Declarations of the Perfected Part Two: Instructions on Shaping Destiny

Author: 
Thomas E. Smith

Publisher: 

Three Pines Press

Publication date:
November 2020

Abstract:

Declarations of the Perfected is the first complete, annotated translation of Zhen’gao 真誥, Tao Hongjing’s (456-536) masterful compilation of the Shangqing or Higher Clarity revelations, setting the stage for the heyday of medieval Daoism. The present volume presents the Declarations’ second part (fasc. 5-8), which focuses on the various difficulties that Daoist practitioners are likely to encounter in a dangerous world, and how to overcome them. It begins with instructions of a more general nature, before moving on to problems faced specifically by Xu Mi 許謐 (303-376) and his family and fellow officials. This volume also sheds much light on the history of its time—the kinds of moral and philosophical issues that were being debated, as well political intrigues in the Eastern Jin court.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Translation
Preface by Tu Long
Fascicle Five

Fascicle Six
Fascicle Seven
Fascicle Eight
Past translations consulted