26
JULIAN PAS
tion is divinely pre-ordained and therefore contains a message which is the best possible in the particular circumstances. That even applies to medical temple oracles, which at first view is rather shocking. Some devotees will hardly consult a medical doctor when a health problem arises. They will go to the temple, usually dedicated to one of the deities of healing (for example Pao-sheng Ta-ti, Shen-nung Ta-ti), where medical divination slips are still being used. The pattern of consultation is the same as for ordinary temple oracles, but the end result is different: the devotee will receive a divination slip which contains a herbal recipe. This is taken to a traditional drug store where the divine prescription is filled and if followed with confidence and trust in the deity, health will supposedly gradually be restored.
Whether or not the results of divination are authentic, i.e. whether or not there really is a deity behind the scene who makes a decision in each individual case concerning the best solution, is psychologically unimportant: the worshipper accepts the premises of divine guidance and with one stone hits two birds: he believes in the supernatural outcome of his consultation, and also circumvents the painful process of decision-making on his own. As a psychological support for action, as a method of divine counseling, divination appeals to a great number of people. Since the temple oracles are easy to manipulate, they are very popular, just as the I Ching consultation keeps its strong appeal also in the West for more educated people.
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The Chinese temple oracles have, moreover, another way of exercising a strong attraction: most of the sets included in this survey are rather complex in that they contain various appendices to their basic texts. The oracles are usually written in verse form: four lines of either five or seven characters. What happened to the I Ching, has happened here in a similar fashion: commentators added their own interpretations or characterizations to the text (the "wings" of the temple oracles?) Two types of these commentaries need further elaboration: first, areas of concern and secondly, historical precedents.
1. Most sets of oracles list out the areas of vital concern which for most worshippers cover the majority of cases about which they
26
JULIAN PAS
tion is divinely pre-ordained and therefore contains a message which is the best possible in the particular circumstances. That even applies to medical temple oracles, which at first view is rath- er shocking. Some devotees will hardly consult a medical doctor when a health problem arises. They will go to the temple, usually dedicated to one of the deities of healing (for example Pao-sheng Ta-ti, Shen-nung Ta-ti), where medical divination slips are still being used. The pattern of consultation is the same as for ordinary temple oracles, but the end result is different: the devotee will receive a divination slip which contains a herbal recipe. This is taken to a traditional drug store where the divine prescription is filled and if followed with confidence and trust in the deity, health will supposedly gradually be restored.
Whether or not the results of divination are authentic, i.e. whether or not there really is a deity behind the scene who makes a decision in each individual case concerning the best solution, is psychologically unimportant: the worshipper accepts the premises of divine guidance and with one stone hits two birds: he believes in the supernatural outcome of his consultation, and also circum- vents the painful process of decision-making on his own. As a psychological support for action, as a method of divine counsel- ing, divination appeals to a great number of people. Since the temple oracles are easy to manipulate, they are very popular, just as the I Ching consultation keeps its strong appeal also in the West for more educated people.
—
The Chinese temple oracles have, moreover, another way of exercising a strong attraction: most of the sets included in this survey are rather complex in that they contain various appendices to their basic texts. The oracles are usually written in verse form: four lines of either five or seven characters. What happened to the I Ching, has happened here in a similar fashion: commentators added their own interpretations or characterizations to the text (the "wings" of the temple oracles?) Two types of these commen- taries need further elaboration: first, areas of concern and second- ly, historical precedents.
1. Most sets of oracles list out the areas of vital concern which for most worshippers cover the majority of cases about which they
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