The Maoshan School 茅山宗

The Maoshan School is a Taoist school that took Maoshan (Mount Mao) as its ancestral temple. It inherits the Shangqing School and is also known as the alternative name of the Shangqing School with Maoshan as its development center.

The founder of the Maoshan Sect was Tao Hongjing, the ninth patriarch of the Shangqing School.

In the 10th year of Yongming during the Southern Qi Dynasty (492 CE), Tao Hongjing retired to Maoshan and styled himself "Huayang Hermit."

He inherited the Shangqing scriptures passed down by Yang Xi, Xu Mi, and Xu Hui, diligently searched for the lost authentic handwritten scripts of Shangqing scriptures and formulas by Yang and Xu, and compiled over 200 volumes of Taoist classics such as Zhengao (True Declarations), Dengzhen Yinjue (Secret Instructions for Ascending to Immortality), and Zhenling Weiye Tu (Chart of the Ranks and Positions of True Spirits), promoting the Shangqing scriptures and methods. After decades of painstaking efforts, the doctrines and organization of the Shangqing School gradually improved, and Maoshan became the activity center of the Shangqing School. Henceforth, the Shangqing School was known as the "Maoshan Sect."

After Tao Hongjing, the Maoshan Sect produced numerous talents, and its influence expanded increasingly. It flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties. Most of the most prominent Taoists in the Tang Dynasty came from Maoshan. Distinguished Taoists of Maoshan such as Wang Yuanzhi, Pan Shizheng, Sima Chengzhen, and Li Hanguang were highly revered by the Tang imperial clan. They were often invited to the capital to lecture on Taoism, perform rituals, and had access to the imperial court, enjoying great courtesy. At that time, Maoshan was praised as the "source of Taoist learning under heaven."

In the Song Dynasty, successive patriarchs of Maoshan were often awarded the title of "Xiansheng" (Master) by the imperial family. Its prosperity reached its peak when Liu Hunkang served as the inheriting patriarch. Liu Hunkang once cured Empress Meng’s heart disease. In the 4th year of Shaosheng (1097 CE) during the reign of Emperor Zhezong, an imperial edict was issued to expand his residence, Qianshen An (Hermitage of Concealed Spirits) on Maoshan, into Yuanfu Guan (Abbey of Primordial Talisman).

After Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne, he ordered its further expansion into Yuanfu Wanning Gong (Palace of Primordial Talisman and Eternal Peace), and bestowed upon Liu Hunkang the Jade Seal of the Nine Elders and Immortal Lords, a Jade Sword, as well as his own calligraphy of Duren Jing (Scripture of Salvation), Qingjing Jing (Scripture of Purity and Tranquility), and LiuJia Shenfu (Divine Talismans of the Six Jia). By then, Maoshan had formed the "Three Palaces and Five Abbeys," and "the reverence for the Three Mao [Immortals] had never been as grand as at this time" (Stele of the Ascension of Master Huayang of Maoshan, in Maoshan Zhi [Records of Maoshan] Vol. 26 by Liu Dabing). From the Qi-Liang period to the Northern Song Dynasty, the Maoshan Sect thrived for hundreds of years, becoming the mainstream of Taoism.

After the Southern Song Dynasty, it gradually declined but continued to be passed down, with occasional distinguished Taoists gaining fame. In the Yuan Dynasty, the renowned Taoist Du Daojian had an audience with Emperor Shizu (Kublai Khan), received an imperial edict appointing him to oversee Taoism, and presided over Zongyang Gong (Palace of Ancestral Yang) in Hangzhou.

Later, the Maoshan Taoist Zhang Yu, known for his poetry and painting, enjoyed great reputation in the late Yuan Dynasty. In the 8th year of Dade during the reign of Emperor Chengzong of the Yuan Dynasty (1304 CE), the Shangqing Altar of Maoshan was subordinated to the Zhengyi Dao (Orthodox Unity Dao) of the Celestial Master Zhang. The Maoshan Sect had a total of 45 inheriting patriarchs: the first, Wei Huacun, was called "Taishi" (Grand Master); the second, Yang Xi, "Xuan Shi" (Mysterious Master); the third, Xu Mi, "Zhen Shi" (True Master); and from the fourth, Xu Hui, to the 45th, Liu Dabing, all were called "Zongshi" (Patriarch).

The inheritance of the Maoshan Sect was based on the Shangqing scriptures and talismans of Yang and Xu. After Liu Hunkang received the imperial jade seal and sword, these became additional tokens of inheritance. The Maoshan Sect worshipped Yuanshi Tianzun (Primordial Heavenly Lord) as the highest deity and compiled Zhenling Weiye Tu, a Shangqing pantheon listing both human and divine figures in ranks.

The cultivation theory of the Maoshan Sect was basically formed during Tao Hongjing’s time and matured through the promotion of Wang Yuanzhi, Pan Shizheng, Sima Chengzhen, Li Hanguang, and others. The Maoshan Sect inherited and practiced the Shangqing scriptures, while also studying the Lingbao scriptures, Sanhuang scriptures, and the precepts and talismans of the Tianshi Dao. Its cultivation methods were mainly focused on spirit visualization and scripture recitation, and it also advocated the integration of multiple techniques, combining daoyin (guided exercise), ingestion of herbs, medicinal remedies, outer alchemy, and qigong for health preservation to achieve longevity. The Maoshan Sect produced a vast number of works, surpassing all previous Taoist schools. Maoshan Zhi by Da Changuang of the Qing Dynasty recorded 100 volumes of Shangqing Dadong Baojing 篇目 (Catalogue of the Shangqing Great Cavern Precious Scriptures), 1 volume of Shangqing Ershi Si Gaozhen Yulu (Jade Records of the Twenty-Four High Immortals of Shangqing), 35 volumes of Shangqing Dadong Baice 篇目 (Catalogue of the Shangqing Great Cavern Precious Registers), and 62 volumes of scriptures and treatises written by various immortals.

The Maoshan Sect is an important school of Chinese Taoism. It not only became the mainstream of Taoism during the Sui and Tang dynasties but also developed systematic Taoist theories and organizational systems, making significant contributions to cultivation techniques and ritual regulations. Together with Longhu (Dragon-Tiger Mountain) and Gezao (Gezao Mountain), it formed the "Three Talismans Sects." After merging into Zhengyi Dao, it continued to be passed down as an independent sub-sect, even into modern times.