Longhu

I have wanted to become a formal taoist for a very long time, I live in the US. I would prefer to find a teacher in the Quanzhen school, and spend some time as a monastic, however what's much more important to me is a finding a teacher of any school who can pass on the teachings. I was thinking Taiwan would be a better place to look because the mainland is quite closed off and xenophobic (according to my chinese friends, but id love to hear your guys' imput on whether the mainland could be a good option) so anyways, how can I get in contact with a real Daoshi in China (mainland or Taiwan) and learn. I understand to seek this out and move there, learn Chinese, learn everything required to become a daoist is a goal that would take years, if not decades, to do. I have seen people in this forum talk about their time as daoists in China, I know you are probably Chinese and don't know much about how this would play out for a foreigner, but your input (and any way to get in contact with a temple/monastery) would be much appreciated. Thank you

Yeah learning mandarin is a must, only reason I've been practicing is cause I'm worrying about spending lots of time learning then not being able to find a teacher and/or monastery that I can learn from. Also, thank you so much for telling me about this. Is it a Quanzhen or Zhengyi monastery? Are there actual monks there or is it just temple volunteers?

I think you're most likely right, china is by no means short on scandals, though I've also heard there's a lot of genuine monks too. I think taiwan is probably a better choice overall, I just don't know how I would get in contact with a temple/monastery over there, I know monasteries are quite rare.

Hello everyone, this is my introduction post. I joined this forum to learn about daoism and seek out a true path. A little about me: I am an American who has wanted to be a daoist since I was like 12 and discovered the religion online. I am also a buddhist (would love to hear your guy's thoughts on how the two go together) and I am mostly here to reach out to and learn from real practicioners who can help me learn