Zhao Daojian赵道坚

Style & Daoist names

given name Jiugu, courtesy name Daojian, sobriquet Xujing, First-Generation Vinaya Master of the Longmen Lineage (venerated by later generations)

Period

Jin–Yuan

Dates

1163 — 1221

School

Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism, Longmen (Dragon Gate) Lineage of Quanzhen

Role

Transmitter of the Longmen LineagePrecept Master (Lüshi)

Birthplace

Tanzhou (present-day Miyun, Beijing)

Places of activity

White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan), Beijing

Life

Zhao Daojian, originally named Jiugu, was a Quanzhen priest and a disciple of Qiu Chuji. In 1220 he accompanied Qiu Chuji on his journey to the west, and died of illness en route at Sailan (in present-day Kazakhstan), the only one of the eighteen disciples on the western journey who did not return; his story is recorded in the Journey to the West of the Perfected Changchun. From the early Qing onward, the precept-transmission (lüzong) lineage of the Longmen school has posthumously honored him as the "first-generation precept master of Longmen," holding that Qiu Chuji transmitted the precept methods to Zhao Daojian, from which the Longmen "precept lineage" of transmission was formed. This account first appears in Qing-dynasty Longmen texts such as Wang Changyue's Bojian (Mirror of the Alms Bowl); scholars (such as Chen Yuan and Monica Esposito) generally regard it as a later construction, and hold that historically Zhao Daojian was merely one of the disciples who accompanied Qiu Chuji. Nevertheless, as the starting point of the Longmen lineage, he holds symbolic significance in the narrative of Daoist history.

Contributions & Influence

• Accompanied Qiu Chuji on his journey to the west and died along the way
• Posthumously honored by the Qing-dynasty Longmen school as its first-generation precept master, becoming the starting point of the Longmen ordination lineage
• His story is among the historical materials on the western journey preserved in the Journey to the West of the Perfected Changchun

Legends

The Longmen school's account that "Zhao Daojian received the precepts as first-generation precept master" is a later retrospective claim, not reliable historical fact.