英文摘要
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The Xiang Er Annotation is a Daoist sutra which appeared in the latter period of the Eastern Han dynasty, and was written for the purpose of explaining the original text of Laozi. However, this annotation systematically and deliberately modified the original Laozi in order to adapt the philosophical Dao into religious Daoist teachings, and in this way religious Daoist theory was constructed. In the Xiang Er Annotation, the idea of Dao is an important philosophical concept, and at the same time it serves as religious connotation. The Dao is the root of all things in the world, and it has an intimate relationship with the ideas of ”one”, ”qi” (energy), ”jing” (essence), and ”nature”. According to the Xiang Er Annotation, everything is based on the Dao, and man should worship the Dao and observe its precepts. The Dao hence carries with it religious meaning and actualizes itself as a religious idea. Man should observe Daoist precepts, which teach the accumulation of ”Jing” within man, and the accumulation of goodness he obtains from the outside world. With this method, the Xiang Er Annotation thus developed the goal of pursuing ultimate longevity as celestial being, and this goal has formed the central doctrine of religious Daosim. The Xiang Er Annotation discusses methods for transforming man into a celestial being, with such teachings as ”cultivation of qi”, ”cultivation of Jing” and ”accumulation of goodness”. In all of these teachings, the Xiang Er Annotation establishes the theoretical foundation of religious Daosim. This paper will first begin with the author of the Xiang Er Annotation and the origin of the name Xiang Er; second, demonstrate the meaning and properties of the Dao; third, explain the relationships between the ideas of Dao, ”one”, ”qi”, ”jing”, and ”nature”; forth, illustrate Doaist precepts such as the accumulation of ”Jing” and goodness; and finally, this paper will elucidate the ideas of longevity and celestial being, and describe the methods of ”cultivation of qi”, ”cultivation of Jing” and ”accumulation of goodness”. In the end it is hoped that we may gain a deeper understanding of the Dao in the Xiang Er Annotation.
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