明朝皇帝的崇道之风

明成祖在"靖难之役"中自称得到真武大帝的佑助,故夺得皇位后极力崇道。后世皇帝仿效成祖,崇道之风愈演愈烈,至嘉靖、万历而盛极。因崇道而日事斋醮,皇帝怠政之风日盛,加速了明王朝政治的腐败。因怠政而出现权力真空,内阁的权力随之上升,逐渐有了所谓"宰相之实"。皇帝崇道促进了"道藏"的编纂和道教的传播,道教更加民间化和世俗化。明代道教虽未出现新流派,没有理论上的新贡献,但相对于佛教,其地位却上升了,故不宜笼统地说明代道教处于衰落时期。

Ming Emperors'Advocacy of Taoism

Emperor ChengZu of Ming Dynasty said that he had been blessed by Zhenwu the Great in Jingnan Battle,so he advocated Taoism after getting enthroned.And emperors after him imitated him one after another and the custom of Taoist advocacy got stronger and stronger.Emperors ignored their duty since they paid more attention to prayer,and this made the corruption of Ming Dynasty faster.Consequently,the power of cabinets kept increasing.Emperors' advocacy of Taoism made Taoism more popular in the society.Compared to Buddhism,the status of Taoism in Ming Dynasty increased although there's no new development or theoretical breakthrough.Thus it's not right to generally assume that Taoism in Ming Dynasty was in depression.