The Taoist tradition centered on the Celestial Masters movement is called Tianshi Dao.
Tianshi Dao means “Way of the Celestial Masters.” The movement traces its origins to Zhang Daoling, who is traditionally said to have received a revelation from the deified Laozi in the second century CE. It is commonly regarded as the earliest organized Taoist religious movement.
The Celestial Masters created communities with religious registers, ritual specialists, ethical rules, and systems of confession and healing. Their organization represented a major change from loosely connected practices to a structured religious tradition with recognized leadership.
The movement is also called Zhengyi Dao, or the Way of Orthodox Unity, especially in later historical contexts. Quanzhen, Shangqing, and Lingbao are different Taoist traditions or schools. Names and institutional relationships changed across centuries, so historians distinguish the early Celestial Masters from later Zhengyi developments.