The Taoist Tradition in Taiwan

Abstract

Taiwan>, a fertile island lying approximately 120 miles off the coast of Fukien Province in South China, cut in half by the Tropic of Cancer, has recently come to the notice of western sinologists as a rich source for the study of traditional Chinese life and customs. Prior to the Second World War, during the Japanese occupation, the scholars of that learned nation devoted much effort and printed space to the study of the folk religion, customs and folklore of the Taiwanese, works which can still be purchased in the second-hand bookshops of Taipei. These works were perhaps the first to take notice of the existence of Taoism and Taoist priests in Taiwan, alongside Buddhism and “Confucianism.” But the reports were scanty, only a few pages being devoted to the two kinds of Taoists, “Red-head” and “Black-head,” and the rituals they performed. By far the greater part of the Japanese research was devoted to the “popular religion,” that nameless entity which the masses of China's peasants traditionally believed in, sometimes described as the “Three Religions in One,” an irenic mixture of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

Advancing the study of life and death education: theoretical framework and research inquiries for further development

“…As a point for consideration, we use the term 'theoretical infusion' to denote and/or to reflect our practice of incorporation (e.g., the notion of 'spiritual infusion' in life teaching). For example, for the Taiwanese sociocultural-learning context, both the second author and the fourth author theoretically 'infuse' Buddhism (Yeshe and Rinpoche, 1976;Sheng Yen, 2010), Taoism (Saso, 1970;Rahul, 2018), and Confucianism (Yao, 2000;Havens, 2013) in their teaching of life and death. In relation to Buddhist philosophy, say, our teaching of life to students would highlight the importance of perceived positive 'Buddha-like' ( 佛系) qualities and/or characteristics, such as ethical morality, truthfulness, equanimity, and kindness (Chattopadhyay, 2022).…”