Title

A Study on Giulio Aleni and Gift Poems from Fujian Literati

Author

Lin, Jin-shui

Genre

Article  

Pages

61-108

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese  

Key words

Daoism, the Three Sovereigns, the Eight Envoys, Divine Cave

Abstract

       This study is devoted to a historical analysis of the Three Sovereigns movement and its sources. It attempts to elucidate the origins and nature of the “Writ of the Three Sovereigns,” and identify its surviving fragments in the Daoist Canon. The “Writ of the Three Sovereigns” plays various roles in Daoism. On the one hand, numerous scriptures were attached to the original three scrolls of the “Writ of the Three Sovereigns,” and after the fourth century it formed its own corpus, the Section of the Divine Cave, which constitutes one section of the Daoist Canon. On the other hand, other traditions, particularly those that flourished between the fourth and eleventh centuries, borrowed various elements from the “Writ of the Three Sovereigns.” This paper traces the development of the Three Sovereigns movement from the fourth to the eleventh centuries through a detailed analysis of its textual history and lineage. By shedding light on various sources of the Three Sovereigns, it provides a more complete and nuanced picture of the multi-faceted and complex nature of Chinese Daoism.