Since the warring states period, Daoism has had been an actor in Chinese politics and religious life. Daoism began as a way of life for Chinese people who discovered that through meditation they could free themselves from the burdens of this world. As the religion developed, many groups arose that specialized in certain aspects of attaining oneness with the Dao. Zhengyi or Celestial Masters was founded in the first century CE. This sect focused on the community and rituals, and still does today. Quanzhen or Complete Perfection was founded in the twelfth century CE. This sect focused on monastic life with specific rules regarding diet. In modern China, these two sects are most prevalent and the Longmen lineage of Quanzhen being the most common in China. These are the only prevalent sects due to harsh treatment of Daoists in the early twentieth century under the Republic of China and Mao Zedong. The first attacks against Daoism came with the Jesuit missionaries in the seventeenth century. Then, during the Cultural Revolution in 1966 -1976 Daoism was almost completely destroyed. After Mao died and the revolution ended, in 1978 Daoism could be practiced again and started to recover. The Chinese government promoted the formation of the Chinese Taoist Association, which allowed the government to control the actions of Daoist temples and gave the Daoists the chance to rebuild their religion. Daoist temples were destroyed during Mao’s rule, so with the formation of the CTA, Daoists were able to reconstruct their temples and build new ones. The CTA oversees all that goes on in the temples including rituals and ordinations in order to ensure that the practices are in line with Chinese law. With the CTA watching and influencing every Daoist action, the religion is able to grow and spread across the world. However, the traditional Daoist thoughts and practices are skewed to fit the way the Communist Chinese government officials think Daoism should be…
