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Taoism
Outline History
Concepts Taoist philosophy Tao De Wuji Taiji Yin and yang Bagua Wuxing (five phases) Bianhua Fan (reversal) Wu wei (non-action) Ziran Xian (immortal) Zhenren True form Three Treasures Jing Qi Shen Hun and po
Practices Three Treasures (virtues) Five Precepts Ten Precepts Meditation Alchemy Neidan Waidan Bugang Chu Diet (Bigu) Sexual practices Art Fulu Priesthood
Texts I Ching Tao Te Ching Zhuangzi Huainanzi Taipingjing Xiang'er Liezi Sanhuangjing Huahujing Qingjing Jing Baopuzi Daozang
Theology Hongjun Laozu Three Pure Ones Yuanshi Tianzun Lingbao Tianzun Daode Tianzun Four heavenly ministers Jade Emperor Ziwei Emperor Tianhuang Emperor Houtu Queen Mother of the West King Father of the East Three Great Emperor-Officials Eight Immortals Chang'e Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Yellow Emperor Guan Yu Li Hong Body god
People Laozi Zhuang Zhou Lie Yukou Heshang Gong Wei Boyang Zhang Daoling Gan Ji Zhang Jue Zhang Lu Ge Xuan He Yan Wang Bi Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove Guo Xiang Sun Hanhua Wei Huacun Ge Hong Bao Jingyan Kou Qianzhi Lu Xiujing Tao Hongjing Cheng Xuanying Chen Tuan Zhang Boduan Sun Bu'er Wang Chongyang Qiu Chuji Zhang Guoxiang Zhang Sanfeng Zhu Quan Fangshi
Schools Huang–Lao Way of the Taiping Xuanxue Shangqing School Way of the Li Family Lingbao School Chongxuan School Quanzhen School Dragon Gate) Wuliupai Way of the Celestial Masters Way of the Five Pecks of Rice The Southern Celestial Masters The Northern Celestial Masters Zhengyi Dao Chinese ritual mastery traditions Yao Taoism
Sacred places Grotto-heavens Sacred Mountains of China Wudang Mountains Mount Penglai Mount Kunlun Taoist temple White Cloud Temple Louguantai Cebu Taoist Temple Taoist Temple (Hanford, California)
Institutions and organizations Chinese Taoist Association Celestial Masters Taoist priests
v t e

Grotto-heavens (Chinese: 洞天; pinyin: Dòngtiān) are a type of sacred Taoist site. Grotto-heavens are usually caves, grottoes, mountain hollows, or other underground spaces.

In the Tang dynasty, immortals were thought to have lived in certain immortal cave-heaven lands that existed between heaven and earth, shrouded by colorful clouds; wonderful flowers, peach trees and fragrant grass were often said to have grown there.

Because every community was supposed to have access to at least one grotto, there were many of them all over China. They were first organized systematically in Tang times by Sima Chengzhen (司馬承禎) (647–735, see Zuowanglun) and Du Guangting (杜光庭) (850-933). The most sacred of these sites were divided into two types: The ten greater grotto-heavens and the thirty-six lesser grotto-heavens.

Locations of the ten greater grotto-heavens are as follows:

• Mt. Wangwu grotto 王屋山 (Henan)
• Mt. Weiyu grotto 委羽山 (Zhejiang)
• Mt. Xicheng grotto 西城山 (Shanxi)
• Mt. Xixuan grotto 西玄山 (Sichuan)
• Mt. Qingcheng grotto 青城山 (part of Huashan, Shanxi)
• Mt. Chicheng grotto 赤城山 (Guangdong)
• Mt. Luofu grotto 羅浮山 (Guangdong)
• Mt. Gouqu grotto 句曲山 (Jiangsu, in Lake Tai)
• Mt. Linwu grotto 林屋山 (on Maoshan, Jiangsu)
• Mt. Kuocang grotto 括蒼山 (Zhejiang)

References

1. Maggie C. Kwan, Building an Immortal Land: The Ming Jiajing Emperor’s West Park, p.68
2. Kohn (2000), p. 695.
3. Kohn (2000), p. 696.

Sources

• Kohn, Livia, ed. Daoism Handbook (Leiden: Brill, 2000).

See also

• Buddhist grottoes (China)
  • Longmen Grottoes
  • Mogao Caves
  • Yungang Grottoes
• Sacred Mountains of China
• Xianren Cave
• Beyul

v t e Notable caves of China
East	Binghu Cave Hualong Cave Shuanglong Cave Taiji Cave Xianren Cave Yilong Cave
South Central	Fuyan Cave Huanglong Cave Jiangzhou Cave System Reed Flute Cave Seven-star Cave Tenglong Cave
Southwestern	Er Wang Dong Furong Cave Shuang River Cave Group Shuanghedong Xueyu Cave Zhijin Cave Zhong Cave
Southeast	Luobi Cave Macaque Cave
North	Tianyuan Cave Zhoukoudian
Northeast	Benxi Water Caves
Northwestern	Ah-ai Grotto Kizil Caves Kizilgaha caves Kumtura Caves Simsim caves Bezeklik Caves Maijishan Grottoes Dunhuang Caves (Mogao Caves, Western Thousand Buddha Caves, Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves, Yulin Caves, Five Temple Caves)
Caves of China

v t e Taoism
Philosophy	Metaphysics Tao (way) Taiji (ultimate) Wuji (non-polarity) Yin and yang (duality) Bagua (eight trigrams) Feng shui Wuxing (five phases) Bianhua (transformation) Fan (reversion) Ethics De (integrity) Wu wei (nonaction) Ziran (spontenaity) Pu (plainness) Zhenren Five Precepts Ten Precepts
Practice	Neidan (internal alchemy) Waidan (external alchemy) Yangsheng (self-cultivation) Daoyin (calisthenics) Meditation Three Treasures Jing (essence) Qi (breath) Shen (spirit) Diet Xian (immortality) Art Fulu (talismancy)
Texts	Tao Te Ching Zhuangzi Liezi Huainanzi Taipingjing Xiang'er Sanhuangjing Huahujing Qingjing Jing Baopuzi Daozang
Deities	Hongjun Laozu Three Pure Ones Yuanshi Tianzun Lingbao Tianzun Daode Tianzun Four Sovereigns Jade Emperor Ziwei Emperor Tianhuang Emperor Houtu Three Great Emperor-Officials Queen Mother of the West King Father of the East Eight Immortals Chang'e Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Yellow Emperor Guan Shengdi Other deities
People	Laozi Zhuang Zhou Lie Yukou Heshang Gong Wei Boyang Zhang Daoling Gan Ji Zhang Jue Zhang Lu Ge Xuan He Yan Wang Bi Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove Guo Xiang Wei Huacun Ge Hong Bao Jingyan Kou Qianzhi Lu Xiujing Tao Hongjing Cheng Xuanying Chen Tuan Zhang Boduan Sun Bu'er Wang Chongyang Qiu Chuji Zhang Guoxiang Zhang Sanfeng Zhu Quan Fangshi
Schools	Huang–Lao Taiping Way of the Five Pecks of Rice Way of the Celestial Masters Northern Celestial Masters Zhengyi Xuanxue Shangqing Lingbao Jingming Chongxuan Quanzhen (Dragon Gate) Wuliu Yao
Sacred places	Grotto-heavens Sacred Mountains of China Wudang Mountains Mount Penglai Mount Kunlun Temples Cebu Hanford Louguantai Tong Jee Teung White Cloud

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