Within Yiguandao, immortality is understood primarily as a spiritual reality rather than a quest for bodily longevity. Drawing on Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian currents, the movement speaks of a “return to the Origin” and reunion with the Unborn or Eternal Mother, a primordial source beyond the cycle of birth and death. Transcendence is thus framed as the soul’s homecoming to its original, pure nature, dwelling in a heavenly realm rather than continuing in samsaric existence. This liberation is often described as freedom from the “bitter sea” of reincarnation, a state of eternal spiritual existence grounded in one’s inherent divine nature.

The path toward such transcendence is portrayed as both inward and ethical. Central is the reception of the Dao, a rite understood to reopen the “mysterious gate” and reconnect the practitioner with the primal source, thereby awakening the original spirit, which is regarded as inherently immortal. Yet this inner awakening must be matched by rigorous moral cultivation: Confucian virtues such as filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, and loyalty are treated not as mere social niceties but as conditions for refining the soul and aligning it with Heaven. Vegetarianism, compassion, and other lifestyle disciplines serve as concrete expressions of this purification, supporting the gradual transformation of character.

Yiguandao also situates individual transcendence within a broader, universal horizon. Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and Daoist-style immortals are revered as exemplars who have already crossed beyond ordinary rebirth and now continue to serve as guides for sentient beings. Their example underlines that spiritual immortality is not a purely private attainment: service to others, propagating the Dao, and working for the salvation of all are integral to the process of self-transcendence. Many teachings present this as a threefold movement—self-cultivation, altruistic service, and ultimate unity with the Dao—through which the practitioner participates in a larger drama of collective return to the divine source.

In this way, Yiguandao weaves together the “Three Teachings in One” into a distinctive vision of immortality. From Daoism comes the language of returning to the Origin and cultivating subtle inner capacities; from Buddhism, the emphasis on liberation from samsara and awakening to true nature; from Confucianism, the insistence that ethical rectitude is the indispensable foundation of any higher realization. Immortality, then, is not imagined as an escape into isolation but as an enduring, enlightened participation in the realm of the Eternal Mother, where those who have transcended continue to aid others on the path of return.