Page 750 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

7 08 THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

Louguan

Tiered Abbey (Zhouzhi, Shaanxi)

The Louguan, or Louguan tai fJM W;>J (Platform of the Tiered Abbey), is one
of the Taoist centers with a long history of continuous activity. The abbey is
located in Zhouzhi Jit] "£ at the foot of the Zhongnan mountains (Zhongnan
shan ~~I¥f ill, Shaanxi), some 70 km southwest of Xi'an. Its foundation is
shrouded in the mists of holy history. According to the legend, *Yin Xi, the
Guardian of the Pass of the western border, built a tower there to watch for
Laozi, who was about to leave the country. When he saw the holy man coming,
he welcomed him in and begged him to write the Daode jingo The brief early
mentions of this fictitious event suggest that it happened elsewhere, at the
Hangu Pass (Hangu guan 1'lS ti I~m), and indeed there is no pass for the west-
bound traveller at the actual location of the Louguan. Temples commemorating
the same event have also been built further east, while the Louguan buildings
themselves are supposed to be Yin Xi's private home where he invited Laozi
after the meeting at the pass.
According to a Louguan chronicle of the early Six Dynasties, now lost but
quoted in the *Yunji qiqian (I04.9a-IOa), King Mu of Zhou (Muwang, r. 956-5H8
BCE) came to this spot, ordained seven Taoists, and built the first Taoist shrine
in history. This tradition, which also found its way into Confucian encyclopedias
and Taoist inscriptions, has the virtue of placing the origin of Taoist abbeys
(guan WilD well before the advent of Buddhism in China. It requires, however,
moving back by five centuries the traditional date of Laozi's departure to the
West (fifth century BCE).
The Louguan's claim to be the first Taoist communal institution also has
to do with its name. During the Han, louguan was a general term for high
towers, and with tai ~: (elevated platform) it also designated places to conduct
astronomical observations and perform cults to the immortals. Along with the
fact that imperial archives-whose patron saint was Laozi-were also named
guan, this explains the later use of the term for Taoist monasteries.
The Louguan in Taoist history. Beyond the legend, a Taoist community may have
lived at this site during the Han and early Six Dynasties. The official history of
the Louguan begins however with the Northern Zhou dynasty (557-8r), which
established there an official celibate congregation. This group of erudite Taoists
made itself famous through various scholarly works including the *Sandong
zhunang (The Pearl Satchel of the Three Caverns). The Tang lavished honors