The Daoist Studies Archive 道學檔案館 (DSA) is a culture-preserving initiative and scholarly project of the Daoist Foundation. DSA is a collection of traditional and academic publications centered on the study and practice of Daoism. The project aspires to create a complete archive, the only known such collection and library outside of East Asia, with special attention to Daoist textual collections. It is being coordinated by Dr. Louis Komjathy 康思奇, the founding Co-director of the Daoist Foundation and a leading authority on the Daoist tradition in general as well as Daoist textual collections and Daoist literature in particular.
Current Collection
The current collection includes the Zhèngtǒng dàozàng 正統道藏 (Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Reign Period; 60 vols.) (print & digital), Dàozàng jíyào 道藏輯要 (Collected Essentials of the Daoist Canon; 25 vols.) (print & digital), Dàozàng jīnghuá 道藏精華 (Essential Blossoms of the Daoist Canon; 106 vols.), Dàozàng jīnghuá lù 道藏精華錄 (Record of Essential Blossoms of the Daoist Canon; 5 vols.), Dūnhuáng dàozàng 敦煌道藏 (Dunhuang Daoist Canon; 5 vols.) (print & digital), Zàngwài dàoshū 藏外道書 (Daoist Books Outside the Canon; 36 vols.) (print & digital), Zhōnghuá dàozàng 中華道藏 (Chinese Daoist Canon; 49 vols.) (print & digital), and Zhōnghuá xù dàozàng 中華續道臧 (Supplement to the Chinese Daoist Canon; 20 vols.) (print & digital).
Various benefactors have supported our collection efforts thus far, and we are especially grateful for the generosity of the late Nancy Salyer (Marsh/Komjathy) (1942-2018) who donated the Zhōnghuá dàozàng, Dr. Jiāng Shēng 姜生 (Sichuan University) who donated the Zàngwài dàoshū, and the Plaza Family and members of the Daoist Studies Summer Seminar 2021 who supported our purchase of the Dàozàng jīnghuá.
Planned Acquisitions
Planned acquisitions include the Dàoshū jíchéng 道書集成 (Collection of Daoist Books; 60 vols.; approx. 20,000 RMB [3,000 USD]), Dàozàng jíchéng 道藏集成 (Collection of the Daoist Canon; 108 vols.; 38,000 RMB [5,800 USD]), *Dàozàng xùbiān 道藏續編 (Supplemental Collection of the Daoist Canon; 4 fasc.; 1,500 RMB [225 USD]), *Lǎozǐ jíchéng 老子集成 (Collection on the Laozi; 15 vols.; 8,800 RMB [1,100 USD]), *Sāndòng shíyí 三洞拾遺 (Lost Works of the Three Caverns; 20 vols.; 14,000 RMB [2,100 USD]), Zhōngguó dàoguàn zhì cóngkān 中國道觀志叢刊 (Collection of Chinese Daoist Temple Records; 64 vols; 12,000 RMB [1,800 USD]), and *Zhuāng-Lín xù dàozàng 莊林續道藏 (Supplemental Daoist Canon of the Zhuang and Lin Families; 25 vols.; 27,000 NTD [1,000 USD]).
Our collection efforts have already had tangible results. In addition to various English translations of Daoist scriptures, Dr. Komjathy has published Title Index to Daoist Collections (2002), a finding index and standardized numbering system for most of the major textual collections, and the supplemental “Title Index to the Zhōnghuá dàozàng” (2014). We are currently in the process of indexing the other collections, which are being compiled as “Supplements to Title Index to Daoist Collections” (STIDC). These eventually will be published as a new combined print/digital edition.
Fundraising
By our calculations, the total funding needed to complete the Daoist Studies Archive Project (DSAP), including travel, shipping costs, and additional acquisitions, is approximately $30,000. We continue to seek fundraising and grant opportunities, and we also welcome tax-deductible contributions from individual benefactors, including donations of personal books and libraries as well as specific collections. The Daoist Studies Archive will eventually become a research and community library at our Daoist sanctuary and retreat center. In addition to a legacy collection, this will allow the archive to be utilized in our training programs, by potential scholars-in-residence, and by our Daoist Translation Committee 道教翻譯學會 (DTC).
