LIFE QUESTIONS | PHILOSOPHY | DAOISM
What’s up with Daoism?
(and what can it mean for us in these turbulent times)
I have written about Daoism before (for samples, see here and here), but more often as an excursion from my thoughts on Buddhist practice and phenomenology than as a subject of its own.
Like most human constructs of religion, Daoism is a messy bit. So messy, that in Singapore a popular saying goes that one is born a Daoist, one marries a Christian, and dies a Buddhist.
In the mornings I often stroll into Telok Ayer and visit Thian Hock Keng (Tiānfú Gōng): not exactly a Daoist temple in the sense that orientalism would make us expect — but, as most Asian sanctuaries, something beautifully and gloriously hybrid. A shrine devoted to the trinity of Mazu Po (the Protector of Sojourners, also representing Heaven), Guan Di (Strife), and Bao Sheng Da Di (Earthly Life). The temple marks the historical point of arrival for seafarers and (Chinese) immigrants in Singapore, and the first thing people would do upon touching land is hurry over here and express their gratitude for having survived the arduous sea journey. Side altars have Kong Fuzi (aka Confucius), Fó zǔ (Buddha Shakyamuni), Guan Yin (aka Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Loving Kindness and Compassion) and Laozi (the author…
