Page 142 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION

Monasticism

The origins of Taoist monasticism are obscure. The most ancient forms of
organized Taoism did not have a monastic tradition; the Celestial Masters
(*Tianshi dao) emphasized the importance of marriage and the transmission
of their teachings from father to son. In the fourth century, the followers of
*Shangqing tended to remain unmarried in order to be able to devote their
energies to the Dao, realizing that, as Michel Strickmann (I978a, 47I) puts
it, "with the Perfected, a far purer union could be achieved than that vulgar
coupling of the flesh offered either by secular marriage or by the rites of the
Celestial Master." As a result, in their centers of activity (*Maoshan, *Lushan,
*Tiantai shan), married and celibate practitioners lived side by side, following
a regimen similar to that of Buddhist monastics but based on more traditional
Chinese conceptions of religious practice (e.g., abstention from meat to avoid
offending the celestials). The appellation chujia I±l ~(, "renunciant" or "one
who has left the family," was mainly used for those who had resolved to take
vows and leave ordinary family life behind, such as girls determined to remain
unmarried.
A tendency toward a more formal resignation from family life first ap-
peared in the fifth century, probably due to the increasing number of Buddhist
monks and the growing independence of their institutions. *Kou Qianzhi
(365?-448) thus became one of the first Taoists to live like a Buddhist monk
in a quasi-monastic institution, the Chongxu si * m. ~ (Temple for the Ven-
eration of Emptiness). Similarly. in the south, both *Lu Xiujing (406-77) and
*Tao Hongjing (456-536) lived either in mountain centers or in the capital but
did not have families to distract them from their main endeavors. Still, often
their followers were not as dedicated but either remained in their villages or,
as in the case of Tao's disciple Zhou Ziliang JWJ T I3'J. (497-5I6), brought their
families with them to the mountain.
A clear distinction between lay and monastic practitioners and a system of
formal ordination procedures only evolved toward the late fifth century: in
the south, when followers of *Lingbao created sets of Taoist precepts (*jie)
under Buddhist influence; and in the north with the growth and flourishing
of the monastic *Louguan (Tiered Abbey) center. Specific rules and imperial
sponsorship for monasteries began to flourish only in the Tang, when Taoism
was favored at court and many flocked to the religion.