Taoist talismans, martial arts and the law

[brianlkennedy]

Greetings from Taiwan,
Elizabeth Guo and I would like to give our thanks to Gene and the rest of the Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine crew for doing such a great job with our piece on Taoist Talismans which is in the current issue (Sept/Oct 07).

As a follow up to that piece, there was a criminal law case here in Taiwan about two weeks ago that Taoist talismans figured into. I mention this because for a fairly large percentage of Taiwanese, these Taoist talismans are not just some joke or some cultural artifact; but rather they are a real deal with real results.

That is reflected in the fact that in the Taiwanese law it is a crime (yes, a real crime) to curse someone with a Taoist talisman. No fooling; Taiwanese criminal law takes these things seriously. How it came out was the prosecutors did a search of a politicians office. As is the norm here in Taiwan the politician had plenty of advance notice that the prosecutors were going to raid his office. So he laid out a Taoist talisman, nice and neat on his desk, cursing the prosecutors on their arrival. And when I say cursing I do not mean in the "f*** you" sense of cursing, but in the sense of "by removing this talisman you life will be cut short".

I am somewhat familiar with the case as the prosecutor "victim" is one of my students. (law students, not martial arts students). So bottom line is, Taoist talismans are still viewed as serious business here in Taiwan.

It is an interesting example of martial arts in a broader sense. For example the politician involved in that case would (probably) never think of getting in a fist fight with the prosecutors (although Taiwanese legislators are famous for their staged Professional Wresting type scrimmages), nor would he hire someone with a gun to kill the prosecutor but he would use one of these Taoist talismans to attack and injure the prosecutor. I am almost 100% sure the guy did not do it as a joke or simply as a way to "give the finger" to the prosecutors. I strongly suspect he thinks, the talismans work and that they are an effective form of martial art.

And let me be quick to add, these Taiwanese who accept the efficacy of Taoist talismans are not betel nut chewing farmers with second grade educations. Many of them have graduate degrees from America, the UK or Germany.

In any event, hope folks find the piece of some interest and thanks again to Gene and The Crew.

Take care,
Brian

[NJM]

I find it ironic that anything related to Taoism could be thought to curse someone. It sounds like an interesting article and I look forward to reading about it.

[brianlkennedy]

Yes, it is an interesting irony. But what I have come to find out, living in a Chinese society (Taiwan) is that Taoism is a broad religion/philosophy that has many major streams within it. And all of the streams are legitimate from a Chinese point of view.

One of the major, and most ancient, streams in Taoism is what is known as the fang- shih 方士which is usually translated as Magico-technicians. This stream are the Taoist who focus on developing some (as the name implies) "technique" that can be used to improve ones situation. And talismans, feng shuai (geomancy), different forms of divination and a thing I have just started to study called (in a crude word for word translation) "Strange Gate Body Armor".

And these techniques, much like modern western science, are a-moral. In a kind of weird but somewhat accurate comparison, the guys here in Taiwan who deal in the talismans are kind of like gun dealers in America. In a very "thin veneer" sense they will inquire as to why you want the gun/the talisman...but once they see the "color of your money" the inquiry usually ends.

Take care,
Brian

[GeneChing]

Brian and Elizabeth's Taoist Talismans: The Great Images of the Tao, is in our current 2007 September/October issue. We also have a parallel piece online Taoist "Paper Protection" in the 21st Century. This is a completely different piece, although related. We like to call these 'shotgun articles'; we run one in print and one online. The pieces are connected but stand independently too.

[mantis108]

"Strange Gate Body Armor".

I think you are talking about "qi men dun jia" (奇門遁甲). It's really more than just divination although it is often used in the regard. I am of the school of thought that it was used by the military tacticians to run military campaigns but they disguised it as magical divination tool (there's that too of course) so that common folks won't be able to crack the "code". This is why there is a strangely intimate relationship between it and martial arts in China.

Mantis108

[brianlkennedy]

Hi Mantis 108,
That is it, and yes, it is my understanding too that the system was often used by military officers and generals. It is still alive and well here in Taiwan. Although learning it here is both expensive and time consuming.

Oddly enough I first became aware of it because of two criminal law judges who were telling me about how another judge in their courthouse moved to that judicial district just so he could study it from a master who lived there.

And you are also quite right that it involves far more that just "fortune telling". As one person here in Taiwan put it to me; "it is the art of being in the right place, at the right time so that good things happen to you".

Interesting stuff.

take care,
Brian

[mantis108]

Thank you for the info. Looks like Taiwan really is the last strong hold of Chinese traditional culture.

The good stuff really is hard and sometimes expansive to find.

Warm regards

Robert (Mantis108)