The Eastern Florescence School 东华派

The Donghua School, a Taoist sect initially branching out from the Lingbao School during the Song Dynasty, was founded by Ning Quanzhen, a Taoist priest active in the late Northern Song and early Southern Song dynasties. Studying under Tian Lingxu and Wang Gu, Ning Quanzhen obtained the talismans and rituals of Lingbao and Donghua traditions. He practiced assiduously, achieving the ability to "communicate with deities, send his spirit to visit the Heavenly Emperor," and later inherited the "Lingbao Mysterious Norms (49 categories), Jade Register Talismans, and Seals" left by Yang Xi, which significantly advanced his Taoist practice. With a large number of disciples, Donghua Taoist techniques became prevalent in the southeastern regions.

The Donghua Sect

Focused on internal cultivation, the Donghua School inherited the ancient Lingbao methods of the Jin and Tang dynasties, incorporated inner alchemy theories, and absorbed various Taoist techniques from different schools. These included spirit ascending and astral walking, visualization and breath regulation, sun swallowing and star stepping, inner observation, ritual prayers and exorcisms, soul liberation and retrieval, corpse refinement for immortality, etc. Unlike the Lingbao tradition, it paid little attention to the Thunder Magic (Leifa) popular in the Song and Yuan dynasties, remained unaffected by Chan Buddhism or Confucian philosophy, and maintained the traditional Lingbao features of saving all sentient beings and excelling in ritual practices.