Xuanism

Xuanism (: 玄家 lit. "Arcane Teachings" or "religion of profound mystery") refers a religion (玄教; xuán jiào; Lit. "Arcane Teachings"); and a school of philosophical thought (玄家; xuán jiā; Lit."Arcane School of Thought") both share ideas and concepts of Kodeshi origin and emphasize understanding the mysterious and arcane and living in harmony with nature. The earliest persona of the Xuanism may be considered to have been an individual named Huineng who lived during the tumultuous Xian Dynasty. He was a student of celestial master Mazu Daoyi and became his successor at Xuanbai mountain. It is said that he was able to achieve enlightenment by hearing only one phrase, "The Great Way is without difficulty." This phrase can be interpreted in many ways but most likely this phrase refers to the doctrine that everything is perfect as it is and should be accepted for what it is rather than trying to improve or alter something. This belief would become very popular during the Xie Dynasty when the teachings of Mazu and Huineng were embraced by many people as the central tenet of their lives.

Xuanism has had a profound influence on Kodeshi culture in the course of the centuries and Xuanists (天师; tiānshī, "Celestial Masters"), a title traditionally attributed only to the clergy and not to their lay followers, usually take care to note the distinction between their ritual tradition and the practices of Kodeshi folk religion and non-Xuanist vernacular ritual orders, which are often mistakenly identified as pertaining to Xuanism. Kodeshi astrology, several martial arts, traditional Kodeshi medicine, feng shui and many styles of qigong have been intertwined with Xuanism throughout history.

Today, the Xuanism religion is enshrined in the Kodeshi constitution as the official religion of the country. Shangxuan Xuanism has been the Kodeshi state religion since the 13th century. It is also a major religion in Qingcheng, HCCK and has a significant number of adherents in a number of other societies throughout Southwestern Kesh, particularly in Nanwen, Heiban, and South Kesh.

Schools and traditions
Three major extant branches of Xuanism are generally recognized by scholars: Shangxuan (上玄教; Shàng xuán jiào; Lit: "The School of the Supreme Arcane"), Da'ao Shu (大奥术教; Dà'ào shù jiào; Lit "Great Arcane Teaching") and Zhengxuan (正玄教; Zhèng xuán jiào; Lit: "True Arcane") Shangxuan has a widespread following in Kodeshia, Qingcheng and HCCK. Da'ao Shu, which includes the traditions is practiced prominently in Southwestern Kesh, particularly in Nanwen, Heiban, and South Kesh. Zhengxuan, a body of teachings attributed to Jin Ying adepts, may be viewed as a separate branch which preserves the older teachings and is practised in the countries of the northern western regions of Kodeshia, and HCCK.