Hello,
As I mentioned in yesterday’s email, the Nüwa is returning to weekly publication! Every Friday, you can expect high quality writing on Daoism and related East Asian culture and practice.
A Congregation of Gods: The Chaoyuan Tu
I don’t usually speak about the more religious forms of Daoism. They tend to differ quite significantly from my own practice and what I believe resonates in a contemporary Western environment. However, the following set of Daoist temple paintings are incredible and virtually unknown in the West.
Yongle Gong (lit. Palace of Everlasting Happiness, 永樂宮) is a Quanzhen Daoist temple complex located in Shanxi, north China. Built over a 128 year period from 1240-1358 CE, it is famous for a set of murals in which numerous deities pay homage to one of the highest Daoist deities, Yuanshi Tianzun (Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning, 元始天尊).
These murals are known as the Chaoyuan Tu (lit. Paintings of an Audience with Primordial Beginning, 朝元圖), and depict over 290 greater and lesser deities coming to pay ritual homage to Yuanshi Tianzun. Accompanying well-known Daoist deities and immortals are many local folk deities, as well as Buddhist and Confucian figures. As such, the Chaoyuan Tu is an interesting window into the lack of clear boundaries between the varying hues of traditional Chinese religious expression.
This is something that surprises many Westerners. We’re used to the various Abrahamic religions differentiating themselves strongly from one another, and often failing to coexist harmoniously. The scene is entirely different in China, and famously summed up by the phrase ‘the three teachings, harmonious as one’ (sanjiao heyi, 三教合一). Quanzhen Daoism is a powerful piece of evidence for this phrase — it is itself a complete amalgamation of Daoist, Buddhist and Confucian teachings.
To finish, I’ll just say a few words about the painting style in these murals. Chinese mural are based on the careful use of lines, which are used to guide the viewer’s gaze. They create movement, and if not done carefully, the images appear stiff and clumsy. There’s such movement in these images — the robes and postures of the figures have a fluidity which brings them to life. The colours are also rich and contrast with one another, all of which creates a sense of opulence and decorativeness. It’s interesting that, despite these being religious images of a celestial event, there is no sense of mystery. Instead, we find a solemnity and sense of court opulence.
Take a closer look at the Chaoyuan Tu in the video below!
A Clear Framework For Understanding Daoist Practice
This was the first piece I wrote about Daoist practice, and it introduces a simple and concise framework for understanding it. Over the past year, I've developed this framework further, and it continues to occupy a central place in how I understand and teach Daoist practice.
What is Neigong?
This is a short reel that I posted to Instagram a while ago, in which I briefly summarise the energetic art of neigong (內功). A chronic lack of energy is something so many people have today, and it affects everything — life is unenjoyable when you do not have the vitality required to handle things skilfully and effectively. Neigong practice is all about pooling and consolidating the dissipated energy we have to start with, then altering the structure and functioning of the body to refine and increase the total amount of energy within the body.
Just a reminder that we are starting FREE Daoist foundations classes, online every Friday from 18:00-19:00 UK time. They are designed to be the ideal starting point for anyone interested in Daoist practice, and centre around the restructuring of the physical body, harmonising the flow of qi, and regulating of breath.
Sign up here!
https://thenuwadao.com/subscribe.
Lastly, I could not be committing to this publication schedule without the help of Weien Zong, who has recently started offering her numerous skills to help out with the Nüwa! Weien has just completed an MA at King’s College, London and has a family background in Qimen Dunjia, amongst other traditional Chinese art forms.
道炁長存,
Oscar