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Zhengyi Dao (Chinese:正一道;pinyin:Zhèng Yī Dào), also known as theWay of Orthodox Unity,Teaching of the Orthodox Unity, andBranch of the Orthodox Unity is a ChineseTaoist movement that traditionally refers to the same Taoist lineage as theWay of the Five Pecks of Rice andWay of the Celestial Masters, but in the period of theTang dynasty and its history thereafter. Like the Way of Celestial Masters (Tianshi Dao), the leader of Zhengyi Taoism was known as the Celestial Master.
The termZhengyi (Orthodox Unity) has been used since Taoism became an organized religion in 142 AD whenTaishang Laojun bestowed the Covenant with the Powers of Orthodox Unity (zhengyi mengwei) onZhang Daoling. Zhang's followers called his teachings theWay of the Five Pecks of Rice while during theSix Dynasties period, the Southern Taoists called it theWay of the Celestial Masters. The Covenant, Five Pecks of Rice, and Celestial Masters all refer to theZhengyi branch of Taoism but in different periods.[1]
Celestial Master communities suffered from numerous migrations in the lateThree Kingdoms andFive Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms periods.Cao Cao resettled them in the north and then they joined mass migrations to the south after the loss of Northern China in 317 to theUprising of the Five Barbarians. In the 5th centuryAbridged Codes for the Taoist Community,Lu Xiujing laments that Taoist Assemblies no longer observed the proper rules and the position oflibationer had become hereditary. By theTang dynasty, the title of Celestial Master had been debased to the point where any prominent Taoist could claim the title. Celestial Master priests no longer figured prominently in Taoist texts.[2]
Emperor Xuanzong (712-756) canonized the first Celestial MasterZhang Daoling during his reign. This brought no benefit to the original base of the Celestial Masters inSichuan, but rather benefited a temple in theJiangnan area ofJiangxi province. This temple was located atMount Longhu, claimed to be the spot where Zhang Daoling had obtained the Tao, and where his descendants still lived. Recognized by the emperor as the legitimate descendants of Zhang Daoling, these new Celestial Masters established a new patriarchy at their base of Longhu Shan.[3]
The importance of the Zhengyi school grew during theSong dynasty, with the Celestial masters frequently receiving imperial appointments. In 1239, theSouthern Song dynasty'sEmperor Lizong commanded the 35thCelestial Master Zhang Keda to unite theLingbao School, theShangqing School and Zhengyi Dao. The new school was to retain the Zhengyi name and remain based at Mount Longhu. Shortly after the schools were united, theMongols underKublai Khan conquered the Southern Song dynasty and established theYuan dynasty in China. He accepted the claim that the Celestial Master of Mount Longhu was descended from Zhang Daoling and granted the school the right to control affairs relating to Taoism in the Jiangnan area. In 1304, as a result of Zhengyi Dao's increased importance under the Mongols, all of the Taoist schools, with the exception of theQuanzhen School, were united under the banner of the Zhengyi School, with the 38th Celestial Master, Zhang Yucai, as spiritual leader.[4]
The founding of theMing dynasty in 1368 marked the beginning of a long decline in the power of the Zhengyi Taoism. The first Ming ruler, theHongwu Emperor (1368–98), suppressed the use of the title of 'Celestial Master' among the Zhengyi School, and the 50th Celestial MasterZhang Guoxiang had his title stripped by theLongqing Emperor (1567–72).[5] By theDaoguang period (1821–50) of theQing dynasty, relations between the court and the Celestial Masters came to an end. The school's activities became localized to regions in which the school was particularly important.[6] Despite ending association with the court, the Celestial Master himself still retained a great deal of prestige and importance among Taoists throughout China.[7] This prestige, which arose from the belief that he was descended fromZhang Daoling, was evident when the Celestial Master traveled and attracted crowds of people wherever he went.[8]
Unlike prior incarnations of the Celestial Masters, like the school based atLouguan, the Zhengyi Taoists did not venerateLaozi as a god. Instead, he was viewed as the ancestor of the school's teaching.[9]
During the Tang dynasty, the primary activity of Zhengyi Taoists was to sellprotective talismans. Local cults developed around the sale of these talismans, and around guilds and associations patronized by members of the church.[10]
One of the fundamental practices of the school was conferring registers (lu) upon people entering Taoism. A register was a way to allow that the Taoist tradition passed on to future generations by ensuring those who received them had an adequate knowledge of the school's teachings.[9] Registers also had the names of deities written on them who could be called upon by the bearer to assist in times of need.[11] Once one received a register, they were considered to be part of the priesthood. There were different grades of registers for laypeople with differing levels of religious knowledge.[9]
The Celestial Masters adopted the Thunder Rites during the last two decades of the Northern Song dynasty. The Five Thunders variety appeared earlier and was linked with the Celestial Masters.
There are two main types of rituals performed by the Zhengyi Taoists thejiao (Offering) andzhai (Retreat) rituals.[9] Thezhai ritual is performed as a way to gain benefits through purification and abstinence, and usually takes place immediately before thejiao ritual. In performing a ritual, an adherent must first recite a litany of repentance, then notify the deities of the merits gained through repentance by submitting a document to heaven. Upon completion of thezhai ritual, thejiao ritual begins in which deities are given offerings and thanked.[12] Thejiao ritual is usually performed over a three-day period. Much of the ritual is performed by priests in a temple, but can also involve religious processions through the city, musical performances and a mass offering in front of the temple.[13]
The Zhengyi Taoists were particularly notable for their work in gathering Taoist texts and assembling them into collections. Zhang Yuchu (1361–1410) received an imperial commission in 1406 to gather texts, in particular those produced during the reign of theHongwu Emperor (1368–98). With these texts, Zhang compiled a reference work known as theZhengtongDaozang (Taoist Canon of theZhengtong Reign), which was an overview of current Taoists texts and practices.[14]Zhang Guoxiang (?-1611), compiled a similar reference work in 1607 known as the Wanli Xu Daozang (Supplementary Taoist Canon of theWanli Reign Period).[15]
