Chinese religion: Daoism

Στην παρούσα δημοσίευση δε γίνεται εξαντλητική αναφορά στην κόλαση, χριστιανική και κινέζικη, παρά δίνονται ενδεικτικά παραδείγματα, στα οποία φαίνονται εξαιρετικές ομοιότητες ανάμεσα στις δύο θρησκείες και στο εννοιολογικό και στο εικονογραφικό σχήμα απόδοσης των ατομικών τιμωριών.

This article studies an example of a local cult that might not be labeled as “Daoist” if taken at face value, but that, by specifying those elements that can be attributed to Daoist ritual operations, can nonetheless be classified on the basis of formative contributions from Daoism. It is a study of the presence of Daoism in the absence of Daoists.

This dissertation examines the salvific and therapeutic practices of medieval Chinese
Daoist organisations. Drawing on the most detailed ethnographic record of medical
treatment in early medieval China, the Zhen’gao 真誥 [Declarations of the Perfected], this study examines the work of Yang Xi and the Xus of Jiankang, early members of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) School. It argues that many of the family’s activities were ultimately concerned with promoting health and curing disease: from tomb-quelling, to divination, to reports on the affairs of deceased relatives. Three main practices form the foci of the analysis: an account of how acupuncture, massage and drugs were entangled with notions of salvation, and how related therapeutic concepts shaped some of the ultimate goals of Shangqing practice. The two research questions addressed are a) how did Shangqing practices function to both cure disease and to grant salvation, and what implications does this question have for modern histories that address religion and medicine as discrete enterprises?
By situating the formation of the Shangqing repertoire within the broader context of
the religio-medical market, this study maintains that therapeutic competition had formative effects on Chinese religions generally. The artificial and modern division of Medicine and Religion emerge as modern categories with limited value for texturing a history of the healing arts of medieval China. In place of this epistemological cast, this study suggests attention to practice repertoires and the formation of thought-styles as a methodology.
Comparing ‘religious’ and ‘medical’ actors in this way allows the uneven contours of local
social, geographic and epidemiological conditions to more readily be taken into account in the formation of sectarian identities.

The concert showcases the religious music derived from the collision between and mutual edification of two great civilizations over the past thirteen hundred years. It is no exaggeration to say that the concert has been waiting for the last seventy years—and has been prepared for the last twenty years--to meet you all, the esteemed audience. Since February of this year, much planning has gone into the concert, and today [October 16, 2021] we are proud to present it to you. Because of large repertoire of this broad representation of Chinese church music, this concert will last longer than customary ones. Please relax and enjoy the musical offerings tonight.

Indonesia's Chinese three-religions (san jiao) have a long history.
Buddhism and Confucianism have gained legal status since the last century. Comparatively speaking, the development of Taoism is far from satisfaction.
Since the 1970s, Mr. Li Shanghu has established Taishang’men Taoism by chance. In just a few decades, the Taishang’men Taoism has been loved and accepted by the vast number of Indonesian Chinese, and gradually developed into an organized and widely spread Taoism group in Indonesia.
The development of Taishang’men Taoism is so rapid, its reason cannot be separated from the charm of its ideological content, which can make people feel the sense of the times of its thought and the sense of transcendence of its thought. It can meet the needs of modern people for physical and mental health, at the same time, it has an endless depth of thought, which meets the needs of the curious pursuers and researchers of the mystery of life. In addition, its thoughts are closely related to the traditional Chinese Taoism, especially the Tao Te Ching and the Confucian ideas. Mr. Li Shanghu can inherit and transform the Chinese traditional Confucianism and Taoism according to the time and place, so that the Taishang’men Taoism can be widely accepted by the Chinese in Indonesia, undoubtedly has made a great contribution to the development of Chinese traditional thought and culture in Indonesia.

In order to introduce Taishang’men Taoism in depth, this paper mainly uses the methods of literature analysis and field investigation as the main research methods, and discusses the educational purpose of Taishang’men Taoism (preaching the right Way, banish all blind faith and enlightenment), basic doctrines (such as emphasizing the truth/principle, rituals, and the divine arts), philosophy of life (such as pursuing indifference and tranquility), self-cultivation thoughts (such as pursuing the liberation of thoughts and mind, and the liberation of spirit level）and so on. The research shows that Taishang’men Taoism has its unique contents, and many thoughts inherit the traditional Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, especially the thought of Laozi.

Keywords: Indonesian, Taoism, Taishang’men, Taoism dissemination, Chinese traditional culture

O presente texto busca ser uma síntese da minha pesquisa de mestrado sobre o Daoismo no Brasil. Por isso, optamos por uma linguagem um pouco mais fluída, sem citações acadêmicas, mas preservando as informações e ideias mais técnicas própria de um estudo sistemático universitário. Da mesma forma, aproveitamos para apresentar para o/a leitor/a da Revista Daojia, além da visão geral sobre o Daoismo, mostramos também uma última parte sobre o legado específico do mestre Wu Jyh Cherng no Brasil. Mas, antes de tudo, vamos conceituar o que é o Daoismo/Taoísmo.