Huxian Jinke Yulu Zhenjing (狐仙金科玉律真经)

[SirPalomides]

My interest was sparked in Chinese fox cults and after running down that rabbit hole I found out about a number of Taoist temples devoted to the Fox Immortal/ fairy/ goddess. One devotional text I saw for sale is this 狐仙金科玉律真经, which I think translates to something like, "the Fox Immortal Golden Law Jade Register True Scripture" or "true book of the Fox Immortal's golden law and precious rule." I see it for sale on Taobao and the text, or part of it, seems to be online here. It looks like it contains a bunch of mantras and prayers addressed to different aspects of the fox immortal. I'm guessing this is a text of fairly recent and local provenance... does anyone know where it might have come from, who was the writer (or medium), etc?

[Walker]

In northeast China foxes are a major part of folk spirituality. One can even find shrines to fox (as well as, typically, snake and ferret) spirits in Daoist temples. If there are statues they are of human figures (highly cultivated fox immortals can take human form, the lore goes) and the character 狐 is changed to its homonym 胡, which happens to be a common surname. They are often called 仙 instead of 神, but my hunch is that generally speaking that is a term of respect or a usage of the character 仙 that is not meant to denote achievement of anything approaching 神仙-hood or 天仙-hood (in fact, Daoists in that region may say that somebody who performs spiritual feats with the help of fox or ferret spirits "有仙," but that borders on being derogatory, as it implies the person in question is not the b source of their power and may later pay a price for their dabbling, even if they are doing good deeds at v present). Tablets (牌位) seem much more common than statues in these shrines. Often the spirits are ritually compelled to take up residence in the Daoist temple so that they will cease causing trouble for a person or family who might have offended them and therefore has had a spate of bad luck or been haunted. The spirits are converted to Daoism, get to continue their cultivation in a temple environment, and enjoy offerings at their shrines, usually contained in a small hall housing this type of shrine (you would not typically find them in a hall devoted to immortals and major deities). Crucially, they also become protectors of the temple and even their previous victim, who will have made a donation to the temple in order for the Daoists to facilitate this process. 

 

If you hike in the mountains off-trail in that part of China you will also regularly come across small caves or holes in rock walls that have been labeled as homes of fox, snake, or ferret spirits, often with a wooden tablet or red paint right on the rock telling you who is honored there. Offerings of liquor, cigarettes, and snacks may be left before the cave or hole. The caves I've seen are so shallow and exposed that they never seem to be likely homes of actual, living animals; rather, they are places for spirit worship and maybe shamanic activity, which is still common in that part of China. 

 

I've hiked quite a lot in different parts of China and Taiwan and only seen this stuff up in the northeast. Although fox lore is known everywhere, the people in the northeast take it the most seriously by far (amid people I've met, anyway). Ferret lore is also so common that I've witnessed a 50-year-old woman bouncing around the parlor of a Daoist temple, temporarily possessed by a ferret. Nobody found it strange, but all eyes were on me to see how I'd react! (Spoiler: I was like what the fuuuuuuu... 😂)

 

Given the above, if I had to put money on it, I'd guess the book in question came from Liaoning, Jilin, or Heilongjiang province. Given that heavy Han migration to that region is quite recent, I would guess the scripture dates to the Qing dynasty or later.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Walker

[SirPalomides]

Thanks, Walker. Fascinating information as always. That ferret possessions sounds... awesome. I wonder how fox possessed people would behave.

 

I had read that the fox cults are particularly big in the northeast. What I noticed though is that a lot of these fox temples appearing online and selling amulets, statues, etc. are in Taiwan or in Guangdong province or Hong Kong. In the link I provided there's a video of the scripture being read in what I think is Cantonese (I've only studied Mandarin so I'm not too sure about that)

[Walker]

You're welcome.

 

I don't know if foxes or snakes are thought to possess people. Up in that part of China, I've only heard of it with ferrets and "typical" ghosts or demons, i.e., those with no obvious connection to the animal kingdom. The fox lore I've read (there's actually a fair amount in old TCM texts, too, and it was clear that a physician in ancient times and up to the present could well expect to see patients reporting this phenomenon) often involves sex. By all accounts, if I am to be honest... it is supposed to be great sex, sex worth dying for even!

 

It's entirely possible that that scripture came from Canton, Taiwan, or elsewhere. China is big, its history long, its migrations many, and its foxes very, very sexy.

 

(In fairness to fox spirits at large, though, I briefly cast an eye over that scripture and it seems to be about straightforward, "orthodox" spiritual cultivation. To be sure, not all fox spirits are thought to be haunters or jing-stealing incubi/succubi. Some are certainly seen as trodding the 正道 and revered as such.) 

[SirPalomides]

I'm trying to translate some of the incantations here, both from curiosity and to practice my Chinese reading.

 

桃花竞开放，飘逸万里香.

姻缘天上降，花开又结果.

九尾红狐在，香火闪金光.

 

"Peach blossoms race to open, graceful fragrance drifts afar.

Decrees of marriage fall from heaven. Flowers open, bearing fruit.

The nine-tailed red fox is here. Golden flash of burning incense."

 

How did I do? I'm not trying to be 100% literal, just get the meaning in reasonably flowing English.

Edited December 10, 2019 by SirPalomides

[Walker]

Looks okay to me, just note that 桃花 in the first sentence is in and of itself an allusion to romance between men and women. 桃花運, for example, means something like "luck with meeting a partner." Also, in the second line, 結果 is a pun, as it means to fruit, as well as to "create results." I would interpret 花開 as the arrival of a predestined partner or opportunity for coupling, and the fruit/result as marriage, or more specifically (since this is what marriage was always for until very recently), marriage + birthing of male heirs.

[SirPalomides]

Thanks, Walker. I know that the symbolism here is related especially to marriage, relationships, etc. Some of the other fox incantations are geared toward exorcism or wealth. I also notice that the first 6 or 7 prayers are also at the beginning of the standard Quanzhen morning ritual, so I guess this scripture is meant to be a sort of prayer rule, with the fox incantations taking the place of the Qingjingjing and other standard scriptures.