The Xiantiandao (, or "Way of the Primordial"; Vietnamese: ', Japanese: '), or known as Blue/Green Lotus sect (), also simply Tiandao (; Vietnamese: ', Japanese: '), 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 (), a branch of the Dacheng ( "Great Vehicle") or Yuandun ( "Sudden Stillness") eastern proliferation of Luoism.

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 , 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: 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. The leadership of the sect was continued several decades later by Wu Zixiang (). Wu changed the name of his group to Wupanjiao (). He was also arrested and sentenced to death. In 1823 he founded Xigang Tang () in Chengdu and worked actively to spread the teachings in the Yangtze River valley. In 1826, the leadership was continued by Xu Ji'nan () and Yang Shouyi () 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 (), Guiyi Dao (), Tongshan She () and the most important for Taiwan's religious history is Yiguandao (). 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' (). At colloquy of seven deities () held in 1843 in Yuncheng (), 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 (), the Seven Saints are "the patriarchs in charge of universal salvation in the three world ages" (). 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.

Later, An Tianjue () of the Wood, Chen Yijing () of the Fire, Song Chaozhen ) of the Earth were arrested by the Qing government and put to death. Pang Chaofan () / Peng Yifa () of the Water, and Lin Zhuguan () / Lin Yimi () of the Metal escaped and evaded being arrested. These Peng Chaofan and Lin Zhuguan were later regarded as the 14th patriarch and 15th patriarch by many Xiantiandao groups. At the end of the Daoguang period, Peng Chaofan continued to preach in Sichuan under the banner of Xiantiandao.

thumb|Cheng-Yuan Temple (), in Penghu, Taiwan, one of the temples following the Xiantiandao () tradition, founded in 1879.

In the first half of the 20th century, there was tremendous growth in one of the Xiantiandao-rooted groups, Yiguandao. However, most of the other Xiantiandao groups did not develop into large organizations. Although some Xiantiandao groups joined forces to register Zhongguo Sanjiao Shengdao Zonghui () with the Beiyang regime in 1923, in reality Xiantiandao seems to have remained just a collection of independent temples and networks running on their own."thumb|150px|Tianyuangong, a temple of Yiguandao in [[Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan.]]

Belief

Eschatology

The theory of the three sun periods is contained in Huangji jindan (), the central scripture of Xiantiandao written by Huang Dehui. The Huangji jindan is created based on the "Precious Scroll of the Golden Herb and the Nine-leaf Lotus for Rectifying Faith, Restoring Perfection Back to the Hometown" () or Jiulian Baojuan for short () which later became the main basis of the doctrine of the Xiantiandao sect. These three periods are known as the Green sun (), Red sun (), and White sun () Periods. In Xiantiandao's scheme of things, the first messenger was Dipankara Buddha in the green sun period, whose preaching brought 200 million lost children back home, the second was Sakyamuni Buddha in the red sun period, who saved another 200 million children. This leaves another 9.2 billion souls still trapped and in need of saving. The next savior figure is Maitreya who is considered to be the last Buddha of the white sun period.

Mysterious Door

The Jiulian Baojuan () describes secret jewel called the holy mysterious door () during initiation as a way to return to heaven. This tradition is a salvation tradition carried over from the Luoist group led by the patriarch Yin Ji'nan and became an important ritual of the Xiantiandao led by Huang Dehui. The transmission process is believed to free initiated followers from the gates of hell and the demons that escort the recently deceased to the afterlife (). The transmission of secret mantra and the opening of mysterious door are part of initiation. Proper initiation by a master is an important key to the path to salvation. Salvation here means returning to Eternal Heaven where Laomu reside. One of the quotes from the Jiulian Baojuan is as follows:<blockquote>Those who are destined by their karma will board the golden boat and leave the sea of suffering together. They will meet the wuwei Patriarch () who transmits the mantra and the dots . Thus they will return to their origin and return to their source. The teaching of the Golden Herb () continues through the three cosmic periods, opening the of heaven and closing the of earth. If they have penetrated the Mysterious Path (), the holy body becomes real and together they will reach the Native Place. One must meet a teacher who dots and opens the aperture of the Mysterious Door to manifest the future purple golden body.</blockquote>

Vegetarianism

A distinctive trait of all the sects under the Green Lotus rubric is their vegetarianism, a practice that gained support from Chinese society at the time, particularly in certain areas. According to records, Xiantiandao was the strictest in observing a vegetarian diet, and did not allow its members to marry. Japanese researchers in the field noted that the requirements for entry into the sect were the most difficult to meet. For the sect, vegetarianism was just one part of an overall regimen of physical and spiritual purification that would enable its followers to survive the turmoil of the coming millennium (in the process making them immune to government weapons), and prepare them for the "life to come" ().

Theological and practical differences

Along with the written works of the founding patriarchs, spirit-writing provides a distinct corpus of scriptures for each individual sect, that develops the shared themes in different directions and serves to differentiate the individual group from related sects. The variations on the central theme are many: for example, different sects use different names for the supreme deity, the Yiguandao and the Tongshanshe calling her "Venerable Mother of Limitless Pole" () and the Yaochidao the "Mother of the Jasper Lake" ().

The Daoyuan diverges from the common maternal pattern by describing the supreme deity as male, naming him "Holiest Venerable Patriarch of the Primordial Heaven" (). Despite these and many other differences in liturgy, organization, and doctrine, ultimately each Xiantiandao sect represents a variation on a central theme. Other movements have significantly departed: the Tiandi teachings movements have shifted to a focus on the Tian.

See also

  • Chinese folk religion
  • Chinese salvationist religions
  • Fuji (planchette writing)
  • Heterodox teachings (Chinese law)
  • Xi Wang Mu
  • Tiandihui
  • White Lotus

References

Sources

  • Way of Former Heaven