Chinese Oracles

pp. 35-44, with pp. 150-153 translations of texts

p. 35

Werner Banck : Das chinesische Tempel-orakel. 1976. 1131 pp. : 55 oracle-sequences, complete texts in facsimile

p. 38

9 years later (1985) Banck published, as 2nd vol. : (1) a complete annotated translation of sequence # 3; and (2) tabular form of 161 oracle-sequences in 852 specimens

150, n. 7

Wolfgang Bauer : Das Bild in der Weissage-Literatur Chinas. 1973. illustrations in Chinese texts

151, n. 10

Carole Morgan : Les fiches divinatoires de Huang Daxian. 1987. complete translation of this sequence and its commentaries (Huang Ta-hsien – p. 44)

" "

Jean-Michel de Kermadec : Les sape`ques d’or : jeux divinatoires. 1984. (= Banck’s sequence II:6)

153, n. 14

S.T. Cheung : Fortune Stick Predictions. Hong Kong, 1982. doggerel interpretation

pp. 39-40 initial oracle (1st slip)

p. 39

emerging sun: Banck’s 1, 8, 27

p. 40

allusion to oracle itself : 54, 35, 97

 

Bauddha : 24, 48

pp. 48-51 oracles in the Tao-tsan :- Harvard-Yenching (HY) 1288-1297 = Kristofer Schipper’s Concordance 1298-1305

p.

HY

title

contents

48

1288

Ssu-s^en C^en-c^u:n Lin-c^>ien (‘4-Sages Perfect-Lords Transcendent-Oracle’)

49 stanzas, each of 12 verses (3 quatrains). star-names in 7 7s. 4 Sages (T>ien-p>en, T>ien-yu, I-s^en, C^en-wu).

48-9

1289

Hsu:an-c^en Lin-yin Pao-c^>ien (‘Sublime-Perfect Transcendent-Response Pretious-Oracle’) related to Ta-tun Hsien-c^in (‘Great-Cavern Immortals’-Book’) for god Wen-c^>an in Sze-c^uan of southern Sun

3 c^u:an, 110 folio pages. 12 double-hours in nychthemeron, 30 stanzas to each double-hour (360 responses), + 5 for 5 phases (total 365 responses).

49

1290

Ta-tz>u Hao-s^en Chiu-t>ien Wei-fan S^en-mu Yu:an-c^u:n Lin-yin Pao-c^>ien (‘Most-Kindly Fostress-of-Life 9-Heavens Alcove-Guardianess Sage-Mother Primal-Sovereign Transcendent-Response Pretious-Oracle’)

"on the perils of offending one or another baleful star during sexual congress." quoting C^iu-t>ien Yu:-s^u Pao-c^in (‘9-Heavens Jade-Pivot Pretious-Book’).

 

1291

Hun-en Lin-c^i C^en-c^u:n Lin-c^>ien (Vast-Benignity Transcendent-Succour Perfect-Lords Transcendent-Oracle’) : cult of the Perfect Lords of Transcendent Succour, from Fu-c^ou

53 quatrains of 7-syllable verse in 8 folios. deified brethren Hsu: as C^in-c^>u:eh S^an-ti (‘Golden-Porte Supreme-Monarch’) & Yu:-c^>u:eh S^an-ti (‘Jade-Porte Supreme-Monarch’)

 

1292

Lin-c^i C^en-c^u:n C^u-s^en T>an Lin-c^>ien (‘Transcendent-Succour Perfect-Lords Infusing-Life Hall Transcendent-Oracle’)

64 responses as quatrains of 7-syllable verse (tagged by gradings of auspiciousness) in 10 folios.

49-50

1293

Fu-t>ien Kuan-s^en Ju-i Lin-c^>ien (‘Upholding-Heaven Enhancing-Sages Wish-Fulfilling Transcendent-Oracle’)

120 responses as quatrains if 4-syllable verse in 61 folio pages. interpretation & evaluation of auspiciousness.

50

1294

Hu-kuo C^ia-c^i C^ian-tun Wan Lin-c^>ien (‘State-Guardian Auspicious-Succour C^ian-tun King Transcendent-Oracle’)

100 responses as quatrains of 7-syllable verse, each set with explanation and Sage’s-Opinion, in 40 folios.

 

[Sch. 1304]

Kan-c^ou S^en-c^i Miao Lin-c^i Li (‘Kan-c^ou Sagely-Succour Temple Transcendent-Manifestation Rite’) in Kian-si

composed Ch.E. 1225-1227 by Fu Yeh from P>u-t>ien in Fu-kien. cult of deified S^ih Ku.

 

1471

Hsu:an-t>ien S^an-ti Po-tzu S^en-hao (‘Sublime-Heaven Supreme-Monarch 100-Characters [of] Sage-Appellation’)

49 responses with commentary in 56 folios.

51

"

Hsu:an-t>ien S^an-ti Kan-yin Lin-c^>ien (‘Sublime-Heaven Supreme-Monarch Response Transcendent-Oracle’)

encomium to C^en-wu (‘Perfect Warrior’), the 4th of the quartet of Sages in HY 1288.

pp. 54-56 other Taoist oracular books

p.

title

contents

54

Lin-pao Tu-jen C^in (‘Transcendent-Pretious Salvation Book’)

by Hsu: S^ou-hsin (died Chr.E. 1108).

 

12-Perfect-Lords Oracle-Slips

12th century Chr.E.

 

Tun-yu:an S^en-c^ou C^in (‘Abyssal Spirit-Spells Book’)

20 chapters : 1st 10 from beginning of 5th century Chr.E.; 2nd 10 added through the 9th century Chr.E.

54-5

the 18th chapter of the Tun-yu:an S^en-c^ou C^in

a set of 60 stanzas foretelling "conditions, year by year, according to ... the sexagesimal cycle." 1st 2 years in 11 verses; years 3-6 in 7 verses; years 7-9 in 9 verses.

55

C^en-kao (‘Perfecteds’ Declarations’)

composed by Yan Hsi in Chr.E. 364-370, with commentary by T>ao Hun-c^in added by Chr.E. 499

55-6

the 8th chapter of the C^en-kao

a decodement by T>ao, involving re-arrangement of text

p. 54 the Sze-c^uan theologian Tu Kuan-t>in (died Chr.E. 933) codified the Tun-yu:an (‘Abyssal’) corpus of scriptures & rituals.

pp. 58-75 Kuan-tin C^in (‘Consecration Book’) T. 1331

p. 71

Book 3 of the scripture – the names of the 36 spirits of the praecepts are listed.

 

25 "are named directly afterwards" as S^an S^en (‘good spirits) of the praecepts "properly speaking".

p. 72

8th chapter – 2 " "spirit-generals" mothers" are mentioned.

p. 73

Mo ‘devils’; C^un Mo ‘host (army) of devils’;

Mei ‘phantoms’, there being 100 Mei;

Hsieh ‘wraiths’ ("pathogens ... of disease")

antique methods for divination

p.

method

80

Book on Divining (T. 839), toward the end of the 6th century Chr.E., under the patronage of Ks.iti-garbha the psychopomp : 3 sets of tops. The 1st set of 10 tops ascertain deeds committed during one’s praevious lives. The 2nd set of 3 tops ascertain one’s residues. The 3rd set of 6 tops ascertain retributions to one’s self in praesent, and future lives. "A table of 189 possible outcomes is provided".

82-3

t>ou-hu (‘pitch-pot’), during the Han dynasty, "functioned as a means of divination."

83

Lun-yu: Yu:-c^u (‘Analects Jade Candle’) in a tomb of the 8th century Chr.E. at Tan-t>u in Kian-su : 50 silver c^<ou (‘lots’), each inscribed in gold with a line from the Confucian Lun-yu: (‘Analects’), in a lidded cylindre mounted on the back of a tortoise

89-90

I-lin, traditionally ascribed to C^iao Yen-s^ou (1st century before the Chr.E.), but more likely composed c. 25 Chr.E. by Ts>ui C^uan. "Wen I-to ... collected over one hundred poems from it".

91

Lin-c^>i C^in (‘Empowered-Draughtman Book’) HY 1035 of the Sun dynasty, using 12 round tokens thrown on a round board. 4 manuscript-fragments of this book are among the Tun-huan texts.

137

[HY 1035] "carve ... from the wood of a tree that has been struck by lightning, either catalpa wood or datewood or white sandalwood ... at twelve-day intervals : hew the pieces on a chia-tzu day, inscribe them on a ping-tzu day, incise them on a hsu:-tzu day, dust them with powdered cinnabar on a keng-tzu day, place them in a myrtle-wood box on a jen-tzu day." "The spirits are then formally invoked. They are ... the Primal Sovran, the Most High, Celestial Father and Terrestrial Mother ..."

non-Chinese texts of divination found archaeologically in China

pp.

text

its content

where published

113-4

Bower MS. from nigh Kucha – 2 dice-oracles, the 1st of 64 responses (all but 4 praeserved); the 2nd also of 64 responses (merely 20 praeserved).

the 1st to S`iva, Man.i-bhadra, Praja-pati, Vai-s`ravan.a, of dice for Kumbha-kari the Matangi;

the 2nd to Janardana, for the Goddess

A.F. Rudolf Hoernle : The Bower Manuscript. Calcutta, 1893-1912.

126-7

dice-oracle of 65 responses, for 3 4-sided dice

in Turkish ‘Runic’ script

J.R.A.S. 1912, pp. 181-227

138

dice-oracle of 64 answers : Mahes`vara’s Method of Divination (cf. T. 1277)

"the inquirer ... should go on casting until he got an auspicious response."

 

{persisting to cast until a sought-for response is arrive at in also a Bon device}

pp. 126-127 some responses from the Bower MS.

p.

#

response

126

1st

"Son of Heaven ... sitting on a golden throne."

126

2nd

"Way-God ... on a piebald horse."

 

15th

"fog" : young bird, young deer, and child went astray.

 

22nd

"A monk dropped his bell into a lake."

 

25th

"two oxen were bound together with one fetter."

 

31st

tigre

 

33rd

"The felt is put into water."

 

51st

black-eagle : in summer on green rock, in winter on red rock

pp. 139-140 – 10 numeromantic systems from Tun-huan

p.

system

139

Li Lao-c^u:n C^ou-i S^ih-erh C^>ien Pu-fa (‘Plum Old-Lord C^ou-Changes 12-Sapeques Mantic Method’), having the deities Tsao-c^u:n (‘Hearth-Lord’), Pei-c^u:n (‘North-Lord’), and T>u-kun (‘Site-Master’)

140

C^ou-kun Pu-fa (‘C^ou’s-Duke’s Divining-Method’)

 

K>un-tzu Ma-t>ou Pu-fa (‘Confucius’ Horse-Head Divining-Method’), by Lin Hsiao-kun in the Sui dynasty (end of 6th century Chr.E.)

 

Kuan Kun-min Pu-fa by Kuan Lo (in the 3rd century Chr.E.)

p. 140 the 1st 8 (of 16) figures of the C^ou-kun manual

1st

duke of C^ou

2nd

Confucius

3rd

poe:t-statesman C^>u Yu:an

4th

immortal C^>ih Sun-tzu

5th

tyrants C^ieh & C^ou

6th

king of Yu:eh

7th

sage C^ieh Tzu-t>ui

8th

T>ai-kun

Michel Strickmann (ed. by Bernard Faure) : Chinese Poetry and Prophecy. Stanford U Pr, 2005.