The Ganjun Dao 干君道
Paul PengShare
Ganjun Dao
Ganjun Dao, also erroneously referred to as Yujun Dao, was a Taoist group formed during the Wei and Jin dynasties by Taoists who claimed to be followers of Gan Ji, a prominent Taoist master of the Han Dynasty.
Yu Ji was a transmitter of The Scripture of Great Peace (Taiping Jing). In later Taoist texts, his name was sometimes miswritten as "Yu Ji." The Book of the Later Han·Biography of Xiang Kai records: "Initially, during the reign of Emperor Shun, Gong Chong of Langya went to the imperial court and presented 170 volumes of a divine book that his teacher Gan Ji had obtained by the springs of Quyang."
The Pearls of the Immortal Garden (Xianyuan Bianzhu), in its middle volume, quotes Biographies of Immortals (Shenxian Zhuan): "What Yu Ji received was The Scripture of Great Peace. Practicing its teachings led to quick recovery from illnesses. He expounded on this scripture atop a high peak in Diaotai Township, Shangyu, expanding it into 170 volumes. Today, Yuxi (Gan’s Stream) on Taiping Mountain still exists as a testament."
Gan Ji propagated the early Taoist text The Scripture of Great Peace, attracting many followers. His successors instructed believers to read Taoist scriptures, burn incense, and cure illnesses using talisman-infused water, thus forming a religious community known as Ganjun Dao. Even during the Three Kingdoms period, there were still preachers who spread teachings in Gan Ji’s name.
According to The Records of the Three Kingdoms·Biography of Sun Ce, annotated with Accounts of the Regions South of the Yangtze (Jiang Biao Zhuan): "At that time, there was a Taoist named Yu Ji from Langya, who first resided in the east and traveled between the Wu and Kuaiji regions. He established a hermitage, burned incense, read Taoist scriptures, and prepared talismanic water to treat illnesses; many people in Wu and Kuaiji followed him."
After Yu Ji was killed, "there were still those in the world who practiced Ganjun Dao" (quoted from Biographies of Cavern Immortals (Dongxian Zhuan) in The Seven Slips of a Cloudy Satchel (Yunji Qiqian)). This indicates that Yujun Dao had a large number of followers in the Eastern Wu kingdom. It was likely a folk Taoist sect that evolved from the Way of Great Peace (Taiping Dao) after the failure of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is one of the curators of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
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