The Fate of the Thunder Drum Lineage
by Karine Martin
This unique presentation by a fully trained and deeply immersed Western Daoist outlines the transformation of the monastic Quanzhen order after the Cultural Revolution, focusing on the Thunder Drum (Leigutai) lineage in Ziyang county, Shaanxi. It documents the massive expansion of Daoism after 1979, carried by the government, the Chinese Daoist Association, and many local priests who reoriented their practice from personal cultivation to temple building and the spread of longevity techniques while also opening their teachings to foreigners. This changed again in 2018, with the policy of “sinification,” which now requires all religions to represent Xi Jinping Thought and severely limits their activities. The book analyses the modifications at the organizational and doctrinal level that continuously require Daoists to adapt to ever-new political and social contexts. It is a pioneering work, essential for our understanding of religion and culture in China today.
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Available January 1, 2025PRAISE
This is an extremely rare work, most certainly a must-read! Karine Martin, herself a Daoist monastic, succeeds admirably in sharing both her inner journey as a practitioner and the outer journey of the religion in China today, as masters of the Thunder Drum (Leigutai) lineage in Shaanxi navigate the social and political changes over the last few decades. The book presents first-hand, personal information both on the social reconstruction of contemporary Daoism and the personal struggles of men and women who live the life of Dao, showing both its vivacity and fragility.
— Catherine Despeux, INALCO, France
Karine Martin is uniquely placed to tell us what is going on inside Daoist monasteries in China today. Her experience of living for years as a member of these communities is exceptional and allowed her to be a participant rather than a mere occasional witness of recent and ongoing transformations in the Quanzhen tradition. Going far beyond the general situation, she takes us inside a local network of temples she knows extremely well. At the same time, her academic training enables her to be a critical – yet ever empathetic – reader and listener of all that is being said about what Daoism is and should be. As a result, Monastic Daoism Transformed is a fascinating and essential read for anyone concerned about the reality of lived Daoism, its present, and its future—deeply informed yet beautifully written and illustrated. It is not about self-cultivation, a subject Karine knows well and teaches, but about the conditions under which such practices can be transmitted and taught in China today . Its conclusions are sobering, but that is a quintessentially Daoist quality: looking at reality without blinking.
—Vincent Goossaert, Professor of Daoism at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris
THE AUTHOR
Karine Martin holds doctorates in both Pharmaceutical Sciences (1997) and Religious Studies (2015). While working in neuroscience research in London, she came in contact with Daoism of the Thunder Drum lineage and entered its training. From 2001 to 2016, she lived in Daoist temples of various regions. She is the founder and director of the French Daoist Association, which organizes lectures, workshops, and training courses. A major representative of Daoism in the West, she presents at international conferences, has a strong internet presence, and is interviewed frequently.
For Table of Contents and Introduction, please see here:
