Zhengyi Sect

The Zhengyi Sect is one of the two major sects of Taoism, alongside the Quanzhen Sect, and holds considerable influence primarily in southern China.

The origins of the Zhengyi Sect can be traced back to the late Eastern Han Dynasty, established by Zhang Daoling in the Bashu region as the Way of the Five Bushels of Rice (also known as the Way of the Celestial Masters). Zhang Daoling claimed to have received the “Three Heavens’ Right Law” from the Supreme Laozi and authored 24 Taoist texts, founding the Five Bushels of Rice Teachings on the He Ming Mountain in Western Sichuan. Subsequently, Zhang’s descendants inherited this tradition, ensuring the continuity of the Celestial Masters’ teachings. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Celestial Masters’ teachings underwent transformation and consolidation under figures like Kou Qianzhi of Northern Wei and Lu Xiujing of Liu Song, giving rise to the “Southern Celestial Masters’ Way” and the “Northern Celestial Masters’ Way.” By the Song Dynasty, the use of talismans and ritual practices flourished, and the Zhengyi Sect gradually became recognized as the leading Taoist sect by the state.

The teachings of the Zhengyi Sect center on the concept of “Dao,” emphasizing practice and enlightenment, and aspiring towards immortality and the attainment of transcendence. Its religious activities primarily include talismanic rituals, offerings, and exorcisms. Zhengyi Taoists generally practice at home, do not adhere to vegetarianism, and may marry and have children.

Prominent figures within the Zhengyi Sect include Zhang Ling (Zhang Tianshi) and Zhang Yucai. In the eighth year of the Da De era (1304) of the Yuan Dynasty, the Emperor conferred the title of “Zhengyi Sect Leader, Master of the Three Mountains’ Talismans” upon the thirty-eighth generation Zhang Yucai, marking the official formation of the Zhengyi Sect.

The Zhengyi and Quanzhen Sects exhibit notable differences in their practices. The Quanzhen Sect emphasizes inner alchemy, eschewing external talismans, and advocates for the dual cultivation of life and spirit, whereas the Zhengyi Sect underscores rituals, talismans, and methods for nurturing body and mind, as well as accumulating virtue.