A Study Of Pan Jingguan’s Taoist Toughts

Pan Jingguan was the fifth generation disciple of the Quanzhen Longmen Taoism who lived in the Changzhou area of Jiangnan in the early Qing dynasty.He played many roles.He was a hermit at that time,at the same time,he also called himself the heir of the Jingming Taoism,founded the Taiyi sect.However,his Taoist thoughts was not influenced too much by the Jingming Taoism,but showed a distinct feature of the Quanzhen Taoism.Dao De Jing Miao Men Yue is a window for Pan Jingguan to show his Taoist thoughts by annotating Laozi,and it is also a valuable material for us to understand Pan Jingguan’s Taoist thoughts.One of the characteristics of Pan Jingguan’s annotation of Laozi is that Pan Jingguan,as a Taoist priest,emphasizes the interpretation of Laozi from the perspective of practice,whether from the noumenon of the Tao or from the point of view of the use of the Tao.Pan Jingguan put everything "down to the original appearance of things",with the most primitive and authentic Tao as the center.Pan Jingguan,as a Quanzhen Taoist priest,annotated Laozi with his distinctive features:cultivating the mind is cultivating the Tao,and governing the mind is governing the country to remind people of the same structure of the body and the country,and emphasized the the Dual-cultivation of Xing and Ming(Xingming shuangxiu).Another outstanding feature is to start from the standpoint of Taoism.At the same time,Pan Jingguan explained Laozi with Buddhist doctrines and classics,introduced Zen into Taoism,explained Laozi with Confucianism,and integrated Confucianism with Taoism.Pan Jingguan inherited from Zhu Yuanyu,the inner alchemy scholar of Quanzhen Northern Taoism at that time.Influenced by his master and the times,his Taoist thoughts embodied the characteristics of the times of the integration of the three religions.Pan Jingguan’s Taoist thoughts were also reflected in Taiyi jinhua zongzhi,which is a book of inner alchemy.The earliest origin of the Taiyi jinhua zongzhi was discovered by Luzu’s spirit-writing communion headed by Pan Jingguan at the Bailong Jinshe.This established Taiyi jinhua zongzhi s relationship with Quanzhen Taoism.Through Pan Jingguan,we can determine that Taiyi jinhua zongzhi is the inner alchemy of Quanzhen Northern Taoism,which teaches the method of "hui guang" from Quanzhen Northern Taoism.In the theory of practice,the theory and method of Dandao in Taiyi jinhua zongzi inherited Laozi’s thought and was based on Laozi.At the same time it absorbed the essence of Confucianism and Buddhism,showing the fusion of Dan and Zen,the connection with Confucianism and the integration of the three religions.In practice,Taiyi jinhua zongzhi systematically introduces the method,principle,effect and efficacy of"hui guang",which embodies the distinct character of Quanzhen Northern Taoism that is the attitude of "the inner nature first and the physical existence afterward"(Xianxing Houming)and the Dual-cultivation of Xing and Ming(Xingming shuangxiu).Taiyi jinhua zongzhi reflects the maturity of the inner alchemy of Quanzhen Taoism during this period.Pan Jingguan actively participated in the practice of Liizu’s spirit-writing in his Taoist activities.On the one hand,the Quanzhen Longmen Taoism,represented by Pan Jingguan in the early Qing dynasty,actively interacted with folk beliefs.On the other hand,the Quanzhen Longmen Taoism was characterized by its multi-source and local development.Pan Jingguan lived in the Changzhou region of Jiangnan,which was a weak place for the development of Quanzhen Taoism.However,Luzu’s spirit-writing cult has a deep mass foundation in Jiangnan,and it was a widely accepted way of belief by all classes.Pan Jingguan,as the representative of the Quanzhen Longmen Taoism,actively interacted with the folk beliefs in Changzhou,which attracted the Taoists,developed the Quanzhen Longmen sect in Changzhou,and promoted the spread of the folk beliefs.In the early Qing dynasty,the Quanzhen Longmen Taoism,represented by Pan Jingguan,adjusted its development strategy in the face of new challenges,and it was also a new way for Quanzhen Taosim to adapt himself to the society.The development path they chose was different from the "mainstream" path as we know it,such as Wang Changyue,which showed the strong locality of the Quanzhen Longmen Taoism.