Daozang (), meaning '

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...

Canon', consists of around 1,400 texts that were collected (after the '' Daodejing'' and '' Zhuangzi'' and Liezi which are the core Taoist texts). They were collected by Taoist monks of the period in an attempt to bring together all of the teachings of Taoism, including all the commentaries and expositions of the various masters from the original teachings found in the ''Daodejing'' and ''Zhuangzi''. These three divisions were based on the main focus of Taoism in Southern China during the time it was made, namely;

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

, and

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

. These Three Grottoes were used as levels for the initiation of Taoist masters, from lowest (exorcism) to highest (meditation). As well as the Three Grottoes there were Four Supplements that were added to the canon c. 500. These were mainly taken from older core Taoist texts (e.g. ''Daodejing'') apart from one which was taken from an already established and separate philosophy known as

Tianshi Dao The Way of the Celestial Masters is a Chinese Daoist movement that was founded by Zhang Daoling in 142 AD. Its followers rebelled against the Han Dynasty, and won their independence in 194. At its height, the movement controlled a theocratic state ...

(Way of the Heavenly Masters). Although the above can give the appearance that the canon is highly organized, this is far from the truth. Although the present-day canon does preserve the core divisions, there are substantial forks in the arrangement due to the later addition of commentaries, revelations and texts elaborating upon the core divisions.

Timeline

#The First Daozang #*During the era of Northern and Southern dynasties, this was the first time of an effort was made to compile and categorised scriptures and texts from across China by Lu Xiujing and occurred around 471 and consisted of roughly 1,228 scrolls. #The Second Daozang #*In 748, the Tang emperor Tang Xuan-Zong who was a devoted Taoist (the royal family claimed to be the descendants of

Laozi Laozi (), also known by numerous other names, was a semilegendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher. Laozi ( zh, ) is a Chinese honorific, generally translated as "the Old Master". Traditional accounts say he was born as in the state ...

) sent clergy to collect more scriptures and texts that expanded the Taoist Canon. #The Third Daozang #*Around 1016 of the Song dynasty, the Daozang was revised and many texts collected during the Tang dynasty were removed. This third Daozang consisted of approximately more than 4500 scrolls and was known as Yunji Qiqian. #The Fourth Daozang #*In 1444 of the Ming dynasty, a final version was produced consisting of approximately 5300 scrolls. Many new Daozang were published.

Constituent parts

Three Grottoes () 400

#Authenticity Grotto (Dongzhen) : Texts of Supreme Purity (Shangqing) tradition #*This grotto is concerned mainly with meditation and is the highest phase of initiation for a Taoist master. #Mystery Grotto (Dongxuan) : Texts of Sacred Treasure (Lingbao) tradition #*This grotto is concerned mainly with rituals and is the middle phase of initiation for a Taoist master. #Spirit Grotto (Dongshen) : Texts of Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang) tradition #*This grotto is concerned mainly with exorcisms and is the lowest phase of initiation for a Taoist master.

Each of the Three Grottoes contains the following 12 chapters

#Main texts (Benwen) # Talismans (Shenfu) #Commentaries (Yujue) #Diagrams and illustrations (Lingtu) #Histories and genealogies (Pulu) #Precepts (Jielu) #Ceremonies (Weiyi) #

Ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

s (Fangfa) #Practices (Zhongshu) #Biographies (Jizhuan) #

Hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

s (Zansong) #Memorials (Biaozou)

Four Supplements 500

#Great Mystery (Taixuan) : Based on the Dao De Jing #Great Peace (Taiping) : Based on the Taiping Jing #Great Purity (Taiqing) : Based on the Taiqing Jing and other alchemical texts #Orthodox One ( Zhengyi) : Based on the Way of the Celestial Masters (Tianshi Dao) tradition.

External links

Daozang (Taoist Canon) and Subsidiary Compilations
(Judith M. Boltz), sample entry from ''The Encyclopledia of Taoism''

- maintained by David K. Jordan at UCSD. See also his overview of the canons of all three major Chinese religions, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism

Daoist Studies Daozang project
- maintained by James Miller at Queen's University

- Online Taoist Scriptures in English
Daozang
- maintained by Raymond Larose at Jade Purity
Daozang Jiyao Project

Daozang Jiyao Catalogue
(PDF) - Includes references to works also found or not found in the Daozang

Digital Resources of Traditional Chinese Taoism (Daoism) Culture for Free Download

{{Taoism footer * Series of books