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Xiantiandao
The Xiantiandao (Chinese: 先天道; pinyin: Xiāntiān Dào; lit. 'Way of Former Heaven', or "Way of the Primordial"; Vietnamese: Tiên Thiên Đạo, Japanese: Sentendō), or known as Blue/Green Lotus sect (青蓮教), also simply Tiandao (天道; Tiāndào; 'Way of Heaven'; Vietnamese: Thiên Đạo, Japanese: Tendō), is one of the most productive currents of Chinese folk religious sects such as the White Lotus Sect, characterised by representing the principle of divinity as feminine and by a concern for salvation (moral completion) of mankind.
Xiantiandao was founded in Jiangxi in the 17th-century Qing dynasty as an offshoot of the Venerable Officials' teaching of fasting (老官齋教; Lǎoguān zhāijiào), a branch of the Dacheng (大乘 "Great Vehicle") or Yuandun (圆顿 "Sudden Stillness") eastern proliferation of Luoism. It has also been traced to the earlier Wugongdao (五公道 "Way of the Five Lords"), a Yuan dynasty offshoot of the White Lotus tradition.
The Xiantiandao religions were considered heterodox and suppressed throughout the history of China; they are still mostly forbidden in Mainland China, yet they thrive in Taiwan where at least 7% of the population adheres to some sect derived from the Xiantiandao.
The Xiantiandao movement is not limited only to Chinese-speaking countries, with at least one sect, the Tendō (天道; "Way of Heaven" or "Heavenly Path"), active in Japan. In Vietnam, "Tiên Thiên Đạo" doctrines ultimately influenced the rise of the Minh Đạo sects since the 17th century.
Sects that are or have been considered as part of the Xiantiandao stream are:
The differentiation of the Xiantiandao subtradition out of the general field of Chinese popular sects is commonly attributed to the so-called ninth patriarch Huang Dehui. The Yiguandao and the Tongshanshe sects legitimize themselves by tracing their patriarchal lines through Huang Dehui to the mythical patriarchs of early Chinese history. Huang Dehui was the successor of Luo Weiqun (羅蔚群) or sometime known as Luo Weixing (罗维行), one of the descendants of Luo Qing of the Eastern Great Vehicle sect (東大乘教) who spread the teachings in Jiangxi. One of the sect led by Huang Dehui was later known as Xiantiandao (先天道). Official documents of the Qing dynasty (清代官书) refer to this sect as the Green/Blue Lotus sect (青蓮教) or by another name the Golden Herb Road/Jindandao (金丹道). This sect unites the three religions by practicing Confucian manners, Daoist practices, and Buddhist precepts. It was named Green Lotus to compete with the then-popular White Lotus sect. It was very popular in Sichuan, Yunnan-Guizhou and Hubei, and staged many rebellions to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty, but was successfully suppressed by the Qing Dynasty government.
In 1690, Huang Dehui was arrested and executed by the Qing government. The leadership of the sect was continued several decades later by Wu Zixiang (吳紫祥). Wu changed the name of his group to Wupanjiao (五盤教). He was also arrested and sentenced to death. Leadership continued to the eleventh patriarch, He Ruo (何若) / He Liaoku (何了苦). In 1790, as the group leader, He Liaoku was sent to Longli, Guizhou to serve in the army as a punishment from the government, thus the Green Lotus sect spread to Guizhou. He Liao Ku's disciple Yuan Zhiqian (袁志謙, known as the 12th patriarch) spread the teachings from Guizhou to Yunnan, Sichuan, and Hubei, where it flourished. In 1823 he founded Xigang Tang (西港堂) in Chengdu and worked actively to spread the teachings in the Yangtze River valley. In 1826, the leadership was continued by Xu Ji'nan (徐吉南) and Yang Shouyi (楊守一) who became the 13th patriarchs. Shortly after, patriarchs Xu and Yang were arrested and executed by the Qing government in 1828. History shows that several new sub-sects were born after this era including Yuanming Dao (圆明道), Guiyi Dao (皈依道), Tongshan She (同善社) and the most important for Taiwan's religious history is Yiguandao (一貫道).[page needed] The patriarchal lines of these sects are largely identical down to the thirteenth patriarch Yang Shouyi and Xu Ji'nan, after whom the lines split and ultimately lead to the development of some group as separate sects. The other groups maintain a different model of linear patriarchal succession.
In 1834, Xiantiandao elected five preaching leaders, known as the 'Five Elders' (五老). At colloquy of seven deities (七聖) held in 1843 in Yuncheng (雲城), it was decided that the sect would henceforth be divided into five branches headed by patriarchs named after the Five Elements (water, fire, wood, metal and earth). Xiantiandao texts often refer to the "Precious register of Cloud City", according to the Yuncheng Precious Mantra (雲城寶籙), the Seven Saints are "the patriarchs in charge of universal salvation in the three world ages" (開辦三期普度之祖). In that period, the Green Lotus sect later united with parties and armed groups to fight the officers and soldiers, and became a secret religious group, causing much unrest." In 1845, the Green Lotus sect staged a rebellion in Wuchang but failed.
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Xiantiandao
The Xiantiandao (Chinese: 先天道; pinyin: Xiāntiān Dào; lit. 'Way of Former Heaven', or "Way of the Primordial"; Vietnamese: Tiên Thiên Đạo, Japanese: Sentendō), or known as Blue/Green Lotus sect (青蓮教), also simply Tiandao (天道; Tiāndào; 'Way of Heaven'; Vietnamese: Thiên Đạo, Japanese: Tendō), is one of the most productive currents of Chinese folk religious sects such as the White Lotus Sect, characterised by representing the principle of divinity as feminine and by a concern for salvation (moral completion) of mankind.
Xiantiandao was founded in Jiangxi in the 17th-century Qing dynasty as an offshoot of the Venerable Officials' teaching of fasting (老官齋教; Lǎoguān zhāijiào), a branch of the Dacheng (大乘 "Great Vehicle") or Yuandun (圆顿 "Sudden Stillness") eastern proliferation of Luoism. It has also been traced to the earlier Wugongdao (五公道 "Way of the Five Lords"), a Yuan dynasty offshoot of the White Lotus tradition.
The Xiantiandao religions were considered heterodox and suppressed throughout the history of China; they are still mostly forbidden in Mainland China, yet they thrive in Taiwan where at least 7% of the population adheres to some sect derived from the Xiantiandao.
The Xiantiandao movement is not limited only to Chinese-speaking countries, with at least one sect, the Tendō (天道; "Way of Heaven" or "Heavenly Path"), active in Japan. In Vietnam, "Tiên Thiên Đạo" doctrines ultimately influenced the rise of the Minh Đạo sects since the 17th century.
Sects that are or have been considered as part of the Xiantiandao stream are:
The differentiation of the Xiantiandao subtradition out of the general field of Chinese popular sects is commonly attributed to the so-called ninth patriarch Huang Dehui. The Yiguandao and the Tongshanshe sects legitimize themselves by tracing their patriarchal lines through Huang Dehui to the mythical patriarchs of early Chinese history. Huang Dehui was the successor of Luo Weiqun (羅蔚群) or sometime known as Luo Weixing (罗维行), one of the descendants of Luo Qing of the Eastern Great Vehicle sect (東大乘教) who spread the teachings in Jiangxi. One of the sect led by Huang Dehui was later known as Xiantiandao (先天道). Official documents of the Qing dynasty (清代官书) refer to this sect as the Green/Blue Lotus sect (青蓮教) or by another name the Golden Herb Road/Jindandao (金丹道). This sect unites the three religions by practicing Confucian manners, Daoist practices, and Buddhist precepts. It was named Green Lotus to compete with the then-popular White Lotus sect. It was very popular in Sichuan, Yunnan-Guizhou and Hubei, and staged many rebellions to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty, but was successfully suppressed by the Qing Dynasty government.
In 1690, Huang Dehui was arrested and executed by the Qing government. The leadership of the sect was continued several decades later by Wu Zixiang (吳紫祥). Wu changed the name of his group to Wupanjiao (五盤教). He was also arrested and sentenced to death. Leadership continued to the eleventh patriarch, He Ruo (何若) / He Liaoku (何了苦). In 1790, as the group leader, He Liaoku was sent to Longli, Guizhou to serve in the army as a punishment from the government, thus the Green Lotus sect spread to Guizhou. He Liao Ku's disciple Yuan Zhiqian (袁志謙, known as the 12th patriarch) spread the teachings from Guizhou to Yunnan, Sichuan, and Hubei, where it flourished. In 1823 he founded Xigang Tang (西港堂) in Chengdu and worked actively to spread the teachings in the Yangtze River valley. In 1826, the leadership was continued by Xu Ji'nan (徐吉南) and Yang Shouyi (楊守一) who became the 13th patriarchs. Shortly after, patriarchs Xu and Yang were arrested and executed by the Qing government in 1828. History shows that several new sub-sects were born after this era including Yuanming Dao (圆明道), Guiyi Dao (皈依道), Tongshan She (同善社) and the most important for Taiwan's religious history is Yiguandao (一貫道).[page needed] The patriarchal lines of these sects are largely identical down to the thirteenth patriarch Yang Shouyi and Xu Ji'nan, after whom the lines split and ultimately lead to the development of some group as separate sects. The other groups maintain a different model of linear patriarchal succession.
In 1834, Xiantiandao elected five preaching leaders, known as the 'Five Elders' (五老). At colloquy of seven deities (七聖) held in 1843 in Yuncheng (雲城), it was decided that the sect would henceforth be divided into five branches headed by patriarchs named after the Five Elements (water, fire, wood, metal and earth). Xiantiandao texts often refer to the "Precious register of Cloud City", according to the Yuncheng Precious Mantra (雲城寶籙), the Seven Saints are "the patriarchs in charge of universal salvation in the three world ages" (開辦三期普度之祖). In that period, the Green Lotus sect later united with parties and armed groups to fight the officers and soldiers, and became a secret religious group, causing much unrest." In 1845, the Green Lotus sect staged a rebellion in Wuchang but failed.