經脈與人脈：道教在教義與實踐中的宗教威信

The Lineage of Classics and Masters: Religious Authority in Daoist Doctrines and Practices

道教作為本土宗教，在東亞地區歷經兩千餘年的發展，其間曾因應不同時代的變化，衍生出許多不同的道派。由於其講究經典與修行的文化傳統，故而累積了大量的文化資源，至今猶能活躍於社會舞台之土，一再展現既傳承又創新的豐富面向。道教這種神祕而持久的活力或可歸因於各道教宗派所共同保有的經典傳統，換言之，即其自成一套的「道、經、師」體系。這種脈絡分明的經典傳承或可稱為「經脈」；而「師」在道經與奉道者之間所建立的關係網絡可稱之為「人脈」。道教就從這種關係網絡中，建立起一種講究實修、體驗儀式與修行過程，形塑其注重「實踐」的道門風格。如此，創教主便從中享有恆久不變的宗教威信，同時立下典範，據以規範其後的傳教者。這種布化風格固然保守，但卻能使道教持續維持在宗教內部與民間社會的權威地位。另一方面，道教相對穩固的教義以及一貫秘傳的布化傳統，也使道教身處急速變遷的現代社會卻能保持不變。為了適應當前多元而開放的社會，諸多新興宗教各自發展出諸多新型態，但是傳統道教宗派卻不輕言改弦易轍；這種做法或許保守，但這種「保守」的傳統卻反而成為道教持續發展的動力。之所以如此，其主要原因在於「實踐」本身作為經典之教的「教義體驗」，同時又為「教義」成立的依據，兩者所形成的互動關係具體表現在經文、戒律，甚或口傳之教中，因而形成重視語言、文字及圖像傳承時的神秘傳統。從不同傳承媒體所發展的脈絡來看，描述宇宙本體傳承的「道脈」必由「經脈」所支持，又復經「人脈」而師徒傳授，其持久的實踐則使「道脈」連續傳承。道教長期層積的這種傳承脈絡是一種堅韌持久的文化傳統，此文化傳統確能幫助我們客觀理解一個古老宗教如何在文明古國的歷史中持續其宗教威信。縱使道教相較於世界性宗教僅被視為一個民族宗教，但是它所累積的地方性知識、經驗傳統，確實具有普世性的意義，值得進一步研究。

After more than 2,000 years of development in East Asia, Daoism, as a local religion, has derived a great variety of Daoist sects to accommodate the changes brought on by different periods of time. Since Daoism holds a cultural tradition that places much emphasis on Daoist classics and practices, it has accumulated huge cultural resources over the past thousand years and is still capable of playing an active role in today's society, demonstrating its multi-faceted cultural tradition that is both conservative and innovative. This secret but enduring vitality within Daoism may be attributed to an unique classics system shared by all Daoist sects during the course of history, namely the structure of lineage composed by Dao 道, Jing 經and She 師, or the Way, the Daoist classics and the Master. The distinctive transmission of classics may be termed as 'the Daoist classics lineage' 經脈, while the master-diciple relationship between the Master and his deciples, 'the Daoist master lineage' 人脈. It is from these lineages that a Daoist style that stresses on actual practices and experiential rituals, namely a 'practical' Daoism, is formed. These transmission lineages also allow the founder of Daoism to be long-lastingly worshipped by his devotees and followed by those who come after him as a model. In this regard, the Daoist transmission method may be conservative, but this conservatism has surprisingly helped to maintain the religion its authoritative status within its numerous sects and within local society. Daoism's relatively stable doctrines and a transmission system that pays attention to secrecy also allow its religious tradition to be preserved unaltered. In order to survive in the face of changes brought on by a society that values pluralism and openness, many other emerging religions have developed many different forms of religious sects. Yet traditional Daoism remains intact. One may say that Daoism is conservative, but this conservatism has on the other hand become its momentum for further development in an ever-changing society. One of the reasons is that Daoist 'practices' are a way to experience Daoist doctrines, but these practices in turn become the basis of 'doctrines' at the same time. The interrelation between the twos can be found in Daoist classics, Daoist laws, and oral preaching systems. Consequently, these elements come together and help to construct a mysterious tradition that treasures language, writing and iconography. Viewing form the development of different transmission media, 'the lineage of Dao', which describes the existence of the universe, must be supported by 'the lineage of classics' and then passed down by a system of master-disciple transmission, or 'the lineage of human'. This system is employed for a long time and ensures that 'the lineage of Dao' will be preserved. The religious transmission system practised by Daoism is a strong and enduring cultural tradition which helps to explain objectively how an ancient religion survives an ancient civilization and establish its own religious authority. Daoism is an ethnic religion if compared to other world religions, but its knowledge and experiences accumulated throughout Chinese history has obtained an universal significance that is worthy of further investigation.