寇谦之的密码——一个宗教叙事的解读

The Code of Kou Qianzhi:An Interpretation in a Religious Narrative

《魏书·释老志》所记寇谦之在嵩山两次遇神的故事,是一个经过精心设计的宗教叙事。其中隐藏在干支符号之后的年月日选择,尤具深意。首先,两次大神降临的日期都是十月五日,这是天师道非常重视的下会日,选择这一天与三会日诸神降临治堂的通说相合,易为天师道信徒所接受。其次,运用以干支为主要工具的择日历术,选择正月朔日与十月五日干支重合的两个年份作为修道叙事中的重要节点。较早的辛丑年被作为修道开始之年;而较晚的神瑞二年,其岁干支与正月朔日、十月五日重合,具有更高的神秘性,太上老君降临并授予寇谦之“系天师”之位便定在此年。再次,牧土上师李谱文降临嵩山的日期,被安排在泰常八年嵩洛地区被纳入北魏版图之后,又在泰平王登基成为皇帝之前,无疑是寇谦之观察外界政治变动后理性选择的结果。最后,在泰常八年与修道开始的辛丑年之间,根据术数的美感选择辛亥年作为修道历程的重要节点并加以强调,这在一定程度掩饰了泰常八年神降与政治时局的联系。

The story of Kou Qianzhi meeting gods twice during his seeking of transcendence in the Songshan Mountain recorded in the“Treatise on Buddhism and Daoism”of the Book of Wei,was an elaborate religious narrative.In particular,the years and dates which were covered by the signs of ganzhi(Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches)were delicately selected to form a set of secret time codes.First,the gods descended twice but both on October 5th,which was the third and most important gathering day of a year.It was more acceptable by believers,since according to some Daoist classics major gods would descend at the church on this day.Secondly,by using the art of date selection that concerned the relationship of ganzhi,two years in which the ganzhi of its beginning day coincided the one of October 5th had been picked out as the critical points of his religious career.The earlier Xinchou year was set as the start of his religious practice,and the second year of the Shenrui reign,in which the ganzhi of the year,the ganzhi of January 1st and the one of October 5th all coincided,was chosen to be the year when the Very High Lord showed himself and granted Kou the title of Heavenly Master.Thirdly,the date on which Li Puwen entitled Master Mutu descended was arranged in the eighth year of the Taichang reign and within a short time window,which was between the Northern Wei's conquest of Song-Luo region and King of Taiping's ascending imperial throne.This was definitely a rational choice made by Kou Qianzhi based on his observation on the politics outside the mountain.At last,between the eighth year of the Taichang reign and the Xinchou year,the Xinhai year was chosen as a midpoint aesthetically,but it was emphasized as a crucial year in his religious career which to some extent covered up the connection between Li Puwen's descending and the politics in secular world.