Chinese Poetry and Prophecy: The Written Oracle in East Asia by Michael Strickmann.

[robot_mel]

This is the second book of Strickmann’s to be published after his death having been edited and finished by Bernard Faure. . Unfortunately I read this book months and months ago and have only just got around to writing it up, and am having difficulty remembering many of the details of the book, (which is why I started writing about them in the first place!) The book looks at the history, and modern use, of Chinese temple oracles. These oracles are strips with numbers on that are in a large pot; (or similar object) the person selects one and takes it to the priest who lets them know the poem associated with the stick and their fortune based on that poem. Strickmann looks at how these oracles have spread beyond China, and pays particular attention to their use in Tibet and modern Japan. Strickmann attempts to trace back the oldest examples of this type of oracle, and looks at early Buddhist and Taoist versions and the interaction between the two. I found this part very interesting but rather short, without a more detailed analysis it was harder to evaluate the effectiveness of his arguments. The book also had some interesting insight into the current debate between popular and elite religion in China, this material was very interesting and worth re-reading when I go back and study this again. (Hopefully taking better notes next time). I will definitely have to get a copy of Chinese Magical Medicine (Strickmann's other posthumous collaboration with Bernard Faure) though I do hope it is a little longer, and focuses more on China and less on influence outside its borders. As far as I am aware this is the only scholarly work in English on the subject of Chinese oracles and is both enjoyable and insightful. I hope it encourages further research in this area.