Taoism Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Early organized Taoism === [[File:Chinese Fulu talisman han dynasty 乌程汉简浙江出土.jpg|left|thumb|Han dynasty [[Fulu|Chinese talisman]], part of the {{ill|Wucheng Bamboo-slips|zh|乌程汉简}}]] [[File:Zhang_Daoling.jpg|thumb|[[Zhang Daoling]], the first Celestial Master]] By the [[Han dynasty]] (206 BCE–220 CE), the various sources of Taoism had coalesced into a coherent tradition of ritualists in the state of [[Shu Han|Shu]] (modern [[Sichuan]]).{{sfnp|Nadeau|2012|p=42}} One of the earliest forms of Taoism was the Han era ([[2nd century BC|2nd century BCE]]) ''[[Huang–Lao]]'' movement, which was an influential school of thought at this time.<ref>Eno, Robert (2010). [https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/23472/4.8-Huang-Lao-2010.pdf "4.8 Huang-Lao Ideology".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210134106/https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/23472/4.8-Huang-Lao-2010.pdf |date=10 February 2023 }} Indiana University, History G380.</ref> The ''[[Huainanzi]]'' and the ''[[Taipingjing]]'' are important sources from this period.{{sfnp|Kirkland|2004|p=76-81}} An unorganized form of Taoism was popular in the Han dynasty that syncretized many preexisting forms in multiple ways for different groups existed during a rough span of time throughout the 2nd century BCE.<ref name=":17">{{Cite book |last=Stark |first=Rodney |title=Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief |publisher=[[HarperOne]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-06-117389-9 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=402–403 |author-link=Rodney Stark}}</ref> Also during the Han, the earliest extant commentaries on the ''Tao Te Ching'' were written: the [[Heshang Gong]] commentary and the [[Xiang'er]] commentary.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kohn|year=2000|p=6}}</ref>{{sfnp|Kirkland|2004|p=82}} The first organized form of Taoism was the [[Way of the Celestial Masters]], which developed from the [[Five Pecks of Rice]] movement at the end of the 2nd century CE. The latter had been founded by [[Zhang Daoling]], who was said to have had a vision of Laozi in 142 CE and claimed that the world was coming to an end.{{sfnp|Robinet|1997|p=54}}{{sfnp|Kohn|2008|p=65}} Zhang sought to teach people to repent and prepare for the coming cataclysm, after which they would become the seeds of a new era of great peace. It was a mass movement in which men and women could act as libationers and tend to the commoners.{{sfnp|Kirkland|2004|p=83}} A related movement arose in [[Shandong]] called the "[[Way of the Taiping|Way of Great Peace]]", seeking to create a new world by replacing the Han dynasty. This movement led to the [[Yellow Turban Rebellion]], and after years of bloody war, they were crushed.{{sfnp|Kohn|2008|p=65}} The Celestial Masters movement survived this period and did not take part in attempting to replace the Han. As such, they grew and became an influential religion during the [[Three Kingdoms]] period, focusing on ritual confession and petition, as well as developing a well-organized religious structure.<ref>[[James Legge|Legge, James]] (1911). "Lâo-Tsze". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 194.</ref> The Celestial Masters school was officially recognized by the warlord [[Cao Cao]] in 215 CE, legitimizing Cao Cao's rise to power in return.{{sfnp|Robinet|1997|p=1}} Laozi received imperial recognition as a divinity in the mid-2nd century BCE.{{sfnp|Robinet|1997|p=50}} Another important early Taoist movement was Taiqing (Great Clarity), which was a tradition of external alchemy (weidan) that sought immortality through the concoction of elixirs, often using toxic elements like [[cinnabar]], [[lead]], [[Mercury (element)|mercury]], and [[realgar]], as well as ritual and purificatory practices.{{sfnp|Komjathy|2014|p=26-27}} After this point, Taoism did not have nearly as significant an effect on the passing of law as the syncretic [[Confucianism|Confucian]]-[[Legalism (Chinese philosophy)|Legalist]] tradition.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page