Ganshui Records of Immortal Origins 甘水仙源录
Paul PengGanshui Records of Immortal Origins
Compiled by Li Daoqian, a Taoist priest of the Quanzhen School in the Yuan Dynasty.
Completed in the Wuzi year of the Zhiyuan reign of Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty (1288), it consists of ten volumes and is included in the Daozang under the category of Biographies in the Dongshen Section.
This book collects biographies and stone inscriptions related to Quanzhen Taoism from famous mountains and temples in various regions.
Ganshui Records of Immortal Origins
The first eight volumes begin with the imperial edict granting honors to Quanzhen Taoism issued in the sixth year of the Zhiyuan reign by Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty. They also include biographies, stone inscriptions, and sacrificial texts of more than fifty Quanzhen Taoists starting from Wang Chongyang.
According to tradition, in the Jimao year of the Zhenglong reign of the Jin Dynasty (1159), Wang Chongyang met an immortal at Ganhe in Shaanxi, who “gave him divine spring to drink and imparted true teachings”. He then abandoned his family to practice Taoism and founded the Quanzhen School.
The book is entitled Record of the Divine Spring at Ganhe to explain the origin and history of Quanzhen Taoism.
Most of the stone inscriptions and poems collected in this book were written by famous scholars of the Jin and Yuan dynasties, making it important material for researching the early history of Quanzhen Taoism.
