Daoism in the West: Following Buddhist and Christian Models?

154 Daoism in the West Following Buddhist and Christian Models? BILL HULET Daoism in the West is increasingly becoming a practiced religion, and more and more individuals are working to create a viable Western form. Since we are in the formative stages of this process, this may be a good time to initiate a dialogue about two questions that have troubled me in my “faith career:” Is the master‑disciple dynamic intrinsic or incidental to Daoism? And how is Daoism going to relate to modern science? As regards the former, the example of Buddhism in the West and my own observations suggest that there are practical and rather un‑ pleasant consequences of the institution of “Master” that are best avoided. As regards the latter, some Daoist language and practices over‑ lap with those of physiology and psychology but there may also be areas of conflict. A useful parallel in this respect is modern Christian scholar‑ ship which has argued that it is possible to accept the wisdom of the Bi‑ ble while discarding language that is rooted in long‑discarded theories about how the world operates. Personally, I was initiated into the Fung Loy Kok Temple by Moy Lin Shin in the 1970s and adopted the Daoist name Cloudwalking Owl. I parted ways with that institution early on, but have tried my best to study and practice as a hermit. Over time, I have noticed a rapid growth in the infrastructure of Western Daoism: more and more books get trans‑ lated, scholars and practitioners organize to share their understanding, and body work has become accepted as part of mainstream society. The latest phase is toward the establishment of institutional, religious Dao‑ Hulet, “Daoism in the West” / 155 ism in the West. Much visibility comes from the Internet which allows people to connect at the click of a mouse. But many groups represent more than just web‑pages and involve some seriously dedicated people. Just a few of the more visible examples that I have noticed include the Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism, the British Taoist Association, Dayuan Circle (formerly Orthodox Daoism in America), The Daoist Foundation, and so on. To me Daoism is currently at the stage where Western Buddhism was in the 1960s. Growing numbers of people are interested in building substantial religious institutions, academics are translating more founda‑ tional texts, Chinese teachers and Chinese‑trained Westerners are begin‑ ning to build temples and monasteries. What, then, can Daoists learn from the Buddhist example? Authority and Deification A striking issue Western Buddhists had to deal with is the power dy‑ namic of the master‑disciple relationship. Some schools of Buddhism place great emphasis on submission to the personal authority of indi‑ viduals who have been given superior, and in some cases even super‑ natural, authority. Zen Buddhism, for example, has a theology that talks of the “mind to mind” transmission through lineage chains that stretch all the way back to Bodhidharma and Gautama Buddha. Some schools of Tibetan Buddhism also have traditions of “tulku” or enlightened masters who have been reincarnated from generation to generation to teach dis‑ ciples. The authority of the teacher as master exists outside of the institu‑ tion that he presides over. As such, this relationship is inherently authori‑ tarian, uncontrolled, and beyond any checks and balances. No matter how one feels about this from a scholarly or religious point of view, certain practical consequences have flowed from this teaching style. One example is the situation surrounding Chögyam Trungpa, a famous tulku with numerous disciples. The author of many popular books, he had tremendous influence in the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the West and was the leader of a group called Dharmad‑ hatu with headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. Besides teaching advanced Tibetan meditation techniques, he engaged in sexual relations with many of his students and died of alcoholism in 1976. His chosen successor, 156 / Journal of Daoist Studies 4 (2011) Ösel Tendzin, continued the sexual activities with students even after learning that he had contracted HIV. After a period of crisis, criticism, and restructuring, the organization today has recovered and follows more traditional and ethical paths under the leadership of Trungpa’s...