Dragon Gate Taoism

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The Dragon Gate sect (lóngménpài 龙门派) of the Complete Reality (Quanzhen 全真派) school of Taoism, according to some^{[citation needed]}, incorporated elements of Buddhism and Confucianism into a comprehensive new form of Taoism. Complete Reality Taoism eventually spread throughout China during the Middle Ages, and is still in existence today. Numerous classics and texts of this school have been translated into English over the last ten years. Complete Reality Taoism is generally divided into two main traditions, Southern and Northern.

The Dragon Gate sect of Taoism is an offshoot of the Northern school of Quanzhen Taoism. Its spiritual descent is traced to the thirteenth-century master Qiu Chang-chun, who was one of the original seven disciples of Wang Chongyang. Chang-chun means "Eternal Spring". The master of Eternal Spring was one of the sages who advised Genghis Khan to preserve the ancient civilization of China during the Mongolian invasion, over eight hundred years ago. 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 Taoist Priests (from the late Qing Dynasty - Present)

The 11th generation Dragon Gate priests Min Yi-De (闵一得) combined three religions—Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism 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. Currently, Dragon Gate branch is still the largest existing Taoism branch in the world.

After the decline of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of new China, which included the destruction of religion during the Cultural Revolution, most people's of understanding of Taoism became limited to the type of Taoism practiced in the temples located in major urban centers.

External links

• Longmen Entry at the British Taoist Association