OFFERINGS

Communal Meditation

Once our Daoist retreat center is fully operational, we will begin offering weekly on-site communal Daoist practice sessions, including Daoist Quiet Sitting 靜坐 meditation and Dǎoyǐn 導引 (Guided Stretching). We also plan to move towards a “hybrid format” that enables us to include non-local participants via a remote connection.

Daoist Education

We offer educational opportunities to high schools and colleges. The associated presentations may involve formal public lectures, classroom talks, and/or practice sessions. We also provide guidance to educators on teaching Daoism in an accurate and informed manner.

End-of-Life Support

Members of the Daoist Foundation community offer care for the dying, including both visits to individuals in end-of-life situations and support for associated family and friends.

Fēngshuǐ consultations

Upon request, we provide Fēngshuǐ 風水 (Wind-and-Water; Chinese Geomancy) consultations. This includes not only comprehensive site evaluation and, if necessary, space clearing ceremonies, but also assistance with physical decluttering and organization.

Foundations of Daoist Practice

The Foundations of Daoist Practice 修道基本 (FDP) weekend retreat is the foundational training in the Daoist Foundation community. This offering is specifically intended to help individuals develop and strengthen an authentic root in tradition-based Daoist practice-realization, including fundamental Daoist approaches, practices, principles, and views. It assumes commitment to the two core Daoist foundations, namely, conservation and virtue. This training also is the prerequisite for attending longer retreats and for fuller participation in our community. The inaugural on-site offering was held in May of 2024, and we will facilitate a remote version in October. The FDP retreat is one of the “Initial Steps on the Way.”

Holistic & Integrated Daoist Training

In the larger context of our Daoist community, we emphasize “full-spectrum” Daoist training centering on the Three Orientations (sānfāng 三方) and Nine Foundations (jiǔgēn 九根). Rooted in commitment, sincerity, and endurance, such is Daoist practice-realization beyond mere technique, spiritual athleticism, spiritual capitalism, unmoored practice, and the like. This is Daoism as a religious path and way of life. Read Foundations of Daoist Practice.

Inter-Religious Dialogue

Members of the Daoist Foundation are committed to ecumenical, egalitarian, and inclusive community, including with respect to “non-Daoists.” We willingly participate in inter-religious dialogue (IRD) and inter-monastic dialogue (IMD), specifically through what we refer to as “inter-contemplative dialogue” (ICD).

Kūndào Training

We offer Kūndào 坤道 (Women’s Way) training under the guidance of Kate Townsend 抱靜, the senior female Daoist teacher at the Foundation. Kūndào refers to female Daoist cultivation with specific attention to female embodiment and being.

Prison Outreach

Our primary form of prison outreach involves correspondence with incarcerated individuals. This includes supplying written materials to assist individuals in contexts of confinement. We also occasionally agree to on-site visits to offer Daoist education, ministry, and training.

Retreats

As we transition into our formal, place-specific retreat center, we will recommence our retreat offerings, including in both on-site and remote formats. The first new step will focus on Foundations of Daoist Practice 修道基本 weekend retreats as well as our ongoing remote Daoist Contemplative Winter Retreat 道教冬季冥想靜修. In keeping with foundational Quánzhēn 全眞 (Complete Perfection) commitments, all on-site retreats are intoxicant-free, technology-free, and vegetarian. Communal meals also feature bioregional, organic produce. (Please note that we cannot accommodate extremely restrictive diets, but retreatants do have access to a communal kitchen if required.)

Ritual

At present, the Three Refuges Ceremony 三皈儀 on each Winter Solstice is the primary public and communal ritual that we offer. This is a Daoist commitment ceremony that expresses and/or confirms one’s formal Daoist religious affiliation. It is one of the “Initial Steps on the Way” as well as a pre-requisite for seminary training and lineage transmission.

Seminars

At present, our annual Daoist Studies Summer Seminar 道學沙龍 is the primary seminar offered through the Daoist Foundation. This is the flagship event of the Center for Daoist Studies 道學中心. We also hold occasional seminars on a variety of topics, including Daoist embodiment, Daoist meditation, and Daoist translation. Seminars currently in development include “Introduction to the Daoist Tradition” and “Introduction to the Dàodé jīng 道德經.”

Seminary Training

Beginning in summer of 2024, we will begin taking applications for our training program through the American Daoist Seminary 美國道教學院. The first cohort will be admitted and commence formal study in September of 2024.

Spiritual Direction

Throughout each month, we offer open Daoist spiritual direction and contemplative mentorship for members of our community and the larger public. We also provide personalized guidance for retreatants and formal students.

Yǎngshēng

Members of the Daoist Foundation engage in Yǎngshēng 養生 (YS; Nourishing Life; a.k.a Qìgōng 氣功 [Energy Work/Qi Exercises]), or health and longevity practice. This includes Ànmó 按摩 (Self-Massage), Dǎoyǐn 導引 (Guided Stretching), as well as general hygiene methods. It also incorporates more-encompassing YS principles and approaches applied to daily life, which enhance tending to one’s basic wellness and vitality. While we focus on our Basic Yǎngshēng Practice (BYP) as a foundation, we eventually will begin teaching the entire Hùnyuán 混元 (Primordial Origin) system.