Chu Jia: Taoist Ordination – Leaving Home for the Dao 出家

Definition

Chu Jia (出家, Chū Jiā, lit. "leaving home") is a term in Taoist practice referring to the formal renunciation of worldly life and entry into the ordained priesthood. The term encompasses two distinct levels of renunciation: leaving the family of emotional attachments (出恩爱之家, Chū Ēn'ài Zhī Jiā) and leaving the realm of conditioned existence (出诸有之家, Chū Zhū Yǒu Zhī Jiā). The concept establishes ordination not as a single act but as a progressive deepening of detachment from worldly bonds.

Classical Sources

The primary textual source for the Taoist understanding of Chu Jia is Jia Shanxiang's (贾善翔) Taishang Chujia Chuandu Yi (太上出家传度仪, "The Most High's Rite of Leaving Home and Receiving Transmission"), a Northern Song Dynasty text that provides the complete liturgical framework for the ordination ceremony. Jia Shanxiang distinguishes two levels of Chu Jia: "出恩爱之家" (leaving the family of emotional attachments) — renouncing the bonds of kinship, wealth, and romantic attachment to pursue Taoist study — and "出诸有之家" (leaving the realm of conditioned existence) — progressing through cultivation to transcend the three realms of desire (三涂, Sāntú) and the three realms of attachment (三界爱, Sānjiè Ài), attaining entry into the nine celestial purities (九清, Jiǔqīng). The text further emphasizes the salvific significance of Chu Jia: "一人出家,九祖沾恩" — when one person leaves home for ordination, nine generations of ancestors receive merit.

Classification

Chu Jia involves a structured ordination process with specific ritual stages: **Paying Homage to the Three Masters (礼拜三师, Lǐbài Sān Shī)** The candidate pays reverence to the Ordaining Master (度师), the Recommending Master (保举师), and the Supervising Master (监度师), establishing the institutional authority that validates the ordination. **Hearing the Causes of Renunciation (听讲出家因缘, Tīngjiǎng Chūjiā Yīnyuán)** The candidate receives instruction on the theological reasons for leaving home, understanding ordination not as escape but as a cosmologically significant act of redirecting one's spiritual trajectory. **Farewell to Worldly Bonds (告别世俗, Gàobié Shìsú)** The candidate bids farewell to parents, the sovereign, ancestors, and friends — severing the four primary bonds of secular obligation in a ritual sequence that marks the progressive release from worldly attachment. **Change of Garb (易服, Yìfú)** The Ordaining Master removes the candidate's secular clothing and invests them with Taoist garments — shoes, skirt, robe, and crown — each item carrying symbolic significance. The candidate receives the Taoist tablet (道简, Dàojiǎn) and the initial precepts (初真戒, Chūzhēn Jiè), becoming a "Disciple of the Ten Precepts" (十戒弟子, Shíjiè Dìzǐ), also known as a "White Slips Priest" (白简道士, Báijiǎn Dàoshì). **Covenant Tokens (信物, Xìnwù)** Upon receiving each set of precepts, the candidate prepares a covenant document written in red ink, recording name, date, and vows. This document is divided in two — master and disciple each retaining half as proof of the ordination bond and as a token of the commitment. Should the disciple return to lay life, the master returns the token, formally dissolving the master-disciple relationship.

Zhengyi Perspective

In the Zhengyi tradition, Chu Jia constitutes the formal entry point into the ordained priesthood, though the tradition's allowance for married clergy (在家修行, Zàijiā Xiūxíng) creates a distinctive structure in which "leaving home" does not necessarily imply permanent celibate monasticism. For Zhengyi priests who do adopt the monastic path, the Chu Jia ceremony as described in Jia Shanxiang's text provides the ritual foundation. Within the context of Longhu Mountain's ordination tradition, the Chu Jia ceremony continues to be performed with the essential elements preserved: the homage to the Three Masters, the farewell to worldly bonds, the investiture with Taoist garments, and the exchange of covenant tokens. The tradition maintains that the Chu Jia ceremony is irreversible in its spiritual consequences — once performed, the ordination merit extends to nine generations of ancestors, a doctrine that underscores the gravity of the commitment.

Related Concepts

• Taoist Precepts (戒律, Jièlǜ): The code of conduct received during the Chu Jia ordination ceremony → See: Sacred Ritual
• Sacred Ritual (祭祀, Jìsì): The broader ritual framework within which the Chu Jia ceremony is performed → See: Internal Alchemy

Source Texts

• Jia Shanxiang (贾善翔). Entry on "出家." In Zhonghua Daojiao Dacidian (中华道教大辞典).