* The founding of the Ling-bao (Way of Numinous Treasure) tradition. The various liturgies, codes of morality and practices found in the Ling-bao scriptures – which appeared in the 4th-5th centuries CE - formed the foundation of an organized temple Taoism. Many Ling-bao scriptures and rituals (e.g. those comprising the Morning & Evening Rites) are still practiced in Taoist temples today.

* The first Daozang. The official Taoist canon – or collection of Taoist philosophical texts and scriptures – is called the Daozang. There have been a number of revisions of the Daozang, but the first attempt to create an official collection of Taoist scriptures happened in 400 CE.

Read more: Lingbao Taoist Precepts & Vows

The Tang Dynasty (618-906 CE)

It is during the Tang Dynasty that Taoism becomes the official “state religion” of China, and as such is integrated into the imperial court system. It was also the time of the “second Daozang” – an expansion of the official Taoist canon, ordered (in CE 748) by Emperor Tang Xuan-Zong.

The Tang Dynasty is perhaps most well-known as a high-point for Chinese arts and culture. This flowering of creative energy gave birth to many great Taoist poets, painters and calligraphers. In these Taoist art-forms we find an aesthetic consistent with the ideals of simplicity, harmony and an attunement to the beauty and power of the natural world.

What is Immortality? This was a question that received new attention from Taoist practitioners of this era, resulting in a more clear distinction between “external” and “internal” forms of alchemy. External alchemy practices involved the ingesting of herbal or mineral elixirs, with the hope of extending physical life, i.e. becoming “Immortal” by insuring the survival of the physical body. These experiments resulted, not infrequently, in death by poisoning. (A rather ironic outcome, given the intention of the practice.) Internal alchemy practices focused more on cultivating internal energy – the “Three Treasures” – as a way not only of transforming the body, but also, and more importantly, accessing the “Mind of Tao” – that aspect of the practitioner which transcends the death of the body.

Read more: The "Three Treausres" of Internal Alchemy
Read more: The Taoist Eight Immortals
Read more: What Is Immortality?
Read more: Taoist Poetry

The Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms Period (906-960 CE)

This period of China’s history is marked, once again, by an unsettling plethora of political upheaval and chaos. One interesting result of this turmoil was that a good number of Confucian scholars “jumped ship” and become Taoist hermits. In these unique practitioners there was embodied the interweaving of Confucian ethics, a Taoist commitment to simple and harmonious living (apart from the unrest of the political scene), and meditation techniques drawn from Chan Buddhism.

Read more: Simple Meditation Practice
Read more: Buddhist Mindfulness & Qigong Practice

Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE)

The “third Daozang” of CE 1060 - comprising 4500 texts – is a product of this time. The Song Dynasty is known also as the “golden era” of Internal Alchemy practice. Three important Taoist adepts associated with this practice are:

* Lu Dongbin, who is one of the Eight Immortals, and is considered the father of Inner Alchemy practice.

Read more: Internal Alchemy.

* Chuang Po-tuan – one of the most powerful of Taoist Inner Alchemy practitioners, known for his dual emphasis on the cultivation of body (via Inner Alchemy practice) and mind (via meditation).

Read more: Understanding Reality: A Taoist Alchemical Classic is Chuang Po-tuan’s practice manual, translated by Thomas Cleary.

* Wang Che (aka Wang Chung-yang) – founder of the Quanzhen Tao (Complete Reality School). The founding of Quanzhen Tao – today’s principle monastic form of Taoism - can be seen as an outgrowth of the political turmoil of the Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms Period, which (as described above) produced practitioners influenced by all three of China’s religions: Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. The focus of the Complete Reality School is Internal Alchemy, but includes elements also of the other two traditions. Wang Che was a student of Lu Dongbin as well as Zhongli Quan.

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE)

The Ming Dynasty gave birth, in CE 1445, to the “fourth Daozang” of 5300 texts. It is in this period that we see a rise in Taoist magic/sorcery – rituals and practices focused on increasing personal power (either for the practitioner or for the Ming emperors). Taoist practices became a more visible part of popular culture, in the form of state-sponsored ceremonies, as well as via an increased interest in Taoist morality scriptures and physical cultivation practices such as qigong and taiji.

Read more: Taoism & Power
Read more: The North Star Of Non-Violence

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