Chū zhēn jiè lǜ 初真戒律
The Initial-Perfected Precept-Statutes
received by 趙復陽 (Zhào Fùyáng — the Lóngmén transmitter at Jiǔgōngshān 九宫山, Húběi); transmitted to and prefaced by 王常月 (Wáng Chángyuè) in 崇禎初 (early Chóngzhēn, c. 1640s), with formal first transmission at the Báiyúnguàn 白雲觀 (Beijing) on 丙申𡻕三月望日 = 31 March 1656 (Shùnzhì 13)
The canonical first-tier precept-statute of the Lóngmén three-altar ordination system, in 2 juàn — the foundation of the Lóngmén institutional revival in the mid-17th century. The text is centred on the Chū zhēn shí jiè 初真十戒 (Initial-Perfected Ten Precepts) and the related operational precept-statutes; it constitutes the first-altar of the Lóngmén triple ordination (chū zhēn / zhōng jí / tiān xiān; cf. KR5i0097 and KR5i0099). Pagination begins at sheet 25a, indicating continuous foliation with the preceding precept-related materials.
Prefaces
Preface (Wáng Chángyuè). “The Vacant-August Great-Way’s secret numinous-text, the Lofty-Sage Great-Perfected Pure-Capital’s jade-statutes — the myriad sages treasure-and-honour them, the myriad numina wear-and-uphold them; not for one of golden bones and jade name they may not be lightly encountered, nor lightly received. Jiè (precept) means stop-and-forbid; benefit goodness and stop evil, return to the real and abandon the false — that is its meaning. Of old, the Vacant-August Way-Lord, in pity for the great-earth’s sentient beings — racing after profit and chasing fame, attached to sound-and-color, ignorant of fortune-and-misfortune’s connections — gave themselves many-life sins-and-faults; greatly opening the cí bēi (compassion-pity), saving them from drowning, therefore he transmitted the jiè lǜ sūtra-teachings, opening-and-transforming the fǎ jiè people-and-Heavens — as the wisdom-torch for planting-fortune-and-cultivating-causes, the compassion-raft for ascending-perfected-and-entering-the-Way. — Generation-after-generation passed-down, master-after-master taught; the Daoist canon’s classifications had records of it. After Qín’s burning of books, the great-change of Daoist scripture-and-precept lost 80–90 percent; section-by-section row-by-row, only one-or-two were preserved. Therefore in recent generations the precept-method has daily-collapsed; today’s existing transmission is one-or-two-of-ten-thousand. — Yet the unfading-through-ten-thousand-ages mystery-statutes have never finally been buried. Today, sensing-and-gathering-the-many-good, broadening the Yuánshǐ’s transformation, broadly extending the Pure-Stillness lineage — clearly the time-of-arrival’s wonder lies in this one elevation; the future’s hope rests on today. — I therefore tell my work-mate that I, in Chóngzhēn early years, with cloud-track went to Chǔ and visited Jiǔgōngshān, where I personally received the precept-method from Fùyáng Zhào zhēnrén. I obtained its central-essential. Therefore not avoiding the sin of impudence, by-method on bǐngshēn third-month full-moon-day (= 31 March 1656), I established the precept-altar at the Báiyúnguàn and transmitted-the-precepts and demonstrated-the-bowl, above wishing-extend the present sage-master’s august-fortune long, below praying for the various ministers and gentlemen-folk — body-and-house all-prosper, succession of the former-lineage — opening the supreme-sage’s deliverance-of-the-world’s original vow, leading the later-progress, opening the Way-stream’s no-frivolousness’s true-wind. — Whoever enters the precepts, if able to wear-down body-and-heart, see body-and-world as the changeability of floating-clouds, by-essence-of-keeping-the-precept-conduct, with precept-statutes as the urgent-task of cultivation…”
Abstract
The foundational text of the Lóngmén institutional ordination-revival, transmitted from Zhào Fùyáng of Jiǔgōngshān (Húběi) to Wáng Chángyuè (1622–1680) in the late-Míng, and formally instituted at the Báiyúnguàn in Beijing on 31 March 1656 as the first-tier of the three-altar Lóngmén ordination system. Wáng’s preface is one of the foundational documents of late-imperial Quánzhēn institutional history. The DZJY recension preserves the standard text. For the broader institutional history see Esposito, Facets of Qing Daoism; Goossaert, The Taoists of Peking.
Translations and research
- Esposito, Monica. Facets of Qing Daoism (2014).
- Goossaert, Vincent. The Taoists of Peking (2007).
Links
- Kanseki Repository KR5i0098
- Transmitter: 王常月 (preface 1656).