The Interpretive Canon of Celestial Response

The Interpretive Canon of Celestial Response 太上感应篇缵义

Paul Peng

 The Interpretive Canon of Celestial Response FULL NAME IS

An Elucidation of the Treatise of the Supreme Lord on Response and Retribution

Composed by Yu Yue in the Qing Dynasty，in two volumes.
A self-preface written in the 11th year of the Tongzhi reign precedes the text, stating roughly that although the Treatise of the Supreme Lord on Response and Retribution is a Taoist work, it does not contradict the essential tenets of Confucianism. Yet since the Song Dynasty, this book "has merely been recited and studied among the common folks in the alleys and lanes, while the literati and scholar-officials have always scorned and belittled it".

Only Hui Dong, a great Confucian classicist and profound scholar, annotated this book, yet his annotations excessively adopted parallel prose which deviated from the proper style of exegetical commentary. Moreover, the original text is inherently clear and easy to comprehend, requiring no annotations to be understood. Thus, the author "followed the example of Du Daojian’s An Elucidation of Wenzi compiled in the Song Dynasty" and composed this work.

Beneath each line of the Treatise of the Supreme Lord on Response and Retribution, Yu Yue extensively quoted from Confucian classics, remarks by Taoist scholars, as well as the masters’ philosophical writings, historical records and local chronicles; he also occasionally expounded on lexical meanings and literary allusions to provide explanations. As he put it, his approach was to "attach Confucian classics doctrines to the text and verify it with ancient books of the Qin and Han dynasties, enabling people to understand that this Taoist work is consistent with Confucian classics in spirit. In this way, people will no longer disdain it, and will naturally hold it in reverence and faith".

Yu Yue was a preeminent Confucian scholar in the late Qing Dynasty. After its compilation, this annotation work exerted a profound influence, and was widely printed and circulated across the country.

It was once included in the Essence of The Daozang, and also categorized under the section of Precepts and Moralistic Texts in the Extra-Taoist Canon Scriptures, a work that perfectly reflects the harmonious integration of Confucian ethics and The Dao in traditional Chinese culture.
Paul Peng — Zhengyi Taoist Priest, Longhu Mountain

About the Author

Paul Peng

Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is one of the curators of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.

Read his full story →
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