Page 751 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

LOUGUAN
709
on the Louguan, a sensible policy because the imperial family claimed descent
from Laozi and promoted his cult, and because the Louguan was, along with
Laozi's birthplace (the *Taiqing gong in Bozhou ~JI'I, present-day Luyi Ire
f.1, Henan), the "ancestral temple" of the saint. Since then, the shrine at the
foot of the hills was called Zongsheng guan * ~ Ill. (Abbey of the Ancestral
Saint) and later Zongsheng gong * ~ '§ (Palace of the Ancestral Saint). The
other major monastery on the site, the Shuojing tai ~*JIT tJ: (Platform for
Explaining the Scriptures), was built later on the first spurs of the mountain,
where Laozi supposedly preached the Daode jingo Several other hermitages
were raised further up the mountain, and many smaller attractions along the
way reminded pilgrims of Laozi's sacred history, such as the xiniu bo ~ 4: fB,
the cypress to which Laozi tied his water buffalo.
A remarkable change of fortune for the Louguan happened in 1236, when
the *Quanzhen order gained control of it. From the lack of contrary evidence it
seems that the abbey was not particularly active during the late Jin period. *Yin
Zhiping (1169-1251), then the Quanzhen patriarch, arrived in the area just after
it fell to the Mongol armies, and secured the conversion of all its major Taoist
sites to Quanzhen with the support of the local Chinese nobility and warlords.
The Louguan was rebuilt and expanded by Li Zhirou 1:,~ ~ (1189-1266). Yin
put great store in the revival of the site's fortune, since Quanzhen claimed to
represent a return to Laozi's days: *Qiu Chuji's westward journey to convert
the "barbarians" (i.e., the Mongols and their emperor, Chinggis khan) was
understood as a reenactment of Laozi's voyage, and Yin Zhiping took on the
role of a novel Yin Xi. This claim was further bolstered when Yin Xi's treatise,
known as Wenshi zhenjing .'3:. ~f1 ~~~ (Authentic Scripture of Master Wenshi;
CT 667) since the Tang but lost for centuries, was "rediscovered" in 1233 and
offered to Yin Zhiping. These felicitous events, which helped to legitimize the
reorganization of Taoism by the Quanzhen order, were celebrated by Zhu
Xiangxian jf( ~ Jc (fl. 1279-1308), who wrote the only extant hagiographic works
concerning the Louguan. These are the *Zhenxian beiji (Epigraphic Records of
Real Men and Immortals; CT 956) and the Gu Louguan ziyun yanqingji ill! fi ~
~1¥J. ~ (Anthology from the Continued Celebration r of the Appearance] of
the Purple Clouds at the Tiered Abbey of Antiquity; CT 957; 80ltz]. M. 1987a,
126).
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Louguan continued to be a pil-
grimage site for Taoists of all obediences and an active center of Quanzhen
education. Today, the Shuojing tai survives in good shape, although the con-
ventual buildings have been destroyed as with almost all Chinese monasteries.
The Zongsheng gong was ravaged but has been built anew.
Vincent GOOSSAERT

W Boltz]. M. 1987a, 124-28; Hachiya Kunio 1990, I: 71-87 and 302-3,2: 73-90