Daoist Primers and Identity, 1340–1900

Abstract

abstract: Since the Yuan period, Daoists have often presented their religion to adepts and outsiders in catechisms—concise introductions to the history of Daoism, its main gods, and its ideology. I focus on one type of catechism, a family of texts often entitled "Daojiao yuanliu" (Origins and development of Daoism). I trace the history, from the late Mongol period through the Qing, of various editions that were included in hagiographies and novels as well as in more highbrow encyclopedias and manuscript booklets. I show that these texts developed a specific theology and asserted a strong confessional identity, sometimes in tension with Buddhism, that reminded readers of the Mongol-era debates that resulted in the burning of the Daoist Canon in 1281. This discourse is markedly different from the more accommodating vision of Daoism found in most late imperial elite discourses. 摘要: 元代以來，道士們經常以稱為"道教源流"的文本向弟子與平民介紹道教的歴史、神靈以及教義。本文介紹了收錄在神傳、小說、類書及手抄本中的幾種不同版本的"道教源流"及其歴史。這些文本都主張一種特定的神學與道教身份，並提及元代的佛道辯論，以及 1281 年的《道藏》焚毀。