Sequence of the Transmission of Daoist Scriptures and Methods道门经法相承次序

Author / transmission: Pan Shizheng
Period: Tang · Records the dialogue in which Pan Shizheng answered Emperor Gaozong's questions at Xiaoyao Valley on Mount Song between the first year of Tiaolu and the first year of Yonglong (679–680) of Tang Gaozong's reign, compiled by his disciples; composed roughly at the end of the seventh century.
Canon division: Zhengyi Section
Collected in: Zhengtong Daozang, Zhengyi Section
Category: Encyclopedic Compendia (Leishu)
Fascicles: 3 juan

Synopsis

The Daomen Jingfa Xiangcheng Cixu (Sequence of the Transmission of Daoist Scriptures and Methods) records the dialogue in which Emperor Gaozong of Tang travelled to Mount Song to inquire about the Dao from the Shangqing master Pan Shizheng; it is a summary document of the scriptural system and theology of early Tang Daoism. The first juan describes the Three Treasures of Daoism and the classification of the scriptural teaching into the Three Caverns and Four Supplements in twelve categories, the sequence of transmission of scriptures and methods, and the hierarchy of ordination ranks (from the register-holders of Zhengyi up to the masters of the Great Cavern method of Shangqing); the middle juan discusses the Three Pure Ones such as the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and the system of heavens, cosmic cycles, and the opening of heaven and earth; the last juan discusses methods of cultivation, the merit of retreats and precepts, and the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Daoism. Pan Shizheng was the teacher of Sima Chengzhen and a disciple of Wang Yuanzhi; this text reflects the view of the Maoshan Shangqing lineage on the integration of the whole Daoist scriptural teaching in the early Tang, and is important material for understanding how the 'Three Caverns and Four Supplements' scriptural system operated within the Tang ordination-rank system; it is often read alongside the Pivot of Meaning of the Daoist Teaching and the Regulations for the Practice of Daoism in Accordance with the Scriptures of the Three Caverns.

Key Ideas

The scriptural system of the Three Caverns and Four Supplements in twelve categories
The sequence of transmission of scriptures and methods and the hierarchy of ordination ranks
The Three Pure Ones, the heavens, and the cosmology of cosmic cycles
The Shangqing lineage's articulation of the overall Daoist teaching

Structure

Three juan, in question-and-answer form.

Editions

Zhengtong Daozang edition
Zhonghua Daozang, volume 42

Full Text & Online Resources

Related scriptures

Pivot of Meaning of the Daoist Teaching, Regulations for the Practice of Daoism in Accordance with the Scriptures of the Three Caverns, Supreme Secret Essentials (Wushang biyao)

References

任继愈主编《道藏提要》
Kristofer Schipper & Franciscus Verellen eds., The Taoist Canon, 2004
卿希泰主编《中国道教史》第二卷