Essential Taoism
A response by John of AllFaith, August 2006)

Subject: Please help, I am stuck....and its my final. Question:

I dont mean to bother ou but I have 10 questions for my final in college, and i have to find an expert in Taoism. I was raised Baptist so this is beyound me and so far i am pretty close to failing this class. I have never had such a hard class, and this religion is going to kill my grade, please help if you can, I will be so grateful.

My question are as follows.....

    What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion?

    How has religion shaped your life?

    What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?

    Do you mix Taoism with any other of the Chinese religions?

    Is there any particular Shen that you identify with more then the others?

    When a member of your temple dies, are they offered "heaven visas" or paper money of a certain style?

    Which do you believe is the more prevalent in today’s society, the Yin or the Yang?

    Do you perform the traditional “brides dowry” ceremony here?

    In China business’s close for several days for the New Year observation, do you do the same here(in the USA?)

    The Chinese government regulates the religious practices in the homeland; do they have as much regulation control here?

Answer:

Hi "M",

Studying other religions is a great growth process. It opens ones mind and expands ones horizons. I would encourage you to read the Tao Te Ching and the Chang Tzu, two of the principle Taoist scriptures. Jesus says, "I have other sheep who are not of this fold..." Who those sheep are is often debated, but surely God loves everyone. Therefore, understanding the beliefs of others is a great way to honor ones own religion.

From your request it appears that you were to interview someone right?

I'd hate to think I was doing your homework for you. This would be cheating you.

Anyway, following are my answers:

What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion?

Taoist Vegetarian/Fasting days:

    Vegetarian/Fasting Days occur every month on the: 1st, 8th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 23rd, 24th, 28th, 29th, and 30th lunar day, as well as, every Festival Day.

Festival Days:

    First Moon
    1st: Yuan Shi Tian Zun's (One of the Three Immortals) Birthday
    5th: Cai Shen's (God of Wealth) Birthday Lantern Festival
    9th: Yu Huang Da Di's (Jade Emperor) Birthday
    15th: Shang Yuan Tian Guan's (One of the Three Guan) Birthday
    19th: The Day for Qiu Chu Ji (Student of Wang Chong Yang)

    Second Moon
    2nd: Tu Di Gong (Land God Festival)
    3rd: Wen Chang Di Jun's (God of Culture and Literature) Birthday
    6th: Dong Hua Di Jun's (Eastern King) Birthday
    13th: Ge Xian Weng's (Immortal Pill Maker) Birthday
    15th: Tai Shang Lao Jun's (Laozu - Celestial Worthy of the Tao and It's Virtues) Birthday
    Third Moon
    18th: Zhong Yue Da Di's (Central Mountain Emperor) Birthday
    23rd: Ma Zu's (Goddess of Longevity) Birthday
    28th: Dong Yue Da Di's (Eastern Mountain Emperor) Birthday
    Fourth Moon
    10th: He Xian Gu's (One of the Eight Immortals) Birthday
    14th: Lu Dong Bin's (Patriarch Lu) Birthday 15th: Han Zhong Li's (Lu Dong Bin's Teacher) Birthday
    17th: Goddess of Midwifery's Birthday
    18th: Hua Tou's birthday
    Fifth Moon
    1st: Nan Ji Chang Sheng Da Di's (South Pole Long Life Emperor)Birthday
    5th: Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu Jie)
    18th: Zhang Tian Shi's Birthday
    20th: Ma Dan Yang's Birthday
    29th: Ling Bao Tian Zun's Birthday
    Sixth Moon
    13th: Lu Pon's Birthday
    15th: Wang Ling Guan's Birthday
    24th: Guan Gong's (Deified General Representing Virtue) Birthday
    25th: Lan Cai He's (One of the Eight Immortals) Birthday
    Seventh Moon
    7th: Festival of the Seven Sisters (Jade Emperor's Daughters)
    10th: Tie Guan Li's (One of the Eight Immortals) Birthday
    15th: Zhong Yuan Di Guan's (Emperor of Exorcism) Birthday
    30th: Di Zhang Wang's (King of the Dead) Birthday
    Eighth Moon
    3rd: The Day for the Plough God to Descend to Earth
    3rd: Zao Jun's (Stove/Kitchen God) Birthday
    10th: Bei Yue Da Di's (Northern Mountain Emperor) Birthday
    14th: Chang E Festival (Moon Goddess Festival)
    Ninth Moon
    1st-9th: The Nine Plough Gods Descend to Earth (Seven Stars of the Big Dipper, Fire God, and Earth God)
    1st: The Day for the Nan Dou Star God to Descend to Earth
    9th: Birthday for Zhang San Feng, Dou Mu Yuan Jun, Chong Yang Di Jun, Feng Du Emperor
    19th: Guanyin Remembrance Day
    22nd: Tai Yi Zhen Ren's Birthday
    23rd: Sa Zu Zhen Ren's (Temple Protector) Birthday
    Tenth Moon
    3rd: San Mao Zhen Jun's (Three Mao Brothers) Birthday
    10th: Zhang Guo Lang's (One of the Eight Immortals) Birthday
    15th: Xia Yuan Shui Guan's (One of the Three Guan) Birthday
    19th: The Day for Qiu Zu Ascends to Heaven
    27th: Bei Ji Zi Wei Da Di's (One of the Four Emperors) Birthday
    27th: Festival of the North Pole Star
    Eleventh Moon
    6th: Xi Yue Da Di's (Western Mountain Emperor) Birthday
    11st: Special Day for Tai Yi Jiu Ku Tian Zun (The Blue Emperor)
    23rd: The Day for the Nan Dou Star God to Ascend to Heaven
    Twelfth Moon
    9th: Han Xiang Zi's (One of the Eight Immortals) Birthday
    16th: Nan Yue Da Di's (Southern Mountain Emperor) Birthday
    22nd: Wang Chong Yang's (One of the Seven Perfected Ones) Birthday
    24th: The Day for the Stove God to Ascend to Heaven and Report the Good and/or Bad Actions of People to the Jade Emperor
    30th The Day for all Gods to descend to Earth

    There are others, but this should suffice.

=======

How has religion shaped your life?

    Religion is the governing principle of my life. Every major and many minor decisions are based on it. It has led me to other countries, determined my MA degree and various ordinations. The importance of religion in my life cannot be underestimated.
    I am not a Taoist, however I have studied it extensively and lived in Taoist temples.

=======

What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?

    One living in the West has difficulties finding other Taoists. Much of what goes for Taoism in the West is really a form of Buddhism, New Ageism, Shao-lin etc. There are not many real Taoists in the West.
    In China and other countries where Taoism is a principle path (or incorporated into other local traditions, especially Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism, it is much easier to find others and to practice.
    As Taoism for the populace is not very demanding, those raised as Taoists have little or no difficulty, those who come to Taoism later in life have various difficulties depending on their backgrounds, cultures, country, etc. As adherents of other religions, Taoist range between the ultra devout and those on the fringe of the beliefs. It should be stated that there are essentially two Taoism, Philosophical and Practical. Many Westerners have been moved by Philosophical Taoism. For such people, the only real difficulty is right mindedness, maintaining the proper mental composure. Practicing traditional Practical Taoism is very rare in the West and quite difficult.

=======

Do you mix Taoism with any other of the Chinese religions?

    One of the great strengths of Taoism is that it does not demand solitary loyalty. It isn't so much a religion as a "way of life." Taoism is mixed with all religions, be they Chinese based or not. One who understands the Tao and the heart of Taoism, its influence can be seen everywhere. This is true in part because the Tao is not a thing in itself, but the amalgamation of all things, the harmony of all that is. Tao is not Yin plus Yang. It is closer described as the point where Yin and Yang dissolve into each other, and yet, within Tao there is neither Yin nor Yang because the two are ever complementarity apart. This truth is implied in the yin/yang symbol where the white dot is seen in the black and the black dot in the white. "The Tao can be named is not the true Tao."
    When in Buddhist sangas, my consciousness always includes the glorious simplicity of Tao.

=======

Is there any particular Shen that you identify with more then the others?

    By definition Shen is one and countless. I assume you are referring to the Shen other than self, such as Cai Shen. Each being possesses two "souls," shen and kwei, the celestial and terrestrial. realizing the harmony of these two is the primary occupation of the Taoist. The various spirit beings (introduced by Lao Tsu's disciple Chuang Tzu, have importance for many Practical Taoists, but not for me. I prefer the more philosophical path of Taoism expressed in Tao Te Ching and seek to focus on uniting the universe and realizing Tao. So no, I don't prefer one to the other.

=======

When a member of your temple dies, are they offered "heaven visas" or paper money of a certain style?

    Death is not viewed as an end but merely as a point along the way that should be neither feared nor desired. When a person dies, as a social courtesy, there is often a memorial service after which the body is usually cremated and disposed of as the family wishes, often the ashes are spread over hills, streams etc.

=======

Yin and Yang are eternally balanced. Were they to become unbalanced the universe would be destroyed and Tao or Wholeness would be shattered.
Yin or yang may predominate in an individual, but in the universe there is harmony, regardless of apparent current imbalances.

=======

Do you perform the traditional "brides dowry" ceremony here?

    I have no relationship with such things. In villages people do as they do. This is a real problem as many people abuse this old tradition.

=======

In China business’s close for several days for the New Year observation, do you do the same here(in the USA?)

    In the US New Years Day comes on January 1. Some people stay up until midnight and drink and party with family and friends. Some kiss their spouses or significant others as the clock strike midnight. Some religious people stay up and perform prayers etc. at midnight. Beyond this however, New Years is a single day and of little importance.

=======

The Chinese government regulates the religious practices in the homeland; do they have as much regulation control here?

    No country on earth has the degree of anti-religious government regulation that China does. In the US the government is currently working to restrict religious freedoms and expressions. Thus far however, religions are mainly free to do as they will. Religions that register with the government (and thereby become exempt from taxes) are not allowed to support political causes, even though in practice they mostly do... There are laws restricting the exercise of religious beliefs in public places.
    For instance, it is illegal for children to bring religious items (Bibles etc.) into their schools, it is illegal to pray in schools, it is usually not allowed to place religious images (crosses, creches, menorahs etc.) on government properties, including parks, etc. These are fairly recent restrictions on civil rights here. Even with such government interference, the US is much much freer than China in every way (though again we are currently losing our rights and these freedoms may not last much longer).

Reply:

No Hun you are not cheating me by answering and I so Appreciate it. You see i live in a microscopic very limited ethnic diversity town in Tennessee and there was no way to get answers that I needed.

Thank you so much, and yes I am finding this religion class so interesting, though my teacher is so hard to please that I am almost failing it.

Still I am learning...

John of AllFaith's reply: Hi "M",

Always glad to help. By the way, I grew up in a small North Georgia town so I can relate ;-)

The Tao Te Ching (text 47) tells us that:

    Without going outside, you may know the whole world. Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven.
    The farther you go, the less you know.
    Thus the sage knows without traveling;
    He sees without looking;
    He works without doing.

The glory of Tao, the glory of at-one-ment is that from small Tennessee (or Georgia) towns, one can know the entire universe.

Best of all good things to you,