The Kaiyuan Daozang 开元道藏

The Kaiyuan Daozang 开元道藏

Paul Peng

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.
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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