Outreach

The Daoist Foundation offers a variety of community outreach programs and opportunities. At the present time, our directors and senior community members engage in the following activities:

Spiritual Direction

Daoist spiritual direction assists individuals in deepening their personal connection with the Dao and integrating Daoist principles into their daily lives. In the context of personal inquiry and communal conversations, we explore ways of listening to the subtle aspects of our being and discovering our own capacities for spiritual integration. This includes a holistic understanding of self, which focuses on somatic, psychological, spiritual, communal, and ecological dimensions.

• Donation-based offering

Public Talks

The Daoist Foundation welcomes opportunities for our directors to speak to groups and organizations on a broad range of topics in a variety of venues. Topics include Daoist history, religious practice, sacred texts, and Chinese medicine.

• Honorarium-based offering/donation-based offering

Fengshui Consultations

Daoists care about community and place. Fengshui 風水, a form of Chinese geomancy, is one way to locate ourselves in landscape and dwelling. On the most basic level, Fengshui refers to the movement of wind and water through landscapes. By extension, Fengshui addresses the smooth flow of qi through any space, whether wild or humanely constructed. Through site visits and interviews, we assist individuals with better understanding and integrating energetic and relational influences on their lives.

• Donation-based offering for community members

Inter-religious Dialogue

Daoism is one of the least understood of the world's major religious traditions. Engaging in conversations with members of other traditions helps rectify certain misunderstandings, clarifies Daoist worldviews, and allows us to explore our context of religious pluralism and cultural diversity. Through open dialogue, we better understand potential similarities and differences on matters of ultimate concern. The Daoist Foundation thus welcomes opportunities for inter-religious dialogue and is committed to facilitating mutual respect among adherents of different traditions.

• Open offering

Hospice Visits

Dying is one moment in the unending transformative process which is the Dao. From a Daoist perspective, dying is a natural part of living. It is a time to reflect on the contours of one's life. For those who are in the imminent midst of this process, an atmosphere of acceptance and support can ease potential anxiety and resistance. We thus accept invitations for hospice visits, during which our primary practice is listening and responding to the needs of the person in transition.

• Open offering

Retreats

Retreats provide opportunities for local practitioners as well as students from afar to gather together for intensive Daoist practice. Emphasis is placed on holistic and integrated training and daily application. With the intent of deepening personal and communal Daoist practice, retreats include seasonal vegetarian meals as well as a balance of stillness and movement practices and formal instruction. See Retreat Schedule and Contours of Practice. To schedule a local Daoist retreat please contact us.

• Fee-based offering

Ritual

As a community that includes ordianed Daoist priests, the Daoist Foundation offers a variety of rituals for personal, familial and communal benefit. These include the following:

Jiuku 救苦: Alleviation of Suffering. This is a ritual aimed to relieve suffering and calamities. It specifically involves chanting theTaishang lingbao tianzun shuo rangzai du'e zhenjing 太上靈寳天尊說禳災度厄真經 (Perfect Scripture of the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure for Petitioning for the Unforunate and Saving the Distressed).

Kaiguang 開光: Opening the Radiance. This is a consecration ritual for activating statues, paintings and other religious objects by infusing them with divine qi and spiritual presence.

Xiaoxie 消邪: Dispersal of Deviance. This is a space clearing ritual that involves the removal and transformation of potentially harmful influences (xieqi 邪氣).

• Donation-based offerings

We welcome donations to support these and related projects. If you would like your donation to go to a specific activity, please indicate that on your check.