Way-Making through Daily Rituals

yíshì -- "rituals"
 #practicingdaoism #stdyingdoaism

Way-Making through Daily Rituals (in for a penny, in for a pound)

This is the final installment in a ten-part blog series about Way-Making and the Dao. 


What are next steps if seriously interested in Daoism?

IN FOR A PENNY ...

Daoism has evolved into two available avenues:
1. A Religion
2. A Philosophy for Living

I've found Daoism to be something of a conundrum: Its origins are steeped in counter-cultural ideas that an entire culture eventually came to adopt. The result was an organized religion, much of which is the historical influence of Confucianism. But the philosophy itself remains counter-cultural and independent of religious trappings.

I've personally chosen the philosophy avenue. I've never been much of a "joiner," but I've always been a life-long self-learner, and I'm comfortable with finding my own way and I've always found myself disciplined enough to follow through.

Only you can decide what avenue best serves your needs and your personality. 

Baring the unforeseen, I have made a personal, philosophical commitment every day to

* Study Daodejing, or Zhuanzi, or Liezi, or The Book of Changes. (See Blog Entry #1)

* Perform Tiān Gāng Qìgōng (See Blog Entry #2)

* Perform "stllness" meditation (See Blog Entry #2)

* Cultivate wuwei, wushi, wuyu in day-to-day life and all interactions with others (See Blog Entry #3) 

* Look for opportunities to practice ziran in everyday life to cultivate mindfulness and flexibility (See Blog Entry #3)

* Perform exercises using Daoyin 
(This one I've just now started including as part of my routine, which strengthens and promotes control of qi in the body. See Ming-Dao's Scholar Warrior for more details.)

* Keep a Dao "personal discovery" journal

Additionally, as needed or decided, to keep the door open to
* Consult the Oracle (Jijing)

The above are my basic rituals to help me take seriously the commitment of Way-Making as a way to make life significant.

What follows below are supplemental studies and activities I've added to my routines that have personally enriched my Daoist studies.

... IN FOR A POUND

Okay, let me admit up front: I'm a nerd. My wife gave me a t-shirt that reads, "Hold on. Let me overthink that first." It's my jam.

Below are the things I additionally do because--well, because it's me:

* Practice Húnyuán Tàijíquán (a Daoist-conscious form of Tai Chi)
   I've been a martial artist since my teens, when I completed the levels through Green Belt, starting with Tang Soo Do and later with Tae Kwon Do. In my 30s, I had a chance to complete training to First Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. Later on, I studied mixed martial arts styles, including Tai Chi, or Tàijíquán ("Supreme Ultimate Fist"). 
   When browsing online about available Daoist retreats, I noticed there was a particular style of Tàijíquán utilizing movements that facilitate moving meditation following Daoist principles. So I investigated and have since learned this pattern, called Húnyuán Tàijíquán ("Primordial Engergy Supreme Ultimate Fist"), which I practice every day as part of my rituals.

* Learn Mandarin Chinese 
   Translation is hearing ideas and stories second-hand, and even excellent translators are forced to make subjective decisions about how best to express both the intent and the nuance in another language. I want to know first-hand what Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Liezi have to say, and I've included several key passages from those sages that I've included in previous entries of this blog series. 
   I've studied a dozen languages and have fluency in three, plus I can read several others and can get by conversationally in at least two of those others. So learning Mandarin was a goal I knew I could achieve. (By the way, Mandarin's reputation as being one of the hardest to master is not an exaggeration.)
   I'm doing it online, and really recommend the YoYo Chinese Language program, if you're interested in pursuing such a choice. This program is self-paced, has great online tools and resources, and is reasonably priced. Though not accredited, they offer courses that amount to two years of college coursework, including beginning and intermediate conversation, Chinese characters, grammar, and more.
   Even if you pass on attempting to learn this language, I still recommend downloading the free app Pleco. A great dictionary, and so much more.

* Practice Chinese calligraphy 
   as a way to help learn and appreciate Chinese characters.

                                                         * * *

This blog posting concludes a ten-part series designed to serve as an introduction to key elements of Daoism, as well as practical elements if you decide to explore Way-Making for yourself. Of course, I urge you to follow the more in-depth guidelines by the authors cited in the first blog posting in this series, if you're really serious. (See Blog Entry #1)
   These ideas and these practices are making a profound impact on the way I have come to interpret reality. And it has helped me devise an approach that, as Ames and Hall have suggested, has truly made my own life more significant and meaningful.

As the Chinese are fond of saying,
加油 (jiā yóu)--"Keep it up!"

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