Spirituality & Religious StudiesTaoist Canon
This is also known as Daozang. It’s the largest canon of Taoist writings. It’s 1 of the most massive & complex religious compilations in human history. It has roughly 1,500 texts. It was first embodied by the Daodejing, Zhuangzi, & Liezi.
The canon was assembled by monds circa 400 CE in an attempt to bring together these disparate yet consonant teachings. This anthology consisted of 3 divisions (grottoes) based on what was seen at that time in Southern China as Taoism’s primary focus: meditation, ritual, & exorcism. These grottoes were ranked by skill level (exorcism is the lowest, meditation the highest) & used for the initiation of Taoist masters.
In addition to the 3 Grottoes, there were the “Four Supplements” that were added to the canon circa 500 CE. 3 were primarily sourced from the older core texts, with the other from a separate, established philosophical tradition known as Tianshi Dao.
Originally the Three Caverns & Four Supplements represented 3 distinct lineages of Daoism that emerged in Southern China.
The Three Caverns:
The Cavern of Authenticity (Dongzhen):
Contains texts of the Shangqing (Supreme Purity) tradition. This was considered the highest level of initiation, focusing on internal visualization, meditation, & “celestial travel.” (Think astral projection.)
The Cavern of Mystery (Dongxuan):
Contains texts of the Lingbao (Sacred Treasure) tradition. This tradition focused on communal rituals, liturgy, & the salvation of the dead.
The Cavern of Divinity (Dongshen):
Contains texts of the Sanhuang (Three Sovereigns) tradition. This was the lowest level, focusing on practical exorcisms, talismans, & warding off spirits.
Each of the 3 Grottoes contains the following 12 chapters:
- Main texts (Benwen)
- Talismans (Yujue)
- Diagrams & illustrations (Lingtu)
- Histories & genealogies (Pulu)
- Precepts (Jielu)
- Ceremonies (Weiyi)
- Rituals (Fangfa)
- Practices (Zhongshu)
- Biographies (Jizhuan)
- Hymns (Zansong)
- Memorials (Biaozou)
The Four Supplements:
As newer movements & the original “classical” texts needed to be integrated, 4 supplementary sections were added.
Great Mystery (Taixuan):
Centered on the Daodejing.
Great Peace (Taiping):
Based on the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace).
Great Purity (Taiqing):
Focused on Waidan (External Alchemy), such as the creation of elixirs.
Orthodox One (Zhengyi):
Dedicated to the Celestial Masters, the oldest organized Daoist movement.
As with most religious texts, the history of the Daozang is a story of imperial patronage & periodic destruction.
The 1st Catalog (471 CE): The scholar Lu Xiujing compiled the 1st comprehensive catalog of Daoist scriptures. He was the 1st to formalize the “Three Caverns” structure, effectively creating a unified Daoist identity to compete with the rising influence of Buddhism.
The Tang “Golden Age” (748 CE): Emperor Xuanzong (who claimed to be a descendant of Laozi) ordered the 1st official “Canon of the Kaiyuan Era.” Copies were distributed to state-sponsored abbeys across China.
The Song & the 1st Painting (1111-1118 CE): Under Emperor Huizong (a “Daoist Emperor”), the canon was 1st carved into woodblocks for painting. This allowed for wider distribution but also made it a target during wars.
The Mongol Destruction: During the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongol rulers favored Buddhism. After a series of debates between Daoists & Buddhists, the Mongols ordered the burning of the Daoist Canon in 1281. Only the Daodejing was officially spared.
The Ming Canon (1445 CE): The version we use today is the Zhengtong Daozang, compiled during the Ming Dynasty. It survived because it was safely housed in the White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan) in Beijing. While other copies were destroyed during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion & subsequent wars.
The Daozang is essentially an “encyclopedia of Chinese culture.” Because Daoism was so deeply integrated into every level of society, the canon records nowhere else:
- Science: It contains the world’s oldest descriptions of chemical reactions & metallurgical techniques (from alchemy).
- Medicine: Many texts describe the “inner landscape” of the body, which forms the basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TDM) & Qigong.
- Sociology: It documents the life of the common people (their fears of demons, their village rituals, & their hopes for immortality), which were often ignored by official Confucian court histories.
If you’re interested in looking at the texts yourself, the Zhonghua Daozang (2003) is a modern, punctuated edition that’s MUCH easier to read than the original Ming woodblock prints. Many of these are now being digitized by projects at the Chinese University of Hong Kong & several American research libraries.
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