重探《太上老君說常清靜妙經》的思想結構及其歷史意義

Re-Examining the Conceptual Structure of Taishang Laojun Shuo Chang Qingjing Miao Jing and Its Historical Significance

南北朝隋唐時期是道教思想史上的重要形成期，其主要特色是透過融攝佛教義學以建構道教的教理體系。成書於此時期的《太上老君說常清靜妙經》形製短小，不僅完整保存於明《道藏》中，且為後世丹家和全真教徒所重。該經深具時代特色，既提供我們檢視中古道教修行觀革新現象的一個支點，其義蘊尚有待掘發。本文試圖釐清構成《清靜經》的核心概念，如觀法、心說、空義和重玄觀，並追索其思想淵源，繼而將之置於中古道教修行觀的發展脈絡下以檢視其歷史意義。
本文考察後發現，《清靜經》在老氏歸本思想的前提下，導入釋氏般若空義以諭示奉道者諸法本無自性之理，並以禪法與「不滯於不滯」的重玄思維諭導奉道者滌去執滯，從而建構起以追求精神解脫為目的之修行理論。這一新型態的修行法雖造成影響，但未能取代道教強固的鍊氣鍊形傳統，最終則被整合進內丹法的修煉階次，因而具有過渡性格。最後，針對《清靜經》的作成年代，本文認為當是在佛教《心經》流行的背景下，先有《太上老君清靜心經》之作，經後人刪改後而另出為《清靜經》，時間應在八世紀中至九世紀初之間。

The period from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Tang, namely the fifth to tenth centuries, represents a crucial formative period in the intellectual history of Daoism, characterized primarily by the incorporation of Buddhist doctrinal frameworks into the construction of a Daoist doctrinal system. Taishang laojun shuo chang qingjing miao jing太上老君說常清靜妙經(Wondrous Scripture of Perpetual Purity and Tranquility, Spoken by Taishang Laojun; hereafter Qingjing jing), a concise scripture compiled during this time, was not only fully preserved in the Ming dynasty Daozang道藏(Daoist Canon) but also held in high regard by later alchemists丹家and priests of the Quanzhen全真school. Deeply reflective of its time, this scripture is a pivotal source for examining innovations in Daoist views on practice in medieval China. However, its doctrinal implications remain to be fully elucidated.
The present study aims to clarify the key concepts that structure Qingjing jing, such as meditative contemplation觀法, the theory of the heart-mind心說, the Buddhist notion of emptiness空義, and perspectives of the Chongxuan重玄(twofold mystery) school. It further traces the intellectual origins of these ideas and situates them within the broader context of the development of theories on Daoist practice to reassess their historical meaning in the medieval period. The analysis reveals that, under the premise of the Daoist tradition of“returning to the root”歸本, Qingjing jing integrates the Buddhist prajñādoctrine of emptiness to express the non-self nature of all phenomena, as well as employs Chan practices and the Chongxuan idea of“non-obstruction of non-obstruction”不滯於不滯to guide Daoist practitioners in eliminating attachment and cognitive fixations. The scripture constructs a practice theory centered on spiritual liberation through this synthesis. Although this new practice model exerted notable influence, it did not supplant the entrenched Daoist traditions of qi氣refinement and physical transformation; instead, it appears to have been incorporated into the progressive stages of internal alchemy內丹, occupying a transitional position in the history of Daoist practice theory.
Finally, regarding the dating of Qingjing jing, this study proposes that the text likely emerged against the backdrop of the widespread circulation of Xin jing心經(Heart Sutra), as well as posits the prior existence of Taishang laojun qingjing xin jing太上老君清靜心經(Scripture of Purity and Quietude of the Heart by Taishang Laojun), which was later edited and restructured into the Qingjing jing as we know it. This process most likely occurred between the mideighth and early ninth centuries.