The dynasty in which Chinese Taoism originated
As for the origin of Taoism, some people think it is Zhang Ling, the founder of the Five Pecks of Rice Taoism, while others say it is not. From an objective and comprehensive perspective, this should be a more authoritative answer!
The following is excerpted from the article "Preface: The Cultural Essence Connected with Chinese History" in the first panoramic historical biography of Chinese Taoism - "The Creation of the Tao". The original text was published on the Baidu reading web link
< p>Taoism originated from the "Fangxian Taoism" in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China (a primitive religious group that engages in astronomy, medicine, immortality, divination, fortune-telling, fortune-telling and other alchemy and alchemy techniques, and promotes that eating and offering sacrifices can lead to immortality.)", It is an organization that regards the founders of the Three Purities (Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, Taiqing Daode Tianzun) as the highest god, Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" as the highest classic, and the "Tao" that transforms the origin of all things as the highest belief. , a religion whose main purpose is to pursue immortality, attain enlightenment, become immortal, and save the world.As a religion that worships multiple gods, the gods worshiped by Taoism are the personification of the belief in "Tao". Taoist priests are Taoist clergy, and palaces, temples, and Taoist temples are the places where Taoist activities take place. In ancient times, Taoists mainly achieved the goal of perfecting their merits and becoming immortals by taking the elixir of the outer elixir, practicing the inner elixir through refining and guiding Qi, and then through Taoist rituals and their own magic cultivation.
Like other religions in the world, Taoism has been divided into many sects during its historical development. Each sect has its founding founder, great masters and great virtues. Under the background that all Buddhists respect the Three Cave Gods and the thirty-six scriptures, each sect has its own emphasis on religious rules, teaching systems and cultivation techniques. But now it is mainly divided into two major sects: "Zhengyi Dao (also known as Zhengyi Sect or Zhengyi Sect)" and "Quanzhen Taoism (also known as Quanzhen Sect or Quanzhen Sect)". There are nearly 30,000 Taoist priests, and there are about 60,000 scattered Taoist priests of the Zhengyi sect; there are more than 30,000 registered Taoist activity venues. Among them, there are about 9,000 Taoist temples, and more than 2,000 temples are registered and open (according to the 2011 Nanyue International Taoist Forum.).
Due to historical and religious traditions, there are even more "Zhengyi Sect Huoju Taoist priests" scattered in rural towns across the country.
The main difference between Zhengyiyi Tao and Quanzhen Taoism is: Zhengyiyi Taoism was founded by the ancestor Tianshi Zhang Ling (February 22, 34 AD to September 9, 156 AD. The courtesy name is Fuhan, Han A native of Guopei County, present-day Feng County, Jiangsu Province, he was the founder of Zhengyi League, the Tao of Heavenly Masters. Taishang Laojun "taught him the three-day righteousness and appointed him as a heavenly master" and "zhengyizhenren" for the three-day master. He is respected as the "Ancestor Heavenly Master" and is honored as "Zhang Daoling" for his creation of Taoism). He mainly worships and worships "Laozi" as his highest belief. It is based on the long-term development of Tianshi Tao and Longhu Sect, with Longhu Sect as the center, and gathers various Fulu Taoist sects to form a large Fulu sect. Taoist priests of this sect can get married, have children, and practice at home. They are commonly known as "fire-dwelling Taoist priests" among the people. The obvious difference in appearance between them and the Taoist priests of Quanzhen Taoism is the hat, which is square and called Jiuliangjin. Quanzhen Taoism was founded by Wang Chongyang (AD 1112~1170). A native of Xianyang, present-day Shaanxi, his original name was Zhongfu, and his courtesy name was Yunqing. After he entered the Taoism, he changed his name to Hao, or Zhe, his courtesy name was Zhiming, and his nickname was Chongyangzi. He called himself "Haifeng" . He founded Quanzhen Taoism, advocated that "Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are interlinked, and the three religions have always been one ancestor". He was respected as one of the "Five Northern Patriarchs", advocated the unity of the three religions, and focused on the practice of inner elixir. Palace temple, monk practice. Their hats are round and are called Hunyuanjin.
As a religion that brings together different cultures and thoughts from various parts of China throughout the ages, Taoism is based on the ancient Chinese concept of ghost and god worship, based on the theoretical basis of Huang and Lao Taoist thoughts, and inherits the magical magic since the Warring States Period, and gradually evolved. formed into what it is today. Therefore, Taoism was not created by one person, at one time, or in one place. Its long history can be traced back to the Huangdi period in ancient times, and it gradually took shape during the Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties. However, as the birth of a religious group, all sects regard the founding of the "Five Pecks of Rice" by the ancestor Zhang Ling as the first organized religious group in the history of Taoism. It has a history of more than 1,800 years.