“Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature.” Taoism was formed during the reign of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,800 years. The main purpose of Taoist culture is to use Laozi's "Tao" to explain the law of generation of the universe, and to teach people how to imitate the way of heaven and then be in harmony with the truth. For thousands of years, Taoism has used this theme to develop and improve the meaning and connotation of Tao. This process involves many disciplines such as philosophy, astronomy, geography, traditional Chinese medicine and health care.
Maoshan, the birthplace of the Shangqing sect, the mainstream Taoist sect in China, is located in the southwest of Jiangsu Province. It has beautiful scenery, quiet and pleasant scenery, and has always been known as the "No. 72 blessed place in the world". A blessed place”. This title not only gave her a mysterious halo, but also attracted many strange people to her.
The Taoist sect she promoted was called "Maoshan Sect". Its huge influence and the admiration it received from emperors were rarely matched by other Taoist sects. In history, forty-five generations of masters have successively passed down the Taoist culture of Maoshan. The ancestors of each generation have also left behind many ancient Taoist books, which have made important contributions to the promotion and improvement of Taoist teachings.
The Shangqing Sect was formed in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Its influence almost runs through the entire history of Taoism. In the early days, the main activity center of the Shangqing Sect was Maoshan, so the Shangqing Sect was also called the "Maoshan Sect". During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the influence of the Shangqing Sect had spread far north and south. "Quan Tangwen" said: "Maoshan is the sect of Taoism in the world." In the Song Dynasty, his master was bestowed by the imperial court; the 23rd generation master Zhu Ziying (976-1029) once sought an heir for Zhenzong and was given the title of "National Master"; the 25th generation master Liu Hunkang (1037-1108) was also favored by Zhezong Huizong Two dynasties.
Many masters of the Shangqing Sect were born with high cultural accomplishments. Since the founding of the Shangqing sect, its representatives were either born into noble families, high-ranking officials, or were well-educated people. Such leaders gave the Shangqing sect a unique aristocratic and humanistic temperament from the very beginning. At the same time, it also opened a path for the upward development and deepening of Taoism.
Tao Hongjing, an outstanding Taoist scholar in the Southern Dynasties, summarized and reformed the Gehong Jindan Taoism that was popular in the Southern Dynasties, Yang Xi's Shangqing Jinglu Taoism, and Lu Xiujing's Nantian Shidao, and carefully compiled a special There are more than two hundred volumes of Taoist scriptures that record the early teachings and alchemy of the Shangqing sect, as well as the historical "Zhen Gao", "Deng Zhen Yin Jue", "Zhen Ling Position and Industry Map", etc., and promote the Shang Qing Sutra method here. After decades of hard work by him and his disciples, the teachings and organization gradually became complete. Later generations took Maoshan as their ancestral home, and gradually developed and evolved into the Maoshan Sect, which had a profound influence on the development of Taoism in later generations. Another name for the Shangqing Sect with Maoshan as its center of development. Tao Hongjing and the Maoshan Sect occupy an important position in the history of Taoism.
Taoism has many "specialties", some of which are Zhaitai and some of which are talismans. The Fu Lu Sect takes Fu Shui as its mission to cure diseases and pray for blessings and ward off disasters. It has been popular since the late Han Dynasty. As one of the three major talisman sects of Taoism, Maoshan Sect has been the mainstream of Taoism from the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty, and gradually declined after the Southern Song Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial court ordered Zhang Tianshi to be in charge of the "Three Mountain Talismans", namely Longhu Mountain, Hezao Mountain and Maoshan Mountain. From then on, all Fulu sects were classified into Zhang Tianshi's lineage and were called Zhengyi sect. This sect worships "Yuanshi Tianzun" as the highest god, inherits and practices the "Shangqing Great Cave True Sutra", and also studies the Lingbao Sutra and the Three Emperors Sutra, as well as the "Sutra and Precepts Dharma Barrel" of the Celestial Master's Tao. The main method of practice is "thinking about God and chanting sutras".
Fulu Taoism in the Song Dynasty inherited the three major sects of Zhengyi, Shangqing, and Lingbao. New sects such as Shenxiao, Qingwei, and Jingming also appeared. Zhengyiyi reappeared in the world from Zhenzong in the Northern Song Dynasty. The 24th generation of Celestial Masters Zhang Keda and the 25th generation of Celestial Masters were both awarded the title of "Mr." by the Song Dynasty. Zhang Keda promoted the Three Mountains Talisman and became the leader of Southern Taoism. Zhang Jixian, the 30th generation Heavenly Master, was summoned and rewarded many times by Emperor Huizong. He was knowledgeable and capable of writing. He regarded "original nature" as the foundation of success and required believers to achieve liberation through "rest", forming the Taoist philosophy of the Fulu School.
To this day, one of the few descendants of the Fulu sect of Shangqing Zhengyi religion, Taoist Yuanfu, is the master of Jiuxiao Wanfu Palace in Maoshan. He has been diligently studying Taoism for more than 20 years. His thoughts Born out of Lao-Zhuang philosophy and Ge Hong's immortal Taoism, mixed with Confucian and Buddhist views, it inherits the Shangqing Sutra passed down by Yang Xu, and has knowledge of yin and yang, the five elements, wind angle, astrology, mountains and rivers, prescriptions, medical skills, and materia medica. They are all proficient in it, and they are especially skilled in talismans. He has certain research on calendar, geography, medicine, etc., and his Gongcaoli running script is particularly good.
Taoists, with a heart to help the world and save people, pray for people’s blessings and good fortune, drive away evil and eliminate evil, and help people understand and understand Taoist teachings, so as to better promote Taoism’s goodness and benefit to people. The moral values ??of solving emergencies, resolving people's dangers, and using things to help people can purify people's souls, clear their mind, open up their wisdom, and lead them to a state of truth, goodness, and beauty.