<Articles>A Study of the Immortals who Delivered Themselves by Feigning Death )hih-chieh hsien）

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Other Title
  • <論説>道教の神仙観念の一考察 : 尸解仙について
  • 道教の神仙観念の一考察--尸解仙について
  • ドウキョウ ノ シンセン カンネン ノ イチ コウサツ シカイセン ニ ツイテ

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Among various methods of attaining immortality as expounded in Taoist canons, the shih-chieh (lit. corpse-deliverance) is worthy of notice. An applicant for immortality by this method has to die once, or feign himself dead, and be buried with his personal effects such as a sword, shoes, clothes etc. But his own self is able to flee away, leaving such things as substitutes. It is like a cicada or snake sloughing off its old skin to enter a renewed life. Besides a number of examples mentioned in ancient hagiographies (the Lieh-hsien chuan and Shen-hsien chuan), some Taoists who belonged to the Mao-shan school of Taoism dominant during the period of the South tried to become shih-chiehhsien (immortals) or so-called ti-hsia-chu (underground agent) by taking a drug called ling-wan (spiritual pills) or having a sword forged as his substitute. The latter case was called chien-chieh (deliverance by a sword). Reading the narratives of the shih-chieh immortals, we can find many factors in common with Christian doctrine of resurrection. However, in the case of religious Taoism, immortality has been sought after by magical practice which strongly survived until recent times.

Journal

  • 史林

    史林 54 (1), 29-42, 1971-01-01

    THE SHIGAKU KENKYUKAI (The Society of Historical Research), Kyoto University

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