Chapter 27 Section 4 Taoism and Folk Religion of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, divided Taoism into Zhengyi and Quanzhen. He set up the Department of Daolu to be in charge of Taoism, and divided Taoism into Zhengyi and Quanzhen.Zhengyi represents the Taoism of the Fulu sect, and Quanzhen represents the Taoism of the Danding practice sect.This division reflects the general view of Taoism in society at that time.In fact, many of the sub-sects gathered under the names of the two major sects have been teaching according to their own systems.Until modern times, there are still dozens of small schools. Zhengyi, which is based in Longhu Mountain in Guixi, Jiangxi Province, is headed by a celestial master, which has been passed down from generation to generation by Zhang's family.In the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Tianshi only let Taoism in various places in the south of the Yangtze River be in charge.In the Ming Dynasty, its power became stronger.

Zhang Normal, the 42nd generation celestial master, had a relationship with Zhu Yuanzhang very early.In Zhu Yuanzhang's first year as emperor, Zhang normal went to congratulate him.The emperor in the feudal society was also called the son of heaven, the son of the emperor of heaven.Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that I was only called the Son of Heaven, how could you Taoist priests be called Heavenly Masters!He was not feeling well, and asked Zhang Normal, is there a teacher in heaven?So it was ordered not to be called a celestial master in the future, but to be called a "real person", but the official rank granted to Zhang Normal is still very high.Soon, he ordered that Master Zhengyi be in charge of Taoism throughout the country from generation to generation.

Zhengyi became the leader of Taoism in the country, and he is high above the top. In addition, they are passed down from generation to generation by their family, so they are easy to corrupt and degenerate.Some celestial masters are lawless and dare to do anything.For example, Zhang Yuanji, the 46th generation celestial master, set up a private prison in the Tianshi mansion in Longhushan, forcing the common people to pay money and food, and robbing women.He killed more than 40 people, including three members of a family. Throughout the Ming Dynasty, from the 42nd generation Zhang Normal to the 52nd generation Zhang Yingjing, except for the 50th generation Zhang Guoxiang who once lost the title of Dazheng and his official rank was downgraded, all generations of celestial masters were named Darenren.Among the 10 generations of celestial masters, Zhang Yuchu, the son of Zhang Normal, is considered to be somewhat talented.In 1406 AD, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty asked him to preside over the editing of Dao Zang.As the leader of Taoism in the country, Zhang Yuchu once wrote the volume "Ten Regulations of Taoism", which described 10 issues from the origin of Taoism to the repair of temples.In addition, he has several Taoist works and a collection of poems and essays handed down.

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhengyi hardly produced anything new in terms of Taoist thought and doctrine.Zhang Yuchu wrote a lot of poems and articles, the content of which was just speculation since the Song and Yuan Dynasties.For example, advocating the integration of the three religions, advocating that one must practice inner alchemy in order to be effective when doing fasting rituals, etc.He also advocated some ideas of Quanzhen Taoism, which reflected the trend of the two schools converging. Among the ordinary orthodox priests, there are also some people, such as Liu Yuanran, Shao Yizheng, Tao Zhongwen, Shao Yuanjie, etc., who were favored by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and achieved glory and wealth.Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty favored Shao Yuanjie, a Taoist official in the Qing Palace on Longhu Mountain, and made him a high-ranking official, and even his grandsons and great-grandchildren followed suit.

The rulers of the Qing Dynasty didn't believe in Taoism very much, and they didn't make much use of it.In the Qing Dynasty, Taoist priests were rarely allowed to do fasting and sacrificial ceremonies, and there were also legal provisions strictly prohibiting wizards and Taoist priests from dancing gods to exorcise ghosts. The market for Zhengdao is not big.However, in order to win over people's hearts and ease ethnic conflicts, the Qing rulers also generally protected Taoism in the same way as the Ming Dynasty. Some emperors in the Qing Dynasty showed special interest in Taoism. For example, Yongzheng once favored Lou Jinyuan, a Taoist priest of Longhu Mountain, and granted him the title of "Fourth Grade Longhushan Tidian, Abbot of Siqin'an Palace" and gave him a With the title of "Miaozheng Zhenren", several Taoist priests went to Xiyuan to make alchemy for him.

There is a passage in "Tianzhi Ouwen" written by Zhenjun in the late Qing Dynasty: The Daguangdian Hall, the Longevity Palace of the Ming Dynasty, and the Qiandi of Chengzu.After Jiajing, this hall was changed, and now it is a place for offering sacrifices to pray for rain and snow.The Taoist example is taken from Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi Province. The altar of the altar displays the fascicles, flags, curtains, crowns, and squires, all of which were made in the old Kangxi inner mansion.The stars and feathers are brilliant, and the brocade is shining brightly in the evening. Those who see it are like entering the Palace of Eight Views, and they are guided by the law.For example, thirty stones of rice are given to Nei Cang every month, and there are still incense stirrups and silver taels. Now they are all stopped, and Taoist priests are rare.Every time you come to something, take it from your perspective.

This Daguangdian Hall was originally the secret residence of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, it became a place to pray for rain and snow.The Taoist priests who performed the fasting sacrifice came from Tianshi Mansion in Longhu Mountain.Later, even the Taoist court refused to raise such suitable Taoist priests. When they encountered fasting and offering sacrifices, they temporarily went to various Taoist temples to find them.In the Qing Dynasty, as recorded in this text, Taoism was used occasionally by the emperor, but most of it was just embellishment. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty paid more attention to Zhengyi than Quanzhen. One of the reasons was that Quanzhen was always close to the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty, and the other was that it was only for personal cultivation and was of little use to the country and society.Therefore, Quanzhen Taoist priests were rarely titled by the emperor in the Ming Dynasty, and they were not as rich and powerful as Zhengtian Masters.

Generally speaking, Quanzhen Taoism was very deserted in the Ming Dynasty, but there were exceptions. This is the prosperity of Taoism in Wudang Mountain. Historically, Taoism of the Fulu Sect first entered Wudang Mountain in the Northern Song Dynasty, and it became the world of the Shangqing Sect (Maoshan Sect) in the Southern Song Dynasty.In the Yuan Dynasty, Taoism exchanges between the north and the south converged, and Quanzhen, Qingwei and other schools were introduced to Wudang Mountain.In the twelfth year of Zhiyuan (AD 1275), Wang Zhenchang, a Quanzhen Taoist with the Taoist name of Jiranzi, brought six apprentices to Wudang Mountain to establish his family, which revived Taoism in Wudang Mountain.In the early Ming Dynasty, Qiu Yuanqing, the descendant of the Longmen School of Quanzhen Taoism, came to Wudang to abbot the Yulong Palace.In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, it became the main body of Wudang Taoism.It is said that there were four or five small sects of Quanzhen Taoism here during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The prosperity of Wudang Taoism in the Ming Dynasty was not only related to the belief of Emperor Zhenwu here, but also related to Quanzhen Taoism.During the Yongle period of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng, a Quanzhen Taoist priest, was admired by Chengzu.It is said that Zhang Sanfeng practiced in Wudang Mountain for many years.In the fifth year of Yongle (1407 A.D.), Chengzu sent someone to Wudang Mountain to look for Zhang Sanfeng, but he couldn't find it.Chengzu didn't give up, and sent people to search for it for 10 consecutive years, but he never disappeared.Chengzu once claimed to be the reincarnation of the true martial god, and because of his admiration for Zhang Sanfeng, he overhauled the Wudang Taoist Temple.During the 12 years from the 10th year of Yongle (AD 1412) to the 22nd year, 300,000 military and civilian craftsmen were sent to work every day, and capable ministers were also selected to supervise the project.

Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty believed in the practice of inner alchemy, and he favored Sun Xuanqing, a Taoist priest from Laoshan who belonged to the Longmen School of Quanzhen Taoism. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, because the Manchu Qing cavalry entered the pass, ethnic conflicts became very acute.Many people didn't want to be officials in the Qing Dynasty, so they all ran to Quanzhen Taoism.Wang Changyue, the seventh generation master of the Longmen School of Quanzhen Taoism handed down by Qiu Chuji, at the beginning of the Qing people's entry into the customs, went north from Songshan to the capital, obtained the support of the Qing emperor, changed the old method of single transmission and secret teaching set by Qiu Chuji, and distributed it to the public Rewards and develop believers.He taught Taoism in Baiyun Temple, and more than 1,000 people became Taoists.Later, he led his apprentices to the south and preached in Nanjing, Hangzhou, Huzhou, Wudang Mountain and other places. At that time, he was very popular and was called the "Zhongxing" of Quanzhen Taoism.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty, many Quanzhen Taoist priests from all over the country practiced Fulu Zhaijiao, earning a living from the income from incense, and gradually there was not much difference from Zhengdao. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, various secret folk religions emerged in Chinese society. Most of these folk religions are closely related to Taoism, and some are directly variants of Taoism. The vigorous rise of folk religion is related to the decline of Chinese feudal society and the decline of orthodox religions such as Buddhism and Taoism after the Song and Yuan Dynasties.From the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Ming Dynasty, in less than 200 years, dozens of large folk religions appeared.Luo Zujiao, Huangtianjiao, Trinityjiao, Hongyangjiao, Hunyuanjiao, Wenxiangjiao, Western Mahayana, Longtianmenjiao, Yuandunjiao, Shouyuanjiao, etc. are among the more famous ones.In the Qing Dynasty, there were more than 200 kinds of folk religions and secret associations, among which the more famous ones were Bagua, Yizhuxiang, Qinglian, Jindan, Huangya, Liumen and Vacuum. Influenced by folk religions, Taoism is prominently manifested in the theory and practice of Neidan cultivation.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the sect of Taoist inner alchemy practice represented by Quanzhen Taoism was not valued by the imperial court, so it gradually went to the folks in order to develop, which also sowed the seeds for the rise of some folk religious schools. The classics of folk religion are generally called Baojuan.Baojuan was originally a form of folk literature, mainly in rhyme, and also in prose.In the Ming and Qing folk religion treasure scrolls, a lot of content is about inner alchemy cultivation.For example, Huang Tianjiao's "Putian Tathagata Wuwei Yibao Volume" said: "After the ninth turn of the alchemy alchemy,... the golden book will enter the purple mansion and go to the flat peach for eternal life." It means that the cultivation of inner alchemy reaches the end of the ninth turn. During this period, some gods will descend with the edict of the Jade Emperor and call you to the world of gods and gods where there is a fairyland and a peach festival, and you will live forever.In the story, Monkey King steals the Queen Mother's flat peaches when he makes a big fuss in the Heavenly Palace, disturbing the Queen Mother's meeting.Pantao and Zifu here refer to the fairy world in the sky. In addition to the Huangtian Sect, the religious activities of the folk religions such as the Trinity Sect, the Hongyang Sect, the Hunyuan Sect, the Yuandun Sect, the Bagua Sect, the Yizhuxiang Sect, and the Golden Alchemy Sect all focus on the practice of inner alchemy. The influence of Taoism on folk religion is also manifested in the rituals of fasting and offering sacrifices.For example, Huang Tianjiao needs to recite mantras to purify the mouth and heart, and ask the gods including the Jade Emperor and the Supreme Lord to bless them, etc. The rulers of Ming and Qing Dynasties were very afraid of folk religions, calling them "evil religions" or "bandits", and severely suppressed them once they were discovered.Especially in the Qing Dynasty, the so-called "evil religion cases" occurred continuously, which caused the Qing rulers a lot of headaches.