Tài shàng xuán líng Běi dǒu běn mìng yán shēng jīng zhù 太上玄靈北斗本命延生經註
Commentary on the Scripture of the Most High Mysterious Numen of the Northern Dipper for Prolonging Natal Life
by 傅洞真 (Fù Dòng zhēn); SòngYuán period
A third Daozang commentary on the Dipper longevity-scripture (DZ 622 Běi dǒu běn mìng yán shēng jīng) — this one attributed to Fù Dòng zhēn 傅洞真. Preserved in the Zhèngtǒng Dàozàng as DZ 752 / CT 752 (Dòngshén bù, Yù jué lèi 洞神部玉訣類) in 3 juàn.
About the work
Relation to the other two commentaries
The Běi dǒu běn mìng yán shēng jīng has three Daozang commentaries (DZ 750, 751, 752), reflecting the popularity of the Dipper-longevity cult in the SòngYuán periods:
- KR5c0146 — DZ 750 Xú Dàolíng (徐道齡), 1334.
- KR5c0147 — DZ 751 Xuán yuán zhēn rén (玄元真人), late Yuán / early Míng.
- KR5c0148 — DZ 752 Fù Dòng zhēn, the present commentary.
Per Schipper & Verellen (2004, various): DZ 750 cites DZ 752’s talismans (comparison at 5.3b–6b vs 2.9b–19a), indicating that DZ 752 predates DZ 750 (1334). The talismans in DZ 752 are the authoritative canonical set for the Dipper constellation deities, widely cited in subsequent Daoist literature.
Contents
The commentary covers the 3 juàn of the scripture with:
- Explanations of the scripture’s cosmological-astral theology.
- Visualisation instructions for the Dipper deities.
- Talismans (fú 符) for each of the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper plus the Sān tái 三台 — systematically illustrated and canonically authoritative.
- Ritual formulas for recitation, prayer, and petition.
Dating
The text is undated. Its citation by DZ 750 (1334) provides a terminus ante quem, while its elaborate Quán zhēn-inflected apparatus suggests composition in the Southern Sòng or Yuán periods. Per the project’s dating rule, the frontmatter gives 1200–1400 as a conservative window. Dynasty: 宋-元.
Abstract
The commentary is the primary canonical source for Dipper-deity talismans and a major ritual-devotional guide to the Dipper-longevity cult. Its influence on subsequent Daoist iconographic and liturgical traditions is substantial.
Translations and research
- Schipper, Kristofer, and Franciscus Verellen, eds. The Taoist Canon: A Historical Companion to the Daozang. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004, DZ 752 entry.
- See KR5c0146 and KR5c0147 for the companion commentaries.
Other points of interest
The Fù Dòng zhēn 傅洞真 authorship is otherwise not well-documented; the name suggests a Daoist hào rather than a secular surname-given-name.
Links
- Kanseki Repository KR5c0148
- Parent scripture: DZ 622 Běi dǒu běn mìng yán shēng jīng.
- Related commentaries: KR5c0146 DZ 750 (Xú Dàolíng), KR5c0147 DZ 751 (Xuán yuán zhēn rén).
- ctext.org: 太上玄靈北斗本命延生經註