On the 32 Heavens, the Metropolis of Xuandu, and the Earth-Prisons: Cosmology of the Daoist Lingbao School (Based on “Duren jing with four commentaries”)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the cosmological element of the Lingbao School (Numi­nous Treasure), one of the most significant and, at the same time, poorly studied movements in the history of religious Daoism. Having been known from the early 5th century, Lingbao scriptures were characterized by detailed cosmographic
visions as well as a system of individual and collective rituals subordinated to the components of the cosmological doctrine. As a source on the cosmological conceptions of the Lingbao School, the “Scripture of Salvation” (Duren jing), as well as four commentaries on it (from the 5th to the 8th centuries), were
examined. Based on the scripture and its early commentary tradition, an outline of the main components of the universe according to the Lingbao doctrine is given: the 32 heavens, the spheres of the “Three Clarities”, and the earth-prisons. We conclude that there are such emphases typical for cosmological descriptions in the Duren jing and in its commentary tradition as the long-term self-develop­ment on the path of Dao; rebirth in the higher heavens as a reward for spiritual merits; reliance on the celestial bureaucracy ruling in all regions of the world