feasting
Feasting
is the flame in mid-winter
That kindles the fire of friendship
And strengthens the community.
In
the past, feasting was a way to bind the community closer together.
The same is true today. Whether they are cultural gatherings, times of
group worship, or even special dinners with friends, we all need
moments where we come together and reaffirm the importance of our group.
The cheer that we feel is essential
both to the collective and the
individuals involved. The affirmation of the group should not be a
sublimation of the individual but rather a framework for involvement. A
good gathering requires participation—the efforts of organization,
work,
and attendance—and in turn gives back sustenance for body and soul, a
sense of belonging, and the accomplishment of something that could not
be done by the individuals alone.
Like any other human endeavor, the
feast is vulnerable to manipulation
and politics, the selfish maneuvering of cynical individuals. This is
difficult to avoid completely, for it is impossible for any group to
truly be united. The only way to mitigate this is for the collective to
keep its intentions strictly on its purpose, to select its leaders
wisely, and for those leaders to be as enlightened as possible.
feasting
365
Tao
daily
meditations
Deng
Ming-Dao (author)
ISBN
0-06-250223-9
dao
feasting
blog
site
|
Covered jar decorated with
goldfish and aquatic plants
Excavated in the eastern suburbs of Beijing in 1955
Ming dynasty, Jiajing period,
1522 — 1566
Porcelain with five-color
enamels, wucai height
46 cm
An underglaze blue and
overglaze enamel colors decorate this massive wine jar with a
continuous scene of large golden carp swimming among various water
weeds and lotus flowers. On the base a six-character imperial reign
mark reads: ”Made in the Jiajing period of the great Ming.”
National
Museum of Chinese
History, Beijing
|
T
A O I S M
Taoist Beliefs and Practices
(very
elementary explanations, more detail will come in future lessons)
Taoism has
provided an
alternative to the Confucian tradition in China. The two traditions
have coexisted in the country, region and generally within the same
individual.
Tao is the first-cause of the
universe. It is a force that flows through all life.
“The Tao surrounds everyone and
therefore everyone must listen to find enlightenment.”
Each believer’s goal is to become
one with the Tao.
The priesthood views the many gods
as manifestations of the one Dao, “which could not be represented as an
image or a particular thing.” The concept of a personified deity is
foreign to them, as is the concept of the creation of the universe.
Thus, they do not pray as Christians do; there is no God to hear the
prayers or to act upon them. They seek answers to life’s problems
through inner meditation and outer observation.
In contrast with the beliefs and
practices of the priesthood, most of the laity have “believed
that spirits pervaded nature...The gods in heaven acted like and were
treated like the officials in the world of men; worshiping the gods was
a kind of rehearsal of attitudes toward secular authorities. On the
other hand, the demons and ghosts of hell acted like and were treated
like the bullies,
outlaws, and threatening strangers in the real world; they were bribed
by the people and were ritually arrested by the martial forces of the
spirit officials.”
Time is cyclical, not linear as in
Western thinking.
Taoists generally have an interest
in promoting health and vitality.
Five main organs and orifices of
the body correspond to the five parts of the sky: water, fire, wood,
metal and earth.
Each person must nurture the Ch’i
(air, breath) that has been given to them.
Development of virtue is one’s
chief task. The Three Jewels to be sought are compassion, moderation
and humility.
Taoists follow the art of “wu wei,”
which is to let nature take its course. For example, one should allow a
river to flow towards the sea unimpeded; do not erect a dam which would
interfere with its natural flow.
One should plan in advance
and consider carefully each action before making it.
A Taoists is kind to other
individuals, largely because such an action tends to be reciprocated.
Taoists believe that “people are
compassionate by nature...left to their own devices [they] will show
this compassion without expecting a reward.”
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