An Analysis Of Taoist Incantations In The Sui And The Tang Dynasty

Rooted in the ancient Chinese systems of beliefs, Taoism has influenced all aspects of Chinese society since it was established in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Shamanism and pantheism, later integrated into Taoism, constitutes an important component of the religious background to the birth of Taoism. In the early time, Taoism absorbed original sorcery, and then created its own unique Taoist magic. In the Taoist magic, Taoist incantations have been of the first and foremost importance both as a carrier of spiritual truths, and as a means of Taoist priests to communicate with the spirits. Taoist incantations, as typical language worship, have been treated with the greatest respect, veneration and secrecy. As, depending on different Taoist rituals, Taoist incantations have varied from time to time and there have been different Taoist incantations through different historical periods, it is too difficult for the author of this thesis to study all of them. The author therefore has decided to study Taoist incantations in the Sui and the Tang Dynasty, who were magnanimous and tolerant in Taoism policy. Taoism was then established as the official religion, and imperially sponsored monasteries were established throughout China. The Sui and the Tang Dynasty, in particular, the Tang Dynasty, represent the peak of Taoist history when Taoism fully penetrated Chinese culture, inspiring poets, painters and philosophers. For the very first time in the history, Taoism became a part of the mainstream ideology, on an equal footing with Confucianism and Buddhism. In this thesis, the author will study Taoist incantations in the background of the Sui and the Tang Dynasty. Regarding Taoist incantations as a mirror, the author, by way of linguistic analysis in combination of certain methods of discourse analysis, will analyze the linguistic features and inherent rules of Taoist incantations and figures out the internal interpretation of language worship so that a new field will be opened up in the research on incantations.