The Scripture on Great Peace: The Taiping jing and the Beginnings of DaoismThis first Western-language translation of one of the great books of the Daoist religious tradition, the Taiping jing, or "Scripture on Great Peace," documents early Chinese medieval thought and lays the groundwork for a more complete understanding of Daoism’s origins. Barbara Hendrischke, a leading expert on the Taiping jing in the West, has spent twenty-five years on this magisterial translation, which includes notes that contextualize the scripture’s political and religious significance. Virtually unknown to scholars until the 1970s, the Taiping jing raises the hope for salvation in a practical manner by instructing men and women how to appease heaven and satisfy earth and thereby reverse the fate that thousands of years of human wrongdoing has brought about. The scripture stems from the beginnings of the Daoist religious movement, when ideas contained in the ancient Laoziwere spread with missionary fervor among the population at large. The Taiping jing demonstrates how early Chinese medieval thought arose from the breakdown of the old imperial order and replaced it with a vision of a new, more diverse and fair society that would integrate outsiders—in particular women and people of a non-Chinese background. |
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Common terms and phrases
achieve argues become calamities Celestial Master century C.E. Chao characters cheng fu conduct Daoist dare dialogues disaster disciples dynasty emperors and kings evil explain expression father and mother foolish Gan Ji harmony heaven and earth Hou Han shu Huainan Huainan zi human instance Laozi late antiquity live longevity lord Lun heng majestic heaven material means ming moral nourish occurs officials passage at hand peace Perfected person phrase primordial qi punishment received text reign resembles root ruler San guo zhi scripture shan shang shen someone spiritlike spirits Taiping jing Tao Hongjing teachings term thousand plants tian tion tong jian TPJ's transcendent transmitted understand virtue Wang Wang Chong wise and worthy words writings xian Xiang Xiang'er xing Yellow Yin and Yang yuan Zhang Jue Zhang Lu zhen zheng Zhuangzi
Popular passages
Page 10 - Thus he recorded even those assemblies outside (his own State) which failed to reach agreement, and mentioned the great officials even of small States Coming to the age which he (personally) witnessed, he made evident that there was an order (arising) of Great Peace (Thai Phing) . At this time the barbarian tribes became part of the feudal hierarchy, and the whole (known) world, far and near, large and small, was like one. Hence he directed his mind still more profoundly to making a detailed record...
Page 8 - When reward and punishment were clear, foolish and wise were properly placed, noble and base occupied their stations, worthy and inadequate were seen for what they were; invariably they were allotted tasks according to their abilities, invariably their tasks derived from their titles. This is how one served the man above or was pastor to the men below, put other things in order or cultivated one's own person. Cleverness and strategy were unused.
Page 18 - Hence, they were one with what they liked and one with what they disliked, one when they were one and one when they were not one. When one, they were of heaven's party, when not one, they were of man's party. Someone in whom neither heaven nor man wins over the other is what is meant by "perfected.