© Equinox Publishing Ltd. 2019, Offce 415, The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffeld, S1 2BX Postscripts 10.1–2 (2019) 122–143 Postscripts ISSN (print) 1743-887x https://doi.org/10.1558/post.38025 Postscripts ISSN (online) 1743-8888 Keywords: Daoist Scripture, Sacred Writs, Veneration of Scripture, Visualization, Recitation, Qi Daoist Writs anD scriptures as sacreD Beings Jihyun Kim Seoul National University inixie@snu.ac.kr The formation and solidifcation of canonical scriptures in Dao- ism facilitated the establishment and development of the reli- gious tradition. In particular, medieval Daoism was grounded on a unique conception of writs and scriptures. The Daoist concept of scripture is founded on a belief system in which letters and sounds are particular forms of qi, or the omnipresent “pneuma and energy.” Such a way of thinking provides a lead for under- standing the Daoist veneration of scriptures and other various practices. The aim of this paper is to explore the characteris- tics of Daoist canonical scriptures as “sacred beings,” mainly through an investigation of the Daoist perspective on scriptures, scripture-worship, and the relationship between scripture and practice. The Chinese equivalent of “sutra” or “canonical scripture” is jing 經, which literally means “vertical thread” in weaving, from which various strata of meaning are derived, such as “the axis of life,” “the orthodox way,” or “unchanging rule.” What are called jing are prolifc in the Dao- ist tradition. Since the ffth century CE, when Daoism was recognized as a jiao 敎 “teaching” of a different system from that of Confucian- ism and Buddhism, Daoist scriptures have played an important role in enabling Daoism to gain a position on a par with that of the other two teachings. Plenty of evidence shows that the formation and solidif- cation of canonical scriptures facilitated the development of Daoism: the formation of the classifcation system of the Daoist Canon was the core of establishing the Daoist religious tradition (Ōfuchi 1979, Schip- per 1985, Kim 2017); many important Daoist rituals were developed in connection with the transmission of scriptures (Kobayashi 2003, Kim 2011); and the recitation of scriptures was placed at the center of Daoist orthodox praxis (Robinet 1993, Kim 2006). However, since