The Tang Dynasty can be said to be a peak period in the development of Taoism.

There is a certain factor in this because the Tang emperor considered himself a descendant of Li Er, one of the founders of Taoism.

But strictly speaking, Taoism in the Tang Dynasty was mainly developed by the Northern Taoist system established by a famous Taoist named Kou Qianzhi, the New Heavenly Master Tao.

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Kou Qian's name is Qian, the word Fuzhen [1], his ancestral home is Shanggu Changping, and he later moved to Feng Yi Wannian. Less Feng five buckets of rice road, and then from Cheng Gong Xing in Songshan cultivation. He is a representative and leader of Taoism in the Northern Dynasties, and a reformer and representative of the New Heavenly Master Taoism in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

He said that Taishang Laojun awarded him the position of "Heavenly Master", and also called Laozi's great-grandson Li Puwen to grant him the "Record Picture Sutra", so that he "removed the three pseudo-laws". In the first year of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Qian Zhi dedicated the Taoist book to Emperor Taiwu, advocated the reform of Taoism, removed the three pseudo-laws, formulated movements, and established a new law of reciting precepts. In the following year, Emperor Taiwu went to the dojo to receive the urn and built a new Heavenly Master Dojo.

Soon after Kou said that Qianzhi received the Tao, Cheng Gongxing said to Kou Qianzhi: "If Mr. is interested in learning the Tao, he should follow Gongxing and hide in the mountains." Kou Qianzhi readily agreed. So, after fasting for three days, he left home with Cheng Gongxing to cultivate. Kou Qianzhi first followed Cheng Gongxing to Huashan, collected the elixir, and did not go hungry after taking it; soon, the master and apprentice went to Songshan and devoted themselves to cultivation.

Songshan, in the middle of the five mountains, so called "Zhongyue", belongs to the ancient capital of Luoyang Jinggi, in the north of Dengfeng County, the sixth cave of the 36 small caves of Taoism. Zhongyue was later named the god "King of Zhongtian". There are two mountains and seventy-two peaks in Zhongyue, and the most famous are the extreme peaks of Mount Taimuro and the five milk peaks of Mt. Shaomuro. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sealed Zhongyue, Zhongyue has become a place of cultivation for immortals and Taoists.

Bao Liang, a famous Taoist priest of the Western Jin Dynasty, once climbed Songshan, entered the stone room, got the ancient "Three Emperors' Text", and cultivated into immortals, so Cheng Gongxing and Kou Qian's heel followed the predecessors and came to Songshan. They chose the stone chamber in the Taimuro Mountains to live and cultivate. Cheng Gongxing passed on all the cultivation secrets to Kou Qianzhi, who was smart and studious, and grew day by day.

Cheng Gongxing taught Taoism in Songshan, but he didn't realize that he had reached seven years, and it was time for him to return to the Heavenly Palace. When parting, Cheng Gongxing repeatedly instructed Kou Qianzhi: "You devote yourself to Taoism, your ambitions are commendable, but the fate of the dust is not over, the seven emotions and six desires are not broken, it is difficult to go to the fairy road, but you need to be diligent, and you can be the emperor's teacher in the future, which is also a great tool." Kou Qianzhi listened to the teacher's teachings and did not dare to slack off in the slightest. After Cheng Gongxing went, Kou Qianzhi "guarded the will of Songyue, and was unremittingly specialized", and began to recruit disciples, preach scriptures and perform techniques, and promote Taoism.

Kou Qianzhi has been cultivating in Songshan for 30 years, with a Taoist demeanor and a fairy wind and charm, he knows that he can be a national teacher in appearance, but there is little emptiness in the inner essence, and if he wants to go to the next level, he needs to work hard in this area. So, Kou Qianzhi decided to start with Taoism itself. Kou Qian's scriptures became gongxing and realized the above truth, and for this reason, he made his own fantasy song that was entrusted to the gods.

In the second year of Shenrui of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Kou Qianzhi said in the stone room of the Songshan Shao Room that Taishang Laojun was supported by the fairy and the jade girl, and the Bailing guide descended to Songshan and told Qianzhi: "In the past, the god of Songshan Mountain played Tiancao, saying that since the Heavenly Master Zhang Daoling went, the people who cultivated on the ground had no teacher. Today, there is Songshan Taoist Kou Qianzhi's uprightness, natural behavior, and worthy of the teacher's position. Therefore, I came to confer the position of Heavenly Master and give you the "Commandments of Reciting New Science in the Clouds". Ru Xuanwu Xinke, please rectify Taoism, remove the three false laws, rent and tax and the art of male and female harmony, and focus on etiquette, and add food and retreat. ”

"Yunzhongyin Reciting the Commandments of Xinke" can be said to be a classic book as "Lao Tzu's Analects", so it is also called "Lao Junyin Reciting the Commandments", and some of its contents are as follows:

Lao Jun said: The road is not annoying, the way is not annoying, according to the practice, all the male and female officials see me reciting the law of sincerity, and the heart is enlightened. You can ask the people and friends to make a single chapter according to the above precepts, show sincerity, and prudently follow the law.

Lao Jun said: Taoist officials, Zheng Sheng, when they first received the commandments, they bowed to the precepts for eight times, and before standing up to the scriptures, if the teacher was a friend, they performed the scriptures as eight yin music, and the recipient of the recitation of the scriptures recited the meaning of the scriptures, and the last eight bows stopped. If you don't understand the recitation, but just recite it directly. His precepts should always be respectful if they are mutually reinforcing, and if they are passed on to their friends and disciples, they should be passed on according to the Dharma, and they should be followed prudently.

Lao Jun said: Taoist officials and Zhengsheng have not made the scriptures written, and the sincerity and law have been mistaken, and they must not copy a single word; I have this commandment, and I have my own officials who are in charge of affairs, and I follow the scriptures and follow them carefully, and I will follow them as if they were decrees.

Lao Jun said: In the first year of Wu Han'an, he conferred the tomb with Taoism, and established him as the position of the heavenly master, and he supported the country. Those who suffer on the ground and are unbearable for a thousand years beg to ascend to heaven. I am the body of the mausoleum, the heart of the Yuanyuan, the medicine of ascending, the wine of a hundred refinements, the mausoleum has to ascend to the clouds and enter the heavenly palace. Since the ascension of the mausoleum, he has been absent from his official position, and he has not established himself as a heavenly master for a long time. I make the prefectures and counties, the real officials of the land, inject gas to govern ghost things, obtain the household registration of the people, do not need to give birth, sacrifice wine to manage the people, and the law of turbidity. Later, the humane officials sacrificed wine, passed down from fool to man, signed their own deeds of governance, attacked the wrong scriptures, turbidity and halal, and said that there were three hundred and sixty covenants, which could make immortality. There are many ghosts and gods, confusing the people, conferring deeds of office, and taking gold, silver, and wealth. And to govern the people's households, fear and coercion, teach people to be brittle, horses, calves, slaves, clothes, or lose a horse of silk when you are old, and lose one or two silk in a thin way. The miscellaneous diseases are said, and they cannot be weighed. In vain, the art of the Huang Chifang taught by the mausoleum body, the husband and wife, the nephew and the nephew, insulted Taoism. There are officials who sacrifice wine, and they call the death of the father and the son, so that the Tao is desolate. Cheng said: The Tao respects virtue and honors, but the virtuous is bestowed, if the son is not good, how can he inherit the ancestral business? There are officials who sacrifice wine, and the son is not good, and the use of the line is reversed, the reverse is vertical and horizontal, and the Taoism is confused. I have not yet stood on the ground to be the Heavenly Master, according to the Taoist officials, foolish people have passed it down, and they have signed their own rules. The Taoist officials sacrifice wine, can be concise and virtuous, and before the end is pressed, the father dies and the son is lineage, so that Taoism is not obvious. I talk about one thing, I will not die, and there are descendants who are after my old monarch and heavenly master. Heaven has no relatives, but the virtuous are bestowed. Be cautious and follow the law.

Lao Jun said: I have to Songyue Town, the spirit of the earth, the immortal official said: The people on the ground have been absent for a long time. Those who cultivate good in the world seek to survive and be blessed, seek clues and deceive scriptures, practice ineffectively, and think of the teachings of the true sages and righteous laws. It is advisable to establish the position of the Heavenly Master on the earth as a model. Today, there is Shanggu Kou Qianzhi, who learns from Songyue Shao Room, refines the teachings, knows the feelings of people and ghosts, preaches the truth with tattoos, and acts in harmony with nature, and is not worthy of the position of the heavenly master. I am traveling to the east, looking at the body of the child, you don't know it? I have not arrived, and I should not see the world. Humility, you are the Heavenly Master, and teach the people, help the country, be diligent in the Taoism, and break the yellow and red. With the officials of the sacrificial wine, the school people govern the deed, take the gold and silver wealth, and kneel down with all the miscellaneous skills, and wish to break the ban, and recite the new law from my movement, and its false fraud is not used again. Humility is sincere, two nights and three days, looking for the love of stealing the underworld. Lao Jun called, humble and said: The minister is covered, stupid but not entered, there is no elixir of immortality, can not enslave the ghosts and gods, how can he turn evil into good, eliminate disasters and ambush differences, and the teacher is willing to mourn and give life, and when Lao Jun comes out of the world, he must have the response of the magic medicine, and he will enter the body with the Tao, and dare to accept the position of the heavenly master. May it be recorded as foolish. Lao Jun said: I accept the internal governance of heavenly officials, lead Chinese and foreign officials, and take the real position of Lintong, which can be compared to the same position as the heavenly master. I order you to listen to what you say. The teaching of my music, since the heaven and the earth are changing, not out of the world, the number of fortunes should come out, you should teach honesty and discipline, legal persons, governing the people, and sacrificing wine according to it. After the covenant of obedience, I should be the god of the true officials of the land within the four seas of Kyushu Island, and speak of the household. It has sacrificed wine to the people, and has meritorious service to the law, and then has a simple selection of people in the Chinese side, and the name is Wenchang Palace. If the Taoist officials do not educate those who are idle in sacrificing wine, and guide the art of health preservation, if there is any doubt, you should decide with it, clearly obey it, and act like a law. Taishang Laojun Le Yin recited the text of the Cheng Ling: I think there are many evildoers in this world, the father is unkind, the son is not filial, and the minister is unfaithful. I am leading away, but on the Kunlun Mountain. There are many wicked people in the world, and there are many dead people, among whom they abuse the good, and the hard work of my sorrow is restored to the east and protects the good people. The true gods of the land within the four seas of Kyushu Island, the officials of the five mountains, all gathered to say the similarities and differences between the good virtues of the native dwellings, and the facts of Lin Yan, saying that the people of this world are evil, but they do death, and there are few good cultivators. The world is deceitful, attacking the wrong scriptures, confusing the foolish people, but saying that the old monarch should be governed, Li Hong should come out, the world is vertical and horizontal, and there are many rebels. Named Li Hong, there are years and years, among which the essence of ghosts and gods, people see it in the daytime, confuse the people, and call ghosts and gods. Foolish people believe it, deceive all kinds of people, call officials and set numbers, ants gather people, and mess up the land. There are many people who call Liu Ju, and there are also many people who call Li Hong, and I am very angry! Thinking of this wicked person, those who use me as a rhetoric are many people! How can the foolish people in the world be like this? Wuzhi in Kunlun Mountain, the mountain stage audience building, the palace room, the connection phase, the treasure gold and silver, the number of incense species, the heterozygous wrong ornament, the orchid osmanthus tree, the poor strange beast, the phoenix Wu, perched on the tree, the dragon Qiji, thought that the domestic animal, the fairy jade girl, all set on it. If I want to march, ride the clouds and drive the dragon, breathe thousands of miles, the people of heaven and earth, ghosts and gods, let it belong to me, how can I be the lord of a city on the earth, I don't want to! Those who are destined to live forever will be given divine medicine, and they will ascend to immortality and live in the world, and they will be by my side. The wicked turn into good, and those who meet me will all prolong their lives. If the king is the son of heaven, he has meritorious service in governing the people, and he will make Fu Du as before, and if he governs the people and violates the law, he will be replaced by the saints. After the people were pacified, they should also be promoted and subdued in Kunlun. When I came out, I rode the car of the Nine Dragons, the dragon had nine colors and even the money and the inscriptions, the car had twelve feather covers, the sandalwood was the car, decorated with gold, silver, pearls and jade, the variegated colors were strange, and the name could not be seen; I recruited the true officials of the world, the wind and rain master of Haiyue, and enslaved ten thousand ghosts; I poured the heavens and the earth, shrunk the earth's veins, and turned the heavens and the earth as if I returned to my body; I caught the sun and the moon, and the heavens and the earth could make the heavens and the earth shine in the day; the fairy and the jade girl, the attendants of the chariots, and the music of the drums, filled the void; the true disciples of all beasts, the phoenixes and the blacks, soared on them; the movement of heaven and earth, the ghosts and soldiers of the people, without boundaries, saw my majesty, and all of them filled me! Fools deceive for no reason, everyone wants to be unsubordinate, gather people who flee from sin, and falsely call Li Hong with the question of slaves. Wouldn't it be painful for the world to deceive, read fake books, cut down bad scriptures, lose as much as I am, and kill each other! If you succeed in cultivating good, you can meet the truth and prolong your life. Be cautious and follow the law.

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Subsequently, Kou Qianzhi preached Taoism as a "Heavenly Master" and carried out "three rectifications" of the "Heavenly Master". Let the way of the Heavenly Master spread in the world with a new look. Emperor Taichang of the Northern Wei Dynasty in the eighth year, just in the golden autumn festival of the crisp autumn sky and clear sky, Kou Qianzhi sat in the stone room, reciting the "Lao Junyin Reciting the Commandments", suddenly the young room was upside down, the clouds were steaming, the spiritual light was shining, and there was a god sitting on the colorful clouds, this is the great-grandson of Lao Jun, the master Li Puwen came. Kou Qianzhi immediately walked out of the stone room and looked up to pay respects. The lama said: "At the order of Lao Jun, I specially grant you the "Record Tu Sutra" to 'impeach and summon the hundred gods', set the "altar worship, dress ceremony", and teach the method of selling alchemy pills, yunying, eight stones, and jade pulp. ”

Since then, Kou Qianzhi has lobbied everywhere as a "national teacher", believing that the time has come to join the imperial court and fight for the status of Taoism. It was also in this year that Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty succeeded to the throne. In October, the early winter came, Kou Qianzhi lived in Songshan for 30 years of strong capital accumulation, he wore the "Heavenly Master" crown, left Songshan to display his ambitions, and did his "national teacher" dream.

Kou Qianzhi's reformed New Heavenly Master Dao developed vigorously in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Emperor Taiwu worshiped the Heavenly Master, exalted the new law, and issued an edict to Kou Qianzhi and his disciples to confer high-ranking officials and titles, but Kou Qianzhi declined. Emperor Taiwu ordered Kou Qian's place to be treated with a courtesy, so that "the Heavenly Master and his disciples are placed side by side above the princes, and do not listen to the ministers".

Emperor Taiwu also ordered that a five-storey Taoist altar was built in the southeast of the capital for Kou Qianzhi's master, and it was named "Xuandu Altar" in accordance with the system of its new scriptures. There are 120 Taoist priests, and the court provides food and clothing. Taoist priests and Taoists "fasted and prayed every day, prayed at six o'clock", and held a "kitchen meeting" once a month, which was attended by thousands of people, and the cost was provided by the state.

In the sixth year of Taiyan, Emperor Taiwu also changed the yuan to "Taiping Zhenjun" according to Kou Qianzhi's suggestion, and then Kou Qianzhi invited him to personally go to the Taoist altar to receive talismans. Since then, when the emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty ascended the throne, they all went to the Taoist altar to receive talismans, which became a legal system, and used it as a basis for the Xianbei Tuoba Department to rule the Han people. For example, Emperor Wencheng Tuoba Jun in the first year of Xingguang, "to the Taoist altar, ascend to the map". Dedicated to Emperor Wen Tuoba Hong in the first year of Tian'an, "fortunate Taoist altar, personally received the talisman".

Before Kou Qianzhi went to Pingcheng in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the imperial court believed in Buddhism more; after Kou Qianzhi's new Heavenly Master Tao was worshiped by Emperor Taiwu, it naturally affected the development of Buddhism, but Emperor Taiwu had no ill will towards Buddhism at that time. Later, Emperor Taiwu found that the monks and nuns did not abide by the rules and did some things that violated morals and customs, and was resented by Emperor Taiwu, so he ordered a ban on monks and laymen.

In the sixth year of Taiping Zhenjun, he found that the monks of Chang'an Buddhist Temple were related to the Hu people who raised an army against Wei, Gai Wu, and ordered the killing of Chang'an Shamen. In the second year, he ordered all states to kill monks, destroy Buddha statues, and prohibit people from believing in Buddhism. For a time, Buddhism in the Northern Wei Dynasty was devastating and decayed. This is the "Taiwu Buddha Annihilation" of the famous "Three Martial Arts and One Sect" Buddha Destroying Incident in history.

However, Kou Qianzhi was not very enthusiastic about Emperor Taiwu's activities to destroy Buddhism, and even opposed it. He believed that Taoism was already in the status of the state religion, and Buddhism was no longer capable of competing with each other, so there was no need to exclude Buddhism. Taoism and Buddhism are fused with each other and can coexist, but they have not developed to the point of life and death at all; he has even realized that the Xianbei aristocracy headed by Prince Huang worships Buddhism and suppresses Taoism; and the expulsion of Buddhism is too intense, which is bound to affect political instability and is not conducive to Taoism. Therefore, for Cui Hao, who insisted on destroying the Buddha, he argued many times about the gains and losses, but Cui Hao did not listen. Cui Hao wanted to use Confucianism to govern the country and weaken the power of the aristocracy, and Kou Qianzhi realized that this could be a quick success, and eventually lead to death, and the prospect was quite serious.

Kou Qianzhi not only thought of Cui Hao's future disaster, but also thought of his own current situation, he built the "Jinglun Heavenly Palace" in the name of Emperor Taiwu because "it will make it not hear the sound of chickens and dogs barking, and want to hand over to the gods, and the meritorious service will not be successful all year round", and it has attracted the criticism of the crown prince and his group;

He also realized that the new and old disciples he recruited, after entering the capital, all of them were greedy for enjoyment, no longer than enough, he was over eighty years old, there was no successor to Taoism, Jinglun Heavenly Palace, it had lasted eighteen years, and the completion was indefinite, which made Kou Qianzhi unable to do anything. Did he feel that the limit was approaching, one day he said to his disciples: "When I Kou Qianzhi is alive, you can seek glory and wealth, once I die, this Jinglun Heavenly Palace is really difficult to cultivate!"

In the ninth year of Taiping Zhenjun, on the night not long after Kou Qianzhi's prophecy, he quietly passed away in the unfinished Jinglun Heavenly Palace at the age of eighty-three. Two years later, Cui Hao was ordered to compile and revise the history of the country, and in order to avenge the revenge of the "Heavenly Buddha", Prince Huang first superficially agreed with him to write a straight book; after the completion of the national history, he used the excuse that Cui Hao "described all the state affairs and prepared them without a pawn", and killed his clan. Cui Hao's death is being prophesied by Kou Qianzhi.

In the eleventh year of Taiping Zhenjun, under pressure, Emperor Taiwu ordered the demolition of Jinglun Heavenly Palace. In the twelfth year of Taiping Zhenjun, Emperor Taiwu suddenly terminated the "Zhenjun" era name and changed the yuan to "Zhengping". Ten months later, Emperor Taiwu was killed by his attendants. Due to the early death of the crown prince, the crown prince Sun Jun ascended the throne for Emperor Wencheng. The twelve-year-old little emperor immediately announced the lifting of the abolition of Buddhism and the restoration of Buddhism. After Kou Qianzhi's death, none of his disciples could replace him, and the New Heavenly Master Dao was still active, but his influence on the imperial court was not as great as before.