Page 677 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

LI DAOCHUN

5. Qingjingjingzhu ~lIfD*~ r± (Commentary to the Scripture of Clarity and
Quiescence; CT 755)
6. Datongjingzhu *- ;@i\~ n (Commentary to the Scripture of Great Perva-
siveness; CT I05)
7· Donggu zhenjing zhu ?1"l E ~ *,ll( it (Commentary to the Authentic Scripture
of Cavernous Antiquity; CT 107)
8. Xiaozai humingmiaojing zhu W~ J». ilIU'fiP')*Jlftt (Commentary to the Won-
drous Scripture on Dispelling Disasters and Protecting Life; CT lor)
As a master of the Southern Lineage (*Nanzong) of *neidan, Li Daochun
acknowledges the legacy of *Zhang Boduan and refers to him as zushi trlOffi
(Ancestral Master). He also emphasizes the importance of the Daode jing,
whose notions of Dao and Virtue (*de) are, in his view, identical with those
of the *Yijing. Li is a syncretist, however, and often equates Taoism with
Confucianism (especially the Neo-Confucian doctrines of Zhou Dunyi JlrJ ¥y:.
[@L IOI7-7J; SB 277-81) and with Buddhism (the Prajiiaparamita or Perfection
of Wisdom textual tradition, the Hrdaya-sutra, and Chan).
Li's teaching shows a tendency to subitism (dun ~fi) and what we would
call idealism. He often stresses the necessity of reintegrating the precosmic
particle of light that abides in everyone and gives sense to all kinds and levels
of practice (see *dianhua). He gives the term quanzhen ~R ("complete real-
ity") the meaning of conciliation of opposites, or union of the "two halves."
In his view, spiritual and neidan cultivation should be pursued on two levels,
which he calls "fire" and "water" and relates to mind (*xin) and physiology
(shen U). On the mental level, one should decrease one's thoughts in order to
attain clarity and quiescence (*qingjing); on the physiological level, one should
forget the emotions in the midst of action in order to attain harmony. Li also
repeatedly emphasizes the necessity of "crushing" or "pulverizing" empti-
ness, i.e., of forgetting it and dismissing so-called "vain emptiness" (wankong
jij'{~).
Besides Cai Zhiyi, we know the name of five disciples who compiled or
completed Li Daochun's works and engaged in dialogues with him: *Miao
Shanshi, Zhao Daoke MLl:§:rTT, Zhang Yingtan 5!HUg, Chai Yuangao ~ ft
"', and Deng Decheng ~~ if JJX:.

Isabelle ROBINET
m Boltz J. M. 1987a, 179-84, 217-18, 225-26; Li Yuanguo 1988, 478-95; Qing
Xitai 1994, I: 354; Robinet 1995a, 22-24, 45-46, 75-77, 148-56, and 158-63; Yokote
Yutaka 1996b, 24-64; Zhan Shichuang 1989, 127-38; Zhan Shichuang 1997b

* Zhonghe ji; neidan; Nanzong