Textual Research On The Origin And Development Of Taoist "Sanqing"(Three Pure Ones) Images

“Sanqing”(Three Pure ones)is the common name of the three highest deities in Taoism.They are Treasured Lord of the Celestial Realms of Jade Clarity,the Heavenly Worthy of the Numinous Treasure in the Highest Clarity Realm and the Heavenly Worthy of the Dao and Its Virtue of the Supreme Clarity Realm.Taoist Sanqing image is an important object of Taoist art history research.The theoretical system of the emergence and development of Sanqing image is controversial,so it is necessary to study it in depth.It is mainly reflected in the theoretical source of "Tao generates one,one generates two,two generates three,three generates all things",the influence of the beliefs of Three Officials and Three Emperors,the influence of the image system of three Buddhas,the theoretical construction of Lao Tzu's three clear in one breath and its evolution of popular culture.Sanqing is closely related to the development and changes of Taoist factions.The concepts of Three Heavens-Three Territory-Three Caves-Three Treasures-Sanqing have developed and merged,and gradually formed the Sanqing belief and its image system.There are many one or two of Three Pure Ones as well as Three Pure Ones images,all has the value of systematic research.The thesis is divided into three chapters.The first chapter "Sanqing image source" includes four parts: tangible and intangible,one master and two slaves and single statue,double master and multi master Taoist statues and mixed images of Buddhism and Taoism,and three master images.The second chapter " Sanqing image formation and development" includes four parts: the images of the Supreme master and Sanbaojun,the stereotypes and dissemination of Sanqing images,the status virtualization,and its existing forms of Sanqing images,and the image forms of one of the three Qings independently existing.The third chapter "analysis of the reasons for the change of Sanqing image" includes four parts: Taoist sacred space and its carrier,the environmental impact of political culture,image change and its form analysis,image aesthetics and channeling.The research methods used in this paper include but are not limited to iconology,philology,fieldwork,formal analysis,comparative research,interdisciplinary research,etc.Through the research paper,it is proposed that the "Three Supreme Deities"(i.e.the gods of Sanqing)appeared in the Northern Zhou Dynasty,which has no corresponding relationship with the Sanqing Territory;In the Tang Dynasty,the Three Treasure Kings(tianbaojun,lingbaojun,shenbaojun)correspond to the Sanqing realm;The gradual integration of the Three Treasures of the Song Dynasty with the Three Supreme Statues formed a stable Sanqing belief and its image system in the Huizong Dynasty.The emergence process of the image can be summarized as follows: Lao Tzu-Laojun-Laojun,Tianzun-Laojun,Tianzun,Sakyamuni Buddha(or Amitabha Buddha)-Three Treasures-Three Qings(three religious images coexist).The connotation and reasons of image change include the integration and differentiation of Confucianism and Taoism,the aid of Buddhism to Taoism,the struggle and integration of Buddhism and Taoism,the complementarity and integration of Confucianism and Taoism,the integration of the three religions,etc.,which are related to the changes of the times,regionality,image changes,cultural traditions and influences,and we cannot ignore the role of people(creators,meritorious masters,believers and audiences)and the material and cultural existence displayed by visual materials(the particularity of materials and creative techniques,visual effects and aesthetics,and functions).At present,most of the research results of Sanqing's images have been discussed on specific works,or special research on dating,region,or type of Lao Jun's image,or combing some documents.Due to the different emphasis of the research,the research on Sanqing image has not formed complete systematic research on Sanqing image,which is the key research content of the paper and the innovation of the paper.The innovation of research methods is mainly reflected in the analysis of image works and the comparative discussion of literature,considering the immortal pedigree and regional cultural characteristics of different factions,taking into account the individual appeals of creators and sponsors,and using multiple evidence method to analyze the evolution of Sanqing images.The material innovation is firstly reflected in the systematic discussion of the Sanqing images in sculpture,scroll painting,printmaking,especially in zhaijiao painting and paper horse.Secondly,it is discussed that the materials used in the interpretation of the Five Parties and Five Lao Monarchs in the statue monument are less used in previous studies,and directly affect the author to put forward new ideas.The relationship between the Three Supreme Statues and the Three Treasures in the niche statues of Sui and Tang Grottoes in Sichuan and Chongqing has rarely been discussed before.There is also a new discussion on the mixed statues of Buddhism and Taoism this time,mainly based on new materials such as niches 2-5 of Shengshui temple in Weicheng,Mianyang.The innovation of views is mainly reflected in the following aspects: in addition to the Supreme Lord,there are also one or more of the five sides of the image of the old emperor in the Northern Dynasty,the Three Supreme Lords coexist in the image of the Tang and Song dynasties as the ancestors of Taoism and the three Treasure Kings coexist as the Heavenly Emperor,the Three Qing territories and the Three Supreme Lords correspond to form the Three Qing beliefs and their images are finalized in the Huizong Dynasty at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty,and the status of the image of the Three Qing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties is virtualized and its reasons are discussed.