The Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Dagang Chao 太上洞玄灵宝大纲钞

Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Dagang Chao (Annotated Outline of the Numinous Treasure of the Cave Mysterious of the Supreme Oneness) Originally attributed to "Luqiu Fangyuan, Master of the Mysterious Grotto, compiler."

Luqiu Fangyuan was a renowned Taoist priest at the end of the Tang Dynasty. The original number of scrolls is unknown; only one preface survives in the Daozang (Taoist Canon), included in the Divine Talismans Category of the Dongxuan (Mysterious Grotto) Section.

This preface outlines the origin and development of the Lingbao scriptures and rituals. It claims that at the beginning of the Dragon Han Kalpa, the Heavenly Lord (Tianzun) preached the Five Genuine Texts of the Numinous Treasure’s Natural Heavenly Script. Passed down secretly through the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, these texts were retrieved by Helü, King of Wu, during the Spring and Autumn Period—this is known as the Lingbao Wufu Jing (Five Talismans Scripture of the Numinous Treasure).

It further states that during the Three Kingdoms Period, Xu Lailai, the Taiji Master, transmitted various Lingbao methods to Ge Xuan (Master Ge, the Immortal Lord), a Taoist priest of the Eastern Wu. Based on these teachings, Master Ge compiled seven sections of precepts, etiquette, and fasting rituals. During the Southern Dynasties, Lu Xiujing "expanded and revised them, establishing complete rituals and regulations, thus enabling the Lingbao teaching to flourish throughout the world."

The text concludes: "The total number of Lingbao scriptures preached by the Heavenly Lord amounts to fifty-eight scrolls. Their core tenet is contained in the one-scroll Duren Jing (Scripture of Delivering All Beings), while the remaining fifty-seven scrolls expound on rituals, fasting methods, and the origins of precepts."

This work is of reference value for understanding the origin and dissemination of the Taoist Lingbao Scriptures during the Six Dynasties, Sui, and Tang Dynasties.