Yi Guan Dao
Yi Guan Dao ( Chinese 一貫 道 / 一贯 道 , Pinyin Yīguàn Dào , W.-G. I-Kuan Tao ) is a Chinese religious community that originates from mainland China, developed mainly in Taiwan and, among others, in the USA, Japan and Korea , Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines, Austria, Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Brazil, South Africa etc. I Kuan Tao is the Wade-Giles transcription customary in Taiwan and therefore used by the community itself.
Yi means one, Guan means to connect, and Dao, literally "the way", symbolizes the origin of all being. Yi Guan Dao therefore results in "The Path of Unity".
Cosmology / teaching
Yi Guan Dao combines teachings of Daoism , (Neo) Confucianism and Buddhism in a syncretism typical of Chinese thinking . It is understood as a direct doctrine of the heart in the tradition of Chinese Chan , which addresses the natural being of humans. Wordy explanations and theories are therefore not as important as the experience of Dao in everyday life. In outward appearance, a few forms of Christianity were also adopted. Above all, this expresses the global, intercultural demands of the community.
In his self-image, Yi Guan Dao is not a religion or even a sect, but wants to bring the Dao, the truth behind all religious forms of expression, closer to everyone around the world, regardless of their cultural background.
Dao is a key concept in Chinese religious life.
In Daodejing chap. 25 it says:
“There is something, in chaos, completed before heaven and earth came into being. Silent, empty, independent, unchangeable, effective everywhere, but inexhaustible. It can count as the mother of all worlds. Its name is not known, it is called DAO. "
Basically, the world view corresponds to traditional Chinese philosophy, and neo-Confucianism should be mentioned here in addition to Daoist elements . In addition, the patriarchs and masters also speak of the three heavens ( Tian ), the absolute, the energetic, the formal, to which the Dao heart, the human heart, the organic heart correspond in humans. The fundamental goal of the path is to be absorbed in the Dao heart, to attain the absolute.
The 15th Patriarch, Wang Jueyi, writes in his work "Explanation of the Great Doctrine" , published in the volume of his collected works "United Explanation of Principle and Numbers", about cosmology as follows:
Our natural being, which every human being possesses, comes from heaven ( tian ). Therefore: learn from heaven!
Learning brings about a great change, brings about wisdom, divine existence - this can be achieved.
Not learning causes arrogance and delusion, causes ghostly, animal existence - this can also be achieved.
The sky is divided into the absolute, energetic, form-like sky.
So also the natural being: into the absolute, the energetic, the material being.
So also the heart: in the Dao, the human, in the blood heart.
Therefore distinguish between immature, virtuous and wise people.
So the knowledge, the insights, the achievements of the people are different.
Absolute Heaven, Absolute Being, Dao Heart: the Absolute Heaven is the truth of Wuji .
Before there was heaven and earth, there was Wuji. Heaven and earth vanish, but absolute heaven always creates them anew.
Before the body was the absolute being. The body dies, but the absolute being will exist.
The Dao heart is given to us from absolute heaven. Exalted virtue, that is the greatest good.
The human heart, unpredictable and dangerous, is given to us from the energetic heaven.
The organic heart is given to us from the formal heaven.
At the moment of birth - with the first cry the energy of Taiji enters .
This energy grows and the Absolute becomes small. The small cannot surpass the great: caught in the energetic attachment.
Consciousness opens up gradually: food tastes good - shapes like, contact with matter - attractive
therefore: material needs cover us ...
Absolute obscured by energy. Energy obscured by matter. Matter, mixed with matter.
The absolute changes to the energetic - changes to matter.
The ignorant only know matter and do not understand energy.
Virtues understand energy, they do not come to the absolute.
Not coming to learn - that is being caught up in the small, being blind to the big.
Would you like to go from small to large - just through learning ... learning - through the Dao?
The highest good is absolute being.
The absolute being is the spirit of not seeing / not hearing, the sky of the soundless / odorless, the essence of not thinking / doing nothing ( Wu Wei ).
Forms pass, energy has an end, only the absolute does not pass, has no end.
Divine, wise, round, all-encompassing - empty spirit: lively, flexible.
Spread out, it fills all points of the compass, rolled up it cannot be grasped.
Quiet and immovable, he can fill and reach. The great change, wise, divine, can be achieved through him.
The gateway to the virtuous, the realm of the wise , can be climbed through him.
The Buddha's teaching, it mediates true emptiness.
The Dao teaching, it conveys the wonderful being.
Confucianism, it purifies shapes and sounds to transform people,
up to the toneless, odorless, far from forms.
Completely without sound and smell, far from energy,
far from forms and energy - attaining the absolute being of Wuji.
Absolute being of Wuji: is the true emptiness of the Buddha-teaching, is the wondrous being of the Dao teaching.
When one regains absolute being, one returns to the absolute heaven of Wuji.
Returned to the origin, starting again, far from the catastrophes.
Catastrophes, they only destroy matter, can formless, absolute being, cannot destroy the divine.
Open and close heaven: whoever can do this is the eternally true ruler. Those who do this are the sages of the three realms.
history
The origins of Yi Guan Dao lie in the approximately 5000 year old culture of ancient Chinese and are historically not really tangible. In the 17th century, the 9th Patriarch Huang and the name "Xian Tian Tao" (The Primordial Heavenly Way) came to light. The 15th Patriarch Wang did away with the strict internal practice, made the implementation of Confucian values in worldly life the main practice, and emphasized that the three teachings have the same origin and the same aim. The 16th Patriarch Liu introduced the name Yi Guan Dao. The so-called "White Yang" phase began under the 17th Patriarch Lu, during which the teaching was imparted to simple people from the people. The 18th Patriarchate became a matriarchy with Grand Master Sun for the first time in Chinese history by practicing it together with Grand Master Zhang.
During this period there was rapid expansion, and when Grand Master Zhang died in 1947, Yi Guan Dao was represented all over China. The turmoil of the Chinese civil war and the founding of the People's Republic of China brought this development to an abrupt end, and Yi Guan Dao was persecuted as a counterrevolutionary and feudalist. The center of the community thus shifted to Taiwan, although it was also suppressed by the Kuomingtang , here again as being too communist-friendly and therefore politically unreliable. With the economic boom and liberalization of Taiwan, the situation improved, and in 1986 Yi Guan Dao was officially recognized. It is now an established religious community in Taiwan and represented in more than 80 nations worldwide. In 1996 the Yi Guan Dao World Association was founded in Los Angeles .
practice
The three treasures doctrine of the heart (sanbao xinfa 三宝 心法)
An important part of the practice is the exercise with the three treasures. They are transmitted from the master to the student in a solemn ceremony, the introduction to the Dao, and consist of:
1. The secret portal
2. The silent mantra
3. The mudra of oneness
The three treasures method is used for meditative immersion and heart training in the tradition of the Chan , especially the 6th Patriarch Huineng . They should not only be used in formal sitting meditation, but also in everyday situations in order to gain inner peace and clarity.
The Confucian heart cultivation
In keeping with Confucian teaching, the task is to change the heart. This takes place in social interaction; The Confucian classics “ The Great Doctrine ” * and “ Middle and Measure ” * play an important theoretical role for Yi Guan Dao ; In summary it can be expressed in such a way that it is primarily about correcting bad moods and bad character traits.
A Confucian maxim sums it up like this:
“Inwardly to the saint, outwardly to the king. (neisheng waiwang 内圣 外 王) "
Guiding principles of the community
The principles of Dao (dao zhi zongzhi 道 之 宗旨) are:
⚫ Honor heaven and earth, honor the gods
⚫Love the country, show loyalty
Maintain morality, observe custom
⚫ Honor parents, respect teachers
⚫Reliable with friends, peaceful with neighbors
⚫ Correct bad habits / character traits, turn to the good
⚫Explain the “ 5 elementary human relationships” and the “ 8 virtues ”, explain the deep message of the “wise men of the 5 religions”
⚫The ancient customs based on the " 4 moral dimensions ", the basic rules of the social order , obey the cardinal virtues
⚫Cleaning the mind, letting go of impure thoughts
⚫Use the untrue to cultivate the true
⚫ Return to your own nature, complete natural wisdom
⚫ Perfecting yourself in order to perfect others
⚫ Strive for purity and peace, thaw people's hearts, help build the “world of great harmony”
This ideal is described in the text "The change of custom to the world of great harmony" (liyun datong pian 礼 运 大同 篇) from the Book of Rites as follows:
“When the great Dao is underway, the world is not for profit. The able and the able are chosen to attain truth and unity. People no longer care for their loved ones alone. Old people face their end in peace, energetic people have their fields of responsibility, children receive their education. The needy is taken care of. Man and woman live their social role. We treat material goods with care. The individual does not let his own strengths and abilities go to waste without striving for his own advantage. There is an end to lists and schemes, as nobody needs them anymore. There are therefore no more thieves, robbers, murderers or troublemakers. Nobody locks the doors when going out - that's the world of great harmony. "
The fifteen guiding principles (fogui shiwu tiao 佛 规 十五 条) are:
1. Honor saints and Buddhas
2. Follow upper, promote lower
3. Be fasted, centered sincere
4. Follow rules and regulations
5. Be independent and take responsibility
6. Take the sacred more important than the worldly
7. Be humble, respectful, kind
8. Take the words of the saints seriously
9. Do not cling to shapes and appearances
10. Finish tasks and paperwork properly
11. Registering and deregistering with those responsible
12. Appreciate structure, cultivate order
13. Handle public property with care
14. Approach things lively and flexibly
15. Be careful in speaking and acting
The Grand Master's instruction (shizun xunyu 师尊 训 语):
“We have high ideals, we have foresight. We don't measure ourselves against others, we don't strive for victory. We don't complain, we harmonize with one another. We are the bridge between the ocean of suffering and paradise. We let people trample over us, endure their slander - yet we are full of confidence and unshakable disposition. Because we do not sacrifice ourselves in vain, we do not come into the world useless. We are not discouraged, although the determination of thousands upon thousands of souls depends on each of us: we must pave a broad path together so that thousands upon thousands will certainly ascend - so that thousands upon thousands bathe in the splendor of goodness, - so that thousands upon thousands enjoy the heavenly blessing, - so that thousands upon thousands can escape the ocean of suffering and even the ancestors and descendants share in the heavenly splendor. "
classic
The following classics from the three great Chinese traditions are particularly relevant for Yi Guan Dao:
- The Conversations of Confucius
- Yi Jing
- Podium Sutra of the 6th Patriarch Huineng
Quotes from the masters
“Since man has lived in his body, his desires have developed. These represent the Yin energy. His heavenly being is the creative pure original Yang . One inverts the light for self-contemplation in order to transform the egoistic self with the true yang. Tame the yin energy inside, curb unbridled actions outside. This creates a balance and through constant practice you can achieve the great center and harmony. "
“Man in worldly existence has many thoughts. Facing outwards you swim with the current towards the spirit realm. Inwardly directed against the current one gains wisdom, the Dao . Dao practitioners are advised to withdraw their senses and thoughts and to collect themselves spiritually: this is the return of the light to self-contemplation. To practice this at every opportunity, that is, to forget the self and the world alike, to maintain stable mental concentration - this is the method for ending suffering, for attaining bliss. "
“The universe is a big sky, man is a small sky, in other words, man is a small universe. Both the universe and the human being consist of the absolute, energetic and formal sphere. The body is formal, breathing and flowing qi are energetic, the being that rules the body is absolute being. The form of man is the form of the universe, the energetic, the absolute of man is the energetic, the absolute of the universe. If the energetic sphere takes the upper hand instead of the absolute, then everything loses its center and harmony: the seasons and climate get into disorder, the human heart and society change for the worse, dangers and catastrophes increase. If this happens in a person, he loses sight of the truth and strives for deceptions, clings to desires and sinks into samsara. "
Der Großmeister Zhang Tianran, der 18. Patriarch, in den „Fragen zum Dao“
The brightest light in the world is that which our Holy Master lit in our hearts.
To cultivate the Dao, we need to return the heart to the beautiful sense of the greatest good and keep it there.
The burden on the heart is delusion because we cannot let go of it. Just like the great-grandmaster said: "How relaxed it is to have put down the bag!"
In Dao practice, we train our hearts through circumstances. The more we undertake such trainings, the more it becomes possible to achieve achievements in the thousands upon thousands of lives.
The Dao is tasteless like water, but nothing in the universe can exist without it.
Worte des Seniormeisters Gao Binkai von der Andong Gruppe
literature
- Robin Munro: Syncretic Sects and Secret Societies. Revival in the 1980s. In: Chinese Sociology and Anthropology . 21, No. 4, Summer 1989, ISSN 0009-4625 , pp. 49-84.
- Song Guangyu 宋光宇: Tiandao Gouchen (天道 钩沉) Exploration of the Heavenly Path - Reports on the research on Yiguan Dao. 2nd Edition. Taipei 1983.
- Hubert Seiwert : Suppression of popular religion in China. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. July 6, 2001.
- Thomas Weyrauch: Tormented Dragon. China's human rights in the late stages of Communist Party rule. 2nd updated edition. Longtai, Heuchelheim 2006, ISBN 3-938946-00-8 .
- Thomas Weyrauch: Yiguan Dao. China's popular religion underground. Longtai, Heuchelheim 2006, ISBN 3-938946-02-4 .