Creation of tradition: The five talismans of the numinous treasure and the formation of early Daoism (China)

This dissertation examines the formation of Daoist religion between the second to the fifth centuries CE through a detailed analysis the Array of the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure, an important text which inspired many of the scriptures, rites and practices produced by Daoists in the following centuries. This study sets out to present new ways of analyzing the creation of tradition, by examining three strategies of distinction by which traditions construct their identity: lineage construction, creative mythography and ritual systemization. The study begins with an examination of four inscriptions dating to the late second century, which reveal developments in communal cultic practice. I contend that it was within such social contexts that new ritual formulations led to the emergence of new types of religious practices, which came to be called Daoism. In the second chapter I demonstrate that the text was compiled during the late third century in the southern coastal region, that the redaction was impacted by several lineages, and that there were at least two distinct versions of the text in circulation until the fifth century. In the following chapters I explore the strategies of lineage construction, mythography and ritual systemization by which the compilers of the text distinguished their preferred practice from similar practices, thus creating a particular tradition. By uncovering the strategies by which Daoist lineages constructed mythical narratives and ritual practices this study sheds new light on the sources of Daoist religion, revealing hitherto unnoticed links between imperial ritual and mythology and Daoist practices, and provides a richer and more nuanced picture of the development of Daoist religion.