Abstract:
According to materials from epitaphs, female Taoists in the Tang Dynasty fell into three groups: those who became Taoists by giving up their homes, those who became Taoists without giving up their homes, and those who practiced Taoism at home. Besides, there were other Taoist enthusiasts. Those registered female Taoists without giving up their homes and those women Taoist followers just at home were engaged mainly in such religious activities as practicing Taoism alone, reading scriptures over burning scent, studying classical scriptures, keeping a vegetarian diet, restraining from meat and fish, and consulting Taoist master. Those female Taoists enjoyed great freedom, practicing Taoism alone in the depths of faraway mountains, seeking the fairy or Taoist master by travelling everywhere, or making friends with many fellow Taoists and exchanging personal understandings. Some female Taoists with profound Taoist attainments and high reputation were even made Taoist leaders, building Taoist temples and rites. Taoist worship greatly influenced the life of women in the Tang Dynasty: some of them broke away from conventional female form of life and attentively sought personal longevity; some cherished their own ideals and expectations in addition to conventional household life, and others escaped from the widow’s hard persistence by becoming Taoist, ranking themselves among the high-respected Taoist masters.
