The Daoist religious tradition consists of many different Daoist lineages (daopai
道派). The Daoist concern for lineage follows a traditional Chinese emphasis on family
and genealogy. Some Daoist lineages accept actual ancestral associations, while
others completely replace biological genealogies with spiritual ones. From a Daoist
perspective, lineage is about origins and reverence, about one source of connection.
Historically speaking, Daoist lineages go back to the earliest inner cultivation
lineages of the Warring States period (480-222 BCE), as expressed in the texts of
classical Daoism and documented in the inner chapters of the Zhuangzi 莊子 (Book of
Master Zhuang). The later lineages or schools of organized Daoism were most often
formed through a revelation from a specific deity or deities to the recognized founder.
Major figures include Zhang Daoling 張道陵(fl. 140 CE) and Tianshi 天師(Celestial Masters),
Yang Xi 楊羲 (330-386?) and the Xu 許 brothers and Shangqing 上清(Highest Clarity), Ge
Chaofu 葛巢甫 (fl. 390s) and Lingbao 靈寶(Numinous Treasure), Wang Chongyang 王重陽 (1113-1170)
and Quanzhen 全真(Complete Perfection), and so forth.
In contemporary Daoism, there are many distinct lineages. These are usually sub-traditions
of Zhengyi 正一 (Orthodox Unity) or Quanzhen. The former is a householder movement,
while the latter tends to be monastic. Some major modern lineages include the following:
Huashan 華山 (Mount Hua). This lineage is traditionally associated with Chen Tuan 陳摶
(Xiyi 希夷 ; d. 989) and Hao Datong 郝大通 (Guangning 廣寧 [Expansive Serenity]; 1140-1212),
one of the first-generation Quanzhen adepts. The Huashan lineage may have been formally
established by Hao's disciple He Zhizhen 賀志貞 (fl. 13th c.). Its source-location is
the famous Mount Hua, the western marchmount located near Huayin, Shaanxi. Drawing
inspiration from its mountain namesake, the Huashan lineage emphasizes self-cultivation,
expansive consciousness, and being carefree. Outside of China, certain Qigong forms
have been identified as originating at Huashan, though the authenticity of such associations
remains an open question. The 100-character Huashan lineage poem (paishi 派 詩) is
found under the name of Hao in the Quanzhen liturgy.
Longmen 龍門 (Dragon Gate). This lineage is traditionally associated with Qiu Chuji
邱處機 (Changchun 長春 [Perpetual Spring]; 1148-1227), one of the first-generation Quanzhen
adepts. It was formally established in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) by Wang Changyue
王常月 (Kunyang 崐陽;[Paridisical Yang]; 1622-1680) at Baiyun guan 白雲觀 (White Cloud Monastery;
Beijing). As a Quanzhen lineage, Dragon Gate is a monastic movement in mainland China,
but tends to be a householder or lay movement outside of that region. In mainland
China, Dragon Gate is characterized by formal ordination rites and its emphasis on
precept study and application, especially the texts compiled by Wang Changyue. The
100-character Longmen lineage poem (paishi 派 詩) is found under the name of Qiu in
the Quanzhen liturgy. Many self-identified Pacific Rim Longmen communities originated
in spirit-medium cults in southern China, rather than through direct connection
with the monastic lineage. There are also many sub-lineages of Longmen.
Wudang 武當 (Mount Wudang). This lineage is associated with Mount Wudang near Shiyan,
Hubei. It is most well-known for the so-called Wudang internal martial arts, comparable
to Shaolin Gongfu. The Wudang lineage traces itself to the pseudo-historical Zhang
Sanfeng 張三丰 (fl. 1380?), and the mountain itself is considered the home of the martial
deity Zhenwu 真武 (Perfected Warrior), also known as Xuanwu 玄武 (Mysterious Warrior).
Although critical historical scholarship has shown that the Wudang account of the
origin of Chinese internal martial arts is a construction, the modern Wudang lineage
does emphasize lineage-specific martial arts. These practices, at least in name,
have been disseminated throughout the modern world.
Zhengyi 正一 (Orthodox Unity). Zhengyi Daoism is associated with the early Celestial
Masters movement of the second century CE, though the lineage was broken and then
reconstituted during the Tang dynasty (618-907). In its strict form, it recognizes
the Celestial Master, a patrilineal descendent of Zhang Daoling 張道陵 (fl. 142 CE?),
as its highest religious leader (currently Zhang Jiyu 張繼禹, the 65th Celestial Master).
In the contemporary movement, Zhengyi tends to be village-based, householder communities
wherein specific family lineages play the key role. Zhengyi communities tend to revolve
around a head priest, the male head of a family, and his assistants. Modern Zhengyi
lineages often pass from father to son or to other relatives. Zhengyi communities
exist throughout mainland China as well as in rural Taiwan. The primary form of religious
activity is ritual performed for the benefit of a specific patron, family or community.
Non-affiliatied Family Lineages. With the dissemination of Daoism throughout the
larger Chinese cultural sphere (Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand), Pacific
Rim, and global Chinese diaspora community, there are family-specific Daoist lineages
without clear affiliations with Quanzhen or Zhengyi.
There are also a variety of very recent lineages with unclear histories and connections.
It should be recognized that one also finds a rhetoric of "lineage", "mastery", "secrecy"
and "tradition" at work in popular Western constructions and marketing of Daoism.
The latter unfortunately includes some unethical Chinese teachers and their intellectual
heirs who rely on general ignorance and Orientalist legacies to secure financial
support.
