Taoist Songs of Awakening
Composed by Wang Danguì, a Taoist priest of the Quanzhen Dao during the Jin Dynasty.
Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Taiping Section of the The Daozang.
As a collection of ci-poems, it contains over 140 pieces, all propagating the early doctrines of Quanzhen Taoism and sharing the same style as the ci-poems and songs by Ma Yu. Most of the poems are works of dedication, exchange, and response, exhorting the world to realize that life is like a dream and illusion. They urge people to sever emotional attachments early, break away from fame and fortune, awaken to the inherent completeness of their mind and nature, and thereby attain the rank of immortals and true beings.
Taoist Songs of Awakening
The core tenet of cultivation expounded in the book focuses on awakening to one’s mind and nature. It holds that immortals are the original true nature of humans—so long as "one constantly keeps the spiritual platform bright and clear, true breath will naturally flow continuously." When essence, Qi, and spirit converge, the Great Elixir will be formed.
It also advocates that the three teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism) share the same origin and essence, with no hierarchy of superiority or inferiority. The poems depict the leisure and charm of Taoist priests living in mountain retreats, praising the free and unrestrained life of "singing aloud when joyful and sleeping when tired."
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