2.

Tang dynasty is famous for having established Lao Zi as her own ancestor putting Daoism on
the highest place. But in fact, Buddhism was even more flourishing during those times among
elites as well as commoners, marking also the emergence of the Chan Buddhism. Different
schools of Daoism existed. Indeed, the relation between Daoism and the central government was
maybe the closest that Daoism has built in its history, it became an official state religion. In one
word, Tang dynasty has been for religion a summit that might have been reached afterward and
represents Chinese religions at its most.

There are different historical characters that it is possible to base on their example in order to
show the kind of relations that were in fashion during that dynasty. Famous daoist masters have
been studied by Russell Kirkland in his PhD. Thesis. The most prominent are of course Du
Guangting, Sima Chengzhen, Ye Fashan, Wu Yun, Li Bai, Pan Shizheng and so on. I will try to
limit myself at the two first ones. Franciscus Verellen wrote a complete study on Du Guangting
with the subtitle: “ffff”. And Sima Chengzhen has been the object of long introduction of the
translation of his scripture Zuowang lun, by Livia Kohn. These two studies will be what this
answer takes some of its reference without forgetting the key monograph about Tang Daoism by
Tim Barrett.

Sima Chengzhen was born in 647 and died in 735 in Wen county in Henan province, 1 he is
taking place at the beginning of a new dynasty, a new period of time and peace. He was the 12th
patriarch of Shangqing school of Daoism which was created during the Dong-Jin dynasty in
Jurong, in the Jiangnan area of China. According to Kohn, Sima did belong to a trend formed of
four Tang daoist masters:

The fully developed system of sitting in oblivion appears in the works of four
leading Tang Daoist masters who were equally ensconced in the official religious
hierarchies of the day, closely involved with the imperial court, and subject
to the vision of unification and overall integration. They all also had some
contact with Buddhism and were conscious of the medical and longevity dimensions
of practice.

1
Surprisingly it is the same place of where the Chen style of taiji quan comes from.
 The earliest among them is Sun Simiao, today venerated as the King of Medicines
who came to the Dao due to illness and, although initiated in the basic
ranks of the integrated hierarchy, remained due to his calling as a physician and
healer. Second is Yin Yin, the editor and commentator of the Wuchu jing and
possibly a relative of Yin Wencao, abbot of Louguan and major player in the
seventh century. The most important among them is Sima Chengzhen, patriarch
of Highest Clarity and prolific author whose work is central to the system
of oblivion. The last of the group, finally, is Wu Yun, initiated and dedicated
Daoist as well as seeker for long life, who is particularly well known as a poet
whose stanzas on ecstatic journeys have become famous far and wide.

Sima has been ordained at the Central Peak of China, the mount Song, under the direction of his
master Pan Shizheng, belonging of the same lineage of Tao Hongjing. His family was also
prestigious one being the same as Sima Yi, minister during the Wei dynasty, and so part of
aristocracy. His father was a high-ranking official. According to Barrett he was convoked not
only at Tang court but also during the short reign time of the Empress Wu Zetian. He later
moved to Tiantai shan in Zhejiang province, taking some distance with the court, living there an
eremitic life.

Another precedent created by Kao-tsung was again taken up when Hsuan-tsung, after
performing the feng sacrifices on T'ai-shan, turned his attention in 727 to the question
of mountain cults. Ssu-ma Ch'eng-chen submitted that the ostensible divinities of the
five holy mountains worshipped by the state hitherto were not in fact the true gods of
those places; rather, ceremonies should be instituted in honour of the deities of the
Shang-ch'ing pantheon under whose control these mountains actually lay. In response
to this claim the patriarch was authorized to determine the necessary rituals in
accordance with the Taoist scriptures, temples were decreed for each mountain, and
Taoist domination of this important area of state ceremonial became complete.
This example gave to us a good idea about the political power of Daoism. Contrary to what one
might have thought, Confucians were not in charge of state rituals, and have much less power
than during the Han dynasty. However, even though Daoism got political power, economical one
was more in the hands of Buddhist religion, mainly dues to its well-organized system.

Sima Chengzhen being part of aristocracy can be seen as one of the starting points of the
“secularization” of the self-cultivation practice which were normally kept only in the Shangqing
order circle. This school of Daoism being elitist, Sima according to Livia Kohn pressed by the
need to teach to other aristocrats some of his practices, had to adapt it. That is why he creates a
kind of initiation sets with seven steps.

It is often said that Tang dynasty period was the time when China reach her highest inclusivene
level, which it is hard to deny. Just like Sima who incorporated Buddhism into his doctrine and
practice via the Madhimika school of Buddhism know in Chinese as Zhongguan and its Daoist
adaptation as Chongxuan. But character like Wu Yun, a Shangqing daoist too, was more
offensive toward Buddhism concerning the possibility and the goal. He was advocated for a real
immortality and saying that although Buddhism can lead to some realization at the end it was just
leading their practicionner to become a kind ghost-immortal, which was the lowest level in the
hieararchy of Daoist realization. Maybe it is possible for one to think, from Wu Yun point of
view, a try to englobalize Buddhism just as the Huahu jing and its movement, but from the
otherside it was impossible for Buddhism to welcome it. It will lead later to a continuum of battle
between Daoists and Buddhists until the famous outbreak during the Yuan dynasty when the
emperor of that time suddenly turned from Daoist inclination to Buddhist ones and decided to
burn all of the Daoist books except the “Daode jing”.

I know these descriptions are not sufficient, but Tang dynasty in some way is the surely the time
when the sprout of inner alchemy going from inner gods visualization of the Laozi zhongjing, the
practice and chanting of the Huangting jing, then the Zuowang lun, and finally perharps the
interpretation of the Cantong qi in the scope of inner practice instead laboratory ones. From that
on inner alchemy will reach its peak during the Song dynasty and concomitantly Shangqing and
Laboratory alchemy or waidan will never stop to decline. I think this as matter of fact it is hard to
deny some relation between those two phenomena, and to prove it and expose it in the clearest
way is the mission I have taken responsibility for.
 1.

In order to show the relation between Shangqing school of Daoism and the central
government during Tang dynasty I must in the first place explain how this school was born.
According to Tim Barrett, during the migration happening in the Jin dynasty in the fourth
century, moving their capital from North to South, the Northern aristocracy also brought the
Celestial Master religious movement with itself. By reaction, the school of Highest Clarity or
Shangqing appeared not long time after in the aera of Jurong within the local aristocraty, in
the Xu family and reveal by Wei Huacun, a past of Celestial Priestess through the mediation
of Yang Xi. Using Barrett own words, the Shangqing owed much of Celestial Master but it
put itself as the highest in the Daoist Hieararchy. 2Something he missed to say, it is that kind
of phenomenon happened in Europe, like Prostestant, but instead of being a part of whole
both this one and the Catholics became enemy, which did not happen between the Celestial
Masters and the Shangqing. By this one can see a trend that always existed within Chinese
religions and what makes it specific. After it came the Lingbao school revealed by Ge
Chaofu. Finally, the southern families organized it from the Sanhuang wen scripture, passing
by Lingbao ones and finally Shangqing ones. But in fact, depending on one point of view
Lingbao could be seen as the highest one and Shangqing the second, and vice-versa.

Now jumping directly to Tang dynasty one of the main reasons for the Maoshan success in
the political circles was the need for the Wu Zetian of religious support which could not be
provided by patriarchal Confucianism and Buddhism. Only Daoism was having devotion
toward female figures in their cults. 3 Sacrifices to Xiwang Mu and the mother of Qi were
given. The mother of Lao Zi was honored with special titles, i.e., 先天太后. By doing this,
emphasizing the mother of Lao Zi, it was like putting this last one on the side, which was
originally considered as the founder of the Tang dynasty by the Li family. But finally,
Daoists like the “eternal loosers” once again lost over Buddhists. Those last ones gave a
scripture with some reference to female sovereign and Wu Zetian was able by this means to
establish herself as the first and the only one woman in charge of the highest political powers
during the whole Chinese written history.

2
Barrett p. 12
3
Barrett p.40
 But again, according to Barrett that did not lead to the rift of the Daoism. They were still I
charge of imperial sacrifices in mount Tai, which were done by Sima Chengzhen during the
short time of the Zhou dynasty.

Other aspects that can show the important of the Shangqing school is the implication of
Sima, during the Xuanzong reign, and before him his own master Pan Shizheng, during the
Gaozong reign, in the composition of the music for the taoist rituals. 4 The emperor himself
took part of it. As mentioned before Sima led the sacrifice ritual in mount Tai, he then
substituted the previous deities of the five sacred peaks and established the cult of the the
Shangqing ones instead.

The most important fact that can highlight the status of daoism during the Tang dynasty and
especially the Shangqing school is the entry of the Daode jing as a part of imperial
examination. The place of the scripture will never be even higher by being commentated by
Xuanzong himself, that was something unprecedented for any school of thoughts or religion.
This will lead to the systematic study of it in the different schools in the empire, and result by
the decline of the study of the Confucian ones.

However, that tendency should not be understood as only one way-sided, Daoism gaining
more power for its own agenda. Actually, the emperor by putting in place Daoists in charge
in different part of state rituals was also a better way to have some control on them. Many
monasteries have been built for Daoism during the Tang dynasty, and this can remind us an
identical phenomenon contemporary with us. By doing it just like nowadays, it is a way to
control it. Just like Marx theorized it, by knowing who pays who, it is possible to know who
works for whom. The results on the society was the celebration of the fasting days on the
first, seventh and tenth month of the year.

Later on, the spread of some scripture like the Huangting jing can show us that Daoism has a
large influence on the society. The stated ordinancy of Daoist priests in the ninth century
which was not the case in the Xuanzong period shows also the power that have reached the
religion.

4
Barrett p. 50.