From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Xiang’er
Xiang’er
The Xiang’er (Simplified Chinese: 想尔, Traditional Chi- In terms of individual advice, the Xiang’er, like the
nese: 想爾) is a commentary to the Dao De Jing that is best rest of Daoism, discusses ways in which a person could
known for being one of the earliest surviving texts from gain immortality. According to the Xiang’er, the body
the Way of the Celestial Master variant of Daoism. The was inhabited by spirits that survive in the presence of qi.
meaning of the title Xiang’er is debated, but can be trans- In order to attain immortality, a person had to preserve
lated as meaning ‘thinking of you.’ and nourish these internal spirits. Presumably these spir-
its could be nurtured through meditation, but the
History Xiang’er offers very little guidance on what type of med-
itation one should do. The Xiang’er also looks down upon
The Xiang’er was most likely written in between 190 and Daoist sexual practices, and urges its readers not to prac-
220 CE, a time when the Celestial Masters controlled a tice them.
theocratic state in Sichuan. Early sources indicate that While aimed at a wide audience, the Xiang’er also
the text was written by Zhang Lu, the third Celestial contains advice that could be used for rulers. These
Master and grandson to Zhang Daoling. rulers were encouraged to remake society on the model
The text available to us today was discovered in the of the Dao. Such a society would not be based on desire
Buddhist caves at Dunhuang in the early 20th century for wealth and fame, but on the fear and the respect
and was part of the trove that traveled to London along of heaven. Hopefully when people learn to be respectful
with Aurel Stein. However, the Xiang’er that survives on- and fearful towards heaven, they will act morally.
ly comments upon half of the Daode Jing. Presumably
there was also a second part of the Xiang’er, but it has
now been lost. The Xiang’er text found at Dunhuang like-
References
ly dates from the 5th or 6th centuries. • Bokenkamp, Stephen. Early Daoist Scriptures.
Berkeley: University of California, 1999.
Precepts • The text of Xiang’er
• The text of Xiang’er
The Xiang’er reveals a great deal about early Celestial
Master thought and practice. In particular, the text offers
advice to individuals and to society as a whole.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Xiang%27er&oldid=443322681"
Categories:
• Taoism
• Taoist texts
• Way of the Celestial Masters
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