Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou北周武帝

Style & Daoist names

Yuwen Yong, Emperor Gaozu of Zhou

Period

Northern Zhou

Dates

543 — 578

School

Louguan School

Role

Daoism-Venerating EmperorsReligious Policy Maker

Birthplace

Wuchuan, Dai Commandery

Places of activity

Louguantai (Louguan Terrace)

Life

Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yong, is known in the history of Daoism for the episode of destroying Buddhism and Daoism in the Jiande era while establishing the Tongdao Guan. From the Tianhe era onward he repeatedly convened debates among the Three Teachings — Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism — to determine their relative merits (the Daoist priests Zhang Bin and Wei Yuansong debated Buddhist monks at court; Zhen Luan's Xiaodao Lun and Daoan's Erjiao Lun were written against this background), and in the fifth month of the third year of the Jiande era (574) issued an edict abolishing the two teachings of Buddhism and Daoism, destroying all their scriptures and images, and laicizing all monks and Daoist priests, ordering them to return to lay life — the only one of the Three Wu and One Zong persecutions to ban both Buddhism and Daoism at the same time. Yet the same year he also established the Tongdao Guan (Institute for Comprehending the Dao), selecting one hundred and twenty renowned scholars from both Buddhism and Daoism as Scholars of the Tongdao Guan, instructing them to lecture on the Daodejing, to study the foundations of both teachings, and to investigate the ultimate Dao — in effect preserving and integrating religious intellectual resources in the form of a state academic institution. Louguan Daoist priests such as Wang Yan and Yan Da entered the Tongdao Guan as scholars, and under imperial order collated the scriptures of the Three Caverns, compiling the Sandong Zhunang and taking part in editing the Wushang Biyao — the hundred-fascicle Wushang Biyao being the earliest large-scale Daoist encyclopedic compilation now extant, produced precisely under official Northern Zhou auspices. After the conquest of Northern Qi in the sixth year of the Jiande era, the ban was extended to the region east of the pass. Emperor Wu died of illness the following year, and under Emperors Xuan and Jing the two teachings were gradually restored. His policy, even as it dealt a blow to Daoism, also gave it an official opportunity for the compilation of its scriptures.

Contributions & Influence

• Banned both Buddhism and Daoism in the third year of the Jiande era (574), the only one of the Three Wu and One Zong persecutions to ban both teachings at once
• Established the Tongdao Guan, selecting one hundred and twenty scholars from both teachings to study the Daodejing and the ultimate Dao
• Officially oversaw the compilation of the hundred-fascicle Wushang Biyao, the earliest large-scale Daoist encyclopedic compilation now extant
• Had Louguan Daoist priests enter the Tongdao Guan to collate the scriptures of the Three Caverns, advancing the integration of Daoist scriptural doctrine in the Sui and Tang