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Why do some Tao cultivators insist that I-Kuan Tao is not a
religion?
One can certainly practice I-Kuan Tao as a religion if one wishes,
and many people do, but this is by no means an absolute requirement.
The advanced cultivation of I-Kuan Tao is a way of life that
transcends the religious practice. The authentic teaching is "dao
fei jiao" - meaning the Tao is not a religion. The Tao is the source
of all things, including all religions, so it is far more than any
religious institution.
In that perspective, I-Kuan Tao is simply a path that one can travel
to approach the source of divine spirituality. It does not claim to
be the only path or a "superior" path to the source - but if you
feel an affinity for the Tao, then it may be the right path for you.
The followers of I-Kuan Tao worships various gods. Would that not
be a religious practice?
Those who practice I-Kuan Tao as a religion worship deities in
similar ways as followers of other faiths.
Those who practice I-Kuan Tao as a way of life have a slightly
different perspective. They go back to the original meaning of the
Chinese character bai, which is often mistranslated as "to worship,"
but actually means "to venerate" or "to revere." To them, the
various deities are powerful symbols of human virtues, and they pay
respects to the ones representing virtues they would like to
cultivate in themselves. This is essentially an associative
conditioning process to transform the spiritual state.
Why is vegetarianism a requirement for I-Kuan Tao followers?
Actually, for most followers of I-Kuan Tao, vegetarianism is a
recommendation, not a requirement. It is recommended not only for
its health benefits, but also because it is a meaningful gesture of
compassion toward animals. It is not required because the Tao has no
interest in forcing anyone to do anything.
However, vegetarianism is a requirement if you wish to set up a
I-Kuan Tao shrine in your home. This is because the owner of such a
shrine serves as an example to others by making a commitment that
many people may not be willing to make. Those who are not ready for
such duties can always set up their own altars or sacred spaces
without going through the temple.
The majority of vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan are owned by the
vegetarian members of I-Kuan Tao. They have elevated the art of
vegetarian cuisine to a level that must be experienced to be
believed.
What are the five religions often mentioned in I-Kuan Tao?
To beginning Tao cultivators, they are Buddhism, Taoism,
Confucianism, Christianity and Islam. They see the term as a literal
list.
Advanced Tao cultivators recognize the fallacy in trying to assign
five specific religions to the expression. The ancient Chinese
arbitrarily put the "five" label on many things - five sounds, five
flavors, five colors, etc. They did this despite the fact that such
definite categorization was not always appropriate or correct. For
instance, most people recognize more than five colors in the
rainbow. Also, mixing the three primary colors produce three
additional colors for a total of six. No matter how we look at it,
we have to conclude that "five" should mean a multitude rather than
literally the number five.
Thus, when we see "five religions," our understanding
should be that it
means all the significant spiritual or philosophical traditions that
have the potential to uplift and inspire people. In that sense, the
expression also includes Hinduism, Judaism, and many other paths,
not just the narrow five of the beginner's understanding.
One stated purpose of I-Kuan Tao is "to cultivate one's true-self
by utilizing untruths." Shouldn't the word "untruths" really be
"truths"?
This is an imperfect translation of a well-known saying in I-Kuan
Tao, which literally says "borrow the unreal to cultivate the real."
What it actually means is that we make use of the material world to
cultivate the soul.
From Buddhist as well as Tao teachings, we understand that the
material world is ultimately illusory, and therefore unreal. The
soul, unlike the transience of the material world, is eternal, and
therefore real.
Put the above together, and you have a clear yet concise statement
that explains our purpose in taking on physical existence.
What is Dah-Torng? I also see Dah Tong and "The World of Da
Tong." What does it mean, and what is the correct spelling?
All of the above that you may have seen in various I-Kuan Tao web
sites are erroneous renditions of the two original Chinese
characters. The first character is da. It means big or great. The
second character is tong. It is pronounced with an "oh" sound
instead of "ah" sound. It rhymes with "wrong" instead of "kong" or
"bong". It means together or togetherness.
The two together can be written as datong, da tong, or Da Tong.
There's no "Torng" in Chinese. It got written that way because the
first person to attempt translation did not understand Chinese
romanization and made up a quick fix on the spot. Others that
followed also had poor understanding of romanization, so they kept
repeating the first mistake, thinking it must be some sort of
standard set by an expert.
Regardless of how it is romanized, da tong is not a specialized term
that has to be rendered phonetically. It can be translated very
accurately as "great unity." Thus, "The World of Da Tong" is simply
"The World of Great Unity." It refers to an ideal utopia where
people live together in harmony and everyone is looked after. This
was first described by Confucius, so "Great Unity" has become known
as a Confucian concept.
The Chinese translators who used "Da Tong" instead of "Great Unity"
did so for the simple reason that they did not have enough knowledge
to do the translation properly. Remember, the language barrier
affects both sides equally. Justs as we may think the Chinese
language is difficult, they feel the same way about English.
Do I-Kuan Tao members have scriptures or books other than TTC?
One of the central ideas in I-Kuan Tao is that the Tao is not a
religion. The Tao is the driving force behind all things - including
all religions. There is definitely something that compels so many
people to delve into Christianity or Islam or Buddhism or other
religious practices; we can call that something the way (the Tao) of
humanity.
This being the case, someone who is aligned with the Tao would feel
quite comfortable in studying scriptures and books from any and all
spiritual traditions. So while there is such a thing as a Taoist
canon in religious Taoism, there isn't in I-Kuan Tao. Or, you can
say that the I-Kuan Tao canon covers all books that are sincere
attempts to approach the divine. In the mindset of the Tao, there is
no "us versus them" or distinctions in terms of "these are mine,
those are yours."
Thus, most I-Kuan Tao practitioners study from a wide variety of
sources, but since they are mostly Chinese, the books they choose to
study tend to be from Chinese culture. Other than TTC, many also
study Chuang Tzu, I Ching, the Analects, the Heart Sutra, the
Diamond Sutra, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, etc. Some
also study the Christian Bible. I haven't heard of anyone studying
the Koran, but that's because historically Islam has not been as
influential on the Chinese as Christianity, relatively speaking.
There would certainly be nothing to stop anyone who takes an
interest on the subject.
Is there any literature available on I-Kuan Tao?
There is, both printed and online. I am familiar with most of them,
but I'm afraid there isn't much written in English that I would
describe as an accurate reflection of the authentic Tao. Many web
sites emphasize the religious practice while neglecting the aspects
of I-Kuan Tao that transcend religion to encompass the totality of
life.
The sources that I can comfortably recommend are, at this time,
limited to the following:
1) Learn Chinese and study the authentic stuff. I realize for many
people this is simply not a practical plan.
2) Ask people who are actually involved with the practice and can
communicate with you in English. In this regard I would humbly
submit myself and Bill Bunting for your consideration.
3) Read up on the I-Kuan Tao information at
http://taoism.net/ikuantao/home.htm
4) Consider participating in the Sunday meetings via Internet audio
conference. It's available to anyone who has a broadband connection
(DSL or cable modem) and you sure can't beat the price ($0).
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