East Asian · branch

Religious Daoism

The same cosmology, staffed: a vast celestial bureaucracy, an ordained priesthood, liturgy, talismans and the pursuit of bodily transcendence through internal alchemy. Practically the opposite of its philosophical sibling on ritual and authority.

What makes it unusual

The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.

A3 Pluralitymany powers and spiritsFurther toward "many powers and spirits" than most traditions in the matrix.
E2 Origin of the cosmosleaning beginningless or naturalFurther toward "beginningless or natural" than most traditions in the matrix.
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribedFurther toward "essential and prescribed" than most traditions in the matrix.
E4 Standing of natureanimate and itself sacredFurther toward "animate and itself sacred" than most traditions in the matrix.

All seventeen positions

Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.

The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.

position
tolerated variation

A · The divine

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists	a divine reality certainly existsDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	1.00	0.04
A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address	leaning a personal being one can addressDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.65	0.16
A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits	many powers and spiritsDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.92	0.06
A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it	leaning fully present within itDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.82	0.10

B · Knowledge and authority

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience	leaning revealed and fixedDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.35	0.16
B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all	leaning literal and bindingDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.30	0.15
B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides	leaning clergy and tradition decideDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.18	0.12

C · Self and destiny

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form	continues in some formDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.88	0.10
C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return	between one life, then judgment and cyclical returnDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.55	0.20
C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound	leaning ignorant but fundamentally soundDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.72	0.13

D · Practice

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight	leaning achieved by effort or insightDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.75	0.14
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent	essential and prescribedDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.05	0.05
D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated	leaning to be celebratedDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.72	0.14

E · World and others

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths	between one true path and many valid pathsDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.62	0.16
E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural	leaning beginningless or naturalDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.78	0.14
E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice	between a people, inherited and an individual choiceDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.48	0.18
E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred	animate and itself sacredDaozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice	0.88	0.08

Compared with

Where do you sit?

The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.