Religion

Taiwan 2002

Religion

Taoism
Taoism developed from the philosophy of Lao Tzu 老子, who lived in the sixth century b.c. He and his disciples emphasized individual freedom, laissez-faire government, human spontaneity, and mystical experience. Taoist philosophy takes The Way and Its Power 道德經 as its central text.
The themes of Taoism as a religion coalesced in the third century b.c., but Taoism itself did not become an organized religious movement until the second century a.d. The fundamental aim of religious Taoism was the attainment of immortality. Accordingly, people who lived in harmony with nature were said to become "immortals" 仙. Lao Tzu, founder of the philosophy of Taoism, eventually was deified as a Taoist god at the head of a huge pantheon of "immortal" folk heroes. Famous generals and sages made up the rest of the pantheon once they had ascended to immortal status. The Taoist pursuit of everlasting life ultimately led to a search for immortality pills or potions. Medieval Taoist rituals to some extent mirrored alchemical research in Europe during the same period.
Taoism was adopted as the religion of the imperial court during the seventh through the ninth centuries, and Taoist mystical elements were codified. In the ensuing centuries, the Taoist religious community was increasingly fractionalized. Taoism became interlaced with elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, and folk religion. The particular forms of Taoist religion brought to Taiwan (then regarded as an outlying frontier area) some 300 years ago are considered typical of the fragmented Taoist traditions. The most distinctive feature of the present practice is the worship of one's forebears alongside Taoist deities.
During the period of Japanese occupation (1895-1945), the Japanese colonial government implemented a policy of suppressing Taoism in Taiwan, because it was associated with Chinese patriotism. Many religious images in Taoist temples were burned, and various repressive measures were directed against Taoist followers.
After Taiwan's retrocession to China in 1945, Taoist temples that had been registered as Buddhist under pressure from the Japanese colonial government returned to the Taoist fold. Taoist priests from the Chinese mainland, including Chang En-pu 張恩溥, a 63rd generation Taoist priest of the Cheng I 正一 sect of Lung Hu Mountain 龍虎山, began moving to Taiwan in increasing numbers. In 1950, Chang En-pu established a Taoist fellowship in Taiwan, assuming the position of director. This was the beginning of organized Taoism in Taiwan.
In the past, much emphasis was put on constructing luxurious temples and holding frequent, lavish festivals. Today, adherents and priests pay more attention to preaching through the mass media. Some Taoist leaders have turned to the strategy of using temple associations to unite the various "generic" temples under the umbrella of a common main deity, while at the same time trying to win over temple diviners from small local or home temples 神壇 and offering them guidance.
As of 2000, a total of 8,604 Taoist temples and 33,850 Taoist clergy were meeting the spiritual needs of some 4.55 million Taoist faithful living in Taiwan. Six Taoist seminaries and 24 institutes for proselytizing provided instruction in Taoist doctrine and rites. There were also one college, 59 kindergartens, three retirement homes, two hospitals, 19 clinics, 16 libraries, nine publishing houses, and 172 publications.

Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee
Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution

		Religion
		Taoism Taoism developed from the philosophy of Lao Tzu 老子, who lived in the sixth century b.c. He and his disciples emphasized individual freedom, laissez-faire government, human spontaneity, and mystical experience. Taoist philosophy takes The Way and Its Power 道德經 as its central text. The themes of Taoism as a religion coalesced in the third century b.c., but Taoism itself did not become an organized religious movement until the second century a.d. The fundamental aim of religious Taoism was the attainment of immortality. Accordingly, people who lived in harmony with nature were said to become "immortals" 仙. Lao Tzu, founder of the philosophy of Taoism, eventually was deified as a Taoist god at the head of a huge pantheon of "immortal" folk heroes. Famous generals and sages made up the rest of the pantheon once they had ascended to immortal status. The Taoist pursuit of everlasting life ultimately led to a search for immortality pills or potions. Medieval Taoist rituals to some extent mirrored alchemical research in Europe during the same period. Taoism was adopted as the religion of the imperial court during the seventh through the ninth centuries, and Taoist mystical elements were codified. In the ensuing centuries, the Taoist religious community was increasingly fractionalized. Taoism became interlaced with elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, and folk religion. The particular forms of Taoist religion brought to Taiwan (then regarded as an outlying frontier area) some 300 years ago are considered typical of the fragmented Taoist traditions. The most distinctive feature of the present practice is the worship of one's forebears alongside Taoist deities. During the period of Japanese occupation (1895-1945), the Japanese colonial government implemented a policy of suppressing Taoism in Taiwan, because it was associated with Chinese patriotism. Many religious images in Taoist temples were burned, and various repressive measures were directed against Taoist followers. After Taiwan's retrocession to China in 1945, Taoist temples that had been registered as Buddhist under pressure from the Japanese colonial government returned to the Taoist fold. Taoist priests from the Chinese mainland, including Chang En-pu 張恩溥, a 63rd generation Taoist priest of the Cheng I 正一 sect of Lung Hu Mountain 龍虎山, began moving to Taiwan in increasing numbers. In 1950, Chang En-pu established a Taoist fellowship in Taiwan, assuming the position of director. This was the beginning of organized Taoism in Taiwan. In the past, much emphasis was put on constructing luxurious temples and holding frequent, lavish festivals. Today, adherents and priests pay more attention to preaching through the mass media. Some Taoist leaders have turned to the strategy of using temple associations to unite the various "generic" temples under the umbrella of a common main deity, while at the same time trying to win over temple diviners from small local or home temples 神壇 and offering them guidance. As of 2000, a total of 8,604 Taoist temples and 33,850 Taoist clergy were meeting the spiritual needs of some 4.55 million Taoist faithful living in Taiwan. Six Taoist seminaries and 24 institutes for proselytizing provided instruction in Taoist doctrine and rites. There were also one college, 59 kindergartens, three retirement homes, two hospitals, 19 clinics, 16 libraries, nine publishing houses, and 172 publications. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution