The four great masters of Taoism are: Zhang Daoling, Ge Xuan, Xu Xun and Sa Shoujian. They were the founders and leaders of Taoism, and they had a profound influence on the history of Taoism. Among them, Zhang Daoling is respected as one of the founders of Taoism and was founded"Positively"with"Five buckets of rice road"；Ge Xuan is the ancestor of the Lingbao Sect and is known as"Wine man"with"Tai Chi Zuo Xian Gong"；Xu Jingyang is revered as the patriarch of the Jingming Taoist sect and served as the commander of Jingyang County, Sichuan, and is known as"Xu Xian"；Sa Shoujian is the founder of the Shenxiao faction and is known as one of the masters of Shenxiao.
The contributions and influence of the four Celestial Masters are not only reflected in the religious realm, but also in the philosophical, cultural, moral, and social aspects. Their lives and teachings have shaped the diversity and richness of Taoism in China, and have kept the spirit of Taoism alive to this day.
Zhang Daoling pioneered the Tao of Heavenly Masters and combined Taoist thought and folk beliefs to create Taoism. He used talismans, mantras, and Jiao to propagate Taoist ideas and guide the people to worship God and Taoism. Zhang Daoling is revered as a patriarch by Taoism, and his contribution lies in spreading Taoist ideas and establishing Taoism's place in Chinese culture.
Ge Xuan was the founder of the Danding school of Taoism, and he had in-depth research and practice in alchemy. Ge Xuan created a unique Danding sect Taoist cultivation method, which provided guidance and inspiration for later Taoist practitioners. In addition, he left behind many works on alchemy and cultivation, which had a profound impact on the development of Taoist alchemy.
Xu Xun was the founder of the Pure Ming School of Taoism, who focused on cultivating the body and mind, and advocated that people obtain the essence of Taoist thought through self-cultivation. Xu Xun advocated purity and lack of desire, and taught people self-cultivation with the idea of quiet and inaction, which had an important impact on the popularization and dissemination of Taoist thought.
Known as one of the "Four Heavenly Masters of Taoism", Sa Shoujian spread the cultivation methods of the Taoist Fu Gong school and was widely respected among the people. Sa Shoujian not only has high attainments in alchemy and cultivation, but is also good at integrating Taoist ideas into daily life, which has had a positive impact on the lives of the people. His contribution was to promote the development of the Taoist Fu Gong school and to provide valuable cultivation experience for later generations of cultivators.