Daoist Lineage

Daoist lineage affiliation (daopai 道派) is one way in which Daoists locate themselves in the Daoist tradition. The character pai 派 depicts a tributary. Poetically speaking, the Dao is the ocean, the Daoist tradition is the river leading us towards the Dao, and lineages are branches of that river with their own particular contours and pathways. Daoist lineages are most often associated with specific places, teachers, scriptures, and practices.

Within our community, reverence for the Dao as sacred is our primary concern. We maintain a commitment to self-cultivation and practice-realization rooted in such an orientation. Our religious practice includes respect for the adherents, teachers, communities, lineages, and scriptures associated with the Daoist tradition. If there is a hierarchy, it follows this order of importance: the Dao and its manifestations, our personal and communal practice-realization, and our locatedness in lineage and tradition.

Daoist Identity

Daoist Lineages

Contributions and Limitations of Lineage

Our Lineage

Lineage beyond Lineage