| Religious Centers | Internet Links |
Introduction
| Religious Centers | Internet Links |
Introduction
Tao means the "way" and is understood to be the way of harmony that is the source and natural process of the whole universe. The Tao is expressed through the natural cyclical movements of creation that reveal the dynamic interrelation of opposites -- non-being and being, rest and motion, night and day, death and life. This dynamic interpenetration is expressed visually by the yin-yang symbol, which communicates the central insight that dualities contain and flow into one another and, indeed, cannot be apprehended apart from one another. This form of thinking, sometimes called "philosophical Taoism," traces its roots to the writings of Lao Tzu (500 BCE) and Chuang Tzu (300 BCE).
Religious Taoism is also connected with this way of thinking but is oriented toward personal cultivation and ritual aimed at longevity and immortality. There have long been Taoist temples, monks, and nuns in China, though Taoism suffered along with other religious traditions during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). More recently, however, many Taoist temples have been renovated and their religious life restored, such as the famous White Cloud Temple in Beijing, which underwent renovation in the 1980s and began offering courses in Taoism once again.
In North America, the most popular expressions of the Taoist tradition have been the forms of physical and inner cultivation called Tai Chi and Chi Kung, both of which strengthen the life-breath or inner energy called chi. Tai Chi is a system of exercise shaped in 12th century China. One teacher who has brought its practice to the West is Master Moy Lin Shin, who established centers in Toronto and Montreal in 1970 and the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the U.S.A., which is based in Denver, in 1981. Today there are over 200 branches of the Taoist Tai Chi Society in North America and around the world. Chi Kung practice also aims to cultivate, concentrate, and circulate chi through both static and dynamic postures of meditation. The emphasis here is on longevity and health.
There are many Tai Chi centers and practitioners in the Boston area. The Tai Chi Center of Brookline on Beacon Street, for example, has classes in Tai Chi and Chi Kung. The Center of Traditional Taoist Studies brings Taoism to Boston via a Russian emigré teacher trained in Moscow!