The Performance and Significance of the Merging the Pneumas (Heqi) Rite in Early Daoism

早期天師道合炁儀式的踐行與意義

祁泰履(Terry F. Kleeman)

《道教研究學報：宗教、歷史與社會》 6期 (2014/01) Pp. 85-112

摘要

One of the great mysteries surrounding the early Celestial Master Daoists is a sexual ritual called Merging the Pneumas (heqi 合炁). This rite was practiced from the beginning of the movement in the 2^(nd) century and became a distinguishing characteristic of the nascent religion; its performance continued at least into the Song dynasty. Despite a series of articles by top scholars of Daoism, we are still very much in the dark about this ritual, uncertain about its real character, the times it was performed, the individuals who participated, and the ultimate goal of the participants. In this paper, the author examines both surviving Daoist scriptural material related to the rite as well as normative material concerning its improper performance and external critiques of the rite. Because it was an esoteric rite, no authentic liturgical materials survive from a Celestial Master context; the current Huangshu and Shangqing Huangshu guodu yi derive from a Shangqing context and hence are unreliable witnesses to the Celestial Master rite. Similarly, Buddhist polemics must have portrayed a recognizable but not necessarily entirely accurate image of the ritual. Secondary evidence in the Daoist canon suggests that the rite was performed by normal Daoist citizens, not just libationers, on a regular basis. Celestial Master libationers played a special role as teachers of the rite and initiators into its initial practice. The goal of the ritual is stated to be the avoidance of disaster. One way this is effected in the Shangqing Huangshu guodu yi is through the inscription of the performer's name on the roster of the living. The avoidance of jealousy seems to have been an important proximate goal.

關鍵字

Merging the Pneumas ； sex ritual ； Daoism ； libationer

並列摘要

早期天師道的「合炁」儀式從張道陵創教的二世紀中葉一直秘傳到宋代，為天師道的核心儀式活動之一。雖已有數位道教研究學者對合炁儀式進行過仔細研究，不明之處仍然甚多，甚至對於儀式的最終目標、實踐過程、時間、地點以及參與者的人數與身份都未有全面的了解。本文將檢視現存道教經典，包括與該儀式直接有關的經典和指出其不正確施行方式的科範類材料，還有來自道教外部的對該儀式的批評。由於「合炁」是一種秘傳儀式，天師道經典系統內並不存在一部權威性儀式文本；而現存的《黃書》和《上清黃書過度儀》都屬於上清經系，因此無法作為了解天師道儀式的可靠證據。與此相似，佛教論辯資料中所描繪的儀式樣貌雖可辨識，卻未必完全正確。《道藏》中的間接證據顯示普通的天師道道民也會定期施行儀式，並非局限於祭酒。作為儀式的教導者與傳授者，天師道祭酒扮演著特殊的角色。合炁儀式之目的在於消災，這在《上清黃書過度儀》中表現為著名於「長生玉曆」之上；而防止「更相嫉妬」似也是其一個重要的近期目標。

並列關鍵字

合炁 ； 儀式 ； 道教 ； 祭酒