中古道教史中的三皇文傳統研究

A Study of the Three Sovereigns in Medieval Daoism

本文探討道教三皇文之歷史與文獻。三皇文傳統扮演著多重的角色，一方面作為三洞中的「洞神」部，被塑造成為三大經系之一，在道教經典結構乃至傳度儀式當中扮演重要角色。另一方面，三皇文當中的宗教實踐被其他傳統所吸收，成為其他道教經典的一部分。而同時部分三皇傳統則被保留下來，獨立發展，並在歷史當中持續被討論、實踐。本文將針對三皇傳統在歷史發展過程當中的多種面貌進行探討，透過三世紀至十三世紀的三皇傳統相關經典，展示三皇傳統的複雜性與多元性，提供我們思考三皇文傳統在道教體系當中所扮演的角色。探討三皇文傳統可以使我們對「道教」有另外一種層次的理解，促使我們思考「道教」發展過程當中的複雜性。

This study is devoted to a historical analysis of the Three Sovereigns movement and its sources. It attempts to elucidate the origins and nature of the “Writ of the Three Sovereigns,” and identify its surviving fragments in the Daoist Canon. The “Writ of the Three Sovereigns” plays various roles in Daoism. On the one hand, numerous scriptures were attached to the original three scrolls of the “Writ of the Three Sovereigns,” and after the fourth century it formed its own corpus, the Section of the Divine Cave, which constitutes one section of the Daoist Canon. On the other hand, other traditions, particularly those that flourished between the fourth and eleventh centuries, borrowed various elements from the “Writ of the Three Sovereigns.” This paper traces the development of the Three Sovereigns movement from the fourth to the eleventh centuries through a detailed analysis of its textual history and lineage. By shedding light on various sources of the Three Sovereigns, it provides a more complete and nuanced picture of the multi-faceted and complex nature of Chinese Daoism.