What is Taiyi Dao 太一道?

The Taiyi Dao was founded in 1138 (the first year of the Tianjuan era of the Jin Dynasty) by Xiao Baozhen, a native of Weizhou (now Weihui in Henan Province). It was one of the three new Daoist sects emerging in North China during the early Jin Dynasty (the other two being the True Great Dao and the Quanzhen Dao), and the only talismanic sect among the three.

The Taiyi Dao took Laozi's idea that "the weak is the function of the Dao" as its core tenet. It advocated cultivating one's moral character through the study of Laozi and propagated the Taiyi Sanyuan (Three Primordials) talismanic methods, focusing on prayers, incantations, and exorcisms to ward off misfortunes. "Taiyi" (Great Unity) originally referred to the highest deity worshipped during the Qin and Han dynasties, and also carried the meaning of "the primal vital energy in chaos, the division of the Supreme Ultimate, and the pure unity of the supreme principle". "Sanyuan" (Three Primordials) referred to the Three Officials (Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials) who were believed to control the registers of all living beings, and were especially revered in the early Tianshi Dao.

According to records in Collected Works of Kejian by Wang Yun, the founder of the Taiyi Dao "usually spoke of loyalty, faithfulness, filial piety, and kindness as the foundation of conduct, and never displayed the superficial habits of incense-burning rituals". It was also stated that "the teachings of Taiyi Dao focus on emphasizing human ethics and assisting secular education as their fundamental purpose". This shows that the sect was deeply influenced by Confucianism.