Qingjing Jing
The Qingjing Jing () is an anonymous Tang Dynasty Taoist classic that combines philosophical themes from the "Tao Te Ching" with the logical presentation of Buddhist texts and a literary form reminiscent of the "Heart Sutra". It instructs students of the Tao to practice the elimination of desire in order to cultivate spiritual purity and stillness. Title. The "Qingjing jing" title combines "qing" "pure; clean; clear; fresh; cool; distinct; clarified; quiet; peaceful", "jing" "still; motionless; static; silent; quiet; peaceful; calm; tranquil", and "jing" "(fabric) warp; scripture; canon; classic". The first Chinese character "qing" has the "water" radical and a  qing "green" phonetic element. The second character "jing" has the "green" radical and a "zheng" "struggle" phonetic, and was anciently a variant Chinese character for "jing" "clean; pure; complete; only", which has the "water" radical and this "zheng" phonetic. "Qingjing" could interchangeably be written or , for instance, the Daoist concept "qingjing wuwei" or "quiet and non-action; discard all desires and worries from one's mind". Chinese Buddhism used "qingjing" to translate Sanskrit "parishuddhi" or Pali "vishuddhi" "complete purification; free from defilement" (cf. "vishudda"). Kunio Miura explains: In Standard Chinese usage, "qingjing" means "quiet; tranquil; serene (surroundings, etc.)" and "qingjing  means tranquil; clean and pure; (Buddhism) purified of defiling illusion, not bothered by material concerns". English translations of the "Qingjing jing" title include: Overview and origin. The "Qingjing Jing" is a short, mostly-versified text comprising some 390 Chinese characters in 90 verses. It is widely read, has numerous commentaries, and is considered one of the most important texts in the Taoist religion. Two passages of the "Qingjing Jing" are attributed to Laozi, with the honorific "Lord Lao" (, see Three Pure Ones). This has led many traditional sources to attribute authorship of the entire text to Laozi, so the text  exists under a variety of honorific titles that link it to him. Scholars believe the received text dates from around the middle Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). The oldest extant commentary is by Du Guangting (, 850-933 CE), a prolific editor of Daoist texts during the late Tang and Five Dynasties period. Du says prior to being written down by Ge Xuan (164-244 CE), the "Qingjing Jing" was orally transmitted for generations, supposedly going back to the mythical Queen Mother of the West. Versions and commentaries. The "Daozang" "Taoist Canon" includes eight "Qingjing jing" editions with variant titles. The  basic text (CT 620) is the "Qingjing miaojing" ( "Wondrous Scripture of Clarity and Stillness") or "Taishang Laojun shuo chang qingjing miaojing" ( "Wondrous Scripture of Constant Clarity and Stillness, as Spoken by the Most High Lord Lao"). Commentaries include those entitled "Qingjing jingzhu" (, CT 755-760) and "Qingjing jing songzhu" (, CT 974). A slightly longer (and "possibly earlier") version of approximately 600 characters is the "Qingjing xinjing" ( "Heart Scripture of Clarity and Stillness") or "Taishang Laojun qingjing xinjing" ( "Heart Scripture of Clarity and Stillness, as Spoken by the Most High Lord Lao", CT 1169). During the Song Dynasty (960-1260 CE ), the "Qingjing Jing" became popular within the Southern Lineage "Complete Perfection" or Quanzhen School and was interpreted in context with "neidan" Chinese internal alchemy. For instance, the seventh Quanzhen master Sun Bu'er took Qingjing sanren "Vagabond of Clarity and Quiescence" as her sobriquet and established the Qingjing Sect. Modern Quanzhen Taoists consider the "Qingjing jing" a central scripture and regularly chant it in "songjing" (, "reciting scriptural passages; ritual recitation"). Kohn explains: Contents. Although brief, the "Qingjing Jing" is philosophically complex. It synthesizes Taoist and Buddhist theories of psychology, cosmology, ontology, and teleology. The "Qingjing Jing" is described by Komjathy: These  Taoist keywords are "guan" "scrutiny; careful observation; insight meditation; contemplation", "qing" "clarity; purity; cleanliness", and "jing" "stillness; quiet; calm; tranquility". The "Tao Te Ching" (45, tr. ) is the for "qingjing": "Bustling about vanquishes cold, Standing still vanquishes heat. Pure and still, one can put things right everywhere under heaven." Kohn summarizes the "Qingjing jing": Translations. The "Qingjing jing" has been translated into English by , , and . translated the Shuijingzi () commentary. The following versions of the opening section (verses 1-8 and 9-13, reformatted for consistency) illustrate the translational range: