Chapter 20 Section 2 The Development of Taoist Talisman School

The emperors of the Song Dynasty worshiped Taoism, and they mainly valued the so-called Taoist things that can pray for blessings and avoid disasters, and exorcise evil spirits.Therefore, the Fulu sect, which paid attention to talisman spells and ritual rituals, flourished for a while.It has prompted some factions whose historical traditions did not pay attention to talisman spells to develop in this direction.In the fourth year of Song Zhezong Shaosheng (AD 1097), the three schools of Zhengyi, Shangqing, and Lingbao, which took Longhu Mountain, Maoshan, and Gezao Mountain as their bases, were named "Three Mountains of Jinglu", so the three schools stood together , all spread and developed in the Jiangnan area.These old Taoist sects followed the trend of history, reformed the teachings and laws, and gave birth to some new sects.At the same time, some schools of new talisman Taoism, such as Shenxiao, Qingwei, Jingming, etc., also came into being.

Among the schools of Taoist talismans, the Zhengyi school has the longest history, also known as Zhengyi.The predecessor of Zhengyi is Wudoumi Dao, which is also known as Tianshi Dao.It is said that Zhang Sheng, the grandson of the fourth generation of Zhang Daoling, moved from Sichuan and Shaanxi to Longhu Mountain in Guixi, Jiangxi, and later this place became the center of Zhengyi School.When Lu Xiujing compiled the catalog of "Three Cave Classics", the first part of Sifu Zhongzheng included mainly the classics of Tianshi Taoism popular in the Six Dynasties, and its position was ranked last.During the Sui and Tang dynasties, it was the lowest level to study the introductory courses stipulated by the Zheng Yi Jing Law.In the period of Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Zhengyi faction was valued by the imperial court. Zhenzong ordered to change the Zhenxian temple in Longhushan to the Shangqing temple, and summoned Zhang Zhengsui, the 24th generation Zhengtian master, and gave him the highest title of "Mr." among Taoist priests at that time. It is the first time that Zheng Tianshi has been bestowed by the imperial court.From Zhang Zhengsui to Zhang Keda, the 35th generation celestial master at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, almost every generation of Zheng celestial masters has been given the title of Zhao Song Dynasty.

During Song Huizong's reign, Zhang Jixian, the 30th celestial master, was extremely favored and trusted.The imperial court built the "Chong Taoist Temple" near the capital for him, and the Shangqing Temple in Longhushan Camp was also upgraded to "Shangqing Zhengyi Palace". Some countries allocated money to expand it, and the emperor also gave a huge amount of temple property. Ever since Zhang Keda was granted the power to manage all schools of Fulu by Emperor Lizong of Song Dynasty, Zhengyi School has gained the leading position of Taoism of Fulu School. Zhengdao was also respected and favored in the Yuan Dynasty.In the thirteenth year of the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1276), Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty, summoned Zhang Zongyan, the 36th generation of heavenly master, and invited him to dinner. Taoism.In the second year, he was named "Preaching Spiritual Response God and Real Man".Since then, Zhengtian Masters of all dynasties have been named real people by the Yuan rulers.Zhang Sicheng, the 39th generation celestial master, was named "Yiyuan Chongde Zhengyi leader" in the second year of Taiding (1325 AD), and was authorized to take charge of national Taoist affairs.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the Longhushan Tianshi Mansion had great power: it could suggest the appointment and removal of Taoist affairs management officials and Taoist temple managers in various places in the south of the Yangtze River, propose to the emperor the funding and staffing of new Taoist temples, and it could also directly issue "degree certificates". That is, the Taoist ID card, which approves people to be Taoists.The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty took these measures, on the one hand, they wanted to use the profound influence of Tianshi Taoism in the Han nationality to win over people's hearts and alleviate ethnic conflicts;Therefore, the respect and favor of the Zhengyi faction in the Yuan Dynasty actually surpassed that in the Song Dynasty.

Zhengdao has always attached great importance to Taoist spells such as talismans and incantations.However, Zhang Jixian, the 30th generation celestial master, absorbed the theories of Zen Buddhism and Inner Alchemy of Taoism at that time, and also advocated the practice of inner alchemy.He also learned the new talisman "Shenxiao Leifa" from the popular Shenxiao sect.In the Southern Song Dynasty, Liu Yongguang, a Taoist priest, became famous because of his new "Five Thunders Method". During the Song and Yuan dynasties, several new tribes appeared in Zhengyi.For example, the Tianxin sect, which spreads the new "Tianxin Zhengfa" talisman, and the Taidao, which spreads the "Taiyi Sanyuan Dharma".The Tianxin sect flourished for a while in the early Yuan Dynasty, and Taiyi was supported by the rulers of Jin and Yuan, and spread widely in North China.

The Shangqing School respected Huacun of Wei Huacun in the Eastern Jin Dynasty as the founder. Since Tao Hongjing built the Huayang Pavilion in Maoshan, it has become the center of the school.In the Tang Dynasty, Maoshan sect was the most prosperous among the various schools of Taoism, and there were famous figures such as Wang Yuanzhi, Wu Yun, Pan Shizheng and Sima Chengzhen.After the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, this school gradually declined.However, since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties, the status of the Shangqing school has always been very high, and the study of the Shangqing scriptures is the highest-level Taoist course, so the Zhao and Song Dynasties attached great importance to it.The past masters of the Shangqing School have all received imperial titles.

It has always been the tradition of the Shangqing School to pay attention to Taoist cultivation and its theories.People like Wu Yun, Sima Chengzhen and others have made contributions to the theory of cultivation and are not famous for their talisman spells.But since it is also a tool used by the imperial court, it naturally has to undertake the task of praying for the emperor and avoiding disasters, and develop its talisman spells.In the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty, it finally became one of the "Three Mountains of Jinglu".Zhu Ziying, the 23rd generation master of the Shangqing School, once prayed for Zhenzong to give birth to a son, because he later gave birth to Renzong, and was named "National Teacher".Ren Yuanfu, the 35th generation master, was ordered by Emperor Ningzong of the Southern Song Dynasty to do flood relief in Daochang.Wang Daomeng, the 44th generation master, prayed for rain and repelled locusts for the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty, and was awarded the title of "True Man".

After entering the Yuan Dynasty, few famous masters of the Shangqing School appeared. The tradition of Lingbao school is longer than the magic of fasting and offering sacrifices.According to Tao Hongjing's "Zhengao", at that time, the Lingbao sect occupied Maoshan and held religious activities such as chanting scriptures and fasting. , It looks like the crowd in the city. People can only climb the mountain and write "Lingbao" and sing praises, and they will disperse when the matter is over."Historically, the Lingbao Sect has never had any dignitaries from the Shangqing, Zhengyi or Zhengyi sects, and they have rarely been conscripted and conferred by the imperial court.The Taoist priests of the Lingbao Sect are mainly active among the people and have a greater influence in the lower classes of society.The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty paid more attention to it, and once named Yang Bo, the 46th generation master of Zaoshan Wanshou Chongzhen Palace, as "Taixuan Chongde Yijiao Zhenren".

The "Donghua School", a branch of Lingbao School, was founded by Taoist Ning Quanzhen (1101-1181 A.D.) during the Song Dynasty.This tribe pays attention to the combination of fasting sacrifice and inner alchemy, which has the characteristics of the times. The new school of talismans that emerged in the Song and Yuan dynasties was mostly influenced by the Taoist inner alchemy that was popular in the Tang and Song Dynasties.Among them, the Shenxiao, Qingwei and Jingmingdao sects are more important. The founder of the Shenxiao School was Wang Wenqing, a Taoist priest from Nanfeng, Jiangxi at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty.During the reign of Emperor Huizong, Lin Lingsu used the power of the emperor to promote Shenxiao Leifa, which made it popular for a while.Since then, it has been passed on continuously, and its branches have multiplied.Shenxiao Leifa is a talisman spell that is said to be able to summon thunder and rain.This school believes that Taoist practice must be based on the practice of inner alchemy, "inner alchemy into alchemy, external use into methods", and advocates the integration of inner alchemy and talismans.

The founder of Qingwei School was Zu Shu from Lingling, Guangxi at the end of Tang Dynasty.After the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, to the late Southern Song Dynasty, its influence gradually increased.During the reign of Lizong in the Southern Song Dynasty, Huang Shunshen, the 10th generation master, was famous in the capital for his proficiency in Qingwei Leifa. Even the emperor's brother Zhao Mengduan worshiped it as his teacher and learned Leifa from him.The founder of the Qingwei Sect claims to have obtained the true biography of the Shangqing, Lingbao, Louguan, and Zhengyi schools, but the faction is actually closely related to the Shangqing Sect. Wei Huacun, the founder of the Shangqing Sect, is ranked ahead of Zu Shu by this sect .The theories and teaching methods of the Qingwei School are quite similar to those of the Shenxiao School, the only difference is that the talismans used are different, so some people regard them as the same.

Jingming Dao has a deep relationship with Lingbao Sect.At the beginning of the founding of the Southern Song Dynasty, a Taoist priest named Zhou Zhengong used the belief in Xu Xun of the Jin Dynasty in the Jiangnan area to praise Xu Xun and other six real immortals who came to teach the so-called Jingming Lingbao secret method, and aroused the Jingming Dao.This school spreads a new talisman called "Jingming Method", which is actually just a refurbishment of the old talisman of Lingbao.Zhou Zhengong's Jingming Dao also attaches great importance to the practice of inner alchemy, emphasizing the combination of talismans and inner alchemy.However, it is different from the Shenxiao and Qingwei schools in that it attaches great importance to the ethics of loyalty and filial piety, forming the characteristics of this school. At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Yu, a Jiangxi hermit, took Nanchang as the center of his activities, and then opened the Taoist sect of Jingming.Liu Yu's new Jingming Dao does not admit that it has anything to do with Zhou Zhengong's old Jingming Dao, but it is actually the development of the old Jingming Dao.Xinjingming Dao called itself "Jingming Loyalty and Filial Piety", and it further moved closer to Confucianism at that time, trying to reconcile the relationship between Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, and advocated the religious theory that the three religions were unified. In addition to these larger schools of talismans, there were also many small schools of talismans in the Song and Yuan dynasties.The various factions merged and absorbed each other, and the differences became smaller and smaller, until finally they all merged into the Zhengyi. The Fulu school of Taoism not only received the influence of inner alchemy, but also influenced the development of inner alchemy.Some inner alchemy sects in the Jiangnan area, such as Quanzhen Taoism and Jindan School Nanzong, have many Taoist priests who also practice the Shenxiaolei method of the Fulu School.By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the various schools of Taoism in this area had converged.