This melody is found only in the Accompanying Sounds for the Three Religions (Sanjiao Tongsheng, 1592),³ a qin handbook with a melody from each of China's great religions (or ways of thought), Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Scholars have not determined the sources of the music. Did the compiler, Zhang Dexin, copy or edit them from pre-existing tablature? Did he adapt them from chants he had heard? Or did he compose them himself?

Daoism is generally divided into religious Daoism and philosophical Daoism, but the distinction is not always clear. For example, the Dao De Jing (sometimes called the Book of Laozi ⁴), which is the great philosophical text of Daoism, is heavily quoted and paraphrased in Qingjing Jing, a hymn in religious Daoism.⁵

At the time of Confucius there were numerous contending schools of thought. That of Confucius emphasized bringing order to society by following certain moral principles; another school, suggesting any true principles could not be put into words, emphasized what might be called detachment and non-action. The Dao De Jing seems to be a collection of sayings of this latter school. Much of it is written in verse.

Tradition attributes the Dao De Jing to Laozi ("Old Master"), a contemporary of Confucius.⁶ There is a story that as he was leaving the world (by entering the mountains southwest of what is today Xi'an) he met Yin Xi, Keeper of the Pass, who persuaded him to write it down.

The music is accompanied by lyrics that are still chanted today as part of regular devotions, particularly in the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) school of Daoism.⁷ Quanzhen, which has a strong monastic tradition, rose to prominence during the northern Song dynasty. These lyrics, which became an important part of their prayer services at that time, have had several artistic renderings.⁸

The lyrics with the qin melody begin the first and fifth sections with the words "Lao jun yue" (Laozi says), and the Qingjing Jing is indeed sometimes attributed to Laozi himself. The lyrics do paraphrase many concepts of the Dao De Jing, but they emphasize tranquility of mind and freedom from desire. This may be an example of the Buddhist influence on religious Daoism.

Below the title to this melody the tuning is given, then the statement "Six sections".⁹ However, the back of the Sanjiao Tongsheng is damaged and the end is missing. As a result the music for two or three phrases (eight characters) near the end of section 5 and for the final four phrases (16 characters) of section 6 are missing or illegible. In my transcription I have supplied tablature (indicated by circles) for those two passages based on the surrounding idiom.¹⁰

 
Original Preface

None

 
Music of Qingjing Jing
translation by Livia Kohn;¹¹ A largely syllabic setting of the text;¹²
the music and/or text is missing for the phrases in square parentheses

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 18003.683 qingjing quotes many ancient sources but does not mention the Qingjing Jing. An alternate translation is Canon of Purity and Stillness. Another title is apparently 常清靜經 Chang Qingjing Jing (9138.162 has only 常清 chang qing), translated as Daoist Scripture of Constant Purity and Tranquility. The Freer Gallery of the Smithsonian has a copy of this in calligraphy by Zhao Mengfu. There is important commentary with the online image on their site, but the image itself is of a colophon by a prominent Mongol artist with the Chinese name 康里夒夒 Kangli Naonao (d.1354). For an image of the actual text, see full text image on the World Art Kiosk website. (Return)

2. 夷則調 Yize Diao
From standard tuning lower the 1st, 3rd and 6th strings; there is an 夷則意 Yize Modal Prelude in Xilutang Qintong. Tuning is the same as for Man Gong Diao (see Huo Lin) and Nanlü Yi. (Return)

3. 三教同聲; reprinted in Vol.6 of 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng (Return)

4. D. C. Lau, Tao Te Ching, A Bilingual Translation, The Chinese University Press, 2001, p. ix, says "Laozi" was the original title of the book, while the title "Dao De Jing" dates only from the 2nd C. CE. (Return)

5. Several people have suggested that someone cobbled together phrases from the Dao De Jing to form the text of Qingjing Jing. On the other hand, commentary with the online image mentioned above at The Freer Gallery says Laozi originally "dictated this teaching to the goddess Queen Mother of the West (西王母). His words were then transmitted orally through generations of Daoist adepts until the text was written down by a believer named Ge Xuan (葛玄 164–244 C.E.) and later became part of the official Daoist canon." (The Queen Mother of the West [Xiwang Mu] is said to have had a daughter who played a one-string qin.) (Return)

6. There being no historical records for someone named "Laozi", it has been suggested that Daoism grew out of the philosophy of 楊朱 Yang Zhu, which emphasized extreme individualism. See D.C. Lau (trans.), Tao Te Ching, HK, Chinese University Press, 1982, p.xiv. (Return)

7. Quan Zhen is included in the online Introduction to Daoism; for claims of greater antiquity see Introduction to Quanzhen Daoism .

The text, apparently the first of the Daoist morning canons (see Kim), is said still to be actively sung at Wudang Mountain in northern Hubei province. At the 八仙庵 Temple of the Eight Immortals in Xi'an I found a CD with chant by the 西安萬壽八仙宮經師班 Xi'an Long Life Eight Immortals Scripture Teaching Group accompanied by the 陝西省歌舞劇院民樂隊 Shaanxi Province Song and Dance Theater Music Ensemble. Qingjing Jing is listed as #6 (of 12) on Side A. However, the total length of the side, 59.03, is not subdivided by tracks and I cannot make out the words they are chanting, so cannot confirm Qingjing Jing is actually on it. The contents of Side A are:

1. 澄清韻
2. 舉天尊
3. 雙吊挂
4. 提網
5. 大、小啟請
6. 清靜經
7. 諸真浩章
8. 中堂贊
9. 懺悔文
10. 小贊
11. 靈官咒
12. 三皈依
    (Return)

8. The online image from the Freer Gallery is mentioned above (though it doesn't have the actual calligraphy by Zhao Mengfu, which can be seen in an amateur photo on the World Art Kiosk website). An inscription carved into a rock at the Yuquan Temple by Hua Shan is included below. (Return)

9. In other printed versions the text is not divided into sections. (Return)

10. Individual errors and omissions throughout the text are also circled. (Return)

11. The translation, included here with permission, is published in Livia Kohn, The Taoist Experience: An Anthology. Albany, State University of New York Press, 1993, pp.24-29. (Return)

12. The complete Chinese text is also published (with some minor differences) in 太上全貞早談功德經 Taishang Quanzhen zao tan gongde jing, Beijing, Zhongguo Dajiao Xiehui, 1983, pp.24-27. According to François Picard the text there is prefaced by 太上老君說「常清靜經」 Taishang Laojun shuo, "Chang Qingjing Jing" (The great master Laozi spoke, the permanent canon of purity and tranquility]), intended to be sung in declamatory style before the text is recited. Music for this title can be found in Wudang Shan Daojiao Yinyue (武當山道教音樂; Daoist Music of Mount Wudang, a mountain in northwest Hubei province with many Daoist monasteries and fame as a martial arts center). That music is unrelated to the music here.

The original lyrics as found here in Sanjiao Tongsheng are as follows,

Here is the beginning of the text, as found in the Yuquan Temple, dedicated to Chen Tuan at Hua Shan. (to top

Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.