Weixinism (唯心教 Wéixīnjiào), institutionally also known by the extended title of Holy Church of the Heart-Only (唯心聖教 Wéixīn Shèngjiào) is one of the Chinese salvationist religions born in Taiwan in the late 20th century.
[1] Weixinism operates a synthesis and reproposition for the modern times of ancient Chinese religion and philosophy, primarily focused on the "orthodox lineages of Yijing and fengshui", and worship of the "Three Great Ancestors" (Huangdi, Yandi and Chiyou).
[3] Weixinism was founded in the 1980s, in a context where the end of martial law in Taiwan, with the consequent affirmation of freedom of religion, allowed several new religious movements to operate openly and eventually to gain legal recognition.
[3] Among the most successful of such movements[1] was Weixinism, which was founded as the result of the mystical experiences of Chang Yi-Jui, born in Zhongliao, Nantou, Taiwan, in 1944, and later known as Grand Master Hun Yuan.
[4] He claimed to have received messages both from the Jade Deity, one of the representations of the supreme God, and from Guiguzi, a name that indicates both a group of writings compiled between the late Warring States period and the end of the Han dynasty and their author, later deified in Chinese folk religion.
[4] Taiwanese scholar Liu Hsiu-Yi has argued that members join Weixinism because of four different motivations: problem-solving, learning doctrines, social networking, and personal religious experiences.
Some believe the religion may help them solve practical problems in the fields of health and careers; others are interested in Weixinist theology; some join because they have relatives and friends in the movement; and some claim they had a deep spiritual experience when they first met Grand Master Hun Yuan.
[5] Weixinism success is largely due to it having emerged as a leading provider of courses on Yijing and fengshui, two systems that are immensely popular both in Taiwan and in China and among the international Chinese diaspora, and increasingly interest Westerners as well.
Its goals go beyond local problems in Taiwan and include the promotion of world peace through the healing of grievances and resentments deriving from centuries of war and conflict.
He is regarded as the ancestor of China's ethnic minorities and the healing of the wounds left by the conflicts and wars that accompanied Chinese history requires, according to the movement, that Chiyou be worshiped as equal in dignity to the Yan and Yellow Emperors.
[3] Weixinism believes that ancestor worship ceremonies have a crucial role in promoting world peace and ushering in a future millennial era without conflicts that would last for 5,000 years.