Page 426 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

DU G UANGTING

deified as a cosmogonic deity and preceptor to the ancient sage-kings, notes
to an abbreviated version of Xuanzong's preface to CT 678, and a history of
the titles that the Tang dynasty conferred on Laozi. The second scripture
that Du took an interest in was the Dongyuan shenzhou jing (Scripture of the
Divine Spells of the Cavernous Abyss; CT 335) completed sometime after 9 2 3
since Du's signature lists all the titles that emperors had bestowed on him up
to that date. The first ten juan of the text were written between 520 and 579
and the remaining ten apparently during the Tang dynasty. It is not at all clear
what role Du played in editing the work. On the one hand he may have only
contributed the preface that recounts the legend of its purported compiler
Wang Zuan - ~ and nothing more. On the other he may have added or
composed the final juan of the scripture.
Du Guangting also wrote works on history, geography, and hagiogra,phies.
The intent of his *Lidai chongdao ji (Records of the Veneration of the Dao over
Successive Generations; CT 593) was to provide the Tang dynasty after the
rebellion of Huang Chao with assurance that it still enjoyed divine protection
and would survive the troubled times of the late ninth century. Du also com-
piled secular works on administrative geography and reign eras. His Tiantan
Wangwushanshengjiji X~.x~ ill ~JQti3C (Records of Traces of the Saints on
Mount Wangwu, the Celestial Altar; CT 969, one juan) begins with an account
of the mythology concerning an altar on this mountain north of Luoyang
where the legendary emperor *Huangdi received the nine tripods (jiuding JL
tFl )-symbols of the nine ancient provinces of China and tokens of imperial
unity-from the Queen Mother of the West (*Xiwang mu), a popular deity
in the Han dynasty (see *Wangwu shan). It then continues with a description
of various geographical features, abbeys and historical events that occurred
there during the Tang. The Dongtianfudi yuedu mingshanji WiJx:fl±t!!.$djl~
ill ~c. (Records of Grotto-Heavens, Blissful Lands, Peaks, Rivers, and Famous
Mountains; CT 599, one juan; see Qing Xitai 1994, 2: 206-8) is a description of
various sites holy to Taoists. Some of them are celestial or located far off in
the oceans. Most are places on earth-quiet huts and parishes-or beneath
holy mountains-the Blissful Lands and Grotto-Heavens where Taoists who
attained immortality took positions in the spiritual bureaucracy after passing
from the world of the living (see *dongtian and fudi). Du gives the precise
locations of (he latter. His discussion of Celestial Master parishes (*zhi) is
particularly important because it shows that registration as a Taoist was
based on date of birth and not residence in the parish. His largest collection
of hagiographies was the Xianzhuan shiyi {w-fWtifJil (Uncollected Biographies
of Immortals) in forty juan. It originally contained accounts of 420 lives. As
the title indicates, the text treated individuals that earlier compilations had
overlooked. The Xianzhuan shiyi has not survived, but Yan Yiping (1974, vol. I)
has assembled passages from it- about a quarter of the original entries- cited