Chinese Religion
Fangshi
"magicians" who allegedly possessed the recipe for immortality to fulfill xian (immortality); they had the right recipe, formula, or prescription to teach these esoteric techniques and provide ready-made elixirs to those who could afford their services.
Confucius
Confucius - Kong Qui, called Kong Fu Zi (Master Kong), Latinized into Confucius (551-479 BCE). Confucius's principles have commonality with Chinese tradition and belief. He championed strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, and respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives, recommending family as a basis for ideal government. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, and sincerity. He espoused the well-known principle: "Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself" (the Golden Rule). He is also a traditional deity in Daoism. He was not high born, and emphasized merit over nobility. His followers competed successfully with many other schools during the Hundred Schools of Thought era only to be suppressed in favor of the Legalists during the Qin dynasty. After the collapse of Qin, the new government sanctioned Confucius' thoughts and were further developed in the West as Neo-Confucianism, and later New Confucianism (Modern Neo-Confucianism). Confucius also compiled the Five Classics (but didn't compose them). After his death, Confucius' disciples compiled his aphorisms in the Analects. Confucius is widely considered as one of the most important and influential individuals in human history. His teaching and philosophy greatly impacted people around the world and remain influential today.
Ren
Human-heartedness, benevolence; the unique moral inclination of humans
Neisheng Waiwang
Neo-Confucian ideal of "inner sagely moral perfection and outer political skills." The Four Books aim for this personal and societal transformation in the image (Dao) of Tian. Neisheng waiwang is best summarized by a Neo-Confucian scholar, Zhang Zai in 1000 CE: "To establish the mind of Tian and Di, / To inculcate an understanding of Tian's command for the multitudes, / To revive and perpetuate the teachings of the sages of the past, / To provide peace and stability for all future generations."
Zhai
Practiced by the Celestial Masters (a Daoist sect). Lasting several days, a zhai is fasting from food that includes public performance of penance for past moral wrongs, and submitting written memorials to request pardon from the deities, and communal prayers for the salvation of the faithful. In medieval times, the Fast of Mud and Soot was a public act when believers prostrated themselves with faces smeared with soot before a raised altar to ask forgiveness from the gods, rolling on the ground and wailing. Celestial Masters believe Daoism gives them health, long life, and collective salvation; they believe they are "chosen" and favored by the gods and have elect status, as confirmed by their participation in zhai rituals.
Ru (roo)
Scribes and ritual performers of the Zhou period; later used exclusively to refer to Confucians. Chinese don't use "Confucians," but instead, they call Confucianism "Teachings of the Ru" (scholars and ritualists). Confucius is not the founder of this tradition (which Western religious texts call "Confucianism"), nor is Confucius worshipped like Buddha or Jesus...so "Confucianism" is misleading.
Shengren
The Confucian sage, the epitome of humanity.
Hun and Po
The human body is the interplay between yin and yang, and the human immaterial aspect is subdivided into hun and po (aspects of the human soul): hun is the yang part (light, pure, upward-rising) whereas po is yin (heavy, turgid, downward-sinking). Hun and po enter the fetus in the womb and constitute the soul of the individual. At death, hun departs rising skyward, and po settles down on earth with the decomposing body. Hun and po dissipate and reconfigure in different future humans. There is no "sin" or guilt in Chinese religions, but still, humans are not perfect and need improvement—in fact, a lot of improvement.
Daodejing (Tao Te Ching)
The most translated and popular Chinese text in the West (and just 81 short chapters)! Basic Daoist scripture, also titled "The Scripture of the Way and its Potent Manifestation"; the Daodejing is also known as the Book of Laozi or Lao Tzu, the name of its purported author (which translates as "Old Man" and gives rise to speculation that there is no historical person, but a traditional collection of teachings). Before the Confucian ideas of Tian and Di...is the Dao, soundless and formless "mother of the world" and primal source of the cosmos (not Tian as in Confucian teaching). Closer to the I Ching, the Daodejing says "The Dao gives birth to the One [Being]; the One brings forth the Two [Yin and Yang]; the Two give rise to the Three [Tian, Di, and Humans]; The Three engender the Ten Thousand." Unlike Confucians striving to be jungzi (perfected, noble, high-minded men), the Dao requires superior humans to leave the Dao alone (observing wuwei—actions without intention—and ziran—natural spontaneity). Wuwei and ziran reinforce the Daoist belief in innate perfection and the completeness of the Dao.
Acupuncture
a good expression of the Daoist belief in the circulation of qi in the body. By inserting the needles into critical nodal points in the qi circuitry, pain can be diverted and the rejuvenating energy of the body can heal the sick parts.
De
another fundamental concept in Chinese religions, meaning "virtue" or "potency." In Confucianism, it is the charismatic power of the ruler or the man of virtue; the noncoercive, potential influence that inspires and persuades, coaxes and shames people into doing what is right. In Daoism, de means the concrete manifestation of the dao. The emperor had to be morally worthy of ruling and prove this worth to Tian to maintain his power, potency, and legitimacy to rule: his de.
Qi
breath, force, power, material energy
Shangdi
he August Lord on High of the Shang period. While the Shang family ruled, they named the highest god, Shangdi, after themselves. But when powers shifted and a new ruling family assumed the throne, Shangdi was renamed Tian, literally, "the sky," but more properly "the force above." An insufficient English translation is "heaven."
Dantian
"fields for the refinement of the immortal pill"; major nodal points in the human body where the "pill" of immortality can be refined through alchemical means. Since the body is the microcosm of the macrocosm (universe), and everything in the universe is qi (the vital energies of yin and yang) following the alternation and return to produce harmony and balance, folk religion proposed three nodal points in the human body: in the head, chest, and abdomen. These are connected by meridian circuits through which qi flows. If you've ever been to an acupuncturist, your pulse and pains determine where the needles are needed to increase the flow of qi and prevent its blockage.
Jiao
An elaborate, expensive, loud, and colorful Daoist communal sacrificial ritual to signal cosmic renewal and harmony lasting three days. ("Jiao" are the sacrificial offerings; a "jiao ceremony" is described here.) Daoist priests perform the ritual with efficacy and precision, and before the ceremony, they submit "memorials" to the celestial bureaucracy of the gods to give notice of the scheduled jiao. The sacred space is encircled with lanterns and the liturgy is read. The local deities are invited to take their honored seats inside in a procession in which elders carry their statues or wooden tablets, accompanied with firecrackers and lion and dragon dances. The Daoist priest blows on a buffalo horn to begin the ceremony and repeats the 42nd chapter of the Daodejing: "the Dao gives birth to the One [Being, Existence]; the One brings forth the Two [Yin and Yang]; the Two give rise to the Three [Tian, Di, and Humans]; and the Three engenders the Ten Thousand Things [the world]." Entering a trance, the priest transforms his body into the body of the Dao, taking dance-like spins. Meanwhile the local ghosts are served a feast so they don't interfere with the ritual, and they are given reasons for the suffering. The climax of the ceremony is when the Three Purities and the Jade Emperor (deities) are invited when the priest burns their effigies, and everyone is forgiven for their immoral acts since the last jiao. In response, the community releases birds from cages and fish into the river. Balance is restores among the worlds of humans, gods, and ghosts. This ceremony concludes with opera!
Five Relationships
As presented in the Four Books (specifically, the Doctrine of the Mean), the fice cardinal human relations for fully engaging with others to actualize genuine humanity and divine potential: father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brothers, ruler and subject, and friends. All these relations obligate individuals to perform their respective roles in society: the father has to be kind, the son respectful; the husband has to be caring, the wife submissive; brothers need mutual respect; the ruler needs to care for the people, while subjects obey; and friends must be...nice. So all of human society is the setting for the Confucian religious quest to form a trinity with Tian and Di!
Celestial Masters
Before the Celestial Masters, Daoist was not an organized religion, just a spiritual tradition rooted in the Daodejing and Zhuagngzi. In the 2nd c. CE, Zhang Daoling said Laozi appeared to him and commanded him to rid the world of decadence and establish a new state consisting only of the "chosen people." Chang Daoling taught there is an energy source known as qi that pervades all things, including the human body. The Celestial Masters taught that illness was caused by sin, which caused qi to leave the body. To restore qi Celestial Masters repented by reflecting on sins, beating one's breast, or remaining celibate, avoiding sweating, using medicinal herbs, and listening to ritual music. Eating very little was also of extreme importance, but an ideal diet would mean eating no food at all, but absorbing "air" through meditation. > Tianshi - "Celestial Master"; reference to a Daoist salvational figure, as well as an organized movement.
Mencius
Born a century after Confucius' death, Mencius claimed to be Confucius' rightful successor and reaffirmed moral cultivation as a religious calling giving the moral elite a strong sense of mission. Mencius insisted on the basic goodness of humans, as natural as water flowing downward—upholding Confucius' optimistic view of human perfectibility. Next to the Analects, the Mencius is the title of the book composed by Mencius' disciples containing his teachings. Mencius called himself a junzi, whereas Confucius did not call himself one! In fact, Mencius said everyone had the potential to become a junzi. Through our moral progress, Mencius says we can become more than good, true, beautiful, and great, but also sagely and ultimately divine.
Analects
Confucius inherited the ancient Chinese religious classics (see the Five Classics), and after his death, Confucius' disciples compiled his statements and exchanges with students in these 20 "books" (chapters) of the Analects. As a whole, the Analects give a coherent picture of Confucius' major concerns and aspirations. Confucius cites many preexisting cosmological notions and religious beliefs of ancient China, but added many new insights and creative interpretations regarding them, resulting in a distinct tradition with unique views on humanity and its relation to ultimate reality...worthy of being "Confucianism." The five main teachings of the Analects: > Tian is the highest authority, but more intimate and ethical than in earlier Chinese religion; unlike biblical prophets or Muhammed in the Qur'an, Tian silently manifests itself in the course of the seasons and records of human events so moral, virtuous individuals can detect its full command. And Tian doesn't just instruct the emperor, but calls the spiritual elite to moral action! > The Dao is the way of Tian that the spiritual elite should follow. The Dao is the entire normative social-political-ethical order with prescriptions for proper ritual public and private behavior. If rulers fail to be virtuous, then men of virtue and righteousness must protect and preserve this ideal...or civilization will be doomed. > Ren is the single most important article of faith: the germ of moral consciousness that enables humans to form a perfect human order. Confucius doesn't say all humans are perfect, but through self-effort, humans can perfect themselves. Life without ren is meaningless. Confucius says give up your life to preserve ren. > Li is the inner potentiality for goodness and benevolence manifested through action and ritual. Li is used by Confucius to be more than sacrifices to the gods and ancestors; li is the entirely of proper human conduct. Proper li in ritual with proper morality will produce a magical transformation in interhuman relationships. > The junzi is the noble/superior man of virtue whose task is to preserve the Dao. Confucius take the term that only applied to rulers in ancient Chinese thought, and used it for men of moral rectitude. Confucius was democratic in not praising the "high born," but the "high minded"! The Chinese character for "junzi" is ear, mouth, and ruler: the sage is one who hears the Way of Tian, conveys it to others, and acts as a ruler to link Heaven, Earth, and Humankind.
Xian
Daoist immortals and perfected individuals. Literally, "xian" means immortal or transcendent. A fascination with health, longevity, and immortality through proper diet, physical exercise, and medicine/herbs dating to Chinese folk religion.
Ziran
Daoist notion of natural spontaneity; literally means "as-it-isness," which (along with wuwei) is the most important quality for anyone following Daoist beliefs. To experience ziran, one becomes separate from unnatural influences and returns to an entirely natural, spontaneous state. D. T. Suzuki suggested ziran is an aesthetic of action: "Living is an act of creativity demonstrating itself. Creativity is objectively seen as necessity, but from the inner point of view of Emptiness it is 'just-so-ness.'"
Yangsheng
Daoist techniques of nourishing life and attaining immortality. A person's life (sheng) is sustained by three "treasures," or principles: jing ("essence"; as in reproductive energy), qi ("vital breath"; air, breath, and primordial matter-energy that makes up everything in the universe), and shen ("spirit"; spiritual and mental energy). Every individual is born with jing and qi, both of which disperse with age. Longevity requires maintaining or restoring one's original allotment of qi. Qi may be converted into jing, which in turn facilitates the circulation of qi throughout the body. Shen, unlike jing and qi, is not allotted at birth but must be cultivated throughout life. As the three treasures dissipate or become out of balance, one's health declines. Physical exercises and meditative, medicinal, and dietary practices integrate body and mind, and increase the circulation of qi, replenishing the three treasures, and extending and nourishing (yang) life.
Li
Etiquette and proper manners; rituals and holy rites. The emperor ruling under the mandate of Tian had to observe a set of rituals or rites called "li" to prove he was morally worthy of Tian's favor. Li covered every aspect of kingly behavior: matters of state, relationships with ancestors, military campaigns, the king's ministers and regime.
I Ching (Book of Changes)
From 2,000 BCE before Confucianism and Daoism arose, an ancient religion already existed in China as reflected in the Book of Changes (I Ching); Confucianism and Daoism grew out of this ancient, indigenous religion. This book expresses the earliest Chinese religious mindset, an "organismic" view (every single component of the cosmos belongs to an organic whole and all the parts continuously interact with one another). The I Ching has no creation story, but describes an original state of chaos from which two forces of qi emerge: yin and yang. Yin and yang interact and form every thing in existence (the cosmic dance is manifested in the wuxing, five elements). There is no god, or evil, or devil, or guilt or sin. The aim is harmony and balance.
Yin Yang
Imagine it in motion, always spinning so it's really a kind of gray. The yin yang best represents the Chinese religious view: recognizing differences but also the harmony among the differences. The two halves of the circle are not perfectly divided in a straight line, but interlocked and mutually penetrating; each half contains the seed of the other. The entire cosmos is involved in a ceaseless flow of alternation and change. See the wu xing (five elements) that are mutually nurturing and destructive. > yin - the "north-facing side of a mountain," representing the energy that is dark, cold, wet, and feminine > yang (young) - the "south-facing side of the mountain," representing the energy that is bright, warm, dry, and masculine.
Laozi (Lao Tzu)
Laozi means "Old Master." He was the ancient Chinese philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching, the founder of philosophical Taoism, and a deity in religious Taoism. Living sometime in 6th-4th c. BCE, Laozi was a scholar who worked as the Keeper of the Archives for the royal court, which granted him access to the works of the Yellow Emperor and other classics. Laozi never opened a formal school but attracted a large number of students and loyal disciples. At age 80, growing weary of the moral decay of life and the kingdom's decline, Laozi ventured west to live as a hermit in the unsettled frontier of China. At the western gate of the city (or kingdom), he was recognized by the guard Yinxi. The sentry asked the old master to record his wisdom for the good of the country before he would be permitted to pass. The text Laozi wrote was said to be the Tao Te Ching, but the text includes additions from sages in later periods. Some say the guard was so touched by the work that he became a disciple and left with Laozi, never to be seen again. Others say the "Old Master" journeyed all the way to India and was the teacher of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. Others say he was the Buddha himself.
Wuwei
The Daoist notion of action without intention; actionless action, or doing nothing. It sounds like a pleasant invitation to relax or worse--fall into laziness or apathy. Yet this concept is key to the noblest kind of action according to the philosophy of Daoism: the heart of what it means to follow Dao or The Way. It refers to the ideal form of government, including the emperor's behavior: unconflicting personal harmony, free-flowing spontaneity and savoir-faire. (But an ordinary person cannot gain control or power in government by wuwei. A sage does not occupy himself with affairs of the world.) It also refers to a state of spirit or mind, like having perfect knowledge of the reality of the situation, perfect efficaciousness and the realization of a perfect economy of energy. There is a paradox in trying not to act, right? I have a Daoist refrigerator magnet that says: "Don't just do something, sit there." The Inward Training (2nd c. BCE) teaches: When you enlarge your mind and let go of it, When you relax your qi and expand it, When your body is calm and unmoving: And you can maintain the One and discard the myriad disturbances. You will see profit and not be enticed by it, You will see harm and not be frightened by it. Relaxed and unwound, yet acutely sensitive, In solitude you delight in your own person. Your thoughts and deeds seem heavenly.
Five Classics
The five canonical works of Confucianism designated in the Han Dynasty. They are the Book of Odes, Book of History, Book of Changes, Record of Rites, and Spring and Autumn Annals. These five texts provide most of the information on the ancient Chinese religion from which Confucianism and Daoism would evolve. Confucians, in particular, revere these texts as classics and as sacred texts. Confucius compiled the Spring and Autumn Annals, while the Daoists especially revere the Book of Changes but created their own body of scripture focusing more on the constitution of the human body, the basic elements of nature and the cosmos, and the ideal human relationship with the spirits.
Wuxing
The five elemental phases of metal, wood, water, fire, and soil that mutually support and overcome one another. Described in the ancient Chinese religious text, I Ching (Book of Changes), these five states change like a pendulum,mutually nurturing and mutually destructive, alternating and replacing one another. When one extreme is reached, it is replaced by the next: water douses fire, fire melts metal, metal chops wood, wood grows from soil, soil blocks water. There are five states or elements in many categories: five viscera in the body (heart, liver, spleen lungs, kidneys); five planets (Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn); five colors (red, blue, yellow, white, black); five flavors (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty).
Four books
The four texts identified by the Neo-Confucian Zhu Xi as fundamental in understanding the Confucian teaching. Between 1313 and 1905, they made up the curriculum for the civil service examination. They are Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean. See Analects and Mencius for more information about those two texts. > The Great Learning is a practical step-by-step roadmap for self-cultivation, from virtue to loving people...to reaching the ultimate good, which is the Tian-ordained perfect world order. > The Doctrine of the Mean opens with a bold article of faith: "What Tian has ordained is called human nature. Following this nature is called the Dao. Cultivating the Dao is called teaching." Tian endows every human with the inner strength to reach their fullest potential as perfect beings.
Three Purities
The highest deities in the Taoist pantheon, similar to the Trinity in Christianity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) of Christianity, or the Trikaya (Dharmakaya, Samboghakaya, and Nirmanakaya) of Buddhism. They represent three aspects of the divinity inherent in all living beings: The Jade Emperor; the Supreme Emperor; the Grand Emperor. The Taoist Three Purities are symbolic representations of the Taoist Three Treasures: Jing (creative energy), Qi (life-force energy) and Shen (spiritual energy). While the Taoist Three Treasures are the central concern of Taoist qigong and inner alchemy practice, the Three Purities are the central concern of ceremonial Taoism. These two forms of Taoist practice often intersect in the context of visualization practices: for instance when a qigong practitioner visualizes one of the Three Purities, as a means of activating the Dantians, or harmonizing the flow of Qi through the meridians. > The Jade Pure One is the central deity who spontaneously manifested at the beginning of time and created the first writing system by observing the various flows of universal life-force energy, and recording these patterns of sound, movement, and vibration on jade tablets. For this reason, the Jade Pure One is honored as the source of learning and the primordial author of the first of the Taoist scriptures. > The Supreme Pure One is the attendant of the Jade Pure One and reveals Taoist scriptures to the lesser gods and humans. This deity is often shown holding a mushroom-shaped scepter. > The Grand Pure One emanated in numerous forms, one of which was as Laozi, author of the Daodejing. He is often shown holding a fan with a fly-whisk and, of the Three Purities, is the one known for his active participation in the human realm.
Junzi
The personality ideal in Confucianism; the noble person. For Confucius, perfection is a potential, and possibly through enacting the "way" of Tian, developed through scholastic learning, moral introspection, and ethical behavior. Daoists regard humans on the same level as all the myriad things; they are all concrete expressions of the Dao, the numinous Absolute. But humans dissipate their primordial endowment of vital energy (qi), making them vulnerable to disease and death. As a prescription, Daoists engage in exercises and rituals to replenish the body and spirit to become as immortal as the Dao...again.
Tian
Tian is ultimate reality, the procreator of the cosmos and all the myriad things in it. Tian has a special relationship with humans and communicates with chosen individuals its grand design for humanity based on balance, coexistence, and harmony. Humans should live according to the moral dictates of Tian, as partners in creating harmony and prosperity throughout the cosmos. Minimally following the Confucian dictate: "Do not do unto others what you do not want done to you." Tian does not use prophets as in the biblical traditions, but perceptive, insightful, wise humans who keenly observe nature and diligently study human affairs. Life is not a tug of war between good and evil resulting in heaven or hell, but a cyclical natural world operating like a pendulum, arcing between two extremes and alternating between two polar but complementing opposites. As the son of Tian, the Chinese ruler carried out Tian's mandate to exercise his imperial prerogatives over the entire realm under Tian. The worship of Tian was the ruler's exclusive privilege and obligation. Tian differed from Shangdi (review that term for the same god!) because Tian would only support the morally deserving emperor...not just anyone in the Shang family as with Shangdi. ("Tian" is poorly and conventionally translated as "heaven" in English.)
Daozang
Treasury of the Dao," this is the Daoist Canon (the collection of authoritative books) that contains the entire corpus of Daoist texts. The most complete version, still in use today, was first published in 1445. Daozang has not been well received in the modern period. The intellectuals revered Laozi and Zhuangzi as proper Daoists, but modern intellectuals totally ignored the Daozang canon with its meditative exercises and amazing magical powers promised to Daoist seekers of perfection. The New Culture Movement of the 1910s and 1920s regarded both Daoism and Confucianism as unwelcome remnants of China's feudal past. The Cultural Revolution (1966-76) was devastating to Daoism (banning Daoist rituals and destroying Daoist shrines) and also damaging to Confucianism. Starting in the 1970s, the Daozang and Daoism has revived.
Zhuangzi
We know little about Zhuangzi from the late 4th century BCE who wrote Zhuangzi, the second most important Daoist text after the Daodejing, named after the author, Zhuangzi. The 33 chapters are divided into three parts: Inner, Outer, and Miscellaneous. Unlike the terse, reverent Daodejing, the Zhuangzi is effusive and vividly narrated, telling stories with a witty, playful, irreverent tone. According to the Chinese philosophical classic Zhuangzi, the great Daoist thinker of that name fell asleep one day and dreamed that he was a butterfly. When he woke up, he did not know whether he really was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly or whether he was a butterfly now dreaming he was a man. Watch the 45 second tale: https://vimeo.com/17622028 (Links to an external site.). Two practices in the Zhuangzi dispense with rationality and deliberate reasoning to arrive at the perfect intuitive understanding of the Dao: > xinshai (shin ji) - "Fasting of the Mind/Heart" > zuowang (zoh'wahng) - "Sitting and Forgetting"
Quinming
a "pure and bright" day that marks the renewal of spring, annually celebrated 105 days after the winter solstice when Chinese families remember their dead relatives and ancestors by visiting their graves (according to finial piety, honoring parents and ancestors). Families gather at graves with plates of fruits, steamed chickens, roasted pigs, wine, incense, candles, strings of firecrackers, and fake money and paper clothes for the dead. The relatives clean the tombstone and remove weeds and arrange th food in front of the tombstones, then, lined up in birth order, relatives bow before their ancestors, with silent prayers, offering them wine and food, and burning the paper imitations of money and clothes...setting off firecrackers to scare off wandering ghosts. They take a picture of the whole family after the ritual.
Dao or Tao
a fundamental concept in Chinese religion, literally meaning the "path" or the "way." In Confucianism, it specifically refers to the entire ideal human order ordained by the numinous Absolute, Tian. So the dao of Tian provides order in nature and human society. In Daoism, it is the primary source of the cosmos, the very ground of all beings, the "mother of the universe" that is formless and undifferentiated, later taking on human and divine forms, giving instructions and revealing texts to the faithful
Alchemy
an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition practiced throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, originating in Greco-Roman Egypt in the first few centuries CE. Alchemists attempted to purify, mature, and perfect certain materials, in other words, transmute "base metals" (like lead) into "noble metals" (particularly gold) as an elixir of immortality. Alchemy sought to create panaceas able to cure any disease and perfect the human body and soul. Daoists emphasize the human body as a microcosm reflecting perfectly the macrocosm of the cosmos. So taking care of one's body through both internal and external "alchemical" means is a way of living properly in accord with the Dao. Cultivating the wu xing (the five elements in the human body as a microcosm of the macrocosm) purifies one's spirit and body in order to become immortal through taking herbs, elixirs, and practicing Qi gong, and martial arts...replenishing the body and spirit so it is once again as immortal as the Dao. > neidan (nay'dahn) - Daoist "internal" alchemy designed to attain immortality through meditation, breath control, gymnastics, diet, and massage. In Neidan, the human body becomes a cauldron in which the Three Treasures [jing (essence), qi (breath), and shen (spirit)] are cultivated internally through meditation, herbs and medicines, and physiological practices. This improves physical, emotional, and mental health and returns the body to the perfect state of the immortal Tao. > waidan (wi dahn) - Daoist "external" alchemy involving refining of "pills" with herbs and minerals for ingestion so that immortality can be attained. Minerals and metals are heated in a crucible to make elixirs of immortality. Drinking elixirs like mercury caused several emperors to die of poisoning, but in the quest for immortality, this is a small price to pay and waidan remains an important branch of traditional Chinese medicine.
Immortality
eternal, never-ending existence outside of time. Confucius never taught about what happened after death; he felt it was not a worthy issue to explore as he focused on life in the here and now and how to improve it. As a result, Confucians don't have teachings to follow that address death or the afterlife. In contrast, Lao Tzu taught the Daoists to confront mortality by emphasizing the possibility and desirability of immortality, treating death as a state of transformation to a higher plane of existence, a way of attaining true immortality. (So Daoists equally ignore the deeper meaning of death.)
Xiao
filial piety; respect and care for family and ancestors. Confucian teaching maintains that one's filial obligation to parents and ancestors is the core of one's humanity. All people could participate in the family ritual of honoring parents and ancestors (xiao), while the state monopolized the worship of Tian/Di. Making sacrifice to the ancestors is especially important because it gives the descendants a sense of belonging and continuity—a religious appreciation of the chain of life that links them to their ancestors.
Gui (gwei)
ghosts and demons; malevolent spirits. The spirit of one who dies tragically or prematurely and is not given a suitable burial or sacrifice will become a gui, a vengeful and malevolent ghost who visits disasters on people. Gui includes spiteful ghouls, demons, and ogres who bring bad luck.
Shen
gods and deities; benevolent spirits. Shen are angels—in contrast to demons (gui). The spirit of one who dies at a ripe old age and is properly cared for by the descendants may become shen, the benevolent power that protects and tbrings benefit to the living (in contrast to gui). Shen is a generic term for all benevolent deities and gods whose power brings people health, wealth, children, and status.
Feng Shui
literally means "wind and water," is based on the belief in the efficacy of qui to allow humans to live and thrive in their natural environment; it survives today as the new age art of building-siting and interior design ($200/hour for a consultant!). The goal is to situate a house, tomb, or business in an auspicious (lucky) spot where positive qi can flow unobstructed...bringing wealth and health. Feng Shui determines how to arrange furniture, mirrors and doorways to face certain directions and ward off evil and disaster. Developers like Donald Trump pay Feng Shui consultants to build properties to sell to rich feng shui believers. Hong Kong Disneyland moved its main gate 12 degrees for better qi flow
Tianming
ming" means mandate, as in the mandate or command of Tian that confers political legitimacy to the ruler; also understood by Confucians as the calling to morally improve oneself and to transform the world.
Tai Chi
the most representative exercise of Daoist beliefs, as the body is seen as the microcosm of the macrocosm (universe). Through harnessing the qi of nature and bringing it into the body for attaining balance and improving health, the tai chi master demonstrates the intimate relationship between humans and the universe.
