Here's a translation of a Q&A on an online Chinese periodical called The Paper(澎湃). They do a column called Ask where netizens can ask questions of interesting people, similar to Reddit's Ask Me Anything site. One of the ongoing Q&A's that has been very popular is that of a Daoist/Taoist priest (who of course, ia an adherent of Daoism/Daoism)
I am interested in what normal people think about traditional Chinese religion and what sort of answers the priest gives as he aims to make the audience understand the relevance of his beliefs. As a Christian, I want to understand the beliefs of different religions around the world in order to dialogue better with those who believe in them.
Below are some of the more fascinating selections. If you know of better ways to translate Daoist terms, please correct me. This is just a work in progress here.
心 跳 02-28-16
I am interested in what normal people think about traditional Chinese religion and what sort of answers the priest gives as he aims to make the audience understand the relevance of his beliefs. As a Christian, I want to understand the beliefs of different religions around the world in order to dialogue better with those who believe in them.
Below are some of the more fascinating selections. If you know of better ways to translate Daoist terms, please correct me. This is just a work in progress here.
I am Completely Real Daoist Priest Liang XingYang- Not Superstitious, Extremely Talkative- Ask me questions about Daoist Culture!
June 17th, 2015
"We use our own way to interpret Daoist culture. We use our actions to allow you to understand Daoism. To do good to yourself, do good to our family, and do good to every friend we come across is the world's greatest religious practice. Self-respect, self-confidence, self-improvement, and self-dignity are all steps forward. Not being superstitious, nor extreme, nor brash, nor self-abased are also steps forward. Persevering in correct belief and correct mindfulness, being sensible, having a good heart, religious practice is the enlightened way to state one's genuine self."
_________
Anonymous 07-12-15:
Priest, what do you think about the Diaoyu Islands?
Completely Real Daoist Priest Liang XingYang(Daoist Priest) 07-15-15:
In my humble opinion, the dispute has been settled since ancient times.
_________
XiaoSa 02-21-16:
Hello, Priest! I have a question that has perplexed me for very long that I ask you teach us: Where is life's ultimate meaning? Thinking over many years, I have unexpectedly come to the conclusion that life has no meaning. Individual life meaning opposes collective meaning, and so seems insignificant. Thus, I try to respect society in order to be reasonable, but comparing the country to the world makes you get over it. Human culture in the boundless universe is kind of like a speck of dust, life is incredibly insignificant, so where is meaning? Can you use Daoist theory to explain?
Daoist Priest: 03-22-16
When this universe had no observer, there was no meaning, only dead objects, just the same as stagnant water. Existence didn't exist, there was no meaning. In that pool there were fish, the water wasn't stagnant anymore, and the whole pool was able to come to life. In the same way, because the universe has people to act as observers, the whole universe can have spirit; it can have the meaning of existence. Oh universe, you're so big, you're really big, you are too big, wow!
If there are people, then there are spirits, there is wisdom's gaze, and so the outside things have meaning. It's the same with Daoism, all of the tools and law placed in a museum is dead matter. But only if you put it in the hands of a Daoist priest and he puts it into action, does it's meaning exist, does it become fresh, does it have life power. If you dissect a beautiful woman, she is just heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney. But when she is a person, it is because she has a spirit she is able to radiate her beauty. For the spirit that you hate, that beauty becomes disgust. For the spirit you like, everything is a merit. In young people's eyes, isn't she XiShi(famous historical Chinese beauty)?
Outside of the universe there is just this, because it is, it constantly is, because it is observed, it is definite. When there were no people, the universe had nothing real. You could say the universe was in a meaningless state of affairs. But from when people started to observe it, they went from uncultured eyes to blossom into the spark of wisdom. From the time they learned to observe the moon, sun, and stars, the universe freed itself from the meaningless state of affairs, and there was achievement.
The meaning of life is to experience this state of affairs, experience nature, let the universe's experience have meaning. When you open your eyes, all is fresh. When you close your eyes, all is darkness. When you haven't seen the flower, the flower and you are separate. When you come to see the flower, you understand the flower's color.
Our soul's wisdom is to go through millions of years of evolution before coming into being. Our spirit has gone through millions of years of sediment taking shape to exist. Dust became life to eventually become the human body. We should treasure each day of our lives. This is the greatest meaning of our lives, regardless of if we understand why, reacting calmly towards everything we come across, under the leadership of belief, reaching our own flexible and unhindered [goals].
幹幹 03-18-16
Priest, how do you leave the house?
Daoist Priest: 03-22-16
It's separated into 3 steps: first step, open the door; second step, close the door; third step, casually lock the door - that's a good habit.
_________
幹幹 03-18-16
Daoist Priest: 03-22-16
It's separated into 3 steps: first step, open the door; second step, close the door; third step, casually lock the door - that's a good habit.
_________
Priest, where can I go to get a reliable fortune?
Daoist Priest: 02-24-16
This poor Daoist knows all, if you use a gaming website, they have no fortune telling power. (*^_^*) A decent answer: No real recommendation. An even more decent answer: there is nothing you want to get a fortune on. I don't have a way to say it, life becomes more and more frivolous. Work hard, do good to yourself and your loved ones, this is the most reliable thing.
Daoist Priest: 02-24-16
This poor Daoist knows all, if you use a gaming website, they have no fortune telling power. (*^_^*) A decent answer: No real recommendation. An even more decent answer: there is nothing you want to get a fortune on. I don't have a way to say it, life becomes more and more frivolous. Work hard, do good to yourself and your loved ones, this is the most reliable thing.
_________
我鬼窟 03-27-16
Why did Daoism not flourish the same as Buddhism?
Daoist Priest: 03-27-16
Actually around the 70s, Daoism and Buddhism both had the same starting line. Neither could make ends meet and had a thousand things to do. Then a few decades later, Buddhism had a lot of interest and Daoism couldn't compare. So as not to avoid a taboo subject, Buddhism has a lot of places that are worth studying.
About Buddhism coming into the world - it has done a lot more than Daoism to enlighten people, in that it has become automatically mixed with life, so that it has become the choice. It's not to say that Daoism doesn't have this habit, but it's that Daoism doesn't have people who do that, it doesn't have the custom of adapting to people's demands. When all things are no longer a priority, no one can see the beauty of Daoism. If you want to let someone understand you, you must thing of a way to go out and become accustomed to people's way of life. A lot of what Daoism does is protect and bless people's Daoist immortals and ornaments, but we haven't gone to do that and have neglected that concept. Daoism needs to learn a lot from Buddhism. Daoism needs to enrich even more. However, when it learns, it can't lose Daoism's inherent qualities in doctrine and creed to even better fit and mix into daily life. Before when I was investigating this matter, a lot of religious people including Daoist priests said that to carry this on your body didn't respect the ancestors. Really?! A lot of taboos aren't the ancestors' taboos, but are people's taboos. It wasn't the ancestors who had good and evil, it was people who had good and evil. The person who practices Daoism experiences nature,experiences the true meaning and way demonstrated by the ancestors and then undergoes a differentiation of self to make their true capabilities go forth.
But when you look in the museum and see idols, it means that Daoism has almost already been destroyed or is destroyed. When the ancestors icon is on the trash can, when the chair has the ancestor icon design, Daoism doesn't expand, it has already has a wide reach.
The way is in the sky, the earth, the mud. Our treasured site is the belief held in our hearts.Although belief should be unadulterated, it should be through some objects to sustain and embody it. For example, Daoist priests' Daoist robes should not be carelessly worn, because now it represents the Daoist priests' identity and to mix it up could lead men astray. A Daoist priest's title should not be carelessly used. That's because it is the special title of those who hold the office of Daoist priest and to mix it up could lead men astray.
These objects represented the fundamental rules and fundamental base lines. These base lines remind us to constantly acknowledge, constantly study, and constantly perfect ourselves. Outside of Daoism's rules, we want to learn enrichment, and learn how to let others understand.If we allow the 3 Pure Ones idol to become an ornament that is naturally chosen, I think more people would confirm and acknowledge Daoism. We want to set our gaze a little farther, see a little more. Recently we have started to produce brush pots, backpacks, phone power banks, gold plated protection amulets, engraved tablets, car hangers, shopping bags, etc. We also hope to be able to use ornamentation to allow more people to confirm and acknowledge Daoism.
Of course, while doing this task, there are many who criticize, even to attract a lot of opinions. We should bear with all of these, including our own group's regular lectures. At the start, we received a lot of criticism, but we go forward step by step, acknowledge step by step, perfect ourselves, allow the lectures to become habit, allow listening to become habit, and then we come to appreciate our hearts, regardless if the surroundings are similar to the Guanyin idol shelf.
3265916911 07-23-2015
Priest, what's your view on fate? How is good and bad fate decided?
Daoist Priest:
[Quote from The History of the Southern Dynasties]
When every person is born, their good or bad fate is for the most part decided at that time. As for life after that point, 30% is determined by heave, 70% by hard work.
Daoist Priest: 03-27-16
Actually around the 70s, Daoism and Buddhism both had the same starting line. Neither could make ends meet and had a thousand things to do. Then a few decades later, Buddhism had a lot of interest and Daoism couldn't compare. So as not to avoid a taboo subject, Buddhism has a lot of places that are worth studying.
About Buddhism coming into the world - it has done a lot more than Daoism to enlighten people, in that it has become automatically mixed with life, so that it has become the choice. It's not to say that Daoism doesn't have this habit, but it's that Daoism doesn't have people who do that, it doesn't have the custom of adapting to people's demands. When all things are no longer a priority, no one can see the beauty of Daoism. If you want to let someone understand you, you must thing of a way to go out and become accustomed to people's way of life. A lot of what Daoism does is protect and bless people's Daoist immortals and ornaments, but we haven't gone to do that and have neglected that concept. Daoism needs to learn a lot from Buddhism. Daoism needs to enrich even more. However, when it learns, it can't lose Daoism's inherent qualities in doctrine and creed to even better fit and mix into daily life. Before when I was investigating this matter, a lot of religious people including Daoist priests said that to carry this on your body didn't respect the ancestors. Really?! A lot of taboos aren't the ancestors' taboos, but are people's taboos. It wasn't the ancestors who had good and evil, it was people who had good and evil. The person who practices Daoism experiences nature,experiences the true meaning and way demonstrated by the ancestors and then undergoes a differentiation of self to make their true capabilities go forth.
But when you look in the museum and see idols, it means that Daoism has almost already been destroyed or is destroyed. When the ancestors icon is on the trash can, when the chair has the ancestor icon design, Daoism doesn't expand, it has already has a wide reach.
The way is in the sky, the earth, the mud. Our treasured site is the belief held in our hearts.Although belief should be unadulterated, it should be through some objects to sustain and embody it. For example, Daoist priests' Daoist robes should not be carelessly worn, because now it represents the Daoist priests' identity and to mix it up could lead men astray. A Daoist priest's title should not be carelessly used. That's because it is the special title of those who hold the office of Daoist priest and to mix it up could lead men astray.
These objects represented the fundamental rules and fundamental base lines. These base lines remind us to constantly acknowledge, constantly study, and constantly perfect ourselves. Outside of Daoism's rules, we want to learn enrichment, and learn how to let others understand.If we allow the 3 Pure Ones idol to become an ornament that is naturally chosen, I think more people would confirm and acknowledge Daoism. We want to set our gaze a little farther, see a little more. Recently we have started to produce brush pots, backpacks, phone power banks, gold plated protection amulets, engraved tablets, car hangers, shopping bags, etc. We also hope to be able to use ornamentation to allow more people to confirm and acknowledge Daoism.
Of course, while doing this task, there are many who criticize, even to attract a lot of opinions. We should bear with all of these, including our own group's regular lectures. At the start, we received a lot of criticism, but we go forward step by step, acknowledge step by step, perfect ourselves, allow the lectures to become habit, allow listening to become habit, and then we come to appreciate our hearts, regardless if the surroundings are similar to the Guanyin idol shelf.
_________
1908296501 10-6-2015:
What should you do if you're afraid to die?
Daoist Priest 3-29-16:
In any case, you have already come to this earth, so you can't plan when you live and when you return.
3265916911 07-23-2015
Priest, what's your view on fate? How is good and bad fate decided?
Daoist Priest:
[Quote from The History of the Southern Dynasties]
When every person is born, their good or bad fate is for the most part decided at that time. As for life after that point, 30% is determined by heave, 70% by hard work.
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