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Though the first of Taoism’s philosophical texts—Laozi’s Daode Jing—wouldn’t appear until the Spring and Autumn Period, the roots of Taoism lie in the tribal and shamanic cultures of ancient China, which settled along the Yellow River some 1,500 years prior to that time.
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The most important Taoist scripture—Laozi’s Daode Jing—was written during this period. The Daode Jing (also spelled Tao Te Ching), along with the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) and the Liezi, comprise the three core texts of what is known as daojia, or philosophical Taoism.
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This period—rife with internecine warfare—gave birth to philosophical Taoism’s second and third core texts: the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) and the Leizi (Lieh Tzu), named after their respective authors.
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Important Events:
- appearance of fang-shi
- buddhism was brought from India to China (created Buddhist influenced formed of Taoism)
- emergence of Shangqing Taoist (way of highest clarity) lineage (highly mystical form of practice)
- founding of ling-bao (way of numinous treasure) tradition
- the first daozang (the official collection of taoist philosophical texts and scriptures -
In this period we see the emergence of Taoism as an organized religion (Daojiao). In 142 CE, the Taoist adept Zhang Daoling—in response to a series of visionary dialogues with Laozi—established the “Way of the Celestial Masters” (Tianshi Dao).
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No knowledge of any formal Daoist religious organizations was established at this time. The most influential Daoist text, Tao Te Ching, was written and the second most influential philosopher, Zhuangzhi, had existed in this period.
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It is the period when the first successfully organized Daoist religious system was established. Today’s Daoist priests claim to be ordained from the Way of the Celestial Masters.
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Taoism becomes the official "state religion" of China, and is integrated into the imperial court system.
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During the Song Dynasty, Daoism becomes increasingly difficult to separate out Daoism as a religious category from the popular Chinese religious culture as it functions on the ground.
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The abuses of the Ming Dynasty gave rise to a kind of “critical reflection” associated with the Ching Dynasty. This included a revival, within Taoism, of more contemplative practices, whose aim was to cultivate quietude and mental harmony—instead of personal power and occult capacities.
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During the period of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, many Taoist temples were destroyed, and Taoist monks, nuns and priests imprisoned or sent to labor camps. To the extent that the Communist government considered Taoist practices to be a form of “superstition,” these practices were prohibited. As a result, Taoist practice – in its public forms – was practically eliminated, on mainland China.
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Since 1949, Daoism went under a near-total catastrophe. Especially during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), there was a movement to completely destroy Daoism in mainland China. Masters were killed or re-educated to not to believe in Taoism.