Grotto-heavens

Part of a series on
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 Way of the Celestial Masters#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.^[1]

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).^[2] The most sacred of these sites were divided into two types: The ten greater grotto-heavens and the thirty-six lesser grotto-heavens.^[3]

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)^{[citation needed]}
• 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)

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

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

This article related to Chinese mythology is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This Taoism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e