道教文化研究中心出版

A Library of Clouds: The Scripture of The Immaculate Numen and The Rewriting of Daoist Texts

作者：
裴玄錚（J. E. E. Pettit）　美國夏威夷大學馬諾阿分校助理教授
張超然（Chao-jan Chang）　臺灣輔仁大學宗教學系副教授

From early times, Daoist writers claimed to receive scriptures via revelation from heavenly beings. In numerous cases, these writings were composed over the course of many nights and by different mediums. New revelations were often hastily appended, and the resulting unevenness gave rise to the impression that Daoist texts often appear slapdash and contain contradictions. A Library of Clouds focuses on the rewriting of Daoist scriptures in the Upper Clarity (Shangqing) lineage in fourth- and fifth- century China. Scholarship on Upper Clarity Daoism has been dominated by attempts to uncover “original” or “authentic” texts, which has resulted in the neglect of later scriptures—including the work fully translated and annotated here, the Scripture of the Immaculate Numen, one of the Three Wonders (sanqi) and among the most prized Daoist texts in medieval China. The scripture’s lack of a coherent structure and its different authorial voices have led many to see it not as a unified work but the creation of different editors who shaped and reshaped it over time.

A Library of Clouds constructs new ways of understanding the complex authorship of texts like the Scripture of the Immaculate Numen and their place in early medieval Daoism. It stresses their significance in understanding the ways in which manu- scripts were written, received, and distributed in early medieval China. By situating the scripture within its immediate hagiographic and ritual contexts, it suggests that this kind of revelatory literature is best understood as a pastiche of ideas, a process of weaving together previously circulating notions and beliefs into a new scriptural fabric.

Endorsement:

“This is a very interesting study and translation of a key Shangqing text. Innovative and important, the work sheds new light on the processes of redaction and composition in medieval Daoism. The basic methodology followed by the authors is textual analysis, inspired to some extent by source criticism developed in Biblical studies. A valuable contribution.”

—Mark Meulenbeld, Associate professor, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

“This is the first monograph devoted to the Scripture of the Immaculate Numen, an important text in the medieval Daoist Shangqing corpus. With exceptional dexterity, the authors examine the processes by which this scripture was compiled from earlier Upper Clarity texts, providing us with insights into the origins, redaction, reception, and transmission of Daoist texts. Using innovative methodological approaches and reading strategies, they highlight the complex links between manuscript culture, textual practices, and ritual processes in early medieval China. The book includes a full, annotated translation of the scripture alongside meticulous textual analysis, so it will be useful as a primary source for students as well as specialists seeking new insights into medieval Daoism.”

—Gil Raz, Associate professor of Religion, Dartmouth College

為了提高道教學術研究水平，擴大道教研究出版，道教文化研究中心與美國夏威夷大學出版社、香港中文大學出版社合作出版 New Daoist Studies（道教研究學術論叢），該叢書為英文系列，計劃每年出版英文道教研究著作。

New Daoist Studies（道教研究學術論叢）第二部專著A Library of Clouds: The Scripture of The Immaculate Numen and The Rewriting of Daoist Texts已於2020年8月正式出版，並於全球發行。

創始初期，道教作者便宣稱他們是通過仙真的啟示而獲得經典。許多時候，這些著作是由不同的通靈者歷經無數夜晚寫作而成。新的啟示往往被倉促地增添，經文內容顯得參差不齊，致使道教文獻總是給人草率且多自相矛盾的印象。本書即聚焦於東晉南朝（公元4-5世紀）道教上清經典的改寫問題。提出了一個新的方法，用以理解《素靈經》這類有著複雜編作者的文獻，以及它們在中古道教初期所佔據的地位；同時強調理解中古道教初期經書手稿的寫作、接受以及流傳方式的重要性。本書將此經典重新置放回相關的傳記與儀式脈絡之中，以此指出這類啟示性文獻應被視作一種思想集錦，一種將先前流行的概念與信仰編織進新的經典之中的過程。