The ''Xiang’er'' (also ''Hsiang-erh''; Simplified Chinese: 想尔, Traditional Chinese: 想爾) is a commentary to the ''
Dao De Jing'' that is best known for being one of the earliest surviving texts from the
Way of the Celestial Master
The Way of the Celestial Masters is a Chinese Daoist movement that was founded by Zhang Daoling in 142 AD. Its followers rebelled against the Han Dynasty, and won their independence in 194. At its height, the movement controlled a theocratic stat ...
variant of
Daoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...
. The meaning of the title "Xiang’er" is debated, but can be translated as meaning ‘thinking of you.’
History
The ''Xiang’er'' was likely written between 190 and 220 AD, a time when the Celestial Masters controlled a theocratic state in
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...
. Early sources indicate that the text was written by
Zhang Lu, the third Celestial Master and grandson to
Zhang Daoling
Zhang Ling (; traditionally 34–156), courtesy name Fuhan (), was a Chinese religious leader who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty credited with founding the Way of the Celestial Masters sect of Taoism, which is also known as the Way of the ...
.
The text available to us today was discovered in the Buddhist caves at
Dunhuang
Dunhuang () is a county-level city in Northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027, though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800. Dunhuang was a major s ...
in the early 20th century and was part of the trove that traveled to London along with
Aurel Stein
Sir Marc Aurel Stein,
( hu, Stein Márk Aurél; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at ...
. However, the ''Xiang’er'' that survives only comments upon 3d through 37th chapters of the ''Daode Jing''.
[Puett, 229 n.16.] Presumably there was also a second part of the ''Xiang’er'', but it has now been lost. The ''Xiang’er'' text found at Dunhuang likely dates from the 5th or 6th centuries.
Precepts
The ''Xiang’er'' reveals a great deal about early Celestial Master thought and practice. In particular, the text offers advice to individuals and to society as a whole.
In terms of individual advice, the ''Xiang’er'', like the rest of Daoism, discusses ways in which a person could gain immortality. According to the ''Xiang’er'', the body was inhabited by spirits that survive in the presence of
qi. In order to attain immortality, a person had to preserve and nourish these internal spirits. Presumably these spirits could be nurtured through meditation, but the ''Xiang’er'' offers very little guidance on what type of meditation one should do. The ''Xiang’er'' also looks down upon
Daoist sexual practices, and urges its readers not to practice them.
While aimed at a wide audience, the ''Xiang’er'' also contains advice that could be used for rulers. These rulers were encouraged to remake society on the model of the Dao. Such a society would not be based on desire for wealth and fame, but on the fear and the respect of heaven. Hopefully when people learn to be respectful and fearful towards heaven, they will act morally.
References
* Bokenkamp, Stephen. ''Early Daoist Scriptures''. Berkeley: University of California, 1999.
* Michael Puett, “Becoming Laozi: Cultivating and Visualizing Spirits in Early Medieval China”. Asia Major, Third series. 2010;23(1):223-252
* Rao Zongyi 饒宗頤, Laozi Xiang’er zhu jiaojian 老子想爾注校牋 (Shanghai: Guji chubanshe, 1991);
*
The text of ''Xiang'er'' (Traditional Chinese)
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Taoist texts
Way of the Celestial Masters