Celestial Masters

<p>In 142 CE the divine Lord Lao descended to Mount Cranecall (Sichuan province) to establish a new covenant with humanity through a man named Zhang Ling the first Celestial Master. Facing an impending apocalypse caused by centuries of sin Zhang and his descendants forged a communal faith centering on a universal priesthood strict codes of conduct and healing through the confession of sins; this faith was based upon a new bureaucratic relationship with incorruptible supernatural administrators. By the fourth century Celestial Master Daoism had spread to all parts of China and has since played a key role in China's religious and intellectual history. <p/><i>Celestial Masters</i> is the first book in any Western language devoted solely to the founding of the world religion Daoism. It traces the movement from the mid-second century CE through the sixth century examining all surviving primary documents in both secular and canonical sources to provide a comprehensive account of the development of this poorly understood religion. It also provides a detailed analysis of ritual life within the movement covering the roles of common believer or Daoist citizen novice and priest or libationer.</p>