Tao-tsang Chin., Taoist canon; a collection of writings that form the basis of Taoist doctrine. The oldest sections of the Tao-tsang date from the 5th century C.E.; the present complete version of the canon stems from the time of the Ming Dynasty and consists of 1,476 works in 5,486 volumes. The individual works contained in it do not bear the names of their authors and are undated.
Apart from purely Taoist works dealing with all aspects of the doctrine, the Tao-tsang also contains texts on medicine, botany, astronomy, etc. According to tradition, most of the purely Taoist texts were revelations and thus represent a means of communication between the deities (shen) and mankind. This explains the belief that a proper understanding of the ancient Taoist texts makes it possible to penetrate the secrets of immortality.
Various works about Taoist deities and immortals (hsien) existed already at the beginning of the common era, and the catalogs of such writings compiled during the 5th and 6th centuries must be considered precursors of the Tao-tsang, the actual compilation of which began in the 8th century when-according to varying sources 3,744, 5,700, or even 7,300 volumes were compiled. This first canon achieved wide dissemination but was no longer extant by the end of the 10th century. In 1010 C.E. the then emperor entrusted a Taoist scholar with making a new compilation, which originally consisted of 4,359 volumes. A few years later this was expanded to 4,565 volumes, divided into three main sections and four subsections: the three main sections are known as tung, which, literally translated, means “grotto” (many of the texts were believed to have been concealed in grottos) but can also be understood as “penetrating a secret.” Each tung is preceded by a text revealed by an important deity of the Taoist pantheon. The first section thus stands under the sign of the Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning (Yüan-shih t’ien-tsun), the second under that of the Supreme Lord of the Tao (T’ai-shang tao-chün), and the third under the Supreme Master Lao (T’ai-shang lao-chün), i.e., Lao-tzu himself. In time, however, the view that all three sections were revealed by Lao-tzu gained ground and finally became firmly established.
Between 1111 and 1118 C.E. this last version was once again expanded and finally printed in 5,481 volumes. It has become the model on which all subsequent editions of the Tao-tsang were based. Due to the hostilities between the Taoists and Buddhists during the Yüan Dynasty, many Taoist scriptures were burned so that part of the canon was irretrievably lost.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Tao-tsang documents
Books on Tao-tsang
External links