Wang Jueyi

Wang Jueyi (Chinese: 王覺一 Wáng Juéyī) was the founder of the Yiguan Dao "Unity Sect" of Daoism and claimed the 15th Daoist patriarchate (道統)^[1]

Life

Wang Jueyi was born Wang Ximeng (王希孟) in 1821 in Qingzhou under the Qing Dynasty. On account of his orphanhood in very young age, Wang was brought up in his uncle’s family. He had studied Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. Subsequently, he entered the Xiantiandao sect under the training of Yao Hetian (姚鶴天).^[1]

After training, Wang returned to Qingzhou and founded his own temple, named Dongzhen Hall (東震堂).^[2] In 1877, he claimed that God the Mother (無生老母 "The Unborn Mother") passed him the Mandate of Heaven, appointing him 15th patriarch of Daoism (with Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma as the first such patriarch).

The Xiantian Dao sect under Wang's leadership was significantly confucianized; practitioners needed to mainly follow the scripture of the Great Learning whereas Daoist practice such as asceticism and alchemy were cancelled.^[1] The sect had been rapidly spread throughout the country until the Qing governmental crackdown against it in 1883. Many followers of Wang, including his son, were killed during this situation.^[3]

After the persecution, Wang Jueyi lived secretly until he died in 1884.^[4]

References