Jingming Dao is a Taoist school that emerged in Xishan, Nanchang during the Song and Yuan dynasties. It is a branch of the Lingbao Sect, with its full name being "Jingming Zhongxiao Dao" (Pure and Bright Loyalty and Filial Piety Dao). This school reveres Xu Xun as its founder, claiming that its rituals and talismans are passed down from Xu Xun.
What is the interpretation of the two characters "Jingming" (Pure and Bright) in Jingming Dao? According to the inner collection of Yuzhen Mr. Liu's Sayings, it states: "What is 'Jing' (Pure)? It means not being contaminated by external things; what is 'Ming' (Bright)? It means not being disturbed by external things. Being neither contaminated nor disturbed, loyalty and filial piety will come naturally." Liu Yu believed: "Jingming simply refers to having a righteous mind and sincere intention, while loyalty and filial piety are just ways to uphold the moral principles of society."
The religious ethics of Jingming Dao are said to be based on Xu Xun's so-called "Eight Treasures Left to the World", which are loyalty, filial piety, incorruptibility, prudence, leniency, generosity, tolerance, and forbearance. Among them, loyalty and filial piety are regarded as the foremost, that is, "loyalty and filial piety are the foundation of the great Dao". It is believed that adhering to purity, brightness, loyalty, and filial piety can lead to becoming an immortal and attaining the Dao.
The fundamental tenet of Jingming Dao is "taking loyalty and filial piety as the foundation, respecting heaven and revering the Dao, and engaging in saving lives and delivering the deceased". Loyalty and filial piety are traditional Confucian thoughts, which shows the close ideological origin between Jingming Dao and Confucianism. It also integrates Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, advocating the unity of the three teachings.
Jingming Dao has preserved quite a number of classics, mainly including Tai Shang Ling Bao Jing Ming Dong Shen Shang Pin Jing (Supreme Lingbao Pure and Bright Scripture of the Divine Cavern, Upper Grade), Jing Ming Shu Zhen Jing (Scripture of the Pivot of Purity and Brightness), Jing Ming Zheng Yin Jing (Scripture of the True Seal of Purity and Brightness), etc. Jing Ming Zhong Xiao Quan Shu (Complete Book of Pure and Bright Loyalty and Filial Piety) also records the sayings of Liu Yu and Huang Yuanji, which are important materials for studying the doctrines of Jingming Dao.
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