dao forbearance

forbearance Arctic breath coils the mountain, Rattling the forests’ bones. Raindrops cling to branches; Jewelled adornment flung to earth. Trees in winter lose their leaves. Some trees may even fall during storms, but most stand patiently and bear their fortune. They endure rain, snow, wind, and cold. They bear the adornment of glycerin raindrops, glimmering icicles, or crowns of snow without care. The are not concerned when such lustrous splendor is dashed to the ground. They stand, and they wait, the power of their growth apparently dormant. But inside, a burgeoning is building imperceptibly. Theirs is the forbearance of being true to their inner natures. It is with this power that they withstand both the vicissitudes and adornments of life, for neither bad fortune nor good fortune will alter what they are. We should be the same way. We may have great fortune or bad, but we should patiently bear both. No matter what, we must always be true to our inner selves. forbearance 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9 duckdaotsu.org tao hub Incense Burner with Li Tieguai Incense Burner with Li Tieguai (detail) Ming dynasty5, 15th/16th century Bronze 31 x 23 cm Sichuan4 Provincial Museum, Chengdu cat. no. 62 Incense Burner with Li Tieguai The incense burner is the most important object in a Taoist ritual. The smoke from the incense purifies the ritual space, alerts the gods that a ritual is about to be performed, and draws the gods to the altar. Incense smoke is also believed to resemble the swirling patterns of cloudlike energies underlying all matter. As such, the smoke infuses both the altar and the body of the priest with sacred energy. In this incense burner, the vents that allow the smoke to escape are in the shape of four trigrams from the Book of Changes, symbolizing the interactions of yin and yang. The incense burner is topped with an image of Li Tieguai, "Iron-Crutch Li," one of the Eight Immortals1, important deities of the Complete Realization sect2 of Taoism. Legend has it that Li's soul was able to leave his body and travel to other places. Once, Li ordered a student to watch his body while his soul visited Laozi3, instructing that student to burn his body if his soul did not return in seven days. On the sixth day, the student had a family emergency, so he burned Li's body and left a day early. When Li returned and found his body in ashes, he was forced to take the nearest body—that of a disabled beggar who had recently died. He had this form forever after and relied on an iron crutch to walk. glossary: 1 Eight Immortals A group of legendary, semi-historical figures important in both religious Taoism and popular religion. Artistic representations of each are usually recognizable by identifying their respective attributes. The names of the Eight Immortals are Zhongli Quan, He Xiangu, Zhang Guo, L¸ Dongbin, Han Xiangxi, Cao Guojiu, Li Tieguai, and Lan Caihe. Stories of the Eight Immortals were popularized in folklore, drama, novels, and woodblock prints. 2 Complete Realization Sect A Taoist monastic order founded in northern China around 1160. The sect combines the teachings of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The goal of the sect's followers was to attain immortality by perfectly realizing the Tao in themselves. Both male and female members of this sect practiced a strict monastic lifestyle. It survives today as one of the two major sects of Taoism, and its headquarters is the White Cloud Monastery in Beijing. 3 Laozi Literally, "old master," traditionally assumed to have been born in the sixth century B.C. He is considered the author of the earliest Taoist philosophical text, the Classic of the Way and Its Power (Daode jing). Historians now agree that Laozi was a legendary figure developed to provide an author for the Daode jing, which was compiled by a group of scholars in the third century B.C. During the Han dynasty, Laozi was deified; he remains one of the most important deities in religious Taoism. 4 Sichuan (Szechwan) A province in southwestern China noted for its warm climate, fertile farmland, and abundance of natural resources; the birthplace of religious Taoism 5 Ming dynasty (1368—1644) The period following the Yuan dynasty in which native rule was restored. Ming emperors and empresses sponsored the renovation of Taoist sacred sites and the practice of reformed Taoist rituals. In the Ming dynasty, the Taoist god Zhenwu became a national protector. Paintings characterized by great energy and vigor flourished during this time, and the porcelain industry received major imperial patronage. Early Ming energy was followed by a powerful conservative movement, echoed in the efforts to isolate China from the outside world. Nevertheless, the Portuguese landed in China in 1514. In the 17th century, trade with the Netherlands began and Jesuit priests entered southern China. Corruption in the late-Ming imperial court ultimately led to another foreign occupation. This lesson finishes up our ‘Taoist Ritual’ section about the Taoist Church. Here are some reminders of what we have already studied: click on each to revisit that day's meditation and lesson! tomorrow we begin ‘The Taoist Pantheon’ receive a full HTML copy of the daily meditation sent directly to your inbox, please send a note with the words "subscribe tao" in the subject line to duckdaotsu