The Dragon Gate sect ( 龍門派 Lóngmén pài) of the Complete Reality School ( 全真派 Quánzhēn pài) of

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

incorporates elements of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...

into a comprehensive form of Taoism. Complete Reality Taoism is generally divided into two main traditions, Southern and Northern. The Dragon Gate sect is an offshoot of the Northern school. Its spiritual descent is traced to the thirteenth-century master Qiu Chang-chun (also known as Qiu Chuji), who was one of the original seven disciples of Wang Chongyang. Chang-chun means "Eternal Spring". Genghis Khan appointed Chang-chun overseer of all religions in China, and the Dragon Gate sect thus played a critical role in the conservation of the Han Chinese culture.

Dragon Gate priests

The 7th generation Dragon Gate priest and abbot of White Cloud Monastery in Beijing, Wang Changyue (王常月), could be considered the renaisseur of Dragon Gate Taoism. He authored the Dragon Gate's Core Teachings (龙门心法), the Altar Scripture of the Jasper Garden (碧园坛经), the Precepts and Statutes of the Initial Truth (初真戒律) and the no longer extant Alm's-Bowl Mirror (钵鉴). The 11th generation Dragon Gate priests Min Yi-De (闵一得) combined three religions (Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism) together to develop the "Dragon convenience methods". The principle is "learn from Buddhism, to comply with the precepts, diligently practice inner alchemy arts", so that the Dragon Gate branch became thriving. Dragon Gate is currently the largest existing Taoism branch in the world. After the decline of the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

and the establishment of People's Republic of China, which included the devastating destruction of religions during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, people's understanding of Taoism became more limited to the type of Taoism practiced in the temples located in major urban centers.

Prominent Dragon Gate Temples

* White Cloud Temple, Beijing * Ching Chung Koon, Hong Kong * Fung Ying Seen Koon, Hong Kong

References

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External links

Longmen School in Wudang Mountains

The Five Immortals Temple in the Wudang Mountains
Taoist schools