Evolution of Taoism/Daoism

Daoism in the Han

(206 BCE-220CE)
Daoism now
adopted a new
system of thought
that integrated YinYang cosmology
and the so-called
Five Phases
(wxng) theory.

 It also adopted the Huang-Lao Daoism, which

figured prominently in political arena
It blended Yellow Emperors and Laozis political
philosophies
It adopted the Yin-Yang cosmology and the theory
of Five Phases

It absorbed new medical and health methods,

integrating them into self-cultivation practices
It linked the ideal of untrammeled freedom
inspired by Zhuangzis reference to immortals
and immortality (or transcendence)

 It adopted popular shamanism (techniques of

ecstasy) and promoted the notion of ones
ability to interact with the spirits.
It expanded Zhuangzis metaphoric immortals
into ethereal and substantially concrete living
beings
It gradually turned itself into an organized
religion by absorbing elements of new
millenarian cults

Yin-Yang Cosmology
Basic premise: everything consists of one
underlying cosmic energy, known as qi
Qi manifests itself in the interplay of Yin-Yang
which results in five phases:
Lesser yang, greater yang, yin-yang, lesser yin,
greater yin

These five phases correlate with a wide array

of social and natural objects and phenomena

Yin/yang

phase

direct.

color

season

Lesser
yang

wood

east

green

spring

Greater
yang

fire

south

red

Hot
summer

Yinyang

earth

center

yellow

summer

Lesser
yin

metal

west

white

fall

Greater
yin

water

north

black

winter

Yin/yang

organ1

organ2

emotion

sense

Lesser
yang

liver

gall

anger

eyes

Greater
yang

heart

Yinyang

spleen

Lesser
yin

lungs

Greater kidneys
yin

Small
Excitement/
joy
Intestine
stomach
worry

tongue
lips

Large
intestine

sadness

nose

bladder

fear

ears

 The interaction of five phases can yield

productive or destructive outcome/cycle
Woodfireearthmetalwaterwood
Metalwoodearthwaterfiremental

Water

Metal

earth

fire

wood

Characteristics of changing
Daoism
Absorbed the doctrine of ganying (stimulus
and response)
Something, usually an anomaly, happens on one
plane of existence, will trigger an immediate
echo/reaction on all the others
E.g., earthquakes find their parallels in human
society and peoples bodies
Humans inner cultivation can impact the
development and wellbeing of the world

 Reread the DDJ, interpreting it in terms of

longevity techniques, breathing exercise, and the
parallel cultivation of body and state
Texts supporting new interpretation:
He Shang gongs commentary on the
DDJ
The Huainanzi
The Huangdi neijing (Yellow Emperors
Inner Classic)

 Impacts:
new Chinese calendar: based on ten celestial
stems and twelve branches to form a sixtyyear cycle
Solstices and equinoxes are the high points of
the seasons
A year is divided into 24 solar periods of about
two weeks each which are named after
weather patterns such as great heat, slight
cold, great rain, slight snow etc.
new understanding of human body

 Human body was divided into five key

storage centers of qi
Five yin organs associated with the five phases :
liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

Six process centers of qi

Six yang organs: gall bladder, small intestine,
stomach, large intestine, bladder, and triple
heater (sanjiao)

Energy channel or meridian (mai)

Basic 12 meridians
Governing vessel (dumai) runs along the spine
Conception vessel (renmai) along the front torso

Meridian (energy channel) and Meridian points

Dumai: governing vessel

Runs along the spine

Renmai: Conception Vessel

Located along the front of the torso

 Reinterpreted the Chuci and

the Zhuangzi to expanded the
concept of immortality and postmortem mortality.
regarded xian (immortal),
which was vaguely and
metaphorically mentioned in
the Zhuangzi, as really
existent and palpable entity.

 believed in the existence

of immortal lands where
immortals lived:
Penglai Islands in the
Eastern Sea
Kunlun Mountains in the
Eastern Central Asia ruled
by Queen Mother of the
West (Xiwangmu )

Queen Mother of the West,

Han Stone Painting

Books

produced in Han times

provided biographies of
immortals of old and
hagiographies of Laozi, the
Yellow emperors and other
mythical figures
Liu Xiangs Liexian zhuan
was the most famous

Xiwang Mu: Queen Mother

of the West, Han stone
sculpture

Dongwang Gong:
Lord King of the East

 Searched for and studied further

longevity techniques leading to
immortality
Transformed all qi into primordial qi
Turned this refined qi into pure spirit

The Gymnastics Chart (Daoyin tu) from the

tomb at Mawangdui, Hunan

Body and Mind

Exercises
Intensive
meditation
Trance training
special diet:
e.g., abstention
from meat,
alcohol, garlic,
grains and ate
only limited
fruits
Gymnastics,
messages, and
breathing
exercises

 Organized popular religious groups:

Great Peace
The Celestial Masters (the Way of Orthodox
Unity)

Integrated indigenous beliefs:

Nature gods
Apotheosis of the Five Emperors
Established the Great One (Taiyi) as the
central deity

Han Conceptions of Immortality

Excavations of MWDs Han Tombs a
testimony to the Han conceptions of
immortality
Search for immortality was probably one the
utmost concerns during the Han
Han ruling house was most interested in the
idea of immortality
evidence is abundant in the unearthed Han
tombs

T-shape Banner in the tomb of

Marquis of Dai at MWD #1
was unearthed. Described as
flying Garment (feiyi), the
funerary banner, which shows
Han conceptions of heaven,
earth, and man. It was used to
transpose the souls of the dead
to the realm of the immortals
and is the first extant example
which illustrated visually, and
quite literally, the route of the
soul (or souls).

The corpse of Licans wife, Lady Xin Zhui,

was unearthed in 1972 at MWD 1. When
unearthed, the body remained soft, skin tissue
tender and elastic, and retained certain degree
of moisture. Visceral organs were all intact.
138 sweet melon seeds remained in her
esophagus, stomach, and intestines.

Feathered men depicted in Han

murals

Organized Daoism
The Great Peace School: based on a
series of texts called Scripture of Great
Peace
Religious practices included
Observed dietary abstentions from alcohol and
meat
Undertook meditation exercise known as
guarding the one (shouyi)
Worshiped ancestral, natural, and heavenly
spirits

The Celestial Masters School:

the Way of Five Pecks of Rice
Religious practices
included:
Believed that the
Lord Dao was the
creator god and
represented the
center of creation

Concocted a celestial
administration featured
the Three Bureaus
(sanguan) celebrated at
major festivals called the
Three Primes (sanyuan)
Recited DDJ and
followed precepts: basic
nine precepts, middle
nine precepts, highest
nine precepts (pp.72-73)

The basic nine

precepts:
Do not strongly pursue
riches and honor
Do not do evil
Do not set yourself many
taboos and avoidances
Do not pray or sacrifice to
demons or the spirits of the
dead
Do not strongly oppose
anyone
Do not consider yourself
always right

Do not quarrel with

others over what is right
and wrong; if you get into
a debate, be the first to
concede
Do not praise yourself as
a sage of great fame
Do not take delight in
soldiering

 Celebrated the
Three Primes and
major community
events with
banquets known as
kitchen-feast
(chu)
Wine flowed,
animals were
slaughtered

Harmonization
of Qi (heqi)

Talismans (fu)

 Use of talismans to ward off demons

Ritual incantation involved the use the
mantra: jiji ru lling (swiftly, swiftly, in
accordance with statutes and
ordinances)
Healing undertaken through ritual and
magic; other measures, such as
acupuncture, herbs, and other medical
treatment were not allowed

Celestial Master Zhang and His Temple

First Celestial Masters Temple at

Heming Mountain (Crane-Cry)

Celestial Master
Zhang, Woodblock,
Ming Dynasty.

Daoist Temple Long Hu shan

(Dragon and Tiger Mountain