The path of Tao

Wednesday April 15 2010

Report of the visit-conference of the exhibition at the Grand Palais "The Way of the Tao", by Mrs. Vinca Baptiste, Speaker of the Meeting of National Museums.

This is the first time in Europe that an exhibition is devoted to Taoism, thanks to the background of the Guimet Museum and loans from foreign museums.

INTRODUCTION:

Taoism, Daojia, "The teaching of the Way", is a name given in the first century of our era to a complex reality associating a religious current and a set of practices related to the quest for long life already existing in ancient China.

Le Dao"Way, path, method" is a very old notion, not representable, it is the creative and founding concept of the universe. For Taoism, the world was created spontaneously without the intervention of a demiurge.

Born around the IVe s. before our era with the Daode jing (Book of the Way and its Power), Taoism is organized in church in IIe by Zhang Daoling and he has not stopped evolving and getting rich over time.

 

COSMOGONIES, COSMOLOGIES:

La large ceremonial tablet), Yu Mei Gui, (cat.4.1 in jade of the XVIIIe s. is a symbol of power and also a badge of rank in the administrative hierarchy. It is a summary of the universe from the bottom with the waves of the sea, then a high mountain (earth) in the middle of clouds (sky) and at the top the representation of a constellation of three stars.

La map of the sky, treated of stars and meteors (cat.4.3), from the Tang period (early 8th century) and from Dunhuang, shows, on the left, a whirlpool where, associated with the Big Dipper, is the Polar Star, a fixed point around which gravitates sky.

Du Dao the creative breaths emerge, the two main ones being the yin (female principle) and the yang (male principle), in correspondence with the five elements that organize the universe, in resonance with the five Emperors of the five directions. For the Chinese, the five sacred mountains correspond to the five cardinal points: Taishan in the East, Mount Heng in the North, Hengshan in the South, Huashan in the West and Songshan in the center.

The vertical roll of emperors of the five directions and the great and wise emperor of mount Changbo (cat.5) of the Ming Dynasty, dated 1454, shows the emperors dressed in different colors because each orient has its color: red for the South, green for the East, yellow for the Center, black for in the north and for the west, white has been replaced here by blue.

These points are also associated with animals: the Eastern Green Dragon, the Southern Red Phoenix, the West White Tiger and the Black Warrior (a turtle entwined by a snake) for the North. These animals are often depicted on tile tips from the Han period (around our era): tiger and phoenix (cat.6.2) for their protective qualities.

Man is animated by a vital breath that must be avoided to escape to achieve immortality. Thus, we will protect the dead against the loss of breath by putting jade shutters: five buffers and two cicadas (cat.8.3) of the Han Dynasty (200 BC-200 AD), the latter also being associated with rebirth.

The founding couple Fuxi and Nüwa figure on a stamping of Wuliang ci (cat.10.1) Eastern Han (151 AD). These two divinities with human bodies and snake tails, opposite and complementary, embody the yin and that. Fuxi holds the compass symbolizing the sky (round) and Nüwa the square symbolizing the earth (square).

On the vertical scroll of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Fuxi sitting (cat.9) is represented as a hermit, barefoot and dressed in a pelisse. Fuxi taught the men to hunt, fish, raise and create the Eight Trigrams in front of his right foot.

Le mirror with two phoenixes and trigrams in bronze (cat.11.2) of the Tang Dynasty (618-906) is a summary in pictures of the structure of the universe. Around the central grasping button, two phoenixes face each other, intermediate between the circle of the sky above and the square of the earth below.
The circle contains the Eight trigrams while the square of the earth contains the waters of the four seas on which rest the Five mountains evoking the Five sacred peaks.

LAO ZI :

The character may never have existed as Confucius, of whom he would have been the older contemporary. It is in the 2nd century. that the great historian Sima Qian (145-86) devotes to him a biography that puts in place the elements of the legend: his position as archivist from Zhou to Ve s. before our era, the visit that Confucius gave him, his disgust for court life and his trip westward on the back of a buffalo, his meeting with Yin Xi, the guardian of the pass, who asked him to fix in writing his doctrine. The sage then dictated to him the five thousand characters of the Daode jing. Lao zi is still represented as an old man (his gestation would have lasted eighty years).

The vertical roller Lao zi on the buffalo (cat.14.1) by Zhang Lu (1490-1563) represents him as the very type of the idealized sage. He holds in his right hand the Daode jing and the artist painted in the upper left corner a bat, fuwho by homophony symbolizes happiness. This painting has not only a religious use but also a propitiatory role.

stamping Kong zi (Confucius) and Nangong come to Zhou to learn about rites from Lao zi, of the Ming Dynasty (XVe s.) illustrates the famous encounter where we see Lao Zi sitting, playing the zither while Confucius and his disciple, sitting, respectfully wait. While Confucius thinks that the ideal government can save the world, Lao Zi advocates individualism.

In 166 of our era, Emperor Huan divinised Lao zi who became Laojun. VIe century, the multiplication of Buddhist images encouraged the representation of Laojun which until then was contrary to the canon of Dao.

A sandstone stele of a Buddhist-Taoist triad (cat.19.1) of the North Wei Dynasty, dated 532, depicts the sage holding a fan in his right hand, his head adorned with a bun recalling theushnisha Buddhist. Two entwined dragons form a mandorle and two assistants stand on either side of the central figure.

The representation of Laojun will evolve and will definitely settle under the Tang. The statues from the end of VIIe s. (Cat.20.3) in black-brown limestone, shows Laojun sitting, holding a fan in the right hand while the left rests on the tripod armrest, partly gone. The face is adorned with a three-pointed beard and the bun is enclosed in a lotus flower.

The horizontal roller the transformations of Lao zi (cat.21) by Wang Liyong (1120-1145) evokes a text from IIe s. which makes Lao zi an incarnation of Dao which appears regularly at various times to restore order in society. One of his transformations would have occurred after his disappearance to the west and he would have become the Buddha among the barbarians. The ten transformations illustrated by Wang Liyiong are well individualized and cite the contributions to the civilization of each.

 

Buddhist and Taoist struggles for influence had a tragic end under Kubilai Khan. In 1281, he ordered the destruction of the Taoist canon and it was only in the Ming that the texts were reconstituted.

XIWANGMU, THE QUEEN MOTHER OF THE WEST:

Xiwangmu is in the sphere of divinities since the time of the Shang (1600-1050 before our era). She reached the Dao and controls immortality, she lives on a distant mountain, Mount Kunlun, and presides over the western district of heaven. His typical hairstyle, sheng, made of a part of a loom, alludes to his activity of demiurge weaving the skein of the world but can also destroy it.

On thestamping a funerary brick (cat.26) Eastern Han (25-220 AD) She sits face to face on a half tiger and half dragon throne. Around it are the fox with nine tails and the hare who holds the medicinal herbs, both symbols of longevity. Under the throne a dancing toad and a three-legged crow personify the moon and the sun.

The horizontal scroll of Qiu Ying (1494-1552), immortal gathering at the Xiwangmu Orchard (cat.36.1) gives us a succession of scenes: the journey of the immortals en route to the festival, their meeting in the palace of the goddess on Mount Kunlun, that only they can reach, and the gathering of the famous peaches of immortality that matures only every three thousand years.

Wen Boren Vertical Roller (1502-1575), Fanghu, the island of immortals (cat.31.2), depicted in a refined style this magical place where the grass persists in winter and where the flowers never fade. These immortal islands seemed so real that Emperor Qin Shihuangdi sent a fleet to bring back the elixir of immortality from Yingzhou Island.

Le Incense burner, boshanlu, bronze (cat.29.1), western Han (IIe s. BC. JC), is a good example of the type of magic mountain on a decorated dragon foot. The cone-shaped lid is carved from a turbulent landscape that rises to form a peak. These boshanlu were used to burn incense and hallucinogenic products at funeral ceremonies but also in the world of the living.

Birthday tapestry (kesi) (cat.34.1) from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (XVIIe-XVIIIe s.) shows Xiwangmu on his phoenix descending from the sky to Shoulao who comes to meet him on a crane. Below, the Eight Immortals are waiting on a jade terrace, under a peach tree. At the bottom of the stage, many children frolic among pavilions in gardens or on a bridge that spans the waters of turquoise lake. All the elements are gathered here that offer luck, happiness and long life.

SYMBOLS OF LONG LIFE:

The four gourd-shaped porcelain vases (cat.38.1) of the XVIIIe s. evoke the double squash which is one of the most common attributes of immortals.

The two drinking jugs (cat.38.4) turquoise porcelain and aubergine of the XVIIIe s. return, by their fishing form, to the fruits of immortality of the garden of Xiwangmu.

La libatory cup on lingzhi's feet (cat.38.7) in jade of the XVIIIe s. shows the amadouvier, parasitic mushroom, which is one of the ingredients of the elixir. In addition, its stylized shape brings it closer to the clouds of breath qi.

The two scepters ruyi in jade (cat.38.10) of the XVIIIe s. are already talismans but can accumulate other symbols: Lingshi, bat, crane or deer, etc.

 

ASSEMBLY OF THE GODS:

The gods of the Taoist pantheon are organized in the image of the imperial bureaucracy. Being conceived as emanations of the Dao they are inferior to him.

Beyond this hierarchy sit the Three Pure Purs considered as the highest emanations of the Dao.

Yuanshi tianzun, the celestial venerable of the original beginning (cat.39.2) in bronze, towards 1500, shows a god with a young face, a hand, palm towards the sky, resting on the armrest and sketching with his right hand a sacred gesture. He can also hold in his left hand the pearl of the original chaos.

Lingbao tianzun, the celestial venerable of the sacred jewel (cat.39.3) in gilded bronze, towards 1300, proposes a perfect image of this god, also leaning on the armrest, but holding the scepter ruyi.

Daode tianzun, the celestial venerable of the way and its power (cat.39.4) gilded bronze, dated 1438, is none other than Lao zi deified: the wise old man with a bun in a lotus is sitting in front of the armrest and had to hold a flyer.

The jade emperor Yuhang dadi, is the head of the bureaucracy. On xylographic printing of 1712, Sum of the founding acts of the very high emperor of jade (cat.40), Yuhang dadi wearing the mian imperial, a tablet hu in the hands, sits on his throne and he is surrounded by a court of gods and guards.

Zhenwu, supreme emperor of the dark sky, the god of the north appears on the stamping of a stele dated 1586 (cat.46.2). A healer and exorcist warrior, he is represented here in armor, holding a sword around which a flame is wrapped. He stands on a turtle entwined with a snake, his initial symbol.

Zhong Kui, the demon slayer, is a very popular character who has nurtured literature and theater. A scholar who failed at the highest level of examinations, he committed suicide in front of the imperial palace. Tang Emperor Xuangzong, suffering, dreamed that he met a demon that Zhong Kui attacked and devoured. He explained that since Emperor Gaozu had honored him with a burial worthy of a court officer, he had vowed to fight the demons. Sure stamping eighteenth century. (cat.50.1) Zhong Kui is depicted in the attitude of the fearsome warrior in action while the statuette of the drunkenness of Zong Kui (cat.50.3), porcelain (early 18th century)e s.), evokes the anecdote of his neutralization by the demons who had made him drink more than reason.

The statue of Bixia yuanjun, the sovereign of the dawn clouds (cat.41.1), large bronze with traces of polychrome (XVe s.), shows this deity become very popular from the Ming with two tiny children on his lap. Called the divine mother, she is a tutelary deity of women, but her protection is especially for wives while those who live outside the marriage bond are turning instead to Xiwangmu.

 

THE QUEST OF LONG LIFE:

The quest for immortality has inspired an individual but also collective search (rituals, prayers, offerings). In addition to the use of alchemy recipes, the quest for the dao is done internally through gymnastic exercises or spiritual exercises and contemplative methods. The alchemy first mineral (transmutation of cinnabar gold, etc.) will give way to plant alchemy, which will not prevent accidental poisoning.

Li Tang's silk painting (1049-1130) collection of singles on the Mount of Immortals (cat.57.1) shows a Taoist carrying a calabash on his shoulder walking on a path lined with gigantic trees.

A jade rock (18th century) search for the simple in the mountain (cat.57.2), illustrates this search for immortality: an old man accompanied by a young servant crosses a bridge covered with frozen snow that hangs in stalactites over the river. Both carry the mushrooms and herbs of immortality.

The vertical roll of Ding Yunpeng (1547-1628) Ge Hong changing residence (cat.59) depicts this famous Taoist of the Jin Dynasty, a specialist in medicine and alchemy, mounted on an ox and followed by a servant accompanied by a dog, on his journey to the renowned Jiaozhi region for a cinnabar reserve.

The horizontal scroll of Wen Boren (1502-1575) spring dawn on the terrace of the elixir (cat.64) describes a winding path in a rugged landscape that leads to a terrace on which a Taoist master contemplates a steaming cauldron in which the elixir of long life is baked. Halfway, on the trail, a child carrying a hoe and a basket full of lingzhi goes to the terrace. The painter played between a dense foreground and a vast and open background.

Inner alchemy neidan, replaces outer alchemy, waidan, in the quest for immortality from the XIIe s.

The xylographic impression of the early nineteenth century. interior traffic landscape, neijing you (cat.65.1) describes the circulations of the yin and that in their successive transformations to produce the elixir of immortality. The alchemical body is treated like a landscape: the three fields of cinnabar, head, thorax and abdomen are connected by the backbone where energy circulates. At the bottom, a hydraulic tank reverses the current to lift the breath; this water yin turns into fire that ; above, the weaver sees her yin climb towards the trachea and descend to the heart; the upper cinnabar field, the head, is assimilated to mount kunlun.

The horizontal roller of Shitao (1642-1720) a visit to Zhang Gong Cave (cat.68.1) depicts a well-known tourist spot where Zhang Daoling, the founder of religious Taoisme s. The scholar in contemplation is tiny compared to this imposing cave from which hang stalactites, udders of the Earth. The landscape is masterfully treated which contrasts shadow and light.

RITES AND LITURGIES:

Rites are what religions express themselves with. Taoist rites take place in two main ways: zhai, liturgy of purification, fasting and retreat and the jiaoliturgy of offering to the deities.

The vertical scroll of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) the three officials on inspection tour (cat.76.1) illustrates the legend that the Three Officials travel the world for three days to inspect and judge the fate of men and spirits. The official of heaven is in a chariot drawn by a deer, that of the earth is mounted on a lion and that of the water rides a dragon.

The three statues of the kings of the underworld (cat.85.2, 86.2, 86.4) cast iron, are dated 1517. The underworld, which is ten in number, is governed by a king who judges and punishes the faults committed in his sphere of influence. This organization is reminiscent of the imperial administration.

The album sheet (cat.69.1) Taoist ceremony (to 1700) represents a moment of a funeral rite. The sacred area is here installed in an inner courtyard and the priest, officiating before an elevated altar which represents the sacred peak, presents a document which recommends the deceased to the authorities of the other world. The altar garnish (cat.89.2) enamelled copper of the XVIIIe s. consisting of five pieces (one central incense burner, two candle holders and two vases zun) refers to the one on the altar of the album sheet. During the liturgy the Taoist priest wears a costume adorned with many embroidered symbols. The clothing Jiangyi or "downhill clothing" (cat.91.1) embroidered satin of the XVIIe s. is particularly spectacular. Its embroidered decoration evokes the universe as a whole: the Pure Three figure above the Jade Emperor surrounded by celestial beings. The lower border is adorned with an alternation of trigrams and triads (deity-sky, human-earth, water creature-water).

The sword is with the mirror and the incense burner one of the fundamental instruments of the Taoist ritual. The ritual sword (cat.90.1) of 1403 steel, gold and jade gate, engraved on its blade as well as on its jade guard, the stylized pattern of the Big Dipper. These weapons have an exorcist power that helps protect the adept and purify the body.

The Chinese have two hopes: to chase unhappiness and attract happiness, hence the proliferation of talismans, fu, which may be in the form of writings, seals, amulets in the form of coins such as the two zodiacal amulets (cat.79.3) in cast of the Song Dynasty.

Taoism has been very repressed since the 18th century. and the coup de grace was given during the Cultural Revolution. Since 1978 there is a reopening of central temples and, even if the range of rituals proposed today is much smaller than in the past, Taoist culture remains alive and well in the Chinese world.

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