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Document Details : Title: Studies on Daoist Morning and Evening Services of the Quanzhen Order Author(s): KIM, Sung-Hae Journal: Studies in Spirituality Volume: 15 Date: 2005 Pages: 55-69 DOI: 10.2143/SIS.15.0.2003468 Abstract : This is a study on the daily prayers of the Daoist Masters of Quanzhen Order who occupies 80 percent of all the Daoist Masters of contemporary China. I attempted to grasp their world view and their concept of salvation through the analysis of this official iturgical prayers which they recite together twice a day. First I compared the structural commonality and differences in content between the morning and evening services and thereby pointed out that their functions are different, even though two parts are connected and together form a whole. The morning service focuses on the inner cultivation of the Daoist Masters themselves, while the evening service concentrates on their acts of mercy for the sick, lonely, and suffering people and natural word as a whole. These two dimensions of the inner and outer cultivation constitute the integral unity that the Quanzhen Order emphasized from its founding period in the 12th century. We can also observe their famous theory of the unity of three religions, Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, and how the total history of Daoism is summarized in this official liturgical prayers as well as the Chinese ancient mythical images are melted in them. Finally, it is a good material to grasp the characteristics of Daoist mysticism from the comparative perspective of religious studies. |
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