Wudang Daoism武当道

Also known as

Wudang School, Wudang Daoism, Zhenwu Dao, Xuanwu Dao

Type

Daoist Schools

Period

Yuan and Ming to the present

Founded

Daoist priests had already settled on the mountain by the Tang and Song; it flourished in the Yuan, and was firmly established after the massive construction of Daoist temples on Wudang from the tenth to the sixteenth year of Yongle of the Ming (1412–1418)

Founder

Zhang Shouqing, Zhang Sanfeng

Region

Wudang Mountains, Junzhou, Hubei (present-day Danjiangkou)

Ancestral seat

Wudang Mountains

Status

Extant — Mount Wudang is today one of the principal places of practice of the Longmen Lineage of Quanzhen; the Wudang Mountain Taoist Association is established there, and temples such as Zixiao Palace and Taihe Palace are open to the public; Wudang martial arts and Daoist music are widely disseminated at home and abroad, and many martial arts and health-cultivation groups in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas identify themselves as belonging to the "Wudang school."

Overview

Wudang Daoism refers to the Daoist tradition centered on Mount Wudang in Hubei and on the cult of Zhenwu (the Dark Emperor of Heaven); historically it was not a single school but rather the confluence at Mount Wudang of Daoist priests from the Quanzhen, Zhengyi, Qingwei, Jingming, and other traditions, later commonly called the "Wudang school." Mount Wudang already had the Wulong Shrine in the Tang dynasty; the cult of Zhenwu arose in the Song, and in the Yuan the mountain became a "Wudang blessed land"; the Quanzhen Daoists Wang Zhenchang and Lu Dayou entered the mountain, and Zhang Shouqing (1253–1336?), who practiced Quanzhen, Qingwei, and Zhengyi together, built Nanyan Palace and became the founder of the "Wudang Qingwei Lineage"; the Yuan court conferred on him the title "Perfected who Embodies the Mystery and Responds Wondrously, of Great Harmony," and Wudang Daoism flourished greatly. The Yongle Emperor of the Ming attributed the success of the Jingnan campaign to the protection of Zhenwu, and in the tenth year of the Yongle era (1412) sent the Marquis of Longping, Zhang Xin, and the Commandant-Escort, Mu Xin, to lead over 300,000 troops and laborers in a great construction project at Wudang; over six years they built a complex of nine palaces, eight abbeys, and thirty-three other structures, and the emperor bestowed on Wudang the title Mount Taihe, the Great Marchmount, ranking it above the Five Marchmounts; he also established the office of Overseer of Daoist Clergy, selecting Daoist priests from across the country to fill it, and Wudang Daoism entered its period of greatest flourishing; at the same time the court repeatedly sought out the Daoist Zhang Sanfeng without success, and his legend became closely bound up with Wudang. In the Ming dynasty, Wudang Daoism was predominantly Zhengyi, with Quanzhen also present; in the Qing it gradually declined, while Longmen-Lineage Quanzhen priests increased in number, and Wudang became an important place of practice for the Longmen Lineage. Wudang Daoism is distinguished by its cult of Zhenwu, Qingwei Thunder Rites, Internal Alchemy cultivation, and health-preserving martial arts (Wudang boxing, taiji, and so on, associated with the legend of Zhang Sanfeng). In 1994 the ancient building complex of Mount Wudang was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Daoism at Mount Wudang is dominated by the Longmen Lineage of Quanzhen; the Wudang Mountain Taoist Association is headquartered at Zixiao Palace, and Wudang martial arts and Daoist music are also listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Core Doctrine

It takes the Great Emperor Zhenwu (the Dark Emperor of Heaven, Celestial Worthy Who Quells Demons) as its principal deity, regarding Wudang as the place where he cultivated the truth and ascended to heaven; it merges Quanzhen quiet cultivation of Internal Alchemy, Qingwei Thunder Rites, and Zhengyi retreat and offering ritual, advocating equal emphasis on the dual cultivation of nature and life and on saving the world and protecting the state; the Ming dynasty emphasized the official theology of Zhenwu's protection of the imperial line, while the Zhang Sanfeng tradition promoted the syncretism of the Three Teachings and "expressing the Dao through martial arts."

Practice & Ritual

Pilgrimage and retreat-and-offering rites for Zhenwu (especially flourishing on the ninth day of the ninth month, the day of Zhenwu's ascension, and the third day of the third month, his birthday); Qingwei Thunder Rites and Zhengyi ritual; Quanzhen morning and evening liturgy and quiet sitting in Internal Alchemy; Wudang martial arts (the internal-family boxing styles of taiji, xingyi, bagua, and so on, traced back to Zhang Sanfeng) and Daoyin health practices; Daoist music (the Wudang mode). Contemporary Wudang martial arts have become an internationally recognized cultural symbol.

Transmission

Reclusive Daoist practitioners of the Tang and Song → Wang Zhenchang and Lu Dayou of Quanzhen and Zhang Shouqing (who practiced Qingwei, Quanzhen, and Zhengyi together) in the Yuan → the legend of Zhang Sanfeng and officially appointed Daoist officials of the Ming (Sun Biyun, Ren Ziyuan, and others) → Xu Benshan of the Longmen Lineage in the Qing (into the Republican era) → the contemporary Wudang Mountain Taoist Association (predominantly Longmen Quanzhen). Within the Wudang tradition there are also sub-branches such as the Sanfeng Lineage, the Qingwei Lineage, and the Longmen Lineage.

Key Scriptures

Key Figures

Principal Temples