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China and Inner Asia
Organized Panel Session
Although the Celestial Masters eventually became a religious dynasty, with their seat on Dragon-Tiger Mountain in Jiangxi province, for the early Daoist church there was only one Celestial Master, Zhang Daoling. It was Zhang who had received the initial revelation from the Supreme Lord Lao and Zhang continued to counsel church members through spirit revelation from the third through ninth centuries. This image of a religious founder who experienced apotheosis and has now assumed his rightful place in the heavens, looking out for the faithful, was vital to the Celestial Master church, which turned to their Celestial Master in times of strife and peril as a divine figure who could unify its disparate members. This paper will examine the significance of this figure as a counselor and ongoing source of truth, uniting far-flung believers in personal faith in their founder and guardian, asking: How did the figure of Celestial Master Zhang serve as a rallying point for Daoists? What claims were Daoists making when putting him forward as their representative? How did this figure transform as the Celestial Master ritual program was largely replaced by Lingbao ritual? Was Zhang Daoling a personal savior for early Daoists?
Terry Kleeman
University of Colorado Boulder