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"Daoism is divided into two main branches, Religious Daoism (Dao Jiao) and Magical Daoism (Dao Wu). Religious Daoism is known for its ceremonies, and Magical Daoism is known for its esoteric training in alchemical mysticism. Both Northern and Southern Daoism have aspects of both religious and magical training.
The Northern Branch is called the Quen Zhen (meaning "Complete Reality" or "Ultimate Truth") sect. This discipline is a fusion of both Buddhist and Daoist schools of spiritual thought and training. The disciples of the Quen Zhen Daoist sect are monastic, celibate, vegetarian, and are more Buddhist in nature.
The Southern Branch of Daoism is called the Zheng Yi (meaning the "True One" ) sect. This discipline is rooted in ancient shamanistic Daoism and esoteric mysticism. The disciples may practice sexual cultivation, drink wine, eat meat, can marry, and live in homes outside the monastery. The Zheng Yi sect is composed of three main branches, and are united in what is known as the "Three Mountains Drop of Blood Alliance:"
# Celestial Master Daoism (Tian Shi sect), from Long Hu Shan in Jiangxi Province
# Highest Purity Daoism (Shang Qing sect), from Mao Shan in Jiangsu Province
# Magical Treasure Daoism (Ling Bo sect), from Ge Zao Shan in Jiangxi Province
The original schools of ancient Zheng Yi Daoism were primarily orientated toward the cultivation of an individuals mystical accomplishments rather then future salvation brought about through institution controlled rituals.
Throughout the millennia, Chinese Zheng Yi sorcerers have compiled enormous archives of information about the spirit world and mystical phenomena. They understood, and believed that of all livings creatures on Earth, Man is the only one capable of summoning Celestial Immortals, Spirit Entities, and Demons at will. This ability and power was a direct sign of Heaven's compassion and generosity towards Man.
When entering into the energetic and spiritual realm of Chinese Mysticism, it is important to understand that these ancient esoteric principles have a twofold nature: they can be either used to help or destroy an individual's life. Therefore, the ancient masters cautioned against using rituals and spells for selfish and dishonest purposes. Ideally, Chinese Mysticism should be used in order to assist mankind in maintaining good health, long life, peace, and contentment.
Two Approaches to Daoist Training The study of Daoist Mysticism can be divided into two primary approaches or schools of training: The "Daoist of the Right Hand," and the "Daoist of the Left Hand."
1. Daoist of the Right-Hand:
The right-handed or orthodox path of Daoism emphasizes prayer, meditation, rituals and other spiritual disciplines that insist on a high degree of cultivated virtue, purity, and rules of conduct. In training, the practice of the Daoist of the Right Hand brings internal peace to the individual's Yuan Shen (Original Spirit). The right-handed Daoists generally embody the specific practices of either monastic life (being celibate, renouncing social positions, etc.), or family life (being married, raising children, and assuming specific leadership roles in guiding the virtues of society). The Daoist of the Right-Hand are further divided into two traditional schools of training, Orthodox Training and Reclusive Training. These two Daoist schools are describes as follows:
# Orthodox Training: This type of Daoist training includes the practice of specific prayers, meditations, memorizing scriptures, performing rituals and acts of charity.
# Reclusive Training: This type of Daoist training is sometimes regarded as the higher path of the Daoist Right-Hand school of training. It requires the mystic to remove him or herself from society becoming a lone sage. After recognizing the flaws of ritualistic forms of worship and giving up the politically ingrained patterns of religious dogma, the mystic generally retreats to a cave for internal introspection. Although ritualistic forms of worship are essential for purifying the mind, any form of external oriented action can also keep the mind bound to the external world. Therefore, in the highest stages of Daoist mystical training, the individual releases all attachments to material objects (people, places and things) and spiritual powers (controlling the Elements, the Six Transportations of Shen, etc.) and strives only to attain "oneness" with the eternal Dao through self-introspection.
2. Daoist of the Left-Hand:
The left-handed or unorthodox path of Daoism embodies the specific practices that the right-handed Daoists have rejected (e.g., sexual cultivation, ingesting intoxicants, etc.). This does not mean that the left-handed path of Daoist mysticism does not involve orthodox practices (i.e., rituals, incantations, talismans, etc.), however, the path that the mystic sojourns is quite different. In training, the practice of the Daoist of the Left Hand brings passion and ecstasy to the Zhi Shen (Acquired Spirit). The Daoist of the Left-Hand are further divided into two traditional schools of training: Symbolic Training, and Literal Training. These two Daoist schools are describes as follows:
# Symbolic Training: This type of Daoist training includes the symbolic use of "forbidden things." For example, sexual intercourse is observed as the cosmic union of Yang (male) and Yin (female) energetic forces within the psyche; Intoxication is viewed as partaking of the bliss of pure divine consciousness of the Dao. In the Symbolic school of Daoist Left-Hand training, certain internal concepts are considered to be in harmony with those internal concepts of the Daoist Right-Hand school of training.
# Literal Training: This type of Daoist training includes the actual use and training of "forbidden things." For example, sexual intercourse is taught using either single cultivation ("vampiring" the partner's life-force energy), or duel cultivation (exchanging energy with a partner); Intoxication is achieved through the consumption, ingestion or inhalation of herbs, hallucinogenic drugs, and herbal pills, wines and tinctures."
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Originally Posted by uki
