ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the growth of the early lineages of Yiguan Dao一貫道, a religious movement that emerged in the early 20th century in Shanxi and Shandong provinces, China. The authors map the distribution of the early Yiguandao temples, called Buddha-halls, to explain how the different administrative structures account for the rapid growth and proliferation of certain lineages, but not others. In particular, the authors build a complex understanding of the differing notions of spiritual authority in the temple networks. Mapping the different growth patterns of Yiguandao helps to see where the religion took hold. It also frames questions about the kind of social networks undergirding these developments.
