Spirits and Body in the Tsinghua University *Wu ji 五紀 Manuscript

In the complex cosmological system of the *Wu ji, spirits and body are closely interwoven. There are seventy-two gods arranged into hierarchical ranks, consisting of six primary gods (zhushen 主神), twelve great gods (dashen 大神), twenty-four earthly gods (qi 祇), twenty-eight ordinary gods (shen 神), and the gods of the Southern Gate (Nanmen 南門) and the Northern Dipper (Beidou 北斗). All these gods have distinctive names and functions. It is only through comprehensive mastery of this system that the ruler of the human realm can accomplish his governance. The human body and the cosmos are closely interconnected, and the different parts of the human body are also controlled by seventy-two gods; therefore, it is only through knowledge and mastery of one’s body that one can master the cosmos. If humans do not pay respect to the gods, they send down misfortunes. This notion of the presence of gods in the human body probably influenced the later practice of visualization (cunsi 存思) in religious Daoism. Apart from the seventy-two gods, there are also five types of demons in the human body, which cause illness.