The Quanzhen Dao 全真道

Also known as Quanzhen Jiao or Quanzhen Pai, it is one of the new Taoist sects that emerged in northern China during the Jin Dynasty.

Its founder was Wang Zhe (1112–1170). According to records such as The Stele of the Quanzhen Patriarch, Wang Zhe, styled Chongyang, was a native of Xianyang, Shaanxi. He came from a wealthy and powerful family.

In his early years, he was a Confucian scholar and once passed (or, as some say, failed) the military examination under Emperor Xizong of the Jin Dynasty, holding a minor official position. Later, he abandoned secular life and lived in seclusion. In the fourth year of the Zhenglong era of the Jin Dynasty (1159), he claimed to have encountered immortals in Ganhe Town and received the oral instructions of the Golden Elixir. From then on, he abandoned Confucianism for Taoism and began to establish his religion.

He dug a cave in Nanshi Village at Zhongnan Mountain, named it the "Tomb of the Living Dead," and practiced Taoism there for over two years. In the third year of the Dading era (1163), he destroyed the Tomb of the Living Dead and moved to Liujiang Village to build a thatched hut, practicing and preaching while living there. In the seventh year of the Dading era (1167), he burned down his hut and traveled to Shandong to spread his teachings. He successively accepted seven disciples: Ma Yu, Tan Chuduan, Liu Chuxuan, Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi, Hao Datong, and Sun Bu'er (later known as the "Seven Northern Perfect Ones"). He also established, in Wendeng, Ninghai, Fushan, Dengzhou (present-day Penglai), and Laizhou (present-day Ye County) respectively, the Three Teachings Seven Treasures Society, Three Teachings Golden Lotus Society, Three Teachings Three Lights Society, Three Teachings Jade Glory Society, and Three Teachings Equality Society. At this point, Quanzhen Dao was formally established. Because Wang Zhe inscribed his dwelling in Ninghai (present-day Muping) as "Quanzhen Hall," the religion came to be known as Quanzhen by the world. In the ninth year of the Dading era (1169), Wang Zhe led four disciples back west to Zhongnan Mountain. He fell ill on the way and passed away the following year. Quanzhen Dao is one of the largest sects in later Taoism, with distinct characteristics compared to older Taoist sects:

(1) The idea of the unity of the three teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism) is prominent. For example, the five societies founded by Wang Zhe in Shandong all began with the words "Three Teachings"; it stipulated that the scriptures of the three teachings—the Tao Te Ching, Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, and Classic of Filial Piety—were compulsory classics for Quanzhen Dao. In the poems and essays of Wang Zhe and his seven disciples, remarks on the unity of the three teachings are abundant, such as "The gates of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are interconnected; the three teachings have always shared the same ancestral spirit," "There is no two ways under heaven, and sages do not have two minds," and "Although the teachings are divided into three, the way is one." The integration of Buddhist Zen theories is particularly prominent. Ma Yu wrote in Shenguang Can: "Zen is the sect, Tao is the ancestor." Liu Shouyuan, a Quanzhen Taoist in the early Qing Dynasty, stated in the preface to Xuan Yan Zheng Zhi (Correct Meaning of Mysterious Words): "The Mysterious School (referring to Quanzhen Dao) is indeed close to Zen."

(2) In its doctrines, the idea of renouncing the world is very strong. In the poems and essays of Wang Zhe and his seven disciples, they strongly belittle the value of life, propagating that life is a "sea of suffering," the family is a "prison" or "fiery dwelling," and conjugal love is a "golden chain and jade lock." They urge people to abandon their wives and children, "escape from the cage," see through fame and wealth, learn Taoism and refine elixirs to escape the "sea of suffering."

(3) In terms of the belief in immortality and cultivation theories, it reversed the pursuit of the older Taoist sects for physical immortality and becoming immortals in the present body, instead only pursuing the immortality of the "yang spirit" and "true nature." It holds that the human body is mortal, but only the human spirit can be immortal. Wang Zhe wrote in Jin Guan Yu Suo Jue (The Secret of the Golden Gate and Jade Lock): "Only the single spirit is real; the four elements of the physical body are false." In Li Jiao Shi Wu Lun (Fifteen Discourses on Establishing the Religion), he stated: "Those who desire to never die and leave the mortal world are greatly foolish and do not understand the principles." Liu Chuxuan wrote in Zhi Zhen Yu Lu (Records of Perfect Truth): "All forms perish when they reach a hundred years, but their nature does not die.... Beyond yin and yang, their spirit does not die." Therefore, in terms of inner alchemy cultivation theory, contrary to the Southern Sect of Taoism, it advocates cultivating nature first and then life, integrating life with nature. It regards calming the mind and dispelling desires as true merit, and understanding one's nature and seeing one's true self as the primary task.

(4) In terms of cultivation methods, it emphasizes inner alchemy practice and does not value talismans, forming a unique inner alchemy theory. In terms of religious system and precepts, it stipulates that Taoists must live in temples and cannot have wives or children. To restrain the words and deeds of Taoists, various rules and precepts were formulated, urging all believers to strictly abide by them. All these are quite different from Zhengyi Dao. The development of Quanzhen Dao was limited during the Jin Dynasty. By the early Mongol-Yuan period, with Genghis Khan's summons and favor to Qiu Chuji as a turning point, under the promotion of Qiu Chuji and his disciples, Quanzhen Dao reached its peak. At that time, Quanzhen Dao temples were spread all over the northern provinces, "even in a town of ten households, there must be a place for its worship." This heyday lasted for about 30 years, starting from Qiu Chuji and continuing through the two successive leaders Yin Zhiping and Li Zhichang. In the fifth year of Emperor Xianzong of the Yuan Dynasty (1255), a dispute arose between Buddhism and Taoism over the Huahu Jing (Scripture of Transforming Barbarians). The Yuan court favored Buddhism, and Quanzhen Dao was defeated. Afterwards, the Yuan court ordered the burning of all Taoist scriptures except the Tao Te Ching, dealing a heavy blow to Quanzhen Dao, and thus ending its heyday. Therefore, during the terms of the successive leaders Zhang Zhijing, Wang Zhitan, Qi Zhicheng, and Zhang Zhixian, the situation was relatively difficult. After about another 30 years, when Emperor Chengzong of the Yuan Dynasty ascended the throne, the ban on burning scriptures was lifted, and Quanzhen Dao obtained normal development. In the 13th year of the Zhiyuan era of Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty (1276), the south of the Yangtze River was pacified, and the whole country was unified. Since then, Quanzhen Dao, which had spread in the Jin Dynasty, and the Southern Sect of Taoism, which had spread in the Southern Song Dynasty—originally from the same source but different branches—gradually recognized and merged with each other. By the mid to late Yuan Dynasty, the conditions for the merger of the two sects gradually matured. Under the promotion of Southern Sect Taoists such as Chen Zhixu, the two sects adjusted their ancestral worship, and the Southern Sect finally merged into Quanzhen Dao. The merged Quanzhen Dao thus became a larger Taoist sect, sharing the leadership of Taoism in the world with Zhengyi Dao. The imperial family of the Ming Dynasty adopted a policy of suppressing and restricting Buddhism and Taoism, showing some respect for the Zhengyi Sect of Taoism but providing little support for Quanzhen Dao, which then entered a period of decline.

The unified leadership core formed during the Jin and Yuan dynasties (with Beijing's Baiyun Temple as its base) suddenly disintegrated. Under such circumstances, the unified Quanzhen Dao gradually split into many small branches. The main ones are the "Seven Perfect Ones Sects," namely the Yuxian Sect (ancestor Ma Yu), Nanwu Sect (ancestor Tan Chuduan), Suishan Sect (ancestor Liu Chuxuan), Longmen Sect (ancestor Qiu Chuji), Yushan Sect (ancestor Wang Chuyi), Huashan Sect (ancestor Hao Datong), and Qingjing Sect (ancestor Sun Bu'er).

In addition, some Quanzhen Taoists formed the "Five Patriarchs Sects," namely the Shaoyang Sect (ancestor Wang Xuanfu), Zhengyang Sect (ancestor Zhongli Quan), Chunyang Sect (ancestor Lü Dongbin), Liuzu Sect (ancestor Liu Haichan), and Chongyang Sect (ancestor Wang Zhe). The emergence of so many Quanzhen branches does not indicate the prosperity of Quanzhen Dao, but rather reflects its decline. The earliest of them were formed in the mid to late Ming Dynasty, and most appeared after the Ming Dynasty.

During the declining period of Taoism in the Ming and Qing dynasties, only the Longmen Sect, due to the advocacy of Wang Changyue, once experienced a "revival" in the early Qing Dynasty; most of the other sects declined and became inactive.