Title

The Communion of Aroma, Atmosphere and Qi: Holy Experiences, Bodily Perception, and Ethical Issues concerning Qi in the Sacrificial Rites of the Pre-Qin Period

Author

Lin, Su-chuan  

Genre

Article  

Pages

385-430  

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese  

Key words

aroma, atmosphere, body, communion, metaphor, sacrificial rites  

Abstract

        The pre-Qin cultural tradition of Qi espoused a harmony between heaven and earth, which connected sacrificial rites, physical perception and transformative education. Based on an analysis of the ritual classics and related texts, this study probes the close relationship between Qi, spirit and body found in sacrificial ceremonies that employed various types of aromas to worship gods in the pre-Qin period. In these ceremonies, aromas were said to initiate strong physical experiences and feelings, and this study investigates how personal cultivation, moral conduct and transformative education were involved in the transformation of Qi and blood. It begins by analyzing the significance and effectiveness of aroma in the descriptions of sacrificial rites found in the ritual classics. It then explores what aromas were valued in sacrificial ceremonies as well as the conceptions of spirits prevalent at the time. Looking at views of blood Qi and virtuous Qi (“Mingde Weixin”), this study examines the shift in emphasis in primitive sacrificial ceremonies from blood Qi to virtuous Qi. This shift indicates the important role aroma played in transformative education; it also reveals how aroma served as a metaphor for virtuous conduct and how physical Qi was used to describe the condition of the mind. Moreover, in terms of atmosphere, the ritual actors who participated in sacrificial ceremonies maintained concentration and respect by preparing religious instruments, fasting and worshiping. This study examines how atmosphere informed the ritual actors’ sincerity and respect, and suggests that they were based on strong physical experience and emotion. The synaesthesia of emotions causes ritual to harmonize with heaven and earth, the body, the emotions and the nature in a way that not only prevents formal ossification, but which also succeeds in establishing an ideal world of ritual and music characterized by flowing vitality and the synaesthesia of emotions and Qi.