Record of the Essence of the Daoist Canon道藏精华录
- Also known as
- One Hundred Selections from the Record of the Essence of the Daoist Canon
- Author / transmission
- Ding Fubao (1874–1952)
- Period
- Modern Era · Compiled by Ding Fubao, published by the Shanghai Medical Book Company in 1922; selects one hundred Daoist texts, hence also known as the One Hundred Selections from the Record of the Essence of the Daoist Canon.
- Canon division
- Modern Compendium of Daoist Texts
- Collected in
- Modern compendium (outside the Canon)
- Category
- Daozang Collections
- Fascicles
- 100 titles
Synopsis
The Record of the Essence of the Daoist Canon is a selection of Daoist texts compiled by the renowned modern bibliophile and physician Ding Fubao, published in 1922 by the Shanghai Medical Book Company that he founded; it selects one hundred Daoist texts from the Ming Daoist Canon and other sources, divided into several categories, including classics such as the Scripture of the Hidden Talisman, the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness, the Scripture of the Yellow Court, the Zhouyi Cantong Qi, and Awakening to Reality, along with the Treatise on Sitting in Oblivion, and works on nourishing life, alchemy, and moral exhortation. Ding Fubao also compiled the Great Dictionary of Buddhist Studies and the Forest of Explanations of the Shuowen Jiezi, among other works; his purpose in compiling this selection was to use an inexpensive and accessible edition to bring Daoist scriptures out of the temples and into the modern intellectual world and among general readers. The book was published a year before the 1923 facsimile reprint of the Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Era by the Hanfen Lou; at a time when the Daoist Canon was still extremely difficult to obtain, it provided an important gateway for scholars and practitioners, and did much to advance the beginnings of Daoist studies in the Republican era (such as Chen Yingning's Study of Immortality and the histories of Daoism by Xu Dishan and Fu Qinjia); it is a representative achievement in the popularization of Daoist texts in modern times.
Key Ideas
- A modern selection of Daoist texts, choosing one hundred titles
- Compiled by Ding Fubao, published by the Shanghai Medical Book Company
- Brought Daoist scriptures to modern readers
- Published a year before the Hanfen Lou facsimile of the Daoist Canon
- Advanced the beginnings of Daoist studies in the Republican era
Structure
One hundred texts, arranged by category.
Editions
- 1922 Shanghai Medical Book Company edition
- Facsimile editions such as that of Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House
Full Text & Online Resources
Related scriptures
Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Era, Essentials of the Daoist Canon, Essentials for Achieving the Study of Immortality (Chen Yingning)Related figures
Chen Yingning, Fu Qinjia, Xu Dishan- 维基百科「丁福保」条
- Chen Guofu, Studies on the Origins and Development of the Daoist Canon
- 任继愈主编《道藏提要》
- 王卡《道教经史论丛》