LING-PAO P’AI Chin., lit. “School of the Magic Jewel”; a branch of religious Taoism (tao-chiao) that developed in the 4th/5th century C.E. and was based on the scriptures of the Magic Jewel (Ling-pao ching).
The School of the Magic Jewel reformed rites and practices to bring them into line with its own teaching, which was strongly influenced by Buddhism. It teaches that a person’s salvation (or liberation) largely depends on the help that person is able to obtain from the venerable celestial deities (t’ien-tsun). This constitutes a simplification of the original Taoist doctrine. The deities are projected out from within the body (Inner Deity Hygiene School) and rule the whole universe. The Magic Jewel School owed its rapid spread to this simplification. The most important practices of the school were so-called fasting ceremonies (chai).
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Documents on Ling-pao p’ai
Books on Ling-pao p’ai
External links: Taoism / Tao-chiao / Ling-pao ching / Buddhism / T’ien-tsun / Chai