“Marvellous Scripture of the Divine Incantations of the Emperor of the North” Through the Lens of Social Crisis

Abstract

This article explores the Daoist scripture titled Dongzhen taiji beidi ziwei shenzhou miaojing 洞真太極北帝紫微神呪妙經 (Marvellous Scripture of the Divine Incantations of the Deity of the Pole Star, Emperor of the North of the Supreme Ultimate, A Dongzhen Canon), which was arguably composed during the Eastern Jin dynasty in Southeast China. The examination aims to illuminate portrayals of crisis and the presented solutions, and thus investigate reflections of and responses to the social crisis of the period. The study demonstrates how the messaging about the crisis is structured and how individual aspects inter-relate, while simultaneously exploring its correlations with historical circumstances, thus also revealing information on the movement from which the scripture originated, i.e. the author and the intended audience. In doing so, it shows how the author creates a proselytizing strategy which is particularly tailored to the audience in the social crisis of the time. The purpose of this study is also to highlight the significance of considering crisis-related content or message in the scripture as a whole, including correlations with specific historical circumstances.

Keywords

• Daoist religion
• Eastern Jin dynasty
• social crisis
• Dongzhen taiji beidi ziwei shenzhou miaojing
• Yuanshi tianzun