San Shan Jiao 三山教

The name of our lineage is San Shan Jiao (三山教). San Shan Jiao is headed by 3 patriarchs 闾茅毛 三山祖師: Lu Shan Patriarch (闾山祖師), Mao Shan Patriarch (茅山祖師) and Mao Shan Patriarch (毛山祖師). The term Patriarch (祖師) refers to a teacher who guides disciples on a path of cultivation that is most suitable for them. 

Before Grandmaster Ye Jia Zheng (叶加政大师), San Shan Jiao specialises in talisman writing and spell recitation (画符念咒) to protect against evil, exorcise and drive away spirits, recover and strengthen one's health, etc. 

Grandmaster Ye combined the teachings from Zhen Kong Jiao (真空教) and founded Kong Shang San Shan (空上三山) as a way of cultivation by bringing in Prayer recitation (念经祈福), Wu Wei meditation (无為静坐) with talisman writing and spell recitation (画符念咒) for disciples to better cultivate and strengthen their inner self. This combination was natural given that both San Shan Jiao and Zhen Kong Jiao have a common fundamental belief in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism practices (儒释道).

Grandmaster Ye also emphasized the importance of Teacher (師), in view that any Master can only achieve their standards, with the guidance of a teacher. Hence, our lineage's Patriarch Tablet (祖師牌) holds the word Teacher (師) at the bottom of the tablet.

San Shan Jiao's practice is generally divided into Yin and Yang (阴阳). The Yang focuses on solving issues that can be detected by the 5 human senses; while the Yin focuses on sensing the environmental energy e.g. meditation, raising intuition or instinct, etc. There are 4 major stages for the Yang portion: (1) Entry level (过教); (2) Secondary level (中教); (3) Tertiary level (大教); (4) Graduation (出師门).

For entry into San Shan Jiao, one must become a disciple of a Master who has graduated e.g. cleared all 4 stages. The Master will assess and find a date to carry out the entry process. The lineage requires disciples to comply with 5 refuge (五皈) and 10 precept (十诫) to guide their attitude and behavior. As disciples clear through the stages for Yang and Yin practices, the Master will gain better understanding of the disciples' inclination and guide them towards achieving their potential.

Last updated: 16 Aug 2025

First Published: 16 Feb 2025

Back to: Our Heritage

Back to: Useful Writeups