A CASE STUDY OF THE GREAT BOOK OF MYSTERY: A COMPREHENSIVE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE YI FATE
A CASE STUDY OF THE GREAT BOOK OF MYSTERY: A COMPREHENSIVE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE YI FATE

Summary/Abstract: This article aims to introduce a part of a case study of The Great Book of Mystery, which is one of the most comprehensive divination corpora used by the bimo (Ch. 毕摩) shamans/spirit priests of the Yi ethnic minority that includes both traditional Yi prognostication techniques, such as deductive reasoning, bringing sacrifices to one’s tree of life, ancestor and celestial being worship, etc., and Han prognostication techniques of five elements (Ch. 五行), twelve palaces (Ch. 十二宫), eight trigrams (Ch. 八 卦), taijitu (Ch. 太极图), etc. The present research is hermeneutic and will provide interpretations of select Yi prognostication techniques in the first tome of the Great Book of Mystery, as well as give an explanation of rituals that must be carried out in case the prognostication is negative and mention several types of sacred scriptures chanted by the bimo during these ceremonies.

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