What other sects of Taoism are there besides Tianyi?

Taoism is a polytheistic religion formed and spread in China, second only to Buddhism in terms of influence in ancient China. Taoism is considered to be 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, longevity and immortality. When it comes to various sects, Taoism is divided into two main sects in terms of cultivation methods - the Talisman Sect and the Danding Sect. The former advocates the use of talismans and spells to cure diseases and drive away ghosts, while the latter advocates the alchemy of the golden elixir to seek immortality, which is divided into the outer elixir and inner elixir lineages. In addition, there is also a combination of both the Myojin Tao, Myojin Tao originated from the Fangxian Tao, Huanglao Tao, is the oldest sect, is the creator of the basic ideas of all schools, is the living fossil of Taoism.

But the facts are far more numerous and detailed than these, The Taoist dispensation, generally considered to have begun in the Song and Yuan. There are six major sects that have been more influential in the history of Taoism. They are as follows:

1) Myojin Tao: originated from Fangxian Tao of the Warring States period and Huanglao Tao of the Qin and Han dynasties, and the later Xuanxue and Chongxuan sects were closely related to Myojin Tao, which existed as a hidden sect.

2) Zhengyi Dao: under it, there are Lingbao School, Zhengyi School and Jingming School.

3) Zhen Da Dao: Founded during the Jin Dynasty, it gradually declined after the Yuan Dynasty.

4) Taidao: founded during the Jin Dynasty and gradually declined after the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

5) Jingming Dao: founded during the Southern Song Dynasty and declined after the Ming Dynasty.

6) Quanzhen Dao: there are also southern and northern sects. There are also many branches, such as Longmen School, Encounter Immortal School, Nanwu School, Suishan School, Beishan School, Huashan School, Qingjing School, etc.

Ming Dynasty: The Ming Dynasty was the first time that the Qingming Dao was founded.

After the Ming Dynasty, Taoism was divided into two main sects, Zheng Yi Dao and Quan Zhen Dao, and all other sects were grouped under these two sects. 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 in 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 Jungles".

Quanzhen, can be described as a colorful branch of Taoism, in the current scope of Taoism plays a significant role. Speaking of Quanzhen, we can not help but talk about a person, that is, the opening of the mountain to create the ancestor of the religion --- Wang Chongyang.

Wang Chongyang was the founder of Quanzhen Dao, a branch of Chinese Taoism, and was later honored as one of the Five Northern Ancestors of Taoism. He had seven famous disciples, known in Taoist history as the Northern Seven Truths, also known as the Seven Sons of Quanzhen. Wang Chongyang combined the ideas of Confucianism with those of Taoism and Buddhism and advocated the unity of the three religions. He claimed that "Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are all intertwined, and the three religions have never had a single ancestral style". He believed that "the human heart is always in peace and tranquility, and that is the shortcut to cultivation". His writings include more than 1,000 poems on Taoism, as well as Fifteen Essays on Chongyang's Establishment of the Church, Chongyang's Collection of Teachings, and Ten Collections on Dividing the Pear, all of which are included in the Orthodox Collection of Taoism. The Seven Sons of Quanzhen, namely, Ma Yu (No. Danyang), Sun Buer (No. Qingjing) and his wife, Tan Chuiduan (No. Changzhen), Liu Chuixuan (No. Changsheng), Qiu Shiqi (No. Changchun), Hao Datong (No. Guangning), and Wang Chuyi (No. Yuyang). Among them, Qiu Shiqi received a lot of real transmission from Wang Chongyang.

Speaking of, Qiu Shiqi, is a pivotal figure in Taoism. After Wang Chongyang, the seven sons of Quanzhen blossomed on the doctrine of Quanzhen advocated by the master, separating the seven schools of Quanzhen. At the same time, Qiu Shi Ji started the Quanzhen Longmen Sect, which was the fastest growing and most influential sect among these seven sects. Qiu Chuiji (1148-1227) was a native of Binduli, Qixia County, with the name Tongmi and Changchunzi. Qiu Zu lost both parents at a young age and tasted the hardships of the world. In his childhood, he aspired to become an "immortal". He lived in Gongshan Mountain, north of his village, where he lived a life of "wearing pine flowers and eating pine nuts, and drinking pine wind from pine streams and the moon". Dading six years AD 1166, at the age of nineteen, he realized that the world is empty, abandoned his family to learn Taoism, and lived in Kun Bei Mountain. In the following year, he learned that Wang Chong Yang had created the Quan Zhen Nunnery in Ninghai, Shandong Province, and went to pay homage to his master to seek Taoism, and when the ancestor of Chong Yang was immortalized, and guarded his tomb for three years, he went to the Panshi Creek of Shaanxi Province to practice hard for six years, and then went to Longmen Cave of Longxian County of Shaanxi Province to practice Taoism for seven years, and his Taoism skills were increasing day by day. And create a new school of Longmen, was honored as the founder of the Longmen School.

Nowadays, the Longmen School development is quite wide, Beijing Baiyunguan is also the Longmen School Taoist temple, as well as Tangshan Yuqingguan is also the Longmen School. As the Dragon Sect is also widely developed in Tangshan, many Taoist congregations are disciples of the Dragon Sect.