Daoism

Overview

Daoism (道家 / 道教) is one of the supreme Three Teachings (三教) of the universe, standing alongside Confucianism and Buddhism. Its founding patriarch is the Dao Ancestor (道祖), a supreme 15th-Realm entity. While Confucianism emphasizes worldly governance and moral order in the Haoran Heaven, Daoism pursues absolute purity, detachment, and harmony with the fundamental mechanics of the universe.

The institutional and political heart of Daoism is Bai Yujing (白玉京), the supreme Daoist institution that exercises absolute, hierarchical control over the Qingming Heaven (青冥天下). Through its vast network of Daoist officials, celestial masters, and mountain lineages, Daoism exerts profound influence across multiple worlds, producing countless techniques spanning alchemy, divination, thunder magic, and talisman crafting.

Core Philosophy

The "One" and the "Dao"

The foundational philosophy of Daoism stems from the Dao Ancestor's ancient encounters with the primordial origin of the universe. In ancient times, the Dao Ancestor sought and personally witnessed the absolute origin point—the "One" (一)—a total of three times, observing the earliest operations of the Great Dao. Because this origin was ungraspable and beyond ordinary conceptualization, he forcefully named it the "Dao" (道), establishing the famous Daoist principle that "Three produces all things" (三生万物).

Purity and Emptiness

Daoism fundamentally pursues a state of purity (清净) and advocates for "emptying oneself" (虚己). The doctrine posits that if all people in the world could remain pure and free of worldly desires, humanity would naturally enjoy a peaceful and enduring golden age.

However, this elevated pursuit presents a practical dilemma in the mortal realm. As observed by perceptive scholars like Liu Jinglong, the Dao Ancestor's Dao is exceedingly high. In a world where the masses' minds are opened but their wisdom is incomplete, people often resort to cunning and selfish calculations. Under such circumstances, the pure Dao becomes difficult to implement practically, sometimes rendering Daoist magic "empty" or ineffective at solving fundamental human conflicts.

Cultivation and Practice

Daoist cultivation encompasses a vast array of esoteric methods designed to refine the mind and body toward immortality:

• Visualization and Internal Alchemy: Cultivators practice "cunsi" (存思之法 - visualization), which is likened to planting rice in the heart field. By reciting great scriptures like the Huang Ting Jing (黄庭经), Daoists continuously refine their mind and nature, eventually reaching a state where "ten thousand gods accompany the body" (万神随身).
• External Alchemy and Astronomy: Many Daoist branches rely on external alchemy (外丹), gathering heavenly materials to forge pills in specialized furnaces. They also excel in reading astronomical movements, observing the stars, and practicing wind-angle and bird-divination (风角鸟占) to discern the flow of heavenly secrets.
• Thunder Magic and Talismans: Daoism is the premier source of talismanic arts and the Five Thunder Orthodox Magic (五雷正法). These techniques utilize the cultivator's internal qi points (such as the liver and gallbladder) to resonate with the heavens, summoning clouds, rain, and destructive lightning to suppress evil entities and extraterrestrial demons.

Orthodoxy and Factions

While Daoism is a unified philosophy, its worldly application is divided into numerous distinct lineages and institutions:

• Bai Yujing (白玉京): The supreme Daoist authority located in the Qingming Heaven. It is governed in rotating centuries by the Dao Ancestor's three direct disciples: Kou Ming (寇名), Yu Dou (余斗), and Lu Chen (陆沉). They serve as the de facto teaching ancestors of the Daoist world, enforcing laws through the Five Cities and Twelve Pavilions and the Five Hundred Spiritual Officials.
• Haoran Heaven Lineages: In the Haoran Heaven, Daoism is represented by powerful orthodox factions such as the Longhu Mountain Celestial Masters (龙虎山天师府). In ancient times, the Haoran Daoist landscape was dominated by the Louguan School (楼观派), renowned as the highest authority in astronomy and alchemy, and the Donghua School (东华派), recognized as the largest in scale.
• Integration of the Three Teachings (三教融合): Although Daoism maintains strict boundaries, several of its highest-attaining figures—such as Bai Yujing's Grand Headmaster Kou Ming and the wandering immortal Lu Yan (吕喦)—have actively explored the integration of the Three Teachings, blending Daoist naturalism with Buddhist dharma and Confucian ethics to seek an even higher Great Dao.

References

• 剑来17：一洲皆剑气, 第一章 — 遇陆地蛟龙: Supports Liu Jinglong's analysis of Daoism's core pursuit of "purity" (清净) and his critique that the Dao Ancestor's Dao is too high for a cunning mortal world to practically follow.
• 剑来23：人生梦复梦, 第四章 — 天寒加衣: Supports the structure of Daoism in the Qingming Heaven, noting that Bai Yujing's three headmasters act as the practical teaching ancestors of the Daoist faith.
• 剑来33：城头刻新字, 第四章 — 泥瓶巷: Supports the Daoist philosophy of "emptying oneself" (虚己), the use of the Huang Ting Jing to refine the mind and nature, and the concept of visualization (存思) as planting seeds in the heart.
• 剑来33：城头刻新字, 第九章 — 真正的持剑者: Supports the foundational cosmological history where the Dao Ancestor perceived the "One" three times, forcefully named it the "Dao", and established the principle that "Three produces all things".
• 剑来38：请君入梦来, 第九章 — 桃叶见到桃花: Supports Grand Headmaster Kou Ming and Lu Yan's pioneering efforts in the integration of the Three Teachings (三教融合).
• 剑来48：随手斩飞升, 第二章 — 若无其事: Supports the historical prominence of the Louguan School (楼观派) and Donghua School (东华派) within the Haoran Heaven's ancient Daoist landscape, highlighting their mastery of astronomy and alchemy.