The Meaning of
Tao Rituals
Jimmy & Jessie
July 21, 2013
1:40~2:25 pm
Agenda
 1:40~2:00 Introduction (Jimmy)
 2:00~2:25 Explanation (Jessie )
A few questions :
 What is the first Treasure you were given
(of Three Treasures) when receiving the
Tao?
 When do you ever use Three Treasures?
 What benefits do you get from practicing
the ritual?
 Do you often come to the temple to practice
the ritual ?
Shi-Zuen set up the ritual in
1939
 It’s the tenth year after Shi-Zuen became the
18th patriarch in 1930.
 China was in the period of political chaos, and
people were in panic and filled with fear. Tao
expanded rapidly with several hundreds of
thousand followers.
 Shi-Zuen set up the flexible and comprehensive
ritual for I-Kuan Tao believers, and it was
spread widely.
I-Kuan Tao Rituals Today
 I-Kuan Tao incorporated the essence from
Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism
( 1930~1950 Tao in China )
 Later, it acknowledged the validity and
essence of non-Chinese religions, such as
Christianity and Islam ; therefore,
‘‘ Saints of the Five Religions “ have been
worshiped in the ritual until today.
(1950~ today Tao all over the world )
I-Kuan Tao Rituals convey
Equality & Unification
 合= 人(People) + 一 (one ) + 口 (voice )
Reconciliation to the conflict in life
 仝= 人(People) + 工(work)
Cultivation through doing good deeds
 Holding Hand Seal ,Bow, Kneel, Kowtow,
Rise, Dismiss in the ritual
 Ming Ming Shang Di is the Creator and
the Sustainer of the universe.
Muslims Prayers Reduce Alzheimer
 A Scholastic Founding:
The founding was from the United States’
National Institutes of Health (NIH) in
collaboration with some Israeli
researchers from hospitals and universities
( University of Tel Aviv and University of
Ben Gurion), and some American
researchers from the University of
Clubland.
Muslims Prayers Reduce
Alzheimer
 This joint Israeli American scientific
study revealed that regular prayers (e.g.
the five daily Muslims prayers) can
reduce the risk of developing dementia
or “Alzheimer’s” by 50 percent.
 “Prayer is a custom in which thought is
invested, and the intellectual activity
involved may constitute a protective
measure against the disease.”
Religion & Good Health
 This study was not the first to find any link
between religion and good health.
 In 2005, researchers found that adopting a
religious or spiritual lifestyle slows the
progress of Alzheimer’s disease.
 Also, the Israeli research group (assia)
found the morbidity and mortality rates
among infants were much lower in
religious communities.
Practicing Tao rituals
exercises our body & mind.
Bowing and doing kowtows
are two basic motions of
Tao rituals.
Bowing
 Try to roll up and unroll the spine
piece by piece slowly, like doing
Tai-Chi or Yoga. (Jimmy demo)
 After practice, you can concentrate
your mind better even though you
are doing the movement quicker.
Bowing
 The movements allow your True Self to
manifest itself and to be the master of
your body and mind.
 To bow is to reflect, to learn to be humble
and sense the power of gratitude, which
elevates us to a new level of spirituality.
 When bowing, we let go of our outward
mind and look inward to our True Self,
which helps the flow of our blood
circulation and Chi.
Kowtows
 Going back to
our origin—
becoming Yong
 Experience the
cuddle and the
grace of God
Kowtow  Paying Tribute
to Our True Self
 The word 命 (life)
is composed of
three characters:
 人 (person)
 一 (one)
 叩 (kowtow)
Kowtows
If we concentrate while doing
kowtows, we can perceive the
impurities in our mind being
filtered out.
Do not do it too fast when
practicing.
The Islamic Kneeling
 Very similar to
Kowtow except
we have-- Hand Seal
The Hand Seal (合仝)
 合仝 = 合約 ( contract)
The contract (約定) with God
A reminder of being a
Child (孩) of God.
Have a Pure
Heart of a
Baby
子+亥=孩
子
亥
丑
戌
寅
酉
卯
申
辰
未 午巳
 The hand seal reminds us that we
must always keep our inner minds as
pure as the original nature given to
us by God.
(Matthew19:13-14):
Let the children come to me and do not stop them,
because the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such
as these.” Unless we can be children within, we
won’t be allowed to go into his kingdom.
Conclusion:
 Practicing rituals is not a dogma;
it is an important part of our
cultivation in Tao.
Practicing rituals is doing a form
of moving meditation.
We become a microcosm while
doing Tao rituals.
As you sow,
so shall you reap.
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