The Canon of Orthodox Daoist Praxis FULL NAME IS
The Standards and Precepts for Devoting to the Dao in the Three Caverns of the Cavern Mystery and Numinous Treasure (also titled The Standards and Precepts for Devoting to the Dao in the Three Caverns)
It was originally attributed to the Seven True Immortals of Jinming, a divine immortal appellation in Taoism.
Textual research confirms that this scripture was actually compiled in the late Northern and Southern Dynasties or the Sui-Tang transitional period, and had already been in circulation no later than the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
The original text was in three volumes and was recorded in Bibliography of the History of the Song Dynasty.
The extant version in The Daozang consists of six volumes, classified under the Taiping Section. In addition, four Dunhuang manuscripts of this work survive (S3863, P3682, S809, P2337). Among them, the contents of manuscripts P3682 and S809 are not found in the Daozang edition, which are presumably the lost passages of the original text. This book stands as an important extant source for the disciplinary codes and ritual norms of early Taoism. According to the preface at the opening scroll, the entire text is divided into two parts.
The first part is Essentials for Secular Cultivation, which catalogues in distinct categories the disciplinary rules and precepts that Taoist monks and priestesses must observe and uphold in monastic initiation, spiritual cultivation, daily diet and living, attire and demeanor, amounting to a total of 512 articles.
The second part is Eight Chapters of Ritual Norms, referring to eight sets of Taoist ritual protocols, including the Scripture Recitation Rite, Scripture Lecturing Rite, Hierarchical Ordination Rite, Dharma Robe Rite, Regular Morning Audience Rite, Mid-grade Fasting Rite, Mid-grade Assembly Rite and Salvation-for-All Rite.
The first part corresponds to the first three volumes of the Daozang edition and the contents of Dunhuang manuscripts S3863, P3682 and S809; the second part corresponds to the last three volumes of the Daozang edition and Dunhuang manuscript P2337. Nevertheless, only eleven categories are preserved in the existing Daozang and Dunhuang versions (the original number of categories remains unknown, with at least twenty-four in total), containing about two hundred disciplinary rules and precepts — a considerable discrepancy from the original 512 articles.
In spite of this, the book retains significant reference value for the study of the official disciplinary and ritual systems of Taoism, as well as monastic life in Taoist abbeys during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Notably, the Hierarchical Ordination Rite records the system of graded transmission of scriptures, precepts and talismans to Taoist priests, and catalogues nearly 250 Taoist texts, rendering it an especially crucial historical source for researching and authenticating the classic scriptures of early Taoism.
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