Taoism

=== Ceremonial Taoism ===
[[file:小門震義宮 (20)正殿.jpg|thumb|Interior of the Xiaomen Zhengyi Temple]]
Ceremonial Taoism focuses on [[ritual]] and devotion towards various celestial deities and spirits. The basic belief of ceremonial Taoism is that through various rites, human beings can honor the deities and these deities may then grant them with power, protection and blessings.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=145}} Rituals and festivals can include chanting, offerings, and the reading of scripture.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=145}} These rites are mostly performed by ritual masters who have trained extensively for this role and who may, through their mastery of ritual, intercede on behalf of laypersons.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=146}}

There are various kinds of festivals in Ceremonial Taoism, including "Great Services" (chai-chiao) and Ritual Gatherings (fa-hui) that can last for days and can focus on repentance, rainmaking, disaster aversion or petitioning.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=163}} There are feast days which honor specific deities. 164 Funerals and birthday blessings are a common service.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=164}}

There is a complex and large pantheon in Taoism. It includes various deities classified into various ranks within an administrative structure, at the top of which are the celestial lords (t'ien-tsun). These include judges, heralds, officers, generals, clerks and messengers.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=146, 159}} The main division is between "earlier heaven" deities, who have existed since the beginning of time and "later heaven" deities, mortals who later became immortal.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=147-154}}

146 Key earlier heaven deities include the [[Three Pure Ones]], the [[Jade Emperor]], the [[Queen Mother of the West]], the [[Doumu|Mother of the Bushel of Stars]], the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Bushel and the [[Three Great Emperor-Officials|Three Officials]] (Celestial, Earth, and Water).{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=147-154}} Some key later heaven deities include: Immortal [[Lü Dongbin|Lu Tung-pin]], and [[Guan Yu|Emperor Kuan (Kuan-yu)]].{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=155-157}} Taoists may also honor local spirits and deities, as well Buddhist deities (like [[Guanyin]], [[Amitābha|Amitabha]], etc.).{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=159}}

The largest and most prominent sect of Ceremonial Taoism is the Way of the Celestial Masters, also known as [[Zhengyi Dao]].{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=164}} The patriarch of this sect resides in Taiwan and this tradition performs numerous ceremonies which are often sponsored by the Taiwanese government.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=164}} The training for Zhengyi priesthood, who are not celibate, focuses mainly on learning extensive rituals and liturgy, so that they can perform them flawlessly.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=169}}

Ceremonies are practiced, to a lesser extent, in the Longmen (Dragon Gate) sect of the [[Quanzhen School]] and in the [[Xiantiandao]] sect, though these schools understand ritual as mainly a way to develop internal alchemy.{{sfnp|Wong|2011|p=169}} During the Song dynasty, a popular form of ceremonial Taoism was the Thunder Rites (leifa), which focused on exorcism and protection.{{sfnp|Kohn|2008|p=153}}
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