高雄道德院成立於民國四十九年（1960），坐落於高雄市三民區金獅湖畔，主祀神為太上道祖與太乙救苦天尊，創建人暨第一任住持郭騰芳（1923-1998），為讓此地成為坤道習道修行處所，民國五○年代末期在其規劃下，早期曾組織一個名為「玉女組」的女青年習道誦經團體，最終有五至七名女青年選擇成為出家法師，幾經波折後則有六名坤道在此出家，終生以傳經講道、自我修煉道性、服務信眾為志業。 過去在臺灣的社會中有不少女性選擇出家，有部分原因即對傳統賢妻良母式的女性生命過程有所質疑，部分是對於人生的意義有所疑惑與追尋，少數者是因身體因素，進而在理性與熱忱的鼓勵下走上出家之路，投身為神職人員（出家法師）做為往後的生命規劃，藉以培養獨立人格與終身奉獻於宗教與信仰，就探討坤道在臺灣的宗教實踐，目前仍是較少被關注。本文以早期高雄道德院玉女組與出家法師做為探討目標，就早期幾位玉女組成員與出家法師的個人生命歷程、所習得法事科儀，結合信仰與入世的精神等為探討內容，分析戰後臺灣坤道對自我生命的實踐方式，對於一般信眾、地方社會產生的影響與貢獻。

Following World War II, Taiwan experienced significant transformations in its social and economic structures while also adjusting to the impact of Nationalist （KMT） rule. During this time period, the gradual relaxation of cultural and religious policies allowed a wide range of new religious movements to flourish. This was also the case with Daoism, especially in urban settings, which can be seen in the development of the Gaoxiong Abbey of Morality （Gaoxiong Daaodeyuan 高雄道德院）, founded by the local religious elite Guo Tengfang 郭騰芳 （1923-1998） during the course of his 40-year preaching career. The goal of this thesis is to explore the history of this major sacred site, especially the roles played by religious specialists as well as the philanthropic and ritual activities they organized. The thesis is divided into four sections: Part I examines the Abbey’s history, including the settlement of Gaoxiong City, the ways in which elites and other worshippers contributed to the growth of this sacred site, the Abbey’s own organizational structures, the importance of different types of ritual specialists, etc. In addition, it considers the nature and contributions of those organizations founded by Guo, especially in the realms of charity and self-cultivation.