Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional culture - Existing Taoist sects and the focus of their practice

Existing Taoist sects and the focus of their practice

Taoism

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Taoism series

Basic doctrines

Taoism, Virtue, the Three Pure Ones, and Practice

Important people

Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi, and Zhang Daoling

Zhang Jiao, Ge Hong, Chen Tuan, and Wang Chong Yang

The gods and goddesses of Taoism

Yu Shi Tianzun, Ling Bao Tianzun, Xi Daode Tianzun

The Jade Emperor, the West Emperor, and the West Emperor.

Taoist deities

Yuan Shi Tian Zun, Ling Bao Tian Zun, Daode Tian Zun

Jade Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, the Eight Immortals

Taoist sects

Zhengyi Dao, Quan Zhen Dao

Daoist texts

Tao Te Ching, South China Sutra

Cave and Heavenly Blessing

Ten continents, three islands and ten great caves

Thirty-six Small Cave Temples, Seventy-two Blessed Places

WikiTopic:Religion

Taijitu Taoism is a polytheistic religion that was formed and spread in China, and was second only to Buddhism in influence in ancient China. Taoism is considered to form one of the three pillars of traditional Chinese culture, along with Confucianism and Buddhism. Taoism has Taoism as its goal, hence its name. Taoism was formed on the basis of ancient Chinese Taoist thought and theory by absorbing the concepts of gods and goddesses, folk worship of ghosts and gods, and witchcraft activities. It advocates tranquility, immortality, and the attainment of immortality.

Table of Contents [Hidden]

1 Overview

2 Doctrines and Teachings

3 History

3.1 Origin

3.2 Development

3.3 Modern Taoism

4 Taoist Gods and Immortals

5 Precepts

6 Taoist Art

7 Major Texts

8 Sects

9 Taoist Activities

10 Taoist Culture

10.1 Influence on Chinese Culture

11 Taoism and Taoism

12 Differences between Taoism and Other Religions

13 Relationship between Taoism and Buddhism

14 References

15 See also

16 External links

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Introduction

In Chinese history, the term "Taoism" originally meant a variety of theoretical doctrines and practical methods of indoctrination by means of the Tao. Many of the hundred schools of thought used to refer to their theories and methods as "Tao". Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, Yin-Yangism, and even Buddhism once called themselves or were considered "Taoism" for various reasons. Confucianism was the first to use the term "Taoism", referring to the way of the late king and the theories of Confucius as "Taoism". When Buddhism was first introduced to China, it translated the word "Bodhi" as "Tao" and was therefore also called "Taoism". At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Way of the Five Pieces of Rice appeared and called itself "Taoism", which means "to educate by the good way". Since then, other schools have ceased to call themselves "Taoism" in order to distinguish themselves from other schools, and have become known as "Wudoumidao".

Nowadays, Taoism refers to a religion based on the religious beliefs of ancient China, which inherited some religious concepts and practice methods from Fangxian Dao and Huanglao Dao, and gradually formed a religion that takes "Tao" as the highest belief, worships Laozi as the godfather, and takes Laozi's Tao Te Ching as the main classic in order to pursue the cultivation of becoming a divine immortal. The religion of the Taoist Church, which is based on the belief that the Tao is the highest form of religion.

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Doctrines and teachings

From the very beginning of Taoism, Laozi's Tao Te Ching has been used as the fundamental classic, and Taoism's "Dao" and "virtue" have been taken as its basic beliefs. Taoism believes that "Tao" is the origin and master of all things in the universe, omnipresent and all-encompassing, and that all things evolve from "Tao". Virtue is the embodiment of Tao.

The Taoist religion is based on the goddess Taishang Laojun, also known as Laozi. In addition, the supreme deity of Taoism has other statements in the Taoist scriptures, one is to honor the Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun as the supreme deity, the second is to honor the Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun as the supreme deity, and the third is to honor the Taiqing Daode Tianzun as the supreme deity. Later, it evolved into the trinity of Laozi's One Breath Transforming Three Purities.

Taoism is a religion of rebirth and the pursuit of immortality, believing that people can make their own decisions about their lives without having to follow the orders of heaven. It is believed that as long as a person is good at cultivating and nourishing his or her life, he or she can live forever and become immortal. Therefore, it also produced many cultivation methods: alchemy, food, vomiting, fetal breath, massage, guiding, room, the Valley, storage of thought, serving charms and chanting.

The theology of Taoism and Taoist thought may not necessarily be relevant, especially in-depth details; the differences and similarities between them are quite interesting. However, since Taoism is called Lao and Zhuang, and Laozi and Zhuangzi are the classics, it has absorbed and inherited a great deal of Lao and Zhuang's thought. In addition, it was also influenced by the "Yi" as well as the yin-yang family.

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History

See History of Daoism

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Origin

The origin

While Taoism worships Lao Zi as its ancestor, its propositions are not entirely in line with the ideas of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, but benefit more from the Huang Lao Dao (黃老道), a Taoist way of cultivating and nourishing one's life with the quotations of Lao Zi, which was widespread at the beginning of Han Dynasty. Another source of Taoism is Fang Xian Dao, which began in the Warring States period and flourished in the Qin and Han dynasties. In addition, it can be traced back to the worship of ghosts and gods in the Yin and Shang dynasties.

The interaction of Taoism with Buddhism, which was entering China at the time, during its gradual formation (the influence of Buddhism on Taoism and the influence of Taoism on the Chineseization of Buddhism) is also noteworthy.

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Development

The development of Taoism is generally divided into four periods: the period of origin in the Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties, the flourishing of the Tang and Song dynasties, the emergence of Quanzhenism during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and its decline after the Qing Dynasty.

The formation of Taoism was a slow process of development. The two landmark events as the final formation of Taoism are the circulation of the Taiping Jing and Zhang Daoling's Wu Dou Mi Dao. During the reign of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty (126-144), the "Book of Taiping Qingling" (later known as the "Taiping Jing"), transmitted by Yu Ji and Gong Chong, came out and was widely disseminated. By the time of Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Jiao was preaching the Taiping Qingling Shu and called it Taiping Dao, claiming to be a great sage, with followers spreading all over the world, which was already quite influential. Later, the Yellow Turban Uprising failed, and Taiping Dao declined. Also in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Shun, Zhang Ling study in Shu County, Kuan Ming Hill, recruiting missionaries, believers in the Tao of five buckets of rice, so called five buckets of rice Tao. His grandson, Zhang Lu, was the founder of Hanzhong for many years, and later cooperated with the supreme ruling authority, making the influence of Wudoumidao spread from the southwest corner of the country to the whole country, and then it became the orthodoxy of Taoism.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties of the Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties of the Han Dynasty, Taoism developed greatly with the prevalence of alchemy and the deepening of related theories. At the same time, Taoism also absorbed the prevailing metaphysics and enriched its own theories. In the first year of Jianwu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong systematically discussed the theories of the immortals since the Warring States period and wrote "Hugu Pu Zi", which was the first systematization of Taoist theories and enriched the intellectual content of Taoism. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Kou Qianzhi established the "Northern Tao of Heavenly Masters" with the support of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and Lu Xiujing established the "Southern Tao of Heavenly Masters".

By the time of the Tang and Song dynasties, the Tang Emperor Li Yuan recognized the Laozi Li Er as his ancestor, and the Song Emperor Zhenzong and Song Emperor Huizong were also extremely devoted to Taoism, which was thus highly respected and became the state religion. At this time, there appeared Maoshan, Gesu and other schools, and Tianshidao also re-emerged. On the theoretical side, the doctrine of Neidan expounded by Chen Tuan, Zhang Boduan and others was extremely prevalent.

During the Jin Dynasty, Quanzhen Dao, created by Wang Chongyang, appeared in the north. Later, Qiu Shiqi, a disciple of Wang Chongyang, preached for Genghis Khan of Mongolia, and was so trusted that he was given the authority to supervise Taoism in the world by the ruler of the Yuan Dynasty. And at the same time, in response to the rapid rise of Quanzhen Dao, the former Longhu Mountain Tianshidao, Maoshan Shangqing Sect, and Gejishan Lingbao Sect merged to form Zhengyidao, honoring Zhang Tianshi as the head of Zhengyi, thus formally forming a pattern of two major sects of Taoism: Quanzhen in the north and Zhengyi in the south.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di claimed to be the embodiment of Zhenwu Da Di, while Zhang Sanfeng, who worshipped Zhenwu, and his Wudang sect were vigorously supported. At this time, Taoism still dominated the various religions in China.

Beginning in the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu rulers practiced Tibetan Buddhism and suppressed Taoism, which was practiced mainly by the Han Chinese. Taoism has been in decline ever since.

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Taoism in modern times

After the Ming and Qing dynasties, Taoism had basically ceased to develop. After entering the modern society, Taoism was even more declining. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the implementation of the Chinese government's new religious policy, some of the previous Taoist precepts were abolished due to their contradiction with the existing laws, and in 1957, the Chinese Taoist Association was established to manage the internal affairs of Taoism in China. During the Cultural Revolution, Taoism, like all other religions in China, suffered a catastrophe. It was not until after the end of the Cultural Revolution that Taoism began to resume its normal religious activities.

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Taoist deities

See Taoist deities

Taoism is a polytheistic religion, with the highest deity being the Taoist-derived Three Ching deities, namely Yuanshi Tianzun (元始天尊), Lingbao Tianzun (灵宝天尊) and Daode Tianzun (道德天尊), of which Daode Tianzun (道德天尊) is Taishang Laojun (太上老君). In addition, Taoism created the heavenly court, its emperor Jade Emperor and a series of officials according to the order of the earth, absorbed the Buddhist concept of hell and the world in the sea, and as a subsidiary of the heavenly court, created a series of gods and officials in the Hall of Yanluo and the Crystal Palace, plus a series of local gods and immortals, such as the Four Values of Kung Fu Cao, the Mountain Gods, the City Gods, the Earth, the King of the Stove, and so on. It also absorbed the Western Queen Mother and the Eight Immortals of ancient Chinese mythology as "scattered immortals" outside the order of the heavenly court. Therefore, Taoism has a large number of deities, and can always absorb any deities created by the local people as well as celebrities worshipped, such as Mazu, Guan Di, etc. can be included in the Taoist system of deities. However, the general palaces and temples only worship the statues of the three Qing deities, while other deities can establish their own temples.

In addition, Taoism believes that the human body is also a small heaven and earth, so various organs on the human body, such as hair, five senses and so on, also have deities stationed there. And there are corresponding cultivation methods.

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Precepts

Taoist precepts are guidelines that govern the thoughts, words, and actions of Taoist priests. The precepts of Taoism have different contents according to different sects. Generally speaking, the precepts of the Quanzhen sect are stricter than those of the Talisman sect. The content of the precepts mainly includes not killing, not drinking and eating meat, not stealing, not committing adultery, etc. The precepts are the rules that the followers must abide by. The precepts must be observed by the followers, and there must be an ordination ceremony for a Taoist priest to be counted as a follower. Depending on how strict the rules are, the precepts can be categorized into upper, middle, and lower precepts. According to the number of precepts, there are the "Three Precepts", "Five Precepts", "Eight Precepts", and "Ten Precepts", "The Twenty-seven Precepts of Laojun" and so on.

In addition to the precepts, there are Taoist purity rules, that is, the Taoist priests violate the precepts after the punishment means. The specific regulations are different for different sects.

The precepts of Taoism have formed a set of their own unique content, based on some of the contents of Buddhism and the requirements of Confucianism, such as the Three Principles and Five Constants. Taoist puritanical precepts also change as events change, and when they conflict with the laws of the regime, appropriate adjustments are made.

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Taoism

The Laojun's mountain-entry talisman, contained in the Huguo Pu Zi, is believed to be used to avoid ghosts and monsters and beasts Taoism Taoism's religious activities are very complex, and are mainly divided into two main categories, the Taoist priests' own cultivation (known as taoism), and the Taoist rituals, which include Taoist scriptures, penance, fasting, jiao-festivals, runes and incantations, forbidden spells, concealment, multiplication of the dead, driving out evil spirits, voodooing the devils, and subduing the evil spirits, Disaster elimination, praying for the avoidance of disasters, room magic, fairy magic, to avoid the valley, feng shui geomancy, divination, and so on.

The Taoist's own cultivation became Taoism, which included internal elixir, external elixir, food taking, and rooming-in. External elixir refers to the burning of minerals such as dan sand, lead and mercury, as well as medicines, to make pills that can make people immortal. Modern science believes that most of these pills are poisonous, and there are many examples of ancient people who died from taking them, so later Taoism also recognized that since it was more difficult to master the method of taking and preparing internal elixirs, it was dangerous, and thus later generations turned to the safer practice of internal elixirs. The external elixir is also considered to be the forerunner of modern chemistry.

Neidan, on the other hand, refers to the practice of refining the elixir of immortality in the body through the practice of qi, guiding, breathing and exhaling. The terms "external elixir" and "internal elixir" are the same, but the meanings they refer to are completely different, for example, the human body is compared to a furnace for burning elixir pills, but the theories are still similar. In ancient times, most of the alchemy was taught by masters and disciples, by word of mouth, and it was difficult for outsiders to understand.

In addition, Taoism has many other Daoist arts. For example, there are many kinds of Taoist techniques, such as internal observance, keeping quiet, keeping thoughts, and opening up the valley. These are mostly categorized as qigong in modern times. In addition, many of the Taoists of Quanzhen Dao practiced martial arts. Theories of Chinese medicine are also derived from Taoism.

The rituals of Taoism are collectively known as the "Jiao-festival", which means "fasting" and "jiao-festival" means "praying", and is also known as the "dojo". Taoist worship of the gods and goddesses, because of the belief that the gods and goddesses are quiet and clean, so before the rituals need to bathe and change clothes, do not drink and eat meat, fasting. The rituals are called "Jiao", and Taoism, in the course of its development, has absorbed many elements from Buddhism and has a wide variety of rituals. Taoism believes that these rituals can be used to remove calamities and seek blessings. Divination is also a part of Taoism, including fortune-telling, drawing lots, and measuring characters. In addition, Taoism is very much characterized by the use of charms and talismans. Talismans are symbols drawn on yellow paper with vermilion sand, which Taoism believes can be used to cure illnesses, while talismans are believed to drive away the gods of heaven. In addition, Taoism believes that reciting forbidden incantations orally can cure illnesses and drive away demons and wild animals. These are mainly the spells of Zheng Yi Dao.

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Main texts

See Taoist scriptures

Taoism holds Laozi's Tao Te Ching and Zhuangzi's Nanhua Ching as the two most important classics. In addition, Taoism imitated the Buddhist Da Zang Jing to create the Dao Zang, a collection of Taoist writings through the ages, including not only philosophical and Taoist theories, but also writings on alchemy, health maintenance, healing, and qigong. There are mainly "Zhengtong Daozang", "Daozang Series", "Wanli Renewal Daozang", etc. Only "Zhengtong Daozang" of the Ming Dynasty is now in circulation, while other versions have been lost, and most of the existing Taoist classics of all times are included here. The number of Taoist scriptures is very large, and the main classics of each school are different.

The Zhouyi Sen Tongqi is the earliest danjing, known as the ancestor of the danjing, in addition to the Huguepu Zi, which is also the basic classic of the danding school of Taoism. The "Taiping Jing" and "Laozi wan'er zhu" are also the main classics of the early Taoism. The Huangting Jing and the Shangqing Great Cave Sutra are the main classics of the Shangqing School of Taoism, which is also emphasized by the Maoshan School. The Taoist Sutra and the Three Emperor's Writings were the main classics of the Lingbao and Three Emperor's Schools. The Yin Fu Jing and the Chang Qing Jing are also two very important Taoist scriptures that must be recited and practiced by Taoist priests. In addition, the Jade Emperor Sutra and the Heart Seal Wonderful Sutra are also part of a Taoist's daily homework.

Although the Zheng Yi School of Taoism, the southern sect of Taoism, was mainly based on talismans, jiao-festival and rituals, it also advocated the three religions and the practice of internal alchemy after the Northern Song Dynasty, with the emergence of classics such as the Wujing Jing and the Four Hundred Characters of the Golden Elixir of the Jin Dan. The Quanzhen School of Taoism, the northern sect of Taoism, advocates the unity of the three religions, the refining of qi, the whole spirit, and the understanding of mind and nature, as well as the integration of Buddhism and Confucianism, and is based on the Tao Te Ching, the Book of Filial Piety, and the Prajna Heart Sutra, and advocates "filial piety and purity of unity, thick and simple".

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Sects

See Taoist sects

A Taoist priest on Mount Tai In terms of cultivation methods, Taoism is divided into two main sects - the talismanic sect and the danding sect. The former advocates the use of talismans and other magic spells to cure illnesses and drive away ghosts, while the latter advocates the alchemy of the golden elixir in search of immortality, and is divided into the outer elixir and inner elixir lineages.

The Taoist sects are generally believed to have begun in the Song and Yuan dynasties. In the history of Taoism, there are five major sects:

Zhengyi Dao (正一道), under which there are the Lingbao, Zhengyi, and Jingming sects

Quanzhen Dao (全真道), which is divided into the Southern and Northern sects. There are also many sub-sects, such as the Longmen Sect, the Encounter Immortal Sect, the Nanwu Sect, the Suishan Sect, the Beishan Sect, the Huashan Sect, the Qingjing Sect, and so on.

True Great Taoism: Founded during the Jin Dynasty, it gradually declined after the Yuan Dynasty.

Tai Taoism: Founded during the Jin Dynasty and gradually declined after the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

Jingming Dao: founded during the Southern Song Dynasty, declined after the Ming Dynasty

After the Ming Dynasty, Taoism was divided into two main sects, Zheng Yi Dao and Quan Zhen Dao, under which all other sects were grouped. The Baiyun Guan in Beijing now has the "General Book of All True Sects", which lists 86 Taoist sects***, but in fact there are only 80.

Zhengyidao: Zhengyidao is the Way of the Five Pieces of Rice in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, later renamed Tianshidao (Heavenly Master's Way) and Zhengyidao. Its Taoists can practice at home without abstaining from meat and vegetables, and can marry and have children. Their Taoist temples are generally called "temples of children and grandchildren".

Quanzhen Dao: Quanzhen Dao flourished in the Jin and Yuan dynasties, and was the largest and most important of the new Taoist sects of the Song and Yuan dynasties. It is represented by Wang Chongyang and Qiu Shiqi. Quanzhen Dao emphasizes purity and its Taoist priests must be monks and vegetarians. Its Taoist temples are generally known as "Ten Square Groves".

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Taoist activities

Taoist activities take place mainly in the palace temples. Gongguan can be categorized into two types:

Son and grandson temples: the temple property is privately owned by the temple owner, passed down from master to disciple, and generally small in size.

The ten jungles: the temple property belongs to the Taoists or a certain Taoist sect public, all Taoists can stay here through certain formalities listed. Generally large. The Ten Directions Jungle is a place where you can preach, but you can't take on disciples.

There is also a special kind of "descendant jungle", which is a mixture of the two. They are usually developed from the descendant temples.

In addition, the system and daily activities of the Jeonhaedo and Quanzhendao temples are different, and the two are generally not mixed.

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Taoist culture

Taoism has had varying degrees of influence on ancient Chinese politics, economics, philosophy, literature, art, music, painting, architecture, medicine, pharmacology, permaculture, qigong, chemistry, martial arts, astronomy, and geography. In addition, it has had a deep impact on various aspects of the Chinese way of thinking, ethics, morality, folklore, ethnic relations, national psychology, and national character.

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Influence on Chinese culture

Taoism has had varying degrees of influence on all aspects of Chinese culture.

Some sects of Taoism have passed on some martial arts and qigong from master to disciple, for example the Wudang school, which is well known in martial arts, is said to be a martial art passed down by many Taoist priests on Wudang Mountain. Taoist martial arts are also different from many martial arts in that they emphasize roundness and softness and backwardness, fully reflecting the teachings of Taoism. Among them, simple martial arts routines like taijiquan have gradually become daily fitness activities for people. Taoist qigong is also one of the major schools of qigong in China, and the practice of Quanzhendao, which is basically qigong, has contributed greatly to the exploration and development of qigong.

The Taoist art of health care has also inherited and developed aspects of traditional Chinese medicine, such as meridian science in the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. In addition, many Taoists study medicine, for the development of Chinese medicine has contributed, such as Ge Hong, Tao Hongjing, etc., in Chinese medicine have made some achievements.

The alchemy of Taoism had an important influence on the invention of gunpowder.

Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, was y influenced by Taoism. He once traveled all over the world, seeking immortality and visiting Taoism, and even made elixirs and received Taoist talismans, which made him a devout Taoist. This experience had an important impact on his personality, poetry and even his life. Li Bai was summoned to Chang'an and recommended by many Taoist priests and Taoist friends, including Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. During his search for immortality, he traveled to the Five Mountains, which gave him a great deal of material. In his poems, the ideas of "Immortal" and "Feathering" often appear.

The Journey to the West, one of China's four great classical literary masterpieces, tells the story of the four Buddhist monks, including the Tang Monk, who traveled to the West to obtain scriptures, but the book uses a large number of Taoist concepts, such as the heart, the mind, the beautiful girl, the spirit, and so on, and it also establishes a system of Taoist deities and magistrates, with the Jade Emperor as the centerpiece. Many Taoist characters and demons also appear in the book, though mostly as antagonists.

And the most famous novel centered entirely on Taoism has to be Fengshen Yanyi (The Enlightenment of the Gods). The book tells of the Shang and Zhou wars, which were in essence a struggle between two factions of Taoism, the Hierophants and the Interceptors. All of the gods and treasures that appear in the book belong to the Taoist system.

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Taoism and Taoism

The terms "Taoism" and "Taoism" are often used indiscriminately. Historically, the two terms have referred to many different things and have been confused; there are still some who argue for their equivalence. However, if Taoism is understood as a school of philosophical thought pioneered by Laozi and Zhuangzi and reinvented in the Wei and Jin dynasties, and Taoism as a religion that was gradually formed in the two Han dynasties and later developed in a number of different ways, then, although Taoism draws on a large number of elements of Taoist thought theoretically, and even worships Laozi as the master of the religion, the two should not be conflated, and it cannot be said that the theories of Taoism are the thoughts of Taoism. As a religion, Taoism has its deity worship and beliefs, its followers and organizations, and a series of religious ceremonies and activities, and the heritage of its main sects is generally clear. Taoism as a school of philosophical thought, its ideological changes and representative figures should be the most important content when it is interpreted; after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the inheritance of Taoist thought seems to be vague and difficult to clarify, but its influence on scholars and literati through the ages is still vaguely recognizable; from this point of view, we can also say that "Taoism" in the narrower sense refers to the "Taoism" of the pre-Qin era with Laozi, Laozi, Laozi, Laozi, Laozi, Laozi, Laozi and other scholars and writers as the key elements. It is the philosophical school of thought in the pre-Qin era with Laozi and Zhuangzi as the main representative figures.

The similarities and differences between Taoist theology and Taoist thought are hard to explain. Try to give an example: the so-called Taoism, immortality, immortal and God, Lao, Zhuang did not say, and can not be regarded as a reasonable derivation of Lao, Zhuang thought, or even can be said, and the way of nature is not contrary.

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Differences between Taoism and other religions

The ideal world of Taoism is different from that of Buddhism's Elysium and Christianity's Heaven. There are two kinds of ideal worlds in Taoism, one secular and one religious. The secular ideal world is clearly stated in the Taiping Sutra, which hopes that the world will become a fair and peaceful world, free from calamities and wars. On the other hand, the ideal world of religion is the "fairyland", in which Taoism seeks to become immortal so that it can transcend life and death and live the life of an immortal in the fairyland. Unlike other religions, Taoism does not believe that one can only reach the realm of immortality after death, but rather believes that the human form can be immortalized through some forms of exercise, and that after becoming immortal, one can also live in the world of the ordinary people as a "living god", or live in the realm of immortality. However, since it is not easy to reach the realm of immortality, the practice of "disembowelment" came into being later on. And most of these places are in reality, such as the so-called "heavenly sanctuaries," many of which are scenic places in China.

Most religions teach that life is full of misfortunes and sins, and that the soul can be saved only after death. Taoism, however, believes that life in the world is a beautiful thing, and that it is death that is painful, and thus Taoism seeks immortality. This is why there are many methods of health maintenance, such as qigong, which have been developed in Taoism.

Many religions believe that a person's lifespan cannot be changed, but Taoism does not, and the saying, "My destiny lies in me, not in heaven," comes from Taoism's West Ascension Sutra. In addition, Taoism, as a polytheistic religion, believes that there are spirits in everything, even in the various organs of the human body.

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Relationship between Taoism and Buddhism

Taoism and Buddhism, as the major religions in China, have struggled with each other and absorbed each other to make them more applicable to the needs of China's indigenous culture.

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References

Jibing Li, The Laws of the Wealthy Nation - The Laws of the Laws of the Laws of the Nation to Become a King and Become Rich in Thirty Years, published by Skyhorse Books Ltd, 2004, ISBN 962-450-844-5

Jibing Li, Tao Te Ching Li Family Commentary

Tang Dachao, A Brief History of Taoism in China, Religious Culture Publishing House, 2001, ISBN 7-80123-229-1

Ding Peiren, One Hundred Questions on Taoist Canonical Texts, Religious Culture Series, Today's China Publishing House, 1996, ISBN 7-5072-0409-x

Li Yangzheng, The Basics of Taoism. Chinese Taoist Association, edited and printed (unofficial publication), 1985

Nan Huaijin, Taoism, Tantric Buddhism and Oriental Mysticism, Chinese Esperanto Publishing House, 1994, ISBN 7-5052-0203-0

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