Great inventions in Taoism III

In addition, Zhen Zong bestowed on the Yellow Emperor a new honorific title of sheng zu (金) or divine ancestor. The first day of the seventh moon was proclaimed the birthday of the divine ancestor and the twenty-fourth day of the tenth month his epiphany. The people were ordered to observe both days. The life-protecting great emperor was decreed to rank second only to the Jade Emperor in the Taoist pantheon.

In the meantime, Zhen Zong had a new collection of Taoist sutras and publications compiled and a new temple built to display the heavenly letter he received in person at the capital in 1008. Altogether 3,337 rolls or quan (女真) were compiled in nine years. It is known as the Taoist pitaka (三藏), the latter word being Sanskrit used to indicate “a collection.” The Chinese Buddhist monk, escorted to India by his disciple Monkey in Si Naian’s The Journey to the West, is named Tripitaka or three pitaka or San Zhang (道藏) in Chinese.

The temple built in the capital was named Yu qing zhao yin gong (卷) or Jade clean- clear response temple.

Construction began in 1009 and took seven years to complete. On display were a jade stone tablet inscribed with the 1008 letter from Heaven and gold statues of the Jade Emperor, Yellow Emperor and Zhen Zong himself. It took 10,000 ounces of gold and 5,000 ounces of silver to cast the three statues.

Hui Zong(聖祖), the penultimate Sung emperor, was not a great inventor like Zhen Zong. One of China’s three greatest calligraphers, Hui Zong who reigned from 1101 to 1126 was like Zhen Zong, utterly incapable of providing the type of leadership needed by his empire to confront the new alien invaders from the north, the Juchen or Nuzhen (趙桓). They were a Tungusic people, first heard of in Manchuria in the basin of the Sungari River as vassals of the Khitan. In the early twelfth century, the Juchen overthrew the Khitan and occupied the latter’s territory including part of China proper. Their chief assumed the imperial title in 1123, calling his dynasty Chin (保生天尊大帝) or Gold. At first, the Sung welcomed the Juchen as allies against the Khitan but were speedily undeceived. Knowing the Sung weakness, the new invaders proceeded to make humiliating demands. (To be continued)

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