Scripture of the Dignified Observances of Orthodox Unity正一威仪经
- Also known as
- Dignified Observances of Zhengyi, Scripture of the Dignified Observances of Orthodox Unity
- Author / transmission
- Anonymous
- Period
- Northern and Southern Dynasties–early Tang · Composed roughly between the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the early Tang (sixth to seventh centuries), a scripture of the Celestial Masters' tradition on dignified observance.
- Canon division
- Zhengyi Section
- Collected in
- Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Era, Zhengyi Section
- Category
- Precepts and Rules
- Fascicles
- One Fascicle (Juan)
Synopsis
The Scripture of the Dignified Observances of Orthodox Unity is a text of the Way of the Celestial Masters (Zhengyi) setting out the norms of dignified conduct for Daoist priests, in one chapter. The work lists, by topic, over a hundred detailed rules of dignified observance that Zhengyi Daoist priests should follow on occasions such as receiving registers, paying court to the Perfected, burning incense, reciting scriptures, eating and drinking, sitting and lying, walking, wearing ritual vestments, entering the meditation chamber of the parish, dealing with other people, and funerary and sacrificial rites — such as "the dignified observances for receiving the Dao in Zhengyi," "the dignified observances for paying court to the Perfected in Zhengyi," and "the dignified observances for eating and drinking in Zhengyi" — and explains the transgressions incurred by violation and the merit gained by observance. Its content reflects the daily discipline of the Celestial Masters' order in the period from the Northern and Southern Dynasties through the Sui and Tang, complementing the Scripture of Precepts Chanted by Lord Lao and the Regulations for the Practice of Daoism in Accordance with the Scriptures of the Three Caverns; it is an important document for understanding the rules of daily life, the system of ritual vestments, and the concept of "dignified observance" among Zhengyi Daoist priests, and also the basis for later Zhengyi precepts such as the Essential Purport of the Cultivation of Perfection in the Zhengyi Ritual Texts.
Key Ideas
- Detailed rules of dignified observance for Daoist priests' daily conduct
- Rites for receiving registers, paying court to the Perfected, eating and drinking, sitting and lying
- Transgressions incurred by violation and merit gained by observance
- The discipline of the Celestial Masters' order
Structure
One chapter, with articles of dignified observance arranged by occasion.
Editions
- Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Era edition
- Zhonghua Daozang, vol. 8
Full Text & Online Resources
Related scriptures
Scripture of Precepts Chanted by Lord Lao, Regulations for the Practice of Daoism in Accordance with the Scriptures of the Three Caverns, Precept Scripture of the Most High Lord LaoRelated figures
Zhang Daoling- 任继愈主编《道藏提要》
- Kristofer Schipper & Franciscus Verellen eds., The Taoist Canon, 2004