Communicating with the Gods : spirit-writing in Chinese history and society / edited by Matthias Schumann, Elena Valussi.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1 Introduction to the Volume / Matthias Schumann and Elena Valussi Part 1. Overview Papers 2 Making the Gods Write: A Short History of Spirit-Written Revelations in China, 1000–1400 / Vincent Goossaert
3 Spirit-Writing Practices from the Song to Ming Periods and Their Relation to Politics and Religion / Wang Chien-chuan 王見川
4 Women, Goddesses, and Gender Affinity in Spirit-Writing / Elena Valussi
Part 2. Changing Techniques and Practices
5 Terminology and Typology of Spirit-Writing in Early Modern China: A Preliminary Study / Hu Jiechen
6 The Transcendent of the Plate: The Lingji zhimi 靈乩指迷 (Instructions on the numinous stylus) and the Reform of Spirit-Writing Techniques during the First Half of the Twentieth Century / Fan Chun-wu 范純武
Part 3. Spirit-Writing and the Literati Elites in Late Imperial China
7 Instantiating the Genealogy of the Way: Spirit-Writing in the Construction of Peng Dingqiu’s Confucian Pantheon / Daniel Burton-Rose
8 A Credulous Skeptic: Ji Yun on the Mantic Arts and Spirit-Writing / Michael Lackner
9 The Liu-Han Altar: Between a Literati Spirit-Writing Altar and Popular Religion / Zhu Mingchuan 朱明川
Part 4. Spirit-Writing and Redemptive Societies
10 “Protecting the Dao and Transmitting the Classics”: The New Religion to Save the World and the Confucian Dimension of Spirit-Writing in Republican China / Matthias Schumann
11 Spirit-Writing and the Daoyuan’s Gendered Teachings / Xia Shi
12 The Phoenix Perches in the Land of the Kami: Spirit-Writing from Yiguandao to Tendō / Nikolas Broy
Part 5. Local Communities and Transregional Networks
13 The Nineteenth-Century Spirit-Writing Movement and the Transformation of Local Religion in Western Guangdong / Ichiko Shiga
14 The Rise of Spirit-Writing Cults in Chaozhou: Reassessing the Role of Charitable Halls / Li Guoping 李國平
15 Spirit-Writing Altars in Contemporary Hong Kong: A Case Study of Fei Ngan Tung Buddhism and Daoism Society / Luo Dan 羅丹
16 A Motley Phoenix? On the Diversity of Spirit-Writing Temples and Their Practices in Puli, Taiwan / Paul R. Katz.

Few religious innovations have shaped Chinese history like the emergence of spirit-writing during the Song dynasty. From a divinatory technique it evolved into a complex ritual practice used to transmit messages and revelations from the Gods. This resulted in the production of countless religious scriptures that now form an essential corpus, widely venerated and recited to this day, that is still largely untapped by research. Using historical and ethnographic approaches, this volume for the first time offers a comprehensive overview of the history of spirit-writing, examining its evolution over a millennium, the practices and technologies used, and the communities involved.

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Keywords:Shengyu 聖諭 ; filial piety, harmony between brothers, neighbors, thrift, husbandry (agriculture), necessity of schools, education of youth, rites and ceremonies, heterodox doctrines, Sixteen apothegms of Kangxi, family, propriety. meritorious deeds, Three Precepts (Sanjieming 三戒命), Daoism, rewards and punishments, daojiao 道教, Taishang ganyin pian 太上感應篇, Buddhism, retribution, Yuli chaozhuan, Ten Courts of Hell, Shidian yanjun 十殿閻君, annual festivals, New Year's, betrothal and marriage, death and funerals.

JapSin I, (38/42) 40/9d
Jiali hejiao lu 家禮合教錄.
By Zhang Xiangcan 張象燦.
Manuscript, folios 145–158. Chinese bamboo paper, one volume.

The only information we have about the author comes from the marginal note on folio 145 which states that he was a juren (licentiate) of Xi’an fu 西安府 (Shaanxi) and a Christian. The manuscript was presented to Father Gabiani, then Vice-Provincial of China.

According to the author the treatise was written in reply to those who criticized the Christians for their lack of the feeling of respect and reverence, because they did not act according to the traditional custom in the ceremonies of marriage and funerals. To rebut this, he tried to prove the ignorance of the adversaries by quoting the Jiali 家禮 of Zhu Xi 朱熹 whose book is a great authority on ritual ceremonies (cf. Jap-Sin I, 9; I, 31 and I, 32).

In his preface the author contends that, though one may criticize the Christians for their lack of conformity with pagan traditions, one certainly must respect the Jiali , since this is a Chinese book and had been widely used by the Chinese in their daily lives. Now, the Jiali refutes the absurdity of astrologers and also the absurdity of the Buddhists and Daoists. On this point it agrees with the teaching of the Christians. Hence the title of the manuscript.

The pagan customs mentioned in this manuscript were probably particular to the Shaanxi province. It should be of great help to folklorists who wish to study the traditional customs of the time.

The paragraph on the motives of magistrates who venerate the city gods (Chenghuang 城隍) is exactly the same as that given on ff. 83–86 of the Lishi tiaowen 李師條問 (cf. Jap-Sin I, [38/42] 40/2). Even the handwriting of the two passages is identical, except for the citation of the edict of the founder of the Ming dynasty (Ming Taizu 明太祖) and the remarks of Qiu Jun 丘濬 (1420–1495). These are given only in this manuscript and are written in a different hand.

Source: Albert Chan, SJ, Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 59-60.

JapSin I, (38/42) 42/2b
Zhaichu wenda huichao 摘出問答彙抄.
Compiled by Li Jiugong 李九功.
Manuscript, six folios (pp. 29–39). Chinese bamboo paper, one volume. 19.3 x 12.5 cm.

This book is in the form of question and answer. The quotations are taken from Catholic writings of the time in reply to difficulties about the Chinese Rites. There are four chapters:

1. In reply on the veneration of city, mountain and river gods (taken from the Koutou richao 口鐸日抄, cf. Jap-Sin I, 81).
2. In reply on the veneration of Heaven and earth (taken from the Bianjing lu 辨敬錄 of João Monteiro, 1602–1648).
3. In reply on geomancy (taken from the Da Kewen, cf. Jap-Sin I, 146 and II, 75).
4. In reply on veneration of Guan Gong, the god of war (taken from the Da Kewen).

Source: Albert Chan, SJ, Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, p. 69.

內容簡介：
本論文集是2008年5月在香港中文大學舉辦的一次會議的文章之結集。會議後經海外匿名學者審稿後從38篇會議論文中，選取16篇論文結集出版。

大量的田野調查研究，使我們認識到儀式專家對地方社會中的社會生活所扮演的重要角色和中國農村社會的儀式傳統之多樣性，可惜相關的研究缺乏系統性的學術分析及討論，會議主辦單位希望透過舉辦研討會及出版論文集，邀請不同的學者，包括道教專家、佛教專家、人類學家和歷史學家，對中國地方社會儀式傳統中的佛教及道教元素和中國地方社會儀式的多樣性兩方面進行深入的研討。論文集的16篇論文分成兩個主題：「醮儀：歷史與現況」和「地方信仰與儀式」，冀能為從事相關研究的學者及對中國農村社會宗教有興趣的讀者提供第一手的田野調查研究材料及報告。論文集的作者包括李豐楙、勞格文（John Lagerwey）、譚偉倫、蔡志祥、王振忠、丁荷生（Kenneth Dean）、康豹（Paul R. Katz）、葉明生、呂鵬志等資深的學者。

中國農村裡的宗教儀式活動往往是地方上最隆重的活動及節慶聚會，儀式楺合了佛教、道教甚至是儒家的傳統，部份更吸納了民間的傳統、巫教及其本土的文化特色，是組成當地宗教文化的重要部份。研究中國農村社會的儀式傳統無疑幫助我們尋找地方社會歷史中遺失的一頁——神明的地方中國社會。

目錄:
醮儀篇：歷史與現況

早期道教醮儀及其流變考索（呂鵬志）
道法二門：台灣中、北部的道、法複合（李豐楙）
粵北及贛西北山區鄉村醮儀的佛教元素（譚偉倫）
現代中的傳統：中國地方社會信仰的文化多樣性——以廣西賀州浮山陳侯祠醮儀為例（劉泳斯）
屏南縣龍潭村上元「請奶」醮儀與道壇科儀研究（葉明生）
福建詔安的道教傳統與儀式分類（林振源）
儀式與身份轉換：香港新界北約地區的醮（蔡志祥）
春祈年例：一個高州鄉村社區的遣疫與集福（韋錦新）

地方社會儀式篇
Gods and Ancestors: Cases of Crossover（John Lagerwey）
Spirit Mediums as Global Citizens: Tracing Trans-national Ritual Networks from the Village Temples of Shiting (石庭), Putian (莆田) to Southeast Asia（Kenneth Dean）
Spirit-writing and Hakka Migration in Taiwan: A Case Study of the Canzan Tang (參贊堂) in Puli (埔里), Nantou (南投) County（Paul R. Katz）

宗教民俗與地域社會：閩贛兩個鄉村聚落遊神活動的比較研究（劉勁峰、楊奕）
「接珠」「回佛」與婦女生活——以福建省寧化縣石壁鎮為中心的初步探討（鍾晉蘭）
明清以來徽州的禮生與儀式（王振忠）
道教傳度奏職儀式比較研究——以台灣南部的奏職文檢為中心（丸山宏）
宋元時代的普渡文獻（松本浩一）

"楊慶堃著的"中國社會中的宗教"是研究中國宗教,社會和文化的經典作品,被譽為研究中國宗教的'聖經'.全書對中國宗教進行了非常全面的分析與闡述,詳細考察了中國社會中各種類型的信仰,以及國家政治,經濟和儒家學說的關係,描述了中國社會與宗教的整合狀況.本書試圖回答:在中國社會生活和組織中,宗教承擔了怎樣的功能,從而成為社會生活和組織發展與存在的基礎,而這些功能是以怎樣的結構形式來實現的"--OCLC note.