Taoist Rituals
 

Hi All

I was just wondering how many of us take part in taoist rituals. Please let me know which rituals and why. Maybe it's just a bunch of philosophical taoists here! lol.

What is a Taoist ritual?

Well for instance, Rituals asking for harmony of the universe. Offering the forces balancing forces, for instance. Offering the masculine energy feminine energy, allowing it to balance.

Clearing a house with incense. Jumping the big dipper. Celebrating the birthdays of deities and patrons.

It's not necessary for taoists to do these things, but they're entitled to do them of course. There's no reason not to do them, unless you're offended by ritual (which I am personally). lol.

I just wondered how many full blown taoists we had here, or if people just cut and pasted a few taoist wisdoms into their own beliefs.

Oh, you mean who among us prefers imaginary rituals to the the real deal.. the 'rituals' are contrary to actual Taoist origins.. read the I Ching, Book of Changes, or Tao Te Ching, or Chuang Tzu.. find insturction of 'ritual', its not there.. Ritual Taoism is the same as religious 'God' worship, both are designed to intervene between the experiencer and the actual experience of liberation.. both are designed to establish an authortarian heirarchy that usurps the seeker's experience and resources for the heirarchy's acquisition of power and wealth.. ritual taoism is a greedy after-thought..

Be well, all else is..

Personally, I love rituals that show honor and gratitude to all that is in its different forms.
I don't know about Taoist ones but I think the ones you mentioned are a healthy way of honoring all that is.
James

Totally, I think there is a certain degree of qi and energy use within taoist rituals that are beneficial to the universe. Letting a pine apple rot on your alter is one of them, apparently it soaks up inbalances of yang energy. Incense burns away excess yin energy.

Thanks

Hmm, I know some fairly interesting and spiritually advanced Taoists who would disagree. Christ didn't do compline, but those who do might not be shucking. The great Taoist ritualists like Zhang Daoling were definitely Taoists, and many important schools came from them. In addition many ritual aspects of Taoism (eg. use of the Big Dipper) might originate from pre-philosophical shamanism. The root texts of philosophical Taoism aren't the only 'source' of true Taoism.

OTOH hand the OP seemed to imply that either you could be a ritualist or a philosopher where there are a lot more options than that. These days in the West we certainly do have some focus on both of those, but probably the best-known Taoist practices come more from the inner-alchemy perspective and are mixed with ch'i kung (qigong), which are the ones that I've always loved. Those aren't exactly ritual, and they're not philosophical either. Their nearest equivalent is in kundalini yoga or western Hermetic alchemy. There's a good book which makes those comparisons called 'Inner Alchemy', edited by Livia Kohn.

In fairness, most taoist philosophy is imaginary. Infact that's what philosophy is, imagining. I know it's supposed to mean a love of wisdom, but I find philosophers tend to simply imagine concepts. Rituals are just physical patterns for this, similar to dancing is the physical pattern of 'imagining' music.

I think they can be helpful, the Tao has incredible depth and connection with it allows you to change and manifest things. I believe that when the wu shaman came to Tao, they found that it would augment their rituals and give them a direct media to channel that force.

Practice is what it's all about, pure philosophizing only comes with small psychological benefits.

Rituals, mmmm, yes I remember those toys now, mmmmm.:smile:

Yes but remember ritual is not the only form of practice, as stated.

Tao Te Ching (to pick the most obvious example) does in many people's opinion have breathing exercise instructions in it. Certainly there are practice-based interpretations of Lao tzu in the Tao Cannon.

In addition, the philosophy of Tao Te Ching is immensely useful as a practice, even if interpreted on the literal level as set of instructions in how to govern effectively. It dovetails beautifully with modern systems theory. John Michael Greer is currently preparing a translation of Lao Tzu with systems theory in mind (he has posted about it on the Archdruid Report) -- meanwhile if you compare Tao Te Ching with Donella Meadows' 'Thinking in Systems', say, it is very instructive. IOW the text suggests a practice, something which must actually be done, whether you interpret it as a guide for princes or for meditators.

Mostl ancient philosophy, east and west, is of that nature -- it is meant to be done, not meant to be pondered only. Stoicism and Epicureanism (which both have much in common with Taoism in their different ways) are great examples from Hellenistic Greece. The benefits of such systems are not only 'small and psychological' in my opinion.