Registers of Life and Death
Overview
Section titled “Overview”This canonical ID (68) currently groups 2 source layers with divergent titles. Milestone-1 migration preserves every layer below without inventing a single merged narrative. Status: needs-review.
Also attested under these titles
Section titled “Also attested under these titles”- Dhāraṇī as Material Amulet
Research layers
Section titled “Research layers”Layer 1: Dhāraṇī as Material Amulet
Section titled “Layer 1: Dhāraṇī as Material Amulet”Source file:
01_Buddhism.md
Buddhist spells were historically not limited to vocal recitation. They could be:
- written on paper or cloth,
- rolled and worn,
- inserted into statues or stūpas,
- installed in architectural cavities,
- carried on the body,
- printed in miniature pagodas,
- reproduced on banners or pillars.
This material dimension is essential to understanding Buddhist ritual technology.
Reliability: A/B.
Layer 2: Registers of Life and Death
Section titled “Layer 2: Registers of Life and Death”Source file:
02_Daoism.md
Chinese concepts: life registers / death registers; administration under officials such as the Siming
Type: fate administration
Daoist gods are imagined as maintaining bureaucratic records of lifespan and conduct. Shangqing practices explicitly aim at having the practitioner’s name entered into registers of life rather than death.
Ritual technologies associated with the belief
Section titled “Ritual technologies associated with the belief”Merit accumulation; visualization of register gods; scripture recitation; petitions; talismans; abstinence; rites addressing Dipper powers and celestial officials.
Reliability: B.