The ''Taishang Ganying Pian'' (太上感應篇), or ''Lao Tse's Treatise on the Response of the Tao'', is a

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 ...

scripture from the 12th century that has been very influential in China. Li Ying-Chang,Lao-tzu's treatise on the response of the Tao: translated with an introduction by Eva Wong. San Francisco, CA : Harper, c1994. p. xxvii a

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

scholar who retired from civil administration to teach Taoism, authored this. It is traditionally attributed to

Lao Tse 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 o ...

himself.

Interpretation and themes

The Treatise covers thoughts, words, and deeds in terms of ''

ganying ''Gǎnyìng'' or ''yìng'' is a Chinese cultural keyword meaning a "correlative resonance" pulsating throughout the purported force field of '' qi'' that infuses the cosmos. When the idea of ''ganying'' first appeared in Chinese classics from ...

''. It has a simple, practical approach to ethics, lacking any esoteric details. It is all about good deeds. These are rewarded by longevity and health. Lists of deeds, both good and evil, are given in this tract. They focus on crimes, business practices, and other every day actions and events. It represents a turn away from previous Taoism in that it focuses not on meditative practices or self cultivation but on action in the world. Taoism represents a variety of different viewpoints and practices hard to categorize by era or sect. Categorizations are disputed by scholars. The LushanLao-tzu's treatise on the response of the Tao: translated with an introduction by Eva Wong. San Francisco, CA : Harper, c1994. p. xx Sect of Taoism, from the

Southern Song The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

Dynasty (1127-1297 ce) is a Taoist sect representative of the type of Taoism in the treatise, called 'acts and karma Taoism' by Eva Wong. There are few texts that represent this type of Taoism, this being the main one. Most of the others are morality tales that grew up around this Treatise. The lack of scriptures for this current of belief has in no way detracted from its popularity.

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

viewpoint influenced this scripture. This book was most popular during the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

dynasty, (1368-1644 ce)

Impact

The Treatise has attracted both Taoists and Non-Taoists. It has gained a large population base among the commoner, because it does not require a monastery to practice.

Text

It is a short tract, written beforeLao-tzu's treatise on the response of the Tao: translated with an introduction by Eva Wong. San Francisco, CA : Harper, c1994. p. xxxiii Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism were deliberately synthesized by scholars or the state. The stories that accompany it were written during or after this synthesis. The time of writing is after folk beliefs had begun to influence Taoism, which may have begun with Chuang Tse.

Translations

It was first translated into English by Christian missionary Douglas Legge, in 1891. He thought it was crucial for the understanding of Chinese people's moral thought. There is a recent translation by Eva Wong and co. A new English Liturgy Version has also been recently published by Terebess Asia Online (see external links).

Commentary

There is a commentary of the treatise by a Daoist renunciant Xīng Dé, translated to English by Johan Hausen.

References

*Lao-tzu's treatise on the response of the Tao : Tʻai-shang kan-ying pʻien / Li Ying-chang ; translated with an introduction by Eva Wong ; with an historical introduction by Sean Dennison. San Francisco, CA : Harper San Francisco, c1994. (alk. paper) : The Shambhala guide to Taoism 1st ed. / Eva Wong. Boston : Shambhala, c1997. {{ISBN, 1570621691 (alk. paper)

External links

Treatise of the Illustrious Sage on Response and Retribution (2017 English Liturgy Version)
at Terebess Asia Online

at Terebess Asia Online
T'ai-Shang Kan-Ying P'ien
cartoon

at Sacred-Texts.com
google books synopsis

a YouTube ASL translation attempt for this article Taoist texts Chinese philosophy Philosophy books 12th-century_books Treatises