The Kaiyuan Daozang 开元道藏

The Kaiyuan Daozang 开元道藏

paulpeng

Kaiyuan Daozang

The Taoist Canon compiled in the Tang Dynasty, during the Kaiyuan reign period (713-741).

After Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ascended the throne, he ordered Shi Chongxuan and more than forty others to compile Pronunciation and Meaning of All Taoist Scriptures.

On this basis, he sent envoys to search for Taoist scriptures everywhere during the Kaiyuan reign. Combined with the scriptures originally collected in the capital, they were compiled into a "canon" named Three Caves Jade Outline, totaling 3,744 volumes (other sayings are 5,700 volumes or 7,300 volumes).

The compilation system of Kaiyuan Daozang adopted the Three Caves classification method, divided into Three Caves and Thirty-Six Sections—namely, twelve sections each for Dongzhen (Grotto of Truth), Dongxuan (Grotto of Mystery) and Dongshen (Grotto of Spirits). In the seventh year of Tianbao (748), an imperial edict was issued to copy and circulate it widely. By the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, it was burned down in wars and thus no longer existed.

✨ Recommended Taoist Talismans

Discover powerful talismans for your spiritual journey

Back to blog
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
The Celestial Dipper Natal Longevity Annotated

The Celestial Dipper Natal Longevity Annotated 太上玄灵北斗本命延生真经注

Read More
No Next Article

Leave a comment

1 of 3