Daoshi
Daoshi ( Chinese 道士 ) means a Taoist masters or priests and priestesses of Daoism . From the 6th century, the term Daoshi was used to denote a member of the Daoist clergy . At the same time, the expression means that it is a professional representative of Daoist culture.
In the Daoist religion, the term Daoshi denotes someone who has a certain knowledge of the Dao , is trained in Daoist rituals , and is authorized to use this knowledge and the rituals.
The content of this knowledge and the ritualistic differ depending on the Taoist school in which they were taught.
From the late period of the Six Dynasties , the term Daoshi referred to religious specialists who belonged to a Daoist organization. As a result, Daoists z. B. from Buddhism or local cults. The training as Daoshi was and is dependent on initiation and training in an institutionalized and authorized Daoist organization.
history
The term Daoshi was first used in scriptures during the Han Dynasty . He also appeared there as a synonymous name for z. B. Fangshi and for Taoist saints like the Zhenren .
In the 5th century, Daoists like Kou Qianzhi and Lu Xiujing tried to categorize the ranks of the Daoist clergy, as these did not appear to be ordered and unambiguous compared to Buddhism.
From the late period of the six dynasties , writings appeared that presented the hierarchy of the Daoist clergy and requirements for Daoshi. The Daoshi were also distinguished from subordinate ranks such as the Fashi (master of ritual) and the Dizi (pupil). It is unclear to what extent such writings corresponded to reality, as the sources differ in terms of content with regard to hierarchies.
Daoshi often belonged to the educated classes. In the Tang period , many Daoshi were well educated and also honored by rulers and Confucian officials. In the Tang period, women were also often ordained as Daoshi, and in today's Quanzhen sects there is still a female clergy.
Nowadays only members of the sky masters and Zhengyi Daoism are often referred to as Daoshi, but these only represent a certain direction in which Daoshi appear.
literature
- Fabrizio Pregadio (Ed.): The Routledge Encyclopedia of Taoism. 2 volumes. Routledge, London (et al.) 2008, ISBN 978-0-7007-1200-7 .