphered. One specimen has been described where talismanic script was written side by side withChinese characterssuspected to be their glosses or equivalents.[3][17][18]On rare occasions,fuluhas also been found on Buddhist numismatic charms and amulets. Most of these coin talismans requestLei Gongto protect its carriers from evil spirits and misfortune.[3]
Fuluare usually included at the beginning and the end of the inscription on a Taoist coin charm.[3]
Further reading[edit]
- Huang, Shih-shan Susan (2012).Picturing the true form: Daoist visual culture in traditional China.Harvard East Asian monographs. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Asia Center: Distributed by Harvard University Press.ISBN978-0-674-06573-4.OCLC758383292.
- Shih-shan Susan Huang ( hoàng sĩ san ) (2018).Daoist Seals.
- Wong, Eva (2011).Taoism: an essential guide.Boston: Shambhala.ISBN978-1-59030-882-0.OCLC642843256.See in particular Chapter 7,Magical Taoism, The Way of Power.
- Lưu, hiểu minh (2013).Trung Quốc phù chú văn hóa nghiên cứu.Trung Quốc thần bí văn hóa hệ liệt. Beijing: Trung ương biên dịch nhà xuất bản.ISBN978-7-5117-1742-9.
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"Phù lục".Ninchanese.Retrieved11 September2019.
- ^"Phù lục".ApproaChinese.Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2022.Retrieved11 September2019.
- ^abcdefghij"Daoist (Taoist) Charms - Đạo giáo phẩm áp sinh tiền - Introduction and History of Daoist Charms".Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture).16 November 2016.Retrieved10 May2018.
- ^"Linh phù".Ninchanese.Retrieved11 September2019.
- ^"Linh phù".Ninchanese.Retrieved11 September2019.
- ^"Linh phù".ApproaChinese.Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2022.Retrieved11 September2019.
- ^"Amulettes religieuses (Religious charms)".François Thierry de Crussol (TransAsiart)(in French). 14 September 2015.Retrieved6 July2018.
- ^The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition by Benenell Wen. Publisher: North Atlantic Books. Publication date: September 27, 2016.ISBN978-1623170660.
- ^Linbo Cai (21 November 2022)."The Sacred Writing of Knowledge: Interpreting the True Form Charts of the Man-Bird Mountain in Taoism".Religions.13(11): 1128.doi:10.3390/rel13111128.
- ^abcdefSteavu, Dominic, "Paratextuality, Materiality, and Corporeality in Medieval Chinese Religions",[1](Archive).
- ^Yang Zhaohua,“Devouring Impurities: Myth, Ritual and Talisman in the Cult of Ucchus.ma in Tang China”(PhD dissertation,Stanford University,2013), 267–268.
- ^James Robson, “Signs of Power: Talismanic Writing in Chinese Buddhism,” History of Religions 48:2 (2008), especially 135–139, and 167; and Gil Raz, The Emergence of Daoism: Creation of Tradition (London:Routledge, 2012), 139–143.
- ^Ge Zhaoguang,Trung Quốc tôn giáo cùng văn học luận tập,57, cited in Yang, “Devouring Impurities,” 269. Similarly, Brigitte Baptandier, “Le Tableau talismanique de l'Empereur de Jade, Construction d'un objet d'écriture,” L’Homme 129 (1994): 59–92, argues that while talismanic diagrams are not intended to be read according to habitual linguistic conventions, through their symbols and script, they narrate mythologies and histories (among other things) and are therefore decipherable if not legible. However, she focuses on contemporary applications of talismans-diagrams that date from a more recent time when Daoism, especially in its more vernacular incarnations, was less concerned with establishing legitimacy and thus not as inclined to emphasise illegibility; see also Yang, “Devouring Impurities,” 269.
- ^Lin, Fu-shih. "“Chúc từ” giải thích: Lấy 《 hoàng đế nội kinh ‧ Tố Vấn 》 vì trung tâm văn bản thảo luận ".Trung ương viện nghiên cứu lịch sử ngôn ngữ viện nghiên cứu tập san.83(4): 671–738.
- ^Fan, Ka Wai (2004).Lục triều Tùy Đường y học chi truyền thừa cùng chỉnh hợp.Hong Kong: Hong Kong tiếng Trung đại học nhà xuất bản.ISBN9789629961558.
- ^Bernardi Junqueira, Luis Fernando (2021-06-08)."Revealing Secrets: Talismans, Healthcare and the Market of the Occult in Early Twentieth-century China".Social History of Medicine.34(4): 1068–1093.doi:10.1093/shm/hkab035.ISSN0951-631X.PMC8653939.PMID34899068.
- ^TAOISTSECRET.COMTaoist Talismans[permanent dead link].Retrieved: 10 May 2018.
- ^Anything Anywhere - CHINA, amulets.Chinese culture is permeated, no, based on poetic allusion, hidden meanings, union of opposites, complex currents of energy and intention. In certain contexts these bases can express in rank superstition (present in all human cultures), and in others can lead to scientific advancement.Retrieved: 10 May 2018.
