The Immortal Taoism 神仙道教

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, based on the early Taoism of the late Han Dynasty, small Taoist groups organized freely by masters and disciples emerged. These groups engaged in self-cultivation for the purpose of achieving immortality, and were thus called Immortal Taoism.

Immortal Taoism originated from the Fangxian Dao (Dao of Preserving Health and Immortality) of the Warring States period. With "achieving longevity and immortality" as its doctrine, it was characterized by the study of certain techniques aimed at pursuing longevity and immortality. It adopted a secret way of preaching where immortal prescriptions and Taoist books were passed down only between masters and disciples. Its religious groups generally consisted of the leader's believers and relatives, managed independently by the leader, and maintained the tradition of immortal practitioners.

Unlike Buddhism, which had strict management forms and a system of monk officials, Immortal Taoism had no distinction between monastic and lay Taoists. It only emphasized the master-disciple inheritance rather than Taoist ranks, and religious groups and sects were not subordinate to each other. After the failure of the Yellow Turban Uprising in the late Han Dynasty, Tianshi Dao (Celestial Master Taoism) split and expanded into the upper gentry society, leading to the formation of Immortal Taoism. At that time, recluses in mountains and immortal practitioners were obsessed with cultivating immortality, gathering disciples to preach, and forming Taoist groups of various sizes in famous mountains and sacred caves across the country. For example, the group of over 50 people led by Zheng Yin, the group of Ge Xuan, and the group of Ge Hong in Luofu Mountain were collectively referred to as the Immortal Taoism of the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

The teaching and scripture transmission of Immortal Taoism in the Wei and Jin Dynasties required strict religious rituals such as establishing altars and taking oaths, along with rigorous Taoist precepts and procedures for fasting and sacrificial ceremonies. Its religious quality was a level higher than that of folk witchcraft and ghost Taoism. The formation of Immortal Taoism marked the elevation of Taoism from ghost Taoism to immortal Taoism, with gentry intellectuals becoming the leaders of the religious groups.

Immortal Taoism served as a transitional bridge between the early Taoism of the late Han Dynasty and the mature church-style temple Taoism of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the tradition of Immortal Taoism continued. For instance, the immortal Taoists, recluse Taoists, and groups refining elixirs in the Tang Dynasty, as well as later groups specializing in inheriting the secrets of internal and external alchemy, all carried the legacy of Immortal Taoism. In the history of Taoism, the master-disciple inheritance systems of figures such as Sun Simiao, Liu Mi, Lü Dongbin, Zhang Boduan, and Bai Yuchan, who practiced alchemy and cultivated Taoism, can also be classified under Immortal Taoism.