I first heard of this from Alan Watts Gotta look deeper into what this is about
While Buddhism considers desires are to be eliminated, Taoism considers that desires distract one from finding unity with the material world as it is. Further, Mahayana, Zen and Vajra Yaana consider the ego as non-existent and the material world as an illusion, while Taoism considers the ego as a part of the material world.
Foundational Books
- Books
- Main Books
- Tao Te Ching
- Zhuangzi
- Other ~1500 books
- Baopuzi by Ge Hong (Philosophy, Esotericism, Alchemy and Magic)
- Taipingjing (Grand Pacification: Formulas for making the elixir of immortality, how to make the perfect kingdom)
- Other Books as Categories
- Liturgical Texts
- Techniques for Meditation and Visualization
- Histories and Places
- Revelations
- Prophesies
- Commentaries
- Diagrams
- Maps
- Biographies of Religious Figures
- Alchemy
- Main Books
- Translations
- Stephen R. Bokenkamp’s Early Daoist Scriptures (small sampling from major traditions)
- Daoist Canons (Daozang)
- Three Cavern System (with “True Scriptures” and “Yet to be Revealed”) by Lu Xiujing
- Cavern of Perfection from the Highest Clarity School
- Cavern of Mystery from the Numinous Treasure School
- Cavern of Spirit from the Write of the Three Sovereigns
- Three Cavern + Four Auxiliaries
- Allowed other older and newer scriptures to be included
- [History]
- In Huizong’s time (1082-1135), he asked to woodblock-print a new canon
- But the Jurchen Jin Dynasty ransacked China and the Emperor
- n 1192, a later Emperor asked for a new canon to be compiled
- In 1281, Qublai Khan destroyed all Buddhist and Taoist scriptures
- In 1444, the Ming Dynasty arrived, and the Emperor ordered a new canon
- Zhengtong Daozang (Ming Canon) (1444-2003)
- Boxer Rebellion (1900) destroyed the official copy of the Ming Canon.
- A secondary copy was later located in Shanghai.
- Zhuanzhou Daozang (2003) by the Chinese Daoist Association
- Three Cavern System (with “True Scriptures” and “Yet to be Revealed”) by Lu Xiujing
Are texts considered revealed? Well, some are, and some are not.
There are two conceptualizations of the Tao.
- Lord Lao, a manifestation of Daode Tianzun (Deified Laozi)
- Tao (Non-Deified)
So revealed texts are attributed to the deities, while non-revealed texts are inspired. But Taoists know that revealed or otherwise, they have passed through human hands, and texts are not the “one true path” to finding union with the Tao.
“The Way that can be told is not the true Way.”
- Poem 1 of Tao Te Ching by Laozi