DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

A large Taoism center opens in Toronto, Canada–further proof of the growing interest in Chinese medicine and culture:

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Biddulph wasn’t looking for a new religion when she discovered Taoism, but the Barrie nurse was drawn to it when patients began telling her about Tai Chi’s ability to help with musculature and circulatory problems, to boost the respiratory system and reduce stress.

“As a medical professional, I could see that there was something very special to this art,” she says.

Today, Biddulph is preparing the new 450 square metre Fung Loy Kok Temple north of Toronto for its grand opening next month.

The $13-million temple and adjoining halls, meditation rooms and accommodations were built by Toronto’s Taoist Tai Chi Society as a place of refuge for those exploring China’s three ancient faiths – Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.

A planned three-day opening celebration will feature chanters and religious dignitaries from around the world, culminating in a gala festival Sept. 8.

The ancient faiths are resonating with a growing number of people today.

Between 1991 and 2001, the number of Buddhists in Canada, for example, jumped 84 per cent, though at 300,300, they still represented only about 1 per cent of the population. The number identifying themelves as Taoist doubled, to 3,400.

Part of that growth can be attributed to people like Biddulph, who incorporate parts of Taoism into their lives alongside the religious beliefs they grew up with.

Prone to back pain and with a mild case of scoliosis, Biddulph found herself slouching a few years ago and feared she’d develop a dowager’s hump as her mother had. Desperate for an answer, she decided to take her patients’ advice and give the slow-moving martial art a try.

“My back is a lot stronger doing this,” she says, and a lot straighter.

Tai Chi instructor Andrew Hung describes Tai Chi as a form of “physical meditation,” since the mental concentration needed to move so precisely and to breathe as instructed forces participants to push all other thoughts from their minds.

The result, he says, is that life’s stresses and conflicts are pushed from the mind as well.

At a time when some faiths demand strict adherence, Chinese religions allow followers to adapt only as much or as little as they are comfortable with.

Harvard professor Michael Szonyi, formerly of the University of Toronto, says Chinese faiths emphasize practice over doctrine.

“It doesn’t really matter what you believe, or think about the universe,” the East Asian civilizations expert says. “What matters is behaviour.”

Hung, who has been instrumental in setting up the temple, says that if some people want to simply practise Tai Chi for their health, that’s okay. If others want to go further in their exploration of the three faiths, that’s okay, too.

“We don’t force people to become Taoist,” he says.

Szonyi says the tradition of mixing the faiths dates back centuries. While the purest forms of the religions were reserved for monks and monasteries, ordinary people have long picked and chosen which elements of each faith to embrace.

He said the three faiths are sometimes described as a mountain with three peaks. From the base, where most people are, the peaks appear largely as one. Further up the mountain, among the most devoted, the peaks begin to be differentiated.

Groups like the Taoist Tai Chi Society, he said, tend to appeal to people further down the mountain, including many non-Chinese. “

Tags: East and West //