道教文化研究中心出版
《三皇經》：從民間傳說到正統道教
史德阿夫 著
為了提高道教學術研究水平，擴大道教研究出版，道教文化研究中心與美國夏威夷大學出版社、香港中文大學出版社合作出版 New Daoist Studies（道教研究學術論叢），該叢書為英文系列，計劃每年出版英文道教研究著作。
「道教研究學術論叢」首部專著 The Writ of the Three Sovereigns: From Local Lore to Institutional Daoism（《三皇經》：從民間傳說到正統道教）已於2019年6月正式出版，並於全球發行。該部著作由美國聖塔芭芭拉加州大學副教授 Dominic Steavu（史德阿夫）經多年研究撰寫成書，是迄今唯一一部探究《三皇經》的專著。
《三皇經》又稱《三皇文》、《三皇內文》，為《天皇文》、《地皇文》、《人皇文》的合稱，作者不詳。內容記載鬼神譜系、修道要訣、驅除凶危和劾召鬼神的一些具體操作及符圖，以及存思神仙真形之術等。公元四至五世紀期間，這部經籍在中國大部分地方未為人所知，只在江南一帶流傳，且被視為民間傳說。後來陸修靜整編經籍，分道經爲三洞，將《三皇》系的經文劃爲洞神部，與洞真部的上清《大洞真經》、洞玄部的《靈寶經》並列。唐代時，因爲《三皇經》中含有大量圖讖鬼神內容，語涉妖妄，又據說載有「凡諸侯有此文者，必爲國王。……婦人有此文者，必爲皇后」等文字，唐太宗於是在貞觀二十年（646）下令除毀《三皇經》。古本《三皇經》今已佚。明《正統道藏》洞神部方法類收有《太清金闕玉華仙書八極神章三皇內秘文》三卷和《三皇內文遺秘》一卷，皆非古本《三皇經》，但保留了古《三皇經》的某些內容，一般被認爲是流傳下來的《三皇經》。
本書追蹤了《三皇經》從民間傳說到歸入正統宗教傳統的歷程。作者首先介紹了這部典籍在四世紀初於江南出現時的社會歷史背景，繼而闡述書中主要的古代法器、符圖，以及內丹圖和真形圖等其他道教傳統要素。公元五、六世紀時，道教的地位逐漸鞏固，成為了正統的、有組織的宗教，《三皇經》擔當道教入門儀式象徵的角色，但亦因其保留了直截了當的官方語調和强烈的政治色彩，最終在七世紀中葉受到朝廷禁制。然而，《三皇經》卻以其他方式保存了下來，後來更復興，影響遠至日本。
儘管《三皇經》對道教正統化的發展起著重要的作用，一直很少有人從事此經書的專門研究。其零碎的文字記錄和深奧難解的內容令這部經籍過往籠罩在謎團之中。本書清晰地重新建構《三皇經》背後隱藏的歷史和神秘內容，並闡明其對中國中世紀宗教發展的貢獻。
作者簡介
Dominic Steavu（史德阿夫）在美國史丹福大學取得了博士學位，現為美國聖塔芭芭拉加州大學副教授，主要講授中國宗教及中國佛教等學科。
The Writ of the Three Sovereigns
From Local Lore to Institutional Daoism
Dominic Steavu
New Daoist Studies
In 648 CE, Tang imperial authorities collected every copy of the Writ of the Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang wen) from the four corners of the empire and burned them. The formidable talismans at its core were said not only to extend their owners’ lifespan and protect against misfortune, but also propel them to stratospheric heights of power, elevating them to the rank of high minister or even emperor. Only two or three centuries earlier, this controversial text was unknown in most of China with the exception of Jiangnan in the south, where it was regarded as essential local lore. In the span of a few generations, the Writ of the Three Sovereigns would become the cornerstone of one of the three basic corpora of the Daoist Canon, a pillar of Daoism—and a perceived threat to the state.
This study, the only book-length treatment of the Writ of the Three Sovereigns in any language, traces the text’s transition from local tradition to empire-wide institutional religion. The volume begins by painting the social and historical backdrop against which the scripture emerged in early fourth-century Jiangnan before turning to its textual history. It reflects on the work’s centerpiece artifacts, the potent talismans in celestial script, as well as other elements of its heritage, namely alchemical elixirs and “true form” diagrams. During the fifth and sixth centuries, with Daoism coalescing into a formal organized religion, the Writ of the Three Sovereigns took on a symbolic role as a liturgical token of initiation while retaining its straightforward language of sovereignty and strong political overtones, which eventually led to its prohibition. The writ endured, however, and later experienced a revival as its influence spread as far as Japan.
Despite its central role in the development of institutional Daoism, the Writ of the Three Sovereigns has remained an understudied topic in Chinese history. Its fragmentary textual record combined with the esoteric nature of its content have shrouded it in speculation. This volume provides a lucid reconstruction of the text’s hidden history and enigmatic practices while shedding light on its contributions to the religious landscape of medieval China.
Dominic Steavu is associate professor of Chinese religions and Chinese Buddhism at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“This is a substantial, satisfying work dedicated to exploring one of the main missing elements in our knowledge of the Daoist Canon in its original formulation. Following a meticulous account of the origins of Three Sovereigns literature, Dominic Steavu goes on to make the very valid point that talismans, elixirs, and charts—not generally considered part of the transmission of scriptures in modern scholarship—constituted a non-verbal medium central to this religious tradition. While many readers will derive benefit from this knowledge even if they themselves are not particularly concerned with medieval Daoism, specialists will be glad to see a gap in our knowledge of early Daoist scriptures filled in such a thoroughly professional manner.” —T. H. Barrett, emeritus professor, SOAS China Institute
“This much-needed publication restores a missing chapter in the history of Daoism. The early medieval text tradition known as Writ of the Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang wen) represented a major filiation of southern Daoist esoteric practice. Although highly commended by Ge Hong (283–343), and canonized by Lu Xiujing (406–477), the popular Sanhuang talismans and associated ritual instruments suffered the vagaries of informal transmission and gradually fell into confusion. In the seventh century the corpus was banned as politically subversive. Dominic Steavu has performed the impressive feat of tracing and analyzing all the surviving fragments, allowing him to reconstitute the movement’s socio-historical origins and illustrate its essential methods, comprising alchemy, meditation, divination, and rituals of protection against evil.”
—Franciscus Verellen, professor in the history of Daoism, École française d’Extrême-Orient