Historical study of the origin of Chinese spiritualities and subsequent evolution, until reaching the
creation of Yánshèngdào 圣言 道
Origins:
Wuism 巫 教
Wuism 巫 教; literally, «wu religion, shamanism,; alternately 巫 觋 宗教 wū xí zōngjiào),
It refers to the shamanic religious tradition of China. Its characteristics are especially connected with the ancient Neolithic cultures, such as the Hongshan Culture.
The shamanic traditions of China are intrinsic to Chinese folk religion, a general term for all ethnic religions in China.
The Wu masters continue to be important in contemporary Chinese culture.
Various traditional rituals have their roots in original Chinese shamanism: contemporary Chinese ritual masters sometimes identify as wu, although most orders do not self-identify as such.
Taoism also has some of its origins in Chinese shamanism: it developed around the pursuit of long life (shou 壽 / 寿), or the status of a xian (仙, "mountain man", "holy man ").
Meaning of wu
The Chinese word wu 巫 "shaman, assistant", indicates a man who can mediate with the powers to generate things (the etymological meaning of "spirit", "god", or nomen agentis, virtus, energeia)
Shang period
The Chinese religion of the Shang dynasty developed around ancestral worship. The main gods of this period are not forces of nature in the Indo-European way, but deifications of virtuous men. The ancestors of the emperors were called di (帝), and the eldest of them was called Shangdi (上帝, "Most High Lord"). He is identified with the dragon (Kui 夔), symbol of universal power (Qì).
Cosmic powers dominate nature: the sun, moon, stars, winds, and clouds were considered created by divine energies. The god of the earth is She (社) or Tu (土). The Shang period had two methods for coming into contact with divine ancestors: the first is the numinous mystical wu (巫) practice, involving dances and trances; and the second is the oracle bone method, in a rational way.
Zhou period
The Zhou dynasty, which succeeded the Shang, was more rooted in an agricultural worldview. They opposed the ancestral gods of the Shang, and the nature gods became dominant. The highest power in this period was named Tian (天, "the Great"). With Di (地, "earth") that forms the entire cosmos in a complementary duality.
Later the Traditional Chinese Religion was developed:
Traditional Chinese Religion
The traditional Chinese religion everything is true (also known as traditional Han religion or shenism) is the own and indigenous religion of China.
It is a polytheistic religion and with certain elements of shamanism and is deeply influenced by Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.
Currently it is the predominant religion in China and despite this its number of believers is difficult to calculate since the sources vary between 670 million and 360 million, in addition, in the surveys and censuses of the Chinese government, people generally affiliate themselves as Buddhists or Taoists if they are affiliated at all.
Being a syncretic religion, it is difficult to differentiate it from the other more organized Chinese spiritual traditions.
Philosophy
Traditional Chinese religion worships the multiple deities and immortals (神, Shen) that can come from a phenomenon, from human behavior, from the progenitors of a lineage ... Chinese religions have a variety of sources, local forms, founding antecedents and rituals.
Despite this diversity, there is a common theoretical-philosophical framework that can be summarized in four theological, cosmological and moral concepts:
Tian (天 - Heaven), the transcendent source of moral meaning;
Qì (氣), the breath or energy that animates the universe;
Jingzu (敬 祖), the veneration of the ancestors;
Bao Ying (報應), moral reciprocity;
In addition to two traditional concepts of destination and meaning:
Ming Yun (命運), personal destiny or prosperity;
Yuanfen (緣分), "fatal coincidence", meaning good and bad possibilities and potential relationships.
The dual concept
Yin and Yang (陰陽) is the polarity that describes the order of the universe, where;
Yin represents the passive, the feminine and the earth,
Yang represents the active, the masculine and the sky.
The way of understanding Chinese religions differs from Western religions.
Chinese folk religion permeates all aspects of social life. Many scholars, such as the Chinese sociologist C.K. Yang, they see Chinese religion deeply embedded in family and civic life, rather than expressing itself in a separate organizational structure, such as the church.
To participate, the Chinese religion does not require a "conversion" of the believers, but their "association".
Nor is it intended to have faith in dogma. His followers relate to religion through relevance. That is, "belonging" to the local community, a lineage, a people, with its gods and rituals. That is why the Chinese cult does not have a hierarchical structure nor is there a spiritual leader or holy book (as in Catholicism).
The enhancement of 'the local' explains the diversity of religious traditions in China (which, however, also have many common links between them).
Although many scholars point out that it is impossible to make clear distinctions, since the 1970s, various Sinologists have adopted the idea of a unified Chinese religion to define Chinese national identity, similar to Hinduism for India or Shinto for Japan.
Faith
The traditional Chinese religion, in general terms, is a form of polytheism and syncretism that includes the veneration of the ancestors, the worship of natural gods and even stars such as the moon and the sun, drawing from Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism great part of his spiritual doctrine.
In many cases, Taoist saints, Buddhas, and Chinese gods intermingle.
Part of the religion includes Gnostic mysticism performed by specialized men.
Gods
Shangdi (上帝) (lit. Supreme Emperor)
Guan Yu (關羽), god of truth and loyalty
Baosheng Dadi (保生大帝), Great Emperor of life
Cai Shen (財神), god of health and well-being
Hu Ye (虎爺 "Lord Tiger"), a guardian spirit
Matsu (媽祖), the patron goddess of sailors
Cheng Huang (城隍), protective deities
Sun Wukong (孫悟空 ， 齊天 大聖); "The Monkey King"
Tu Di Gong (土地公, tǔ dì gōng), god of the earth
Wenchangdi (文昌 帝 "Emperor of culture"), god of study
Xi Wangmu (西 王母), "Queen Mother of the West"
Yuexia Laoren (月下老人), "Old Man on the Moon"
Zao Shen (灶君 | 灶神), god of cooking
Zhusheng Niangniang (註 生 娘娘 "Goddess of Birth"), goddess of fertility
Guan Yin (觀音 "Goddess of compassion and mercy"), goddess of compassion and
mercy, mother, female Buddha.
Taoism
Taoism 道教; Dàojiào; literally 'teaching the way' is a philosophical tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the tao (in simplified and traditional Chinese: 道; in pinyin: dào; literally: 'the way', also romanized as dao).
The Chinese word 道 tao (or dao, depending on the romanization used), is usually translated as 'way' or 'way', although it has innumerable nuances in Chinese philosophy and popular religions.
Tao is a fundamental idea in most of the schools that are part of Chinese philosophy; However, for Taoism it is referred to as the principle of absolute unity, and at the same time mutable, which forms the supreme reality and the cosmogonic and ontological principle of all things.
Thus, for the Taoists the Tao constitutes the source, the pattern and the substance of all that exists.
origins
The first forms of Taoism developed in the 4th century BC. C., influenced by the cosmological theories of the School of Naturalists (The Traditional Religion) and the I Ching.
The School of Naturalists or Traditional Religion, was a philosophical school that synthesized the concepts of yin-yang and the Five Elements.
Zou Yan is considered the founder.The first organized form of Taoism, the Tianshi ("Heavenly Teachers") school emerged in the 2nd century BC. C. Xuanxue ("deep learning", also "neo-Taoism") was an important philosophical movement influenced by Confucianism, which focused on the interpretation of the I Ching, the Dào Dé Jīng and the Zhuangzi and that flourished during the third centuries to VI d. C.
The most important philosophers of this movement were He Yan, Wang Bi, The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, Ge Hong, and Guo Xiang.
Thinkers like He Yan and Wang Bi focused on the deep nature of the Tao, which they saw as best exemplified by the term "Wu" (nothing, non-being, negativity).
Other schools rose to prominence throughout Chinese history, such as the Shangqing school during the Tang dynasty (618-907), the Lingbao school during the Song dynasty (960-1279), and the Quanzhen school, which developed during the XIII-XIV centuries and during the Yuan dynasty.
Later, Taoism was mixed with elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, and traditional Chinese religion.
The particular form of Taoist religion that was brought to Taiwan in the 17th century is typical of this tradition. The most distinctive feature of current practice is the veneration of ancestors.
Therefore speaking of Taoist deities, it is totally wrong to hint at the influence of traditionalist elements of Confucianism and the religious cult of the mythical beliefs of Asia, both of which were not valid for ancient Taoist thinkers like Chuang Tsé.
Taoist concepts influenced traditional Chinese medicine and different disciplines such as tai chi chuan, chi-kung, and various forms of martial arts. Later Taoist traditions were also influenced by Chinese Buddhism.
Kǒngjiào 儒家 / Confucianism
It is a philosophical system with ritual, moral and religious applications, preached by the disciples and followers of Confucius after his death.
Confucianism focuses on human values such as:
Family and social harmony,
Filial piety (孝, Xiao),
Ren (仁, "goodness" or "humanity") and
Lǐ (禮 / 礼), which is a system of ritual norms that determines how a person must act to be in harmony with the law of Heaven.
Confucianism traditionally holds that these values are based on the transcendent principle known as Heaven (天, Tiān) and also includes belief in spirits or gods (shén).
Confucianism could be understood as a social and humanistic ethic, of a system centered on human beings and their relationships. In Confucianism the emphasis is on formal rituals in all aspects of life, from almost religious ceremonies to strict courtesy and deference to one of the elders, especially the parents.
The tradition developed around the teachings of Confucius (Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kong", 551-479 BC) who considered himself to be the transmitter of the values and theology of the wise ancestors. As for most of their contemporaries, Confucians see the cosmos as something harmonious that regulates the seasons, animal, plant and human life. If this harmony was disturbed, there would be serious consequences. A common example used by Confucianism is that of the bad ruler leading his people to ruin through his conduct.
Ancestor worship
The Confucians were practitioners of a cult that revolved around the worship of ancestors and powers among which Heaven was the clearest. The Lord on High (Shangdi), who is sometimes mentioned, was somewhat more archaic. When it appears in the texts of the Four Books, Heaven is a higher power, which is neither personalized nor so separate from the world. It is not something passive, since commands and actions come from it, but it is not a Judeo-Christian type god. The Lord on High appears as a supreme divinity in the divinatory bones of the Zhou dynasty. Confucian texts, dating back to ancient times, sometimes mention it.
Ancestor worship is of great importance. It implies the belief that the souls of the deceased can benefit or punish their descendants. Its later evolution made it a symbolic civic rite. However, neither Confucius nor Mencius speak of this form of ancestor worship. Another important element in Confucianism is the king or emperor, also called the Son of Heaven. He would be the one who would mediate between Heaven and men. The Chinese ruler has the mandate and with it the authority to perform rites.
Harmony with the cosmos
According to Confucianism, man must harmonize with the cosmos, that is, be in accordance with what is ordered by Heaven. To do this, he must perfect himself through introspection and study. If he succeeds, he will have knowledge of himself and the desires of Heaven, which will help him to develop his Li, which means rites, ceremonies, righteousness, and internalized good manners. Li is useful for developing Ren, which could be translated as "good feelings towards other men." Ren practice assumes the Zhong and Shu virtues, which are roughly translated as 'loyalty' and 'forgiveness', or as 'fidelity' and 'compassion'. If man has Ren, he can easily practice justice, good principles, called Yi.
In Confucianism, Yi is opposed to Li, the latter being of a different tone and spelling than the previously mentioned Li which means rites or ceremony. The Li opposite Yi means profit, profit, which implies a departure from the generosity that Ren demands.
The man who practices the above virtues is a Junzi, a superior man. The term comes from the hierarchical classifications that denoted the nobles and knights. He opposes Shunin, the commoners. However, in Confucianism the term highlights moral superiority, without relation to social origin. The Junzi would be polite and fair, the (virtue) would be inherent in him and he would always be in the Right Middle, which indicated the need for moderation in everything. In addition, the Junzi knows and respects the commands of Heaven, and knows his own.
Confucianism maintains that there are few superior men and that the majority are made up of the Xiaoren, literally little men. They are vulgar men who do not elevate themselves to the best of humanity.
Funeral rites
The death of a person in Chinese culture does not at all mean the cessation of his participation in the common life of the family. There is a relationship between the living and the dead.
The ancestors, apart from giving protection to prosperity at the level of both happiness and the social environment, also provide it at the economic level of the family unit. Apart from this, they give the family the quality of being a continuous line of descent instead of being a single family nucleus.
The Chinese funeral rites are part of the folkloric tradition, an oral tradition of dogmas and doctrines, with a strong clerical past. (Proof is the fact that shamans of early Chinese religions could still be found well into the 20th century.)
Therefore, the Chinese religious system is an integration of several traditional religions, among which we can highlight Buddhism, Taoism or Confucianism.
Metaphysics:
Deep in this doctrine is the metaphysical aspect. The concept li means ceremony that in its common sense is understood as good manners.
The ceremony is the rite that all citizens attend, and they do it to pay homage to their closest ancestors. On the one hand, this concept is made up of the ethical and political dimension; on the other, it aims to "rid" the individual of "problems" lodged in the psyche, or complexes in the unconscious. These are related to psychogenic illnesses, such as hysterical disorders, which are caused by psychological conflicts, mostly unconscious, which in turn are linked to subjective conflict, and these go back to childhood memories. In these relationships the cult of the dead is articulated, as it is the way to liberate or alleviate these complexes of the unconscious. It should be noted that just as the relief of complexes occurs in an individual, it also occurs in social ones when the ceremony is the means by which relationships are effectively transformed.
In the analects a figure appears constantly that is interpreted as if it were a god, a divinity that dominates or orders in some way the social life and individual life of each one under his will, some call him the sky God, others as Confucius just mint Heaven. Well, for him, Heaven is something that is above.
"The sky generated the power I have, what can Huan Tui do to me?"
Confucius did not think of heaven as external to the individual, but that heaven is in himself. That is, it denotes the upper part, the highest, what is above the man, the head (his brain).
«The teacher said: 'There is no one who recognizes me, right?' Zigong said, "why doesn't anyone recognize him?"
The teacher said: “I neither bear a grudge against heaven, nor do I blame man; By studying the below, I have come to understand the above. If someone recognized me, wouldn't it be heaven? ”»
The ancient eastern language is understood and presented symbolically. Confucius's sentence "by studying the below, I have come to understand the above" is understood here as agnihotra: it is on the one hand a Hindu ritual in which a sacrifice is offered to fire; on the other hand, it is an internal fire (as energy) that through meditation is concentrated in the belly, and also by this same exercise rises and reaches the highest part of the body. Within the schools, so to speak, of Eastern thought is present this idea of a fire (or it can also be understood as dynamism) that extends throughout the body and that is related in some way to the harmony of man and the cosmos .
Another concept is also articulated in reference to the ceremony, the concept Shu (to resemble), since this crosses and unifies the moral of Confucius.
"Zigong asked: Is there a single word that can guide us all our lives? The Master replied: Wouldn't it be reciprocity? What you don't want done to you, don't do to others. "
Confucianism methods
The means to achieve the highest excellence or Zhi shan were two: study and introspection, understood as looking within, that is, full knowledge of oneself.
The study of ancient texts and the lessons of the sages and nature is the basis of individual improvement. In addition, it serves as a support for introspection because man must see what is good within himself and develop it. The natural human goodness, capital in the teachings of Mencius, starts from the same principle that the good is found within man and that it must be discovered using introspection. Thus, a superior man will be able to obtain Ren and Li.
Also Confucianism gives great importance to rites. As a way of preserving the mythical past that was legacy, Confucianism supports their continued practice and gives them new values. They were viewed by Confucians as a symbol of hierarchy and power. In addition, they are a method of self-discipline and self-control, by making the individual must do something in a precise way.
The rites guarantee that the society and the State function correctly, since the actions of the government must have order and hierarchy.
The rectification of names
For Confucianism, the rectification of names is the beginning and the consequence of many of their ideas. Its foundation is as follows: words have precise meanings and, therefore, if a thing is called with a significant that does not correspond to it, a mistake is made.
This idea is developed until reaching the topics that most interest Confucians. For example, if a usurper is called a king, a mistake is made, since he is not a true king. The same happens if a legitimate king does not behave like one. This idea is also valid for a father who does not behave like a father, a son who does not behave like a son, etc. Thus, the rectification of names becomes a tool to correct society and prevent it from being deceived.
Junzi
Junzi 君子, p jūnzǐ, lit. "son of the lord" is a Chinese philosophical term translated as "knight" or "superior person" 1 and used by both King Wen of Zhou in the I Ching and Confucius in his works to describe the ideal man.
In Confucianism, the ideal personality is the sheng, translated as wise or sensible. However, wisdom is difficult to obtain and Confucius creates the concept of junzi, which more individuals can attain. Zhu Xi defined junzi as second after wisdom.
Junzi has many characteristics. Junzi can live in poverty; Junzi does more and talks less. A junzi is loyal, obedient, and knowledgeable. Junzi disciplines himself. Among them, ren is the heart of becoming junzi. As the potential leader of a nation, the president's son grows up to express superior ethical and moral positions while he gains inner peace from him through virtue. For Confucius, the junzi supports government functions and social stratification through his ethical values. Despite this literal meaning, anyone capable of self-improvement can become a junzi.
The junzi acts virtuously for himself. His virtue could lead others to follow his example. The ultimate goal is for the government to behave like a family; thus all levels of filial piety promote harmony and the junzi acts as a guide for this piety.
Xiaoren
By contrast, the xiaoren (小人, xiăorén, "little person") does not understand the value of virtues and seeks only immediate gain. The little person is egomaniacal and also does not consider the consequences of his actions. If the president surrounded himself with xiaoren and not junzi, his government and his people would suffer because of his poor vision. Examples of xiaoren individuals vary from those who are permanently devoted to sensual pleasures to those politicians who are merely interested in power and fame; none sincerely seeks the long-term benefit of others.
Moísmo / Mòjiā 墨家
The Moísmo 墨家 Mòjiā literally: 'School of Mo'
It was a Chinese philosophical school founded in the late 5th century BC. C. by Mozi and his students, defenders of an egalitarian society that spreads strict utilitarianism and mutual love between people. It was an important school of thought and rival to Confucianism and Taoism during the Spring and Fall and Warring Kingdoms periods (770-221 BC). It is considered by its detractors as a kind of degenerate Confucianism, which together with the ideas about universal pacifist love promulgates the organization of paramilitary units, the denial of ancestral rites and absolute dedication to the common good.
The main text of the school is the Mozi book. The administrative thinking of Moism was later absorbed by Legalism, its ethics absorbed by Confucianism, and its books were also merged into the Taoist canon, as Moism almost disappeared as an independent school after the Qin Dynasty era.
Moism is best known for the idea of "impartial love" (Chinese: 兼愛; pinyin: jiān ài; lit. inclusive love) .1 According to Master Mozi, people should care equally for all other people, regardless of his relationship with them. Mozi also advocated for an impartial meritocracy in government that should be based on talent, not blood relationships. Mozi was against Confucian ritualism, instead emphasizing pragmatic survival through agriculture, fortification, and the art of government.
In Moism, morality is not defined by tradition, but by a constant moral guide parallel to utilitarianism. For Moism, tradition is inconsistent, and human beings need guidance outside of tradition to identify which traditions are acceptable. Moral guidance should promote and encourage social behaviors that maximize overall benefit.
Like Taoism, Moism criticizes legalism for its idea of absolute submission to imperial power and also Confucianism for its idea that academic education is the only form of knowledge and that only the learned have the right to govern the non -lettered. Despite being an important school in ancient China, Moism did not survive over the millennia and did not become as massive as Taoism or as popular as Confucianism.
Moism was also associated with and influenced a separate philosophical school known as the School of Names (Míngjiā, also known as "Logicos"), which focused on the philosophy of language, definition, and logic.
The sage Mozi was the initiator of Moism. He is a thinker from the 5th century BC. C., and like many other intellectuals of his time, he is an intense moralist, although his disposition is pragmatic and direct. Differentiating himself from Confucianism, which promulgated an ideal of "true manhood", Mozi prefers to "promote the general welfare and remove evil."
Mozi's philosophy constitutes the first alternative of autonomous reflection against the Chinese tradition. The more progress is made in the study of Chinese orthodox thought, the more the intellectual independence of Moism is valued.
It is worth commenting on Mozi's doctrine of Universal Love, which holds a correlation between the greatest thinkable happiness for the greatest number of human beings, insofar as they can “love one another and benefit each other”
The union between Traditional Chinese Religion, Taoism, Kǒngjiào and Monism, evolve and diversify into the Salvationist Religions:
Chinese Salvationist Religions
The Chinese Salvationist Religions or Chinese Popular Religious Societies are a Chinese religious tradition characterized by concern for salvation and the moral fulfillment of the person and society.
They are distinguished by;
* Egalitarianism
* A founding charismatic person often informed by a divine revelation
* A specific theology written in sacred texts
* An ancient eschatology
* A voluntary way of salvation
* An embodied experience of the luminous through healing and self-cultivation, and
* An expansive orientation through evangelization and philanthropy.
These religions are considered by some scholars to be the fourth major Chinese religious category, along with well-established Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
Generally these religions focus on the worship of the universal God, whether represented as male, female or genderless, and consider their holy patriarchs as incarnations of God.
The phrase "Chinese salvationist religions" is a contemporary neologism coined as a sociological category, and which gives prominence to popular religious societies, whose central search is the salvation of the individual and society, in other words, the moral fulfillment of individuals in communities. of meaning reconstructed.
Chinese scholars traditionally describe them as Religious Societies or Folk Beliefs (Mandarin: 民间 信仰) (Pinyin: minjiān xìnyǎng).
These new religions are different from the common traditional religion of the Chinese "han" which consists of the worship of gods and ancestors, although in Spanish there is a terminological confusion between the two.
A collective name that has been in use possibly since the last Qing Dynasty is huìdàomén (Mandarin: 会 道门). Their congregations, meeting points and places of worship are often called táng (Mandarin: 堂).
Western scholars often misclassify them as Protestant churches. The Vietnamese religions Minh Đạo and Cao Dai grew out of the same tradition and movement as the popular Chinese religions.
Within these Chinese Salvationist Religions, the Society of Heaven and Earth stands out:
The Tiandihui 三合會 / Hongmen 洪門
The Tiandihui, the Society of Heaven and Earth, also called Hongmen 洪門 (the Great Family), is a Chinese fraternal organization and historically, a secret folk religious Society in the line of the White Lotus Sect loyal to Ming, the Tiandihui ancestral organization.
As the Tiandihui spread through different counties and provinces, it split into many groups and became known by many names, including the Sanhehui.
History
Scholars of the Republican era generally thought that Tiandihui was founded by Ming loyalists in the early Qing Dynasty to resist the Manchu invasion of China.
In 1964, scholar Cai Shaoqing published the article On the Origins of the Tiandihui (關於 天地 會 的 起源 問題) based on his research of the Qing archives (now known as the First Historical Archives) in Beijing. He concluded that the Tiandihui was founded in 1761 and its roots lie in mutual aid rather than national politics.
His interpretation was developed by his student Qin Baoqi and confirmed by independent research by Taiwanese scholar Zhuang Jifa.
The Tiandihui began to claim that their society was born from an alliance between those loyal to the Ming dynasty and five survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery: Chhua Teck Tiong (蔡德忠), Hong Dai Ang (方大洪), Ma Chew Heng (馬超興) , Ho Teck Deh (胡德帝) and Lee Shih Kai (李 式 開), where they vowed to dedicate themselves to the mission of "Fan Ch'ing Fu Ming" (Chinese: 反 淸 復明; literally, 'Oppose Qing and restore to Ming ').
Present
Taiwan
In Taiwan, Hongmen is legal as well as politically influential; This is not surprising, as Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the ROC, was an important figure within the Hongmen, as was the nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek.
Furthermore, the Kuomintang, or Chinese Nationalist Party, was formed from the Xingzhonghui and Guangfuhui, groups not unlike the Hongmen.
Due to the revolutionary character and mysterious quality of the Hongmen, their future was unclear after the central government of the ROC moved to Taiwan. For a long time, the ROC on Taiwan did not openly allow the Hongmen to operate. After martial law ended in 1989, Ge Shan Tang was formed and began to exchange with the outside world.
Under the influence of Chiang Kai-shek, the Hongmen tried to remain somewhat reserved, but in recent years the organization's activities have been more transparent.
The organization also has numerous business interests and on January 1, 2004, Nan Hua Shan Tang was registered with the Taiwanese Ministry of the Interior.
From the Society of the Land of Heaven Tiāndì huì 天地 会 arises The Society of the White Lotus:
Liánhuā bái shèhuì 莲花 白 社会
The White Lotus Society
The White Lotus Society was born from one of the five branches of the "Heaven Land Society" Tiāndì huì 天地 会, which was formed in the Shaolin Monastery of the loyal Ming.
The Five Branches, known to some as the "Five Ancestors or Five Dragons" 五祖 Wǔ zǔ, were the Black, Red, White, Yellow and Green Lodges.
Therefore, The White Lotus originated as a hybrid movement of Buddhism, Taoism and Manichaeism that emphasized strict vegetarianism; his permission for men and women to interact freely was deemed socially shocking.
Like other secret societies, they covered up their unusual activities as "incense ceremonies."
The first signs of the White Lotus Society came in the late 13th century. Mongol rule over China during the Yuan dynasty sparked small but popular demonstrations against their rule.
The White Lotus Society participated in some of these protests as it escalated into widespread dissent.
The Mongols regarded the White Lotus Society as a heterodox religious Society and banned it, forcing its members to go underground.
Now a secret society, the White Lotus became an instrument of quasi-national resistance and religious organization.
This fear of secret societies continued in law; "The Great Qing Legal Code," in effect until 1912, contained the following section:
All societies that are randomly called the White Lotus, the communities of the Maitreya Buddha, or the Mingtsung (Manichean) religion, or the White Cloud school, etc., along with all those who engage in deviant and heretical practices, or who in secret places have engravings and images, gather people by burning incense, gathering at night and dispersing by day, therefore agitating and confusing people under the pretext of cultivating virtue, will be sentenced.
The White Lotus was a fertile ground to ferment rebellion.
The doctrines and religious celebrations of the White Lotus, particularly its "incense" ceremonies that came to typify them in the popular mind, were fused with the doctrines and rituals of the Maitreyan Society; that produced a coherent ideology among the rebel groups, uniting them in a common purpose and providing discipline with which to build a broad movement, recruit armies, and establish civil government.
A Buddhist monk from Jiangxi named Peng Yingyu began studying the White Lotus and ended up organizing a rebellion in the 1330s. Although the rebellion was put down, Peng survived and hid in Anhui, then reappeared in southern China, where he led another. failed rebellion in which he was assassinated.
This second rebellion changed its colors from white to red and its soldiers were known as the "Red Turbans" for their red scarves.
Another revolution inspired by the White Lotus society took shape in 1352 around Guangzhou. A Buddhist monk and former child beggar, the future founder of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang, joined the rebellion.
His exceptional intelligence led him to the head of a rebel army; He won the people to his side by prohibiting his soldiers from looting in observance of the White Lotus religious beliefs. By 1355, the rebellion had spread across much of China.
In 1356, Zhu Yuanzhang captured the important city of Nanjing (then called Jiqing) and made it his capital, renaming it Yingtian 應 天. It was here that he began to discard his unorthodox beliefs and thus gained the help of Confucian scholars who issued pronouncements for him and performed rituals in his claim to the Mandate of Heaven, the first step in establishing a new rule.
By 1387, after more than thirty years of war, Zhu Yuanzhang had liberated all of China.
He took the title of Hongwu Emperor and founded the Ming Dynasty, whose name echoes the religious sentiment of the White Lotus.
Subsequently, from the White Lotus Society, the spiritual current of the Path of the primordial or Xiāntiān Dào 先天 道 was born:
Xiāntiān Dào 先天 道
The Xiāntiān Dào 先天 道; lit. 'Path of the previous sky', or "Path of the primordial", also simply Tiandao 天道; Tiāndào 'Path of Heaven'; it is one of the most productive currents of the Chinese popular religious Societies.
It comes from the White Lotus Society, characterized by representing the principle of divinity as feminine and by a concern for the salvation (moral fulfillment) of humanity.
Xiantiandao was founded in Jiangxi in the 17th century in the Qing dynasty as a branch of the “Teaching of the Fasting of the Venerable Officers” (老官 齋 教; Lǎoguān zhāijiào), as well as a branch of the Dacheng (大乘 "Great Vehicle") or Yuandun (圆顿 "sudden stillness") oriental proliferation of Luoism.
It has also been linked to the earlier Wugongdao (五 公道 "Path of the Five Lords"), a branch of the Yuan Dynasty of the White Lotus tradition.
The Xiantiandao religions were considered heterodox and suppressed throughout Chinese history; they are still mostly banned in mainland China, but they thrive in Taiwan, where at least 7% of the population adhere to some Xiantiandao derived Society.
The Xiantiandao movement is not limited to only Chinese-speaking countries, with at least one Society, the Tendō (天道, "Way of Heaven" or "Way of Heaven"), active in Japan. [5] In Vietnam, the "Tiên Thiên Đạo" doctrines ultimately influenced the emergence of the Minh Đạo Societies from the 17th century and subsequently into Caodaism in the 20th century.
The Companies that are or have been considered as part of the Xiantiandao current are:
* Guigendao (归 根 道 "Way back to the root")
* Guiyidao (皈依 道, "Path of Return to One"), best known for its
company name of School of the Way of Return to One or simply
* School of the Way (道 院 Dàoyuàn)
* Shengdao (圣 道 "Holy Way"), better known by its incorporated name of
Tongshanshe (同 善 社 "Community of Kindness")
* Yanshengdao (圣言 道 "Path of Truth or the Sacred Word")
* Teachings of Tiandi (天帝 教 "Celestial Deity")
* Yaochidao (瑤池 道 "Jasper Lake Road")
* Yiguandao (一貫 道 "Complete path")
* Haizidao (亥 子 道 "Children's way")
* Miledadao (弥勒 大道 "Great Way of Maitreya")
* Yixin Tiandao Longhua Hui (一心 天道 龙华 会
"Church of the Dragon Flower of the Heavenly Heart Path")
* Yuanmingdao (圆明 道 "Path of the Shining Circle")
History
The Society dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It has been associated with the tradition of the White Lotus, a rebellious Society of that time, especially by anti-society political centers and religious antagonists.
The differentiation of the Xiantiandao sub-tradition from the general field of Chinese Folk Societies is commonly attributed to the so-called ninth patriarch Huang Dehui (1684-1750).
The Yiguandao and Tongshanshe Societies legitimize themselves by tracing their patriarchal lines through Huang Dehui to the mythical patriarchs of early Chinese history.
The patriarchal lines of these two Societies are largely identical until the thirteenth patriarch Yang Shouyi (1796-1828), after whom the lines split and eventually lead to the development of Yiguandao and Tongshanshe as separate Societies.
The other groups maintain a different pattern of linear patriarchal succession.
Common themes
The Xiantiandao doctrine holds that the origin of the universe is Wusheng Laomu (無 生 老母; Wúshēng Lǎomǔ; 'Unborn ancient mother'), creator of all living beings. These children got lost and ended up in the underworld where they forgot their divine origin. The wheel of reincarnation began and the return to heaven was no longer possible.
For this reason, Mother sent a series of enlightened beings to bring Her children back to Heaven.
Dīpankara Buddha (燃燈 佛; Rándēng Fó) was the first rescue.
Later, Gautama Buddha was the second enlightened.
The remaining beings will be saved by the Buddha of the future, Maitreya.
All of the individual Xiantiandao Societies see themselves carrying out Mother's intentions by converting people and guiding them on a path of cultivation and reform that will eventually lead them back to Heaven.
The cultivation that is urged on the members is divided into "inner" and "outer" work (nèigōng, wàigōng), that is, meditation and good works, to accumulate merit and purify the mind.
As the focus is on a primordial deity superior to all other gods, the Xiantiandao Societies claim to represent a Path (Dào) that transcends, precedes, and therefore surpasses all existing religions.
Consequently, a syncretism of characteristics is noted in some groups.
Theological and practical differences
Along with the written works of the founding patriarchs, spiritual writing provides a distinct corpus of scriptures for each individual Society, which develops shared themes in different directions and serves to differentiate the individual group from related Societies.
The variations on the central theme are many: for example, different Societies use different names for the supreme deity, the Yiguandao and the Tongshanshe calling her "Venerable Mother of the Limitless Pole" (Wuji Laomu) and Yaochidao the "Mother of Jasper Lake". "(Yaochimu).
The Daoyuan departs from the common maternal pattern by describing the supreme deity as masculine, naming him "the holiest and most venerable patriarch of the primordial heaven" (Zhisheng Xiantian Laozu).
Despite these and many other differences in liturgy, organization, and doctrine, each Xiantiandao Society ultimately represents a variation on a central theme.
Other movements have moved away significantly:
The movements of the Tiandi teachings have shifted towards a focus on Tian, while Caodaism gives centrality to Cao Đài ("Higher Power").
Among the Societies of the Ancient Heaven Way, Tongshanshe has been one of the most widespread and influential, being the legitimate succession of the Sacred Ancestral Lineage, called Lǚjīn 缕 金 or Golden Line:
Shengdao 圣 道 / Tóngshàn Shè 同 善 社
Shengdao (圣 道 "Holy Way" or "Way of Relics"), better known by its corporate name 同 善 社 Tóngshàn Shè is a Confucian Salvation Society that is part of the Xiantiandao lineage ("Way of the previous heaven").
Among the Ancient Heaven Path Societies, Tongshanshe has been one of the most widespread and influential. Yanshengdao 言 圣 道 ("Path of Truth or Sacred Word") is a branch of Shengdao.
History
It was founded in the early 20th century by Peng Tairong (1873-1950), in the Ruzun style, in Sichuan. [3] The Society attracted the local nobility and in 1910 it was introduced to the Qing court. [3] In 1917, the Tongshanshe was established in Beijing under the patronage of Duan Qirui (1865-1936) and General Cao Kun (1862-1938), who would later become president of the ROC in 1923-1924. .
The Ministry of the Interior supported the establishment of a Tongshanshe branch in each province, municipality and county in China. In the early 1920s, Shengdao had a national membership of more than 1 million. [3] In 1920, a second administrative center, the "Unity Church" (合一 会 Héyī Huì) was established in Hankou, which was to relieve the Beijing headquarters of some of its responsibilities.
Tongshanshe's close alliance with reactionary political circles caused the subsequent Republican government to view her with some dislike, and in 1927 she was outlawed. This prohibition applied only intermittently did not lead to the immediate demise of the Company, but did stop its earlier phase of rapid expansion. It was effectively suppressed only after the communist rise to power in 1949. Today, the Shengdao "enlightenment rooms" (佛堂 fótáng) continue to operate in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Shengdao is still outlawed in the People's Republic of China, but it is still active as an underground church.
Post-1949, Taiwanese and Southeast Asian developments
After the loss of its headquarters on the mainland, there currently appears to be no central governing body that encompasses all the local churches in Shengdao. However, the situation is far from clear, as no extensive study has been carried out on the current state of the Society. There appear to be regional hierarchies in which one Shengdao church, often the oldest, asserts antiquity over the others and acts as a kind of primus inter pares.
For example, the first Taiwanese lighting hall was founded in 1947 and in 1949 created the "Association of Chinese Confucian Studies" (中国 孔 学会 Zhōngguó Kǒngxué Huì). This first room is designated as the "provincial church" (省会 shěnghuì), while its later branches in other parts of Taiwan are called "branches" (分社 fēnshè). The picture is complicated by a schism that occurred in the Taiwanese section of the Society in 1978, which led to the establishment of a competing organization, the "National Association of Divine Cultivation" (国民 修 神 协会 Guómín Xiūshén Xiéhuì).
Singapore is headquartered by the "General Church of the Shengism of Southeast Asia" (南洋 圣教 总会 Nányáng Shèngjiào Zǒnghuì), which is the head of the local Shengdao churches in Singapore and Malaysia.
Praxis
Rituals, sitting meditation, and inner alchemy directly based on the orthodox Taoist neidan are part of Shengdao practice and were widely disseminated among the general population in the 1920s. The Shengdao Press House in Beijing, Tianhuaguan , published books on self-cultivation and morality.
The Tongshanshe participated in charity work and ran traditional learning schools (guoxue) and foreign language courses.
From 同 善 社 Tóngshàn Shè Yansheng Dao 圣言 道 was born:
Yánshèngdáo 圣言 道
History
Yansheng Dao 圣言 道 (Path of Truth or the Sacred Word) is born from the T'ung-Shan She 同 善 社,.
When Xiantian Dào 先天 道, his Patriarch, the 17th, is dissolved. Patriarch Peng Tairong (1873-1950) created The Spiritual Practice Tongshanshe 同 善 社, being, therefore, the only one that truly belongs to the Golden Line since the 1st. Patriarch Emperor Fú Xī 伏羲.
In 1978 there were some divisions in Tongshan She 同 善 社, culminating in a schism.
It is in this period of time that Master Lǐ Yángshī 李 阳 师 has, in parallel, several episodes of Epiphany - fruit of years of devout spiritual practice that led him together with other former fellow Spiritual Masters of Tongshan She 同 善 社, to create a new spiritual practice called by Divine Inspiration: Yánshèng Dào, between the years 1976 to 1978.
Praxis
The maximum deity of Yánshèngdáo 圣言 道, GOD, is understood as Wújí Chuàngzuò 無極 创作 or Wújí Zàochéng 無極 造成 literally Void Creator.
It is venerated with its two main characteristics, as Mother and Father simultaneously.
As the Most Merciful Mother and the Protective Father.
It promotes a simple way of living, dividing the day into four main stages:
Rest, Work, Family and Spirituality.
Yánshèngdáo 圣言 道 teaches that each human being is part of the ALL and that he ALL is GOD, therefore each human being is GOD.
Living through the Yánshèng 圣言 (The Will, The Drive, The Original Idea) of GOD, the human being restores his Original Life, that is, for what he was created naturally, and by effect his own Harmonious Life.
"The tree bears fruit because that is, its Divine Mandate,
The wolf generates a pack, because that is his Divine Mandate.
And the human being must follow the Yánshèng 圣言 of GOD,
to achieve Enlightenment, because this is your Natural state,
and thus, free oneself from the cycle of rebirths, suffering and deaths "
Lǐ Yángshī 李 阳 师
Yánshèngdáo 圣言 道 promotes vegetarianism as a merciful form of love for animals, also Permaculture, fasts, rituals, singing devotional kirtan's, mantras, sacred classes and merciful volunteering.
To achieve the Liberation of Samsara, in the first place is to experience the Truth, as opposed to the Illusory or Mayan Life.
To do this, a series of tools are taught for the practitioner to work throughout their spiritual purification:
. Learning and Reflection on the Sacred Teachings
. Shíbié Lǐ 识别 力 Discriminate according to Ethics - Moral
. Yíngjiē Zhēndì 迎接 真谛 Welcome / go out to meet our
True or Original Essence
. Wú Yùwàng 无 欲望 Dispassion / Uprooting
. (Ránshāo) Kěwàng jiěfàng (燃烧) 渴望 解放 (Burning) Longing for liberation
. Dé Sùyǎng 德 素养 Cultivation of Heavenly Virtues
. Àiqíng Zhōngxīn 爱情 忠心 or the Practice of Devotional Love
Special mention should be made of the Xīnchénsī 心 沉思, a series of spiritual exercises from the Taoist Neigong, which generate the direct experience of our True Self or GOD in us.
Legitimate Heavenly Sacred Lineage
Historical Summary:
Wuism 巫 教
↓
Traditional Chinese Religion
↓
Taoism/ Dàojiào 道教
Kǒngjiào 儒家/ Confucianis
Moísmo/ Mòjiā 墨家
↓
Chinese Salvationist Religions
↓
The Tiandihui 三合會 / Hongmen 洪門
↓
Liánhuā bái shèhuì 莲花 白 社会 / The White Lotus Society
↓
Xiāntiān Dào 先天 道
↓
Shengdao 圣 道 / Tóngshàn Shè 同 善 社
↓
Yánshèngdáo 圣言 道
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