Fromearlytimes,Daoistwritersclaimedtoreceivescripturesviarevelationfromheavenlybeings.Innumerouscases,thesewritingswerecomposedoverthecourseofmanynightsandbydifferentmediums.Newrevelationswereoftenhastilyappended,andtheresultingunevennessgaverisetotheimpressionthatDaoisttextsoftenappearslapdashandcontaincontradictions.ALibraryofCloudsfocusesontherewritingofDaoistscripturesintheUpperClarity(Shangqing)lineageinfourth-andfifth-centuryChina.ScholarshiponUpperClarityDaoismhasbeendominatedbyattemptstouncover“original”or“authentic”texts,whichhasresultedintheneglectoflaterscriptures―includingtheworkfullytranslatedandannotatedhere,theScriptureoftheImmaculateNumen,oneoftheThreeWonders(sanqi)andamongthemostprizedDaoisttextsinmedievalChina.Thescripture’slackofacoherentstructureanditsdifferentauthorialvoiceshaveledmanytoseeitnotasaunifiedworkbutthecreationofdifferenteditorswhoshapedandreshapeditovertime.
ALibraryofCloudsconstructsnewwaysofunderstandingthecomplexauthorshipoftextsliketheScriptureoftheImmaculateNumenandtheirplaceinearlymedievalDaoism.Itstressestheirsignificanceinunderstandingthewaysinwhichmanuscriptswerewritten,received,anddistributedinearlymedievalChina.Bysituatingthescripturewithinitsimmediatehagiographicandritualcontexts,itsuggeststhatthiskindofrevelatoryliteratureisbestunderstoodasapasticheofideas,aprocessofweavingtogetherpreviouslycirculatingnotionsandbeliefsintoanewscripturalfabric.
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“ThisisaveryinterestingstudyandtranslationofakeyShangqingtext.Innovativeandimportant,theworkshedsnewlightontheprocessesofredactionandcompositioninmedievalDaoism.Thebasicmethodologyfollowedbytheauthorsistextualanalysis,inspiredtosomeextentbysourcecriticismdevelopedinBiblicalstudies.Avaluablecontribution.”
―MarkMeulenbeld,associateprofessor,TheHongKongPolytechnicUniversity
“ThisisthefirstmonographdevotedtotheScriptureoftheImmaculateNumen,animportanttextinthemedievalDaoistShangqingcorpus.Withexceptionaldexterity,theauthorsexaminetheprocessesbywhichthisscripturewascompiledfromearlierUpperClaritytexts,providinguswithinsightsintotheorigins,redaction,reception,andtransmissionofDaoisttexts.Usinginnovativemethodologicalapproachesandreadingstrategies,theyhighlightthecomplexlinksbetweenmanuscriptculture,textualpractices,andritualprocessesinearlymedievalChina.Thebookincludesafull,annotatedtranslationofthescripturealongsidemeticuloustextualanalysis,soitwillbeusefulasaprimarysourceforstudentsaswellasspecialistsseekingnewinsightsintomedievalDaoism.”
―GilRaz,associateprofessor,DartmouthCollege
CLOUDS LIBRARY AUTHENTIC TEXTS
