Lost Daoist Lexicon: Untitled Dunhuang Compendium

The compiler of this Taoist encyclopedia (with no known title) is unidentified.

It was likely composed in the late Northern and Southern Dynasties or during the transition between the Sui and Tang dynasties. It was not included in the Zhengtong Daozang (the Official Taoist Canon of the Ming Dynasty).

There are seven fragmentary Dunhuang manuscript copies of this work, numbered P2725, P3652, S1113, P2649, P3299, P2459, and P2443.

All seven manuscripts are incomplete at both the beginning and end, with no preserved title. In his Dunhuang Daojing Mulu Bian (A Catalogue of Dunhuang Daoist Scriptures), the Japanese scholar Ōfuchi Ninji tentatively titled it Daojing Leishu Jingming Weixiang (Taoist Encyclopedia with Unknown Scripture Title) based on its content.

Judging from the structure of these manuscripts, the work is similar to other Taoist encyclopedias included in the Daozang, such as Daodian Lun (Treatise on Taoist Canons) and Daoyao Lingqi Shengui Pin Jing (Scripture on Divine Spirits, Gods, and Ghosts in Essential Taoist Teachings). Its format first lists Taoist terms and phrases, then provides explanations with citations from classical Taoist texts.

More than 20 remaining entries (terms) are preserved in the manuscripts, including "Dao Eye" (daoyan, the insightful vision to perceive the Dao), "Perfection" (yuanman), "Quietude" (jijing), "Diamond Body" (jingang shen, an immortal body immune to corruption), "Jade Quality" (yuzhi, a metaphor for pure spiritual essence), "Auspicious Features" (xianghao, the sacred physical traits of immortals), "Compassion" (cibei), "Protection" (fuhu), "Manifestation" (xianxing, the appearance of immortals in the mortal world), "Preaching" (shuofa, expounding Taoist teachings), "Peace and Joy" (anle), "Purity and Tranquility" (qingjing), "Wisdom" (zhihui), "Expedience" (fangbian, flexible methods for cultivating the Dao), "Following Contentment" (suixi), "Pure Intention" (jingyi), "Mind Regulation" (tiaoxin, adjusting one’s mind for cultivation), "Timely Eating" (shishi, eating in accordance with cosmic rhythms), "Vegetarian Diet" (caishi), "Simple Diet" (cushi), "Embryonic Nourishment" (taishi, a advanced cultivation practice of nourishing the spiritual embryo), "Eliminating Impurities" (quhui), "Heavenly Horse" (tianma, a mythical steed in Taoist cosmology), and "Categories of Domestic Animals and Aquatic Creatures" (chusheng shuizu pin).

The work cites over 60 Taoist scriptures, all of which are "Three Grottoes" (Sandong) texts from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, and Tang dynasties.