The content of Taoist scriptures is all-encompassing. It not only records Taoist doctrines, canons and precepts, cultivation methods, fasting rituals, but also preserves ancient Chinese philosophy, literature, medicine, health, chemistry, music, Precious information on geography and other subjects. Taoist scriptures can be called a treasure house of traditional Chinese culture. Main classics
"Tao Te Ching", "Nan Hua Zhen Jing", "Wen Shi Zhen Jing", "Chongxu Zhen Jing", "Tong Xuan Zhen Jing", "The Wonderful Sutra of Saving People", "Yin Fu Sutra", "Qing Jing Sutra", "Xisheng Sutra", "Heart Seal Sutra", "Huangting Sutra", "Huangting Inner Sutra", "Jade Emperor Sutra", "Yushu Sutra", "Yin Fu Jing" "Three Officials Sutra", "Beidou Sutra", "Zhou Yi Shen Tong Qi", "Wuzhen Chapter", "Tai Shang Laojun Vipassana Sutra", "Dong Xuan Ling Bao Meditation Sutra", "Tai Shang Induction Chapter", "Emperor Wenchang Yin Zhi Wen", "Zuowang Lun?", "Hua Shu", "Fifteen Treatises on Chongyang Establishment", "Longmen Xinfa" often recite the classics
Xuanmen daily recitation of the Morning Altar Sutra : All the rhymes before the sutra, the eight divine mantras, the Taishang Laojun’s Sutra of Everlasting Peace, the Taishang Cave Xuanling Bao Shengxuan to eliminate disasters and protect life, the Taishang Lingbao Tianzun’s Sutra of warding off disasters and relieving disasters, Gao Shang The Jade Emperor's Heart Seal Miao Sutra, the Zhen Bao Edicts, the Zhongtang Praise and Qiu Zu's Confession, etc., the Small Praise and the Sutra Concluding Visits, etc.
Xuanmen Daily Recitation of the Evening Altar Sutra: All rhymes and praises before the sutra, Taishangdong Xuanlingbao Tianzun said the wonderful sutra of rescuing suffering and eradicating sins, Yuanshi Tianzun said the wonderful sutra of rebirth and attaining the way to heaven, Taishang Daojun said the wonderful sutra of resolving injustice and eradicating sins, all the true treasure edicts, Zhongtang praises and repaying kindness edicts, etc., small Dao Zang such as Praise and Conclusions and Gathas
Dao Zang refers to the general name of Taoist books, including Taoist books since Zhou and Qin Dynasties and Taoist classics since the Six Dynasties. It is a collection of Taoist scriptures, a large-scale Taoist series that organizes many classics according to a certain compilation intention, collection scope and organizational structure. Different versions
"Northern Qi Taoist Canon"
Large-scale compilation of Taoist books began in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Zhou Dynasty, he called the Taoist priest Wang Yan to the capital to build a Taoist temple (the predecessor of Xuandu Temple in the Tang Dynasty), and he selected eight Taoist priests to work with Yan to carry out Xuan's decree. . In the fifth year of Tianhe of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (570), the "Xuandu Jingmu" compiled by Taoist priest Xuandu Guan was added to Zhuzilun, with a total of 6363 volumes, which was greatly increased compared with what Lu Xiujing collected. During the Jiande period, Emperor Wu of the Zhou Dynasty ordered the Taoist priest Wang Yan to set up a Taoist temple and "correct the scriptures in the three caves and hide them in the temple." Yan wrote seven volumes of "Zhu Nang" and 8,300 volumes of biographies and commentaries on the scriptures, which were stored in the temple. View”.
"Kaiyuan Taoist Canon"
Because the emperor respected Li Er, the leader of Taoism, as his distant ancestor, he attached great importance to the compilation of Taoist scriptures. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, the All Tao Sutra was published. During the Kaiyuan period (713-741), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty sent envoys to search for the Daoist scriptures. During this period, Xuanzong wrote "Qiong Gang Jing Mu", with a total of 7,300 volumes. In the later Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong personally presided over the compilation of "Yu Taobao Bielemu", which contained more than 9,000 volumes of records, biographies and commentaries. ''In the seventh year of Tianbao's reign (748), the edict was written down and spread widely. It is called "Kaiyuan Dao Zang". The two Taoist canons compiled with the support of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty reached the peak of the compilation of Taoist books in the past dynasties.
"Baowen Tonglu"
During the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, many Taoist books stored in the two capitals were burned. After that, the emperors successively sent people to search and organize them. During the Dali period, another 7,000 volumes were produced. After the chaos of the Five Dynasties in the late Tang Dynasty, Taoist scriptures were collected and stored by Du Guangting, Ji Qiwu, and Liang Wenju, so that only 43 out of 10 Taoist books from the Six Dynasties survived. After the founding of the Song Dynasty, great efforts were made to collect Taoist books and compile Taoist canons. Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty tried to obtain more than 7,000 volumes of the Taoist Scriptures, and ordered Xu Xuan, the Changshi of Sanqi, and Yucheng, the king of Zhizhigao, to correct them and delete duplicates, and finally got 3,737 volumes. In the early years of Dazhong Xiangfu in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhenzong ordered the Taoist priests to revise the school, and ordered the prime minister Wang Qinruo, the commander-in-chief, to supplement it on the basis of Xu and Wang's revision, creating a total of 4359 volumes. Compared with the Dao Zang compiled by Xu Xuan and others, it has 622 more volumes, and has been compiled into an improved chapter, and is named "Baowen Tonglu".
"Tiangong Treasures of the Song Dynasty"
Because the outlines of "Baowen Tonglu" are different from those of "Qiong Gang" and "Yu Wei", Wang Qinruo, Qi Lun, etc. He also recommended Zhang Junfang to preside over the revision again. According to the outline of the three caves, the four parts are summarized, the classification is detailed, the similarities and differences are discussed, and the collection is made up of Quan, followed by Quan, with a total of 4565 volumes; the letter list starts with the Tianzi of "Qianziwen" and ends with the Gongzi, resulting in 466 letters. The title is "Treasures of the Tiangong of the Song Dynasty". In the spring of the third year of Tianxi (1019), it was recorded in Qizang.
"Zhenghe Wanshou Taoist Collection"
During the Chongning period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Huizong ordered a search for Taoist posthumous documents from all over the world, and ordered Taoist priests from the Calligraphy Art Bureau to edit them. During the Chongning and Daguan years, the number increased to 5387 volumes. Zhenghe Zhongjian collected the canons, and two imperial edicts and prefectures searched for Taoist posthumous documents, and found a lot of them. They set up an economic bureau, ordered Taoist Yuan Miaozong and Wang Daojian to make detailed revisions, and sent them to Longtuge's direct scholar, Fuzhou County Governor Huang The garment workers cut the boards. After finishing the work, he went to Tokyo (today's Kaifeng, Henan Province) and collected 540 letters and 5481 volumes, which was named "Zhenghe Wanshou Taoist Canon". The engraving of Taoist texts began in the Five Dynasties, and the engraving of all Tibetan publications began here.
"The Treasure of Xuandu of Great Jin Dynasty"
The sutra board of "Zhenghe Wanshou Taoist Canon" has gone through the Jingkang Rebellion and has become incomplete in the Jin Dynasty. In the fourth year of Dading in the Jin Dynasty (1164), Emperor Shizong issued an edict to use the Taoist Sutra Board of Nanjing (i.e. Tokyo of the Song Dynasty, today's Kaifeng, Henan Province) to be delivered to the Shifang Tianchang Temple in Zhongdu (the old site is in the west of Baiyun Temple in today's Beijing). In the first year of Jin Mingchang (1190), Tidian Chonghe and master Sun Mingdao completed the repairs and printed the scriptures. Later Sun Mingdao followed the imperial edict and sent Huang Guan to visit the sutras all over the world and recruit workers and materials. Within two years, the carvings and tools were completed, and 1,074 volumes of the sutras were obtained. More than 21,000 volumes were repaired, totaling 83,198 volumes. Sun Mingdao then encouraged Taoist companions to follow the three caves and four auxiliaries, analyze them in detail, and explain the similarities and differences between merchants and schools. They compiled a collection of 6,455 volumes and titled it "The Treasure of Xuandu, the Great Jin Dynasty". In the second year of Taihe (1202), Tianchangguan was destroyed by fire, and the sutra tablets were also burned.
"Treasures of Xuandu"
In the early Yuan Dynasty, the Taoist priest Song Defang advocated the publication of the Taoist Scriptures and ordered his disciple Qin Zhian to lead the work at Xuandu Temple in Pingyang. By the third year of Mazhen's reign (1244), the entire collection was completed, with more than 7,800 volumes, also known as "Xuandu Treasures". The sutra tablets are stored in Xuandu Temple in Pingyang. When the clan was established, it was moved to the newly built Chunyang Wanshou Palace in Yongle Town, Pingyang. Since those who participated in the revision were all Quanzhen Taoist priests, there are many Quanzhen Taoist works in the collection. During the reigns of Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty, Taoism failed in the debate between monks and Taoists on "Laozi Transformed the Hu Jing", and the Buddhists petitioned that "everything except the Tao Te Ching should be burned." In the 18th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1281), an edict was issued Except for the Tao Te Ching, all other Taoist books and Taoist printing plates were burned. Among them, the essence of Taoist philosophy, records of emperors advocating Taoism, and books on debates between Taoists and Buddhism. Most of these books have disappeared after the burning of scriptures. A large number of precious classics and Taoist books carefully accumulated and preserved by hermits and Taoist priests in the Jin, Tang, and Song dynasties were all lost due to the disaster of "burning scriptures in the Yuan Dynasty." Most of the scriptures left behind are Buddhist scriptures. It can be seen that The characteristics and preciousness of that batch of classics. According to textual research, many of the Taoist books recorded in the "Tao Zang Que Sutra Catalogue" included in the "Zhengtong Dao Zang" were lost after the burning of scriptures in the Yuan Dynasty. This is the cultural policy of the Yuan Dynasty rulers. Taoist literature and Chinese culture suffered huge irreparable losses. From then on, the only records of Buddhist and Taoist debates were unilateral Buddhist records, which was also the reason why there was too little Taoist scholarship in later generations. It is difficult to get a glimpse of the true nature of the debate between Buddhism and Taoism. Chen Yuan's "New Taoism Research in Hebei Province in the Early Southern Song Dynasty" states: "The current version of Que Jing Catalog is the catalog of "Yuan Zang" compiled during the Ming Dynasty. "Rough statistics show that 2,500 volumes of 794 kinds of Taoist temples were burned, which is equivalent to half of the Ming Dynasty's "Zhengtong Dao Zang". Since then, as stated in the Ming Dynasty's "Li Weng Duiyun", "there are many famous mountain monks in the world, and it is also the reason why there are so many monks in the world." There are one or two strange peaks left to rest on, my fellow Taoist. " phenomenon.
"Orthodox Taoist Canon"
At the beginning of Ming Dynasty Chengzu ascended the throne (1403), the 43rd generation Heavenly Master Zhang Yuchu was ordered to compile the Taoist Canon. In the fourth or fifth year of Yongle, In the eighth year of Yongle, Zhang Yuchu passed away, and the forty-fourth generation of heavenly master Zhang Yuqing was ordered to continue to preside over the editing. It was not until the ninth year of Zhengtong (1444) that the publication began. The publication was completed the following year and was called "Orthodox Taoist Canon".
In the Ming Dynasty, although Taoism had gradually lost its dominant position in society and government, its power began to decline. The Ming Dynasty was the most important period for the compilation and revision of Taoist religious classics. The most complete and largest Taoist canon we can see today was completed during this period.
In previous dynasties, the Dao Zang was compiled several times, but due to historical reasons, they were all lost. So at the beginning of the 15th century, Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty ordered the Dao Zang to be re-edited from 1406 to 1445. After several years and several emperors, the first Taoist canon of the Ming Dynasty was finally completed, which is the "Orthodox Taoist Canon" with 5305 volumes and 480 letters.
More than 150 years later, Emperor Wanli ordered the compilation of the Taoist Canon again, and added a lot of content based on the previous one. This is the "Wanli Continuation of the Taoist Canon".
The two Taoist canons of the Ming Dynasty total 510 letters and 5485 volumes. "Orthodox Taoist Canon" is divided into twelve parts according to three caves and four supplements, and each part contains a total of 1,430 kinds of books. There are 316 types of Ji Dong Zhen Bu; 303 types of Dong Xuan Bu; 364 types of Dong Shen Bu; 117 types of Tai Xuan Bu; 66 types of Tai Ping Bu; and Tai Qing Bu. Twenty-four types; two hundred and forty types in the first volume. However, the divisions of the "Orthodox Taoist Canon" are very confusing. For example, the "Tao Te Ching" and other Taoist treatises should be included in the first column of the "Taoist Canon", but now "The Book of Saviors" is mistakenly included in the first column of the "Taoist Canon"; the "Shangqing Jing" should be included in the Dongzhen Part, but now most of them mistakenly enter the Zhengyi Part; various commentaries on "The Book of Saviors" should go into the Dongxuan Part, but now they mistakenly go into the Dongzhen Part; Taoist commentaries should go into the Taixuan Part, but they also mistakenly go into the Dongzhen Part. There are many such examples. Therefore, the number of books collected by each department listed above cannot reflect the true number of books collected by each department; and the number of types of books collected above is only an approximation. Many of these books are only one type, but actually include many kinds. For example, "Ten Books on Cultivation" contains collections of poems and essays by various successors of the Southern Sect, "Jindan Dacheng Collection", "Shangqing Collection", "Yulong Collection" and "Wuyi Collection" There are more than ten kinds; "Yunji Qilu" is a compilation of "Tiangong Treasures of the Song Dynasty", some excerpts, some full text, and there are too many books to mention. Therefore, the actual number of books collected is greater than the figures listed above. Among the Taoist priests who participated in the compilation, except for Zhang Yuchu, Zhang Yuqing, Shao Yizheng and others, those who can be tested include Tu Shenggong from Yongle and Yu Daochun and Tang Xiwen from Zhengtong. There are currently three and a half volumes of "Zhengtong Dao Zang". One is in the Beijing Municipal Library; the other is in the Nanyang Municipal Library; and only half is in the Shanghai Municipal Library. There is also the "Tao Zang" published during the Wanli period collected by the Qingdao Municipal Museum.
"The Wanli Continuing Taoist Canon"
When compiling the "Orthodox Taoist Canon", there were many omissions due to poor search and research. In the thirty-fifth year of Wanli (1607), the fiftieth generation of Tian His teacher Zhang Guoxiang was ordered to publish "Xu Dao Zang", and also used "Thousand Character Classic" as the order of correspondence, from Du to Ying. There are 32 letters and 180 volumes, called "Wanli Xudao Zang".
Hanfenlou photocopy
The original and continued Taoist canon tablets were passed down to the Qing Dynasty, and there were some defects every day. In the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu's reign (1900), the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing and all was destroyed. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, although many Taoist canons were awarded to various palaces and temples, very few survived due to repeated wars. From October 1923 to April 1926, the Commercial Press, in the name of Hanfenlou, made photocopies of the original and continued Dao Zang collected in Baiyunguan, Beijing, and reduced it to a small lithographic six-part version. The two pages of each Sanskrit book are combined into one page, and there are 1120 volumes. However, although the Taoist canon stored in Baiyun Temple was repaired with Wang Tingbi's funding in the 25th year of Daoguang reign (1845), it is still incomplete. The catalog of the entire collection can be found in the 4 volumes of the "Catalogue of the Taoist Canon". The museum selected 170 categories from the entire book and printed 398 volumes of "Tao Zang Ju Yao". In the Ming Dynasty, there were two types of "Detailed Notes on the Taoist Catalogue", each with 4 volumes, compiled by Bai Yunji and Li Jie respectively. All have some solutions. Bai compiled "detailed notes" and included them in "Sikuquanshu".
*More than 200 volumes. The important Taoist classics, the works of the ancestors and real people of the past dynasties, the rituals and precepts, and the genealogy of the stele are all included. It is actually an abbreviation of the Taoist canon, and there are also late Taoist books besides the Ming version of the Taoist canon. During the Jiaqing period, Jiang Yuanting compiled 1 volume of "Tao Zang Ji Yao Catalog". In the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906), because the original version of "Tao Zang Ji Yao" was already rare, Erxian'an Taoist Academy in Chengdu republished it, and added 5 volumes of "Dao Zang Ji Yao Sub-catalog" edited by He Longxiang, and engraved another "The Continuation of the Collection of Dao Zang" and "The Collected Edition of Nudan" are in parallel circulation in the world. In addition, there are also the first volume of "The Continuation of the Dao Zang" compiled by Min Yide, and the "Essence of the Dao Zang" compiled by Xiao Tianshi and Xiao Gong, both of which have added to the main continuation of the Dao Zang. "The Essence of Taoism" is a collection of ancient, unique, and banknote versions of Taoist and Taoist classics. There are more than 800 kinds of Taoist scriptures, and more than a thousand commentators have compiled them. Its extensive collection, exquisite content, precious editions, and rigorous selection of journals can be regarded as four masterpieces. Due to the large number of Dao Zang volumes, retrieval is very inconvenient. In July 1953, Weng Dujian compiled the book "Tao Zang Zimu Yin De" based on the contents of "Zhengtong Dao Zang" and "Wanli Xu Dao Zang" as well as "Tao Zang Que Sutra Catalog" and "Dao Zang Ji Yao". It consists of four parts: "Yinde from the Sutra", "Yinde from the Author" and "Yinde from the Historical Biography", which is a good reference book for searching the Taoist canon.
In 1949, Chen Guofu wrote "An Examination of the Origin of the Taoist Canon" (enhanced and reprinted in 1963), which contains many researches on the origin and transmission of the Three Cave and Four Auxiliary Sutras, the Taoist bibliography of the past dynasties, and the compilation and engraving of the Taoist Canon.