Luo teaching

Luoism
羅教 / 罗教
TypeChinese salvationist religion
ScriptureWubuliuce (五部六册)
FounderPatriarch Luo (罗祖)
Originlate 15th century
Shandong
Other name(s)Wuweiism (无为教), Luozuism (罗祖教), Changshengdao (长生道 Way of the Eternal Life),[a] Dacheng (大乘 Great Vehicle), Sancheng (三乘 Third Vehicle), Wukong (悟空 Nothing Emptiness),[b] Wunian (无年 Timeless), Yuandun (圆顿 Sudden Stillness) teachings, Yaoism

Luodao (罗道[c] "Way of Luo") or Luoism (罗教[d]), originally Wuweiism (无为教[e]), refers to a Chinese folk religious tradition, a wide range of sect organisations flourishing over the last five hundred years,[1] which trace their origins back to the mystic and preacher Luo Menghong (1443–1527[2]), the Patriarch Luo (罗祖 Luōzǔ[f]) and the revelation contained in his major scripture, the Wǔbùliùcè (五部六册 "Five Instructions in Six Books"),[3] the official title of which is The Scroll of Apprehending the Way through Hard Work[4] and that marked the beginning of the precious scrolls' tradition.[5]

Luo and the movement he started is considered the most important influence within the Chinese salvationist tradition.[6] A wide range of religious groups such as the Immortal Sect (長生教), Green Lotus Sect (青蓮教), ZhenKong (真空教), Zhaijiao (齋教) and Yiguandao (一貫道) can be traced to Luo's teachings, their names are numerous and have changed over the centuries.[7] Some of them have remained close to original Wuweiism as transmitted in Luo's scriptures, while other ones have developed other beliefs only preserving the name of the founding master.[8]

Types of Luodao, together with other folk religions, have revived rapidly in China since the 1980s.[9]


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  1. ^ Seiwert, 2003. p. 215
  2. ^ Nadeau 2012. p. 230
  3. ^ Seiwert, 2003. pp. 214-215
  4. ^ Ma, Meng. 2011. p. 169
  5. ^ Seiwert, 2003. p. 228
  6. ^ Seiwert, 2003. pp. 214-215
  7. ^ Seiwert, 2003. p. 215
  8. ^ Seiwert, 2003. p. 215
  9. ^ 大陆民间宗教管理变局 Management change in the situation of mainland folk religion. Phoenix Weekly, July 2014, n. 500. Pu Shi Institute for Social Science: full text of the article Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine.