Way of the Celestial Master

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The first Celestial Master Zhang Daoling

The Way of the Celestial Master (Simplified Chinese:天师道, Traditional Chinese: 天師道, pinyin: tianshidao) is a Chinese Daoist movement that was founded by Zhang Daoling in 142 CE. At its height, the movement controlled a theocratic state in Sichuan.

1 History
2 Significance
3 References

[edit] History

In 142 CE, Laozi appeared to Zhang Daoling, and commanded him to rid the world of decadence and establish a new state made out of the ‘chosen people.’ Zhang became the first Celestial Master, and began to spread his newly-founded movement throughout the province of Sichuan. The movement was initially called the Five Pecks of Rice, because each person wishing to join was required to donate five bushels of rice. The movement spread rapidly, particularly under his son Zhang Heng, and his grandson, Zhang Lu. Their rebellion against the Han dynasty is known as the Five Pecks of Rice Rebellion. They founded a theocratic state in Sichuan that enjoyed full independence. In 215, Zhang Lu, submitted to Cao Cao, the ruler of the Wei Kingdom. Despite giving up his state’s independence, adherents still joined the Celestial Masters, and the movement survived.

[edit] The Southern Celestial Masters

After the fall of Luoyang to non-Chinese invaders in 311, the remnants of the court fled to Jiangkang (modern-day Nanjing) and established a new state known as the Eastern Jin dynasty. Among the court members who fled were members of the Celestial Masters. There is also evidence that after Zhang Lu’s submission to Cao Cao, numerous adherents fled south from Sichuan. These various followers of The Way Celestial Master coalesced to form a distinct form of Celestial Master Daoism known as the Southern Celestial Masters. The Southern Celestial Masters lasted as a distinct movement into the fifth century.

[edit] The Northern Celestial Masters

Kou Qianzhi, who came from a Celestial Master family, received two visions of Laozi in 415 and in 423. In 424, he brought the work that resulted from these visions to the court of the Northern Wei dynasty. The rulers put his works into practice, and Kou became the Celestial Master of the Daoist theocracy of the Northern Wei. After Kou died in 448, the prime minister, Cui Hao, became power hungry and began to insult the Wei rulers. Unhappy with his insubordination, the rulers had Cui executed in 450, and ended the Daoist theocracy.

[edit] The Celestial Masters Today

While they did not survive as a large scale movement, the Celestial Masters nevertheless endured into the 20th century. In 1949 after the communists gained power in the mainland, the remaining Celestial Masters fled to Taiwan where they still live today.

[edit] Significance

The Celestial Masters were the first group of organized Daoists. Before their foundation, Daoism existed only as a philosophy, and was not religious in nature. Being the first religious Daoists, the Celestial Masters are the ancestors of subsequent Daoist movements such as the Shangqing and Lingbao movements.