Taoism is a polytheistic religion formed and spread in China. Its influence was second only to Buddhism in ancient China. Taoism, together with Confucianism and Buddhism, is considered to form the three pillars of traditional Chinese culture. Taoism takes Tao as its pursuit goal, hence the name Taoism. Taoism is formed on the basis of ancient Chinese Taoist thought and theory by absorbing the magic of immortals, folk ghost and god worship concepts and witchcraft activities. It advocates tranquility and inaction, immortality, and attainment of enlightenment and immortality. Speaking of various sects, Taoism can be simply divided into two sects in terms of practice methods-Fulu Sect and Danding Sect. The former advocated the use of spells and other methods to cure diseases and expel ghosts, while the latter advocated alchemical elixirs to seek immortality, and divided them into two channels: external elixirs and inner elixirs. In addition, there is Miaozhen Tao, which combines both. Miaozhen Tao originates from Fangxian Tao and Huanglao Tao. It is the oldest sect, the founder of the basic ideas of all schools, and the living fossil of Taoism. But the facts are far more numerous and detailed than these. The division of Taoism is generally believed to have begun in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. There are six major sects that are relatively influential in the history of Taoism. As follows: 1) Miaozhen Tao: Originated from Fang Xiandao of the Warring States Period and Huang Laodao of the Qin and Han Dynasties. Later metaphysics and Chongxuan sects were closely related to the Miaozhen sect and existed as the Yin sect. 2) Zhengyi sect: The following is divided into Lingbao sect, Zhengyi sect and Jingming sect. 3) Zhendao: Founded during the Jin Dynasty and gradually declined after the Yuan Dynasty. 4) Taiyi: Founded during the Jin Dynasty and gradually declined after the end of the Yuan Dynasty. 5) Jingming Dao: Founded in the Southern Song Dynasty and declined after the Ming Dynasty. 6) Quanzhen Taoism: There are also Southern Sect and Northern Sect. There are also many sects, such as Longmen sect, Yuxian sect, Nanwu sect, Suishan sect, Yushan sect, Huashan sect, Qingjing sect, etc. After the Ming Dynasty, Taoism was divided into two major sects: Zhengyi Taoism and Quanzhen Taoism, and all other sects were classified under these two sects. The Baiyun Temple in Beijing now has the "General Register of All Zhen Sects", which lists 86 Taoist sects, but in fact there are only 80. Zhengyi Road: Zhengyi Road is the Five Pecks of Rice Road in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Later it was renamed Tianshi Road, Zhengyi Road. Its Taoist priests can practice at home, do not abstain from eating meat and fish, and can get married and have children. Its Taoist temple is generally called the "Zisun Temple". Quanzhen Taoism: Quanzhen Taoism flourished in the Jin and Yuan dynasties, and was the largest and most important sect among the new Taoist sects of the Song and Yuan dynasties. Representative figures include Wang Chongyang and Qiu Chuji. Quanzhen Taoism emphasizes pure cultivation, and its Taoist priests must become monks and be vegetarians. Its Taoist temple is generally called the "Ten Directions Jungle". Quanzhen can be said to be a colorful branch of Taoism, which plays a decisive role in the current scope of Taoism. When talking about Quanzhen, we have to mention one person, that is Wang Chongyang, the founder of the religion. Wang Chongyang is the founder of Quanzhen Taoism, a branch of Chinese Taoism, and was later revered as one of the Five Northern Ancestors of Taoism. He has seven famous disciples, who are called Northern Qizhen in the history of Taoism, also known as Quanzhen Seven Sons. Wang Chongyang combined Confucianism with Taoism and Buddhism, and advocated the unification of the three religions. It is claimed that "Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are all connected, and the three religions have always had the same ancestral style." He believes that "the human heart always relies on tranquility, which is the true shortcut to practice." His works include about a thousand preaching poems, as well as "Fifteen Treatises on the Establishment of Chongyang Teaching", "Collection of Chongyang Teaching", "Collection of Fenli Shihua", etc., all of which are included in "Zhengtong Taoist Canon". The seven sons of Quanzhen, namely Ma Yu (named Danyang), Sun Buer (named Qingjing) and his wife, Tan Chuduan (named Changzhen), Liu Chuxuan (named Changsheng), Qiu Chuji (named Changchun), Hao Datong (named Guangning), Wang Chuyi (No. Yuyang). Among them, Qiu Chuji obtained many true biographies of Wang Chongyang. Speaking of, Qiu Chuji is an important figure in Taoism. After Wang Chongyang, the Seven Quanzhen Sons, began to bear fruit on the Quanzhen doctrine advocated by their master, and separated from the Seven Quanzhen sects. The Quanzhen Longmen Sect founded by Qiu Chuji at the same time is the fastest growing and most influential sect among these seven sects. Qiu Chuji (1148-1227), whose courtesy name was Tongmi and whose nickname was Changchunzi, was from Binduli, Qixia County. Qiu Zu lost his parents when he was young and experienced all kinds of hardships in the world. When he was a child, he longed to practice and become an "immortal". Living in Gongshan in the north of the village, he lived a life of "wearing pine flowers on his head, eating pine nuts, and drinking the pine breeze from the pine stream and the moon". In AD 1166, the sixth year of Dading, at the age of 19, he realized that the world was empty, abandoned his family to study Taoism, and lived in hiding in Kunyu Mountain. The following year, he learned that Wang Chongyang founded Quanzhen Temple in Ninghai, Shandong Province, so he went to worship his teacher and seek Taoism. After the Chongyang Patriarch was transformed into an immortal and guarded his tomb for three years, he first went to Panxi, Shaanxi Province to practice hard for six years, and then went to Longmen Cave, Longxian County, Shaanxi Province to practice Taoism for seven years, and his Taoist achievements increased day by day. He also founded the new Longmen sect and was revered as the founder of the Longmen sect. Nowadays, the Longmen sect has developed widely. The Baiyun Temple in Beijing is also a Longmen sect Taoist temple, and the Yuqing Temple in Tangshan is also a Longmen sect. As the Longmen sect, it has also developed widely in Tangshan, and many Taoists are disciples of the Longmen sect. The most well-known and widely developed Quanzhen sect is the Longmen sect, which is a cultivator to immortality. The Quanzhen Longmen sect was founded by Qiu Chuji, a disciple of Wang Chongyang. The so-called Quanzhen practitioners are all their true nature, all essence, all Qi, the whole spirit, is called the complete truth. All Taoists in this sect practice cultivation. The Longmen Sect advocates the dual cultivation of human nature and life. When cultivating life, one must also cultivate human nature. If human nature is not true, there will be no great way. When Genghis Khan asked Qiu Chuji for a way to live forever, Qiu Chuji replied: "There is a way to prolong life and preserve life in the mountains, but there is no medicine for immortality.
"Later, when Qiu Chuji gave a lecture on the teachings of the sect to his disciples, he proposed the eight-character secret, which is the secret to prolonging life, preserving life, and longevity: "Remove extravagance, suppress desires, consolidate the spirit, and keep the spirit." This eight-character is also the spirit of Quanzhen's teachings and the summary of all theories.
Hope to adopt it, thank you! ! !