The ''Qingjing Jing'' () is an anonymous

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

Taoist 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'' ...

classic that combines philosophical themes from the ''

Tao Te Ching The ''Tao Te Ching'' (, ; ) is a Chinese classic text written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, though the text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion d ...

'' with the logical presentation of

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

texts and a literary form reminiscent of the '' Heart Sutra''. It instructs students of the

Tao ''Tao'' or ''Dao'' is the natural order of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realize the potential for individual wisdom, as conceived in the context of East Asian philosophy, East Asian religions, or any other philo ...

to practice the elimination of desire in order to cultivate spiritual purity and stillness.

Title

The ''Qingjing jing'' title combines ''qing'' "pure; clean; clear; fresh; cool; distinct; clarified; quiet; peaceful", ''jing'' "still; motionless; static; silent; quiet; peaceful; calm; tranquil", and ''jing'' "(fabric) warp; scripture; canon; classic". The first

Chinese character Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the Written Chinese, writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are k ...

''qing'' has the "water"

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

and a ''qing'' "green"

phonetic Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...

element. The second character ''jing'' has the "green" radical and a ''zheng'' "struggle" phonetic, and was anciently a

variant Chinese character Variant Chinese characters (; Kanji: ; Hepburn: ''itaiji''; ; Revised Romanization: ''icheja'') are Chinese characters that are homophones and synonyms. Most variants are allographs in most circumstances, such as casual handwriting. Some contexts ...

for ''jing'' "clean; pure; complete; only", which has the "water" radical and this ''zheng'' phonetic. ''Qingjing'' could interchangeably be written or , for instance, the Daoist concept ''qingjing wuwei'' or "quiet and non-action; discard all desires and worries from one's mind".

Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...

used ''qingjing'' to translate Sanskrit ''parishuddhi'' or Pali ''vishuddhi'' "complete purification; free from defilement" (cf. ''vishudda''). Kunio Miura explains: In

Standard Chinese Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern Standar ...

usage, ''qingjing'' means "quiet; tranquil; serene (surroundings, etc.)" and ''qingjing'' means "tranquil; clean and pure; (Buddhism) purified of defiling illusion, not bothered by material concerns". English translations of the ''Qingjing jing'' title include: *"Classic of Purity", *"Scripture of Purity and Tranquility", tr. *"Scripture on Clarity and Tranquility", tr. *"Scripture on Clarity and Stillness", tr. *"Scripture of Purity and Stillness", tr. *"Scripture of Clarity and Quiescence", tr.

Overview and origin

The ''Qingjing Jing'' is a short, mostly-versified text comprising some 390

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...

in 90 verses. It is widely read, has numerous commentaries, and is considered one of the most important texts in the Taoist religion. Two passages of the ''Qingjing Jing'' are attributed to

Laozi Laozi (), also known by numerous other names, was a semilegendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher. Laozi ( zh, ) is a Chinese honorific, generally translated as "the Old Master". Traditional accounts say he was born as in the state ...

, with the

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

"Lord Lao" (, see

Three Pure Ones The Three Pure Ones (), also translated as the Three Pure Pellucid Ones, the Three Pristine Ones, the Three Divine Teachers, the Three Clarities, or the Three Purities, are the three highest gods in the Taoist pantheon. They are regarded as pure ...

). This has led many traditional sources to attribute authorship of the entire text to Laozi, so the text exists under a variety of honorific titles that link it to him. Scholars believe the received text dates from around the middle Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). The oldest extant commentary is by

Du Guangting Du Guangting (杜光庭; 850–933) was a Taoist priest and fiction writer in imperial China's Tang dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. His most famous work was a short novel entitled "The Man with the Curly Beard" (虯髯客� ...

(, 850-933 CE), a prolific editor of Daoist texts during the late Tang and

Five Dynasties The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

period. Du says prior to being written down by

Ge Xuan Ge Xuan (164–244), courtesy name Xiaoxian, was a Chinese Taoist practitioner who lived in the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220) and Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. He was the ancestor of Ge Hong and a resident of Danyang Commandery i ...

(164-244 CE), the ''Qingjing Jing'' was orally transmitted for generations, supposedly going back to the mythical

Queen Mother of the West The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. From her name alone some of her most importan ...

Versions and commentaries

The ''

Daozang Daozang (), meaning 'Taoist Canon', consists of around 1,400 texts that were collected (after the ''Daodejing'' and ''Zhuangzi'' and Liezi which are the core Taoist texts). They were collected by Taoist monks of the period in an attempt to brin ...

'' "Taoist Canon" includes eight ''Qingjing jing'' editions with variant titles. The basic text (CT 620) is the ''Qingjing miaojing'' ( "Wondrous Scripture of Clarity and Stillness") or ''Taishang Laojun shuo chang qingjing miaojing'' ( "Wondrous Scripture of Constant Clarity and Stillness, as Spoken by the Most High Lord Lao"). Commentaries include those entitled ''Qingjing jingzhu'' (, CT 755–760) and ''Qingjing jing songzhu'' (, CT 974). A slightly longer (and "possibly earlier") version of approximately 600 characters is the ''Qingjing xinjing'' ( "Heart Scripture of Clarity and Stillness") or ''Taishang Laojun qingjing xinjing'' ( "Heart Scripture of Clarity and Stillness, as Spoken by the Most High Lord Lao", CT 1169). During the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

(960-1260 CE), the ''Qingjing Jing'' became popular within the Southern Lineage "Complete Perfection" or

Quanzhen School The Quanzhen School (全真: ''Quánzhēn''), also known as Completion of Authenticity, Complete Reality, and Complete Perfection is currently one of the two dominant denominations of Taoism in mainland China. It originated in Northern China i ...

and was interpreted in context with ''

neidan Neidan, or internal alchemy (), is an array of esoteric doctrines and physical, mental, and spiritual practices that Taoist initiates use to prolong life and create an immortal spiritual body that would survive after death. Also known as Jindan ...

'' Chinese

internal alchemy Neidan, or internal alchemy (), is an array of esoteric doctrines and physical, mental, and spiritual practices that Taoist initiates use to prolong life and create an immortal spiritual body that would survive after death. Also known as Jindan ...

. For instance, the seventh Quanzhen master

Sun Bu'er Sun Bu'er (Sun Pu-erh, ), one of the Taoist Seven Masters of Quanzhen, lived c. 1119–1182 C.E. in the Shandong province of China. She was a beautiful, intelligent, wealthy woman, married with three children. Her family name was Sun and her f ...

took Qingjing sanren "Vagabond of Clarity and Quiescence" as her

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...

and established the Qingjing Sect. Modern Quanzhen Taoists consider the ''Qingjing jing'' a central scripture and regularly chant it in ''songjing'' (, "reciting scriptural passages; ritual recitation"). Kohn explains:

Although brief, the ''Qingjing Jing'' is philosophically complex. It synthesizes Taoist and Buddhist theories of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...

ontology In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...

, and

teleology Teleology (from and )Partridge, Eric. 1977''Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English'' London: Routledge, p. 4187. or finalityDubray, Charles. 2020 912Teleology" In ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' 14. New York: Robert Appleton ...

. The ''Qingjing Jing'' is described by Komjathy: These Taoist keywords are ''guan'' "scrutiny; careful observation; insight meditation; contemplation", ''qing'' "clarity; purity; cleanliness", and ''jing'' "stillness; quiet; calm; tranquility". The ''Tao Te Ching'' (45, tr. ) is the for ''qingjing'': "Bustling about vanquishes cold, Standing still vanquishes heat. Pure and still, one can put things right everywhere under heaven." Kohn summarizes the ''Qingjing jing'':

Translations

The ''Qingjing jing'' has been translated into English by , , and . translated the Shuijingzi () commentary. The following versions of the opening section (verses 1-8 and 9–13, reformatted for consistency) illustrate the translational range:

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

''Qingjing Jing''
- Original Chinese text * English translation.

- An English Translation of

Reconstruction of the musical setting of Qingjing Jing published in 1592
Free translation made by Five Immortals Temple in China
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