Foundations of Daoist Ritual: A Berlin Symposium (Asien- und Afrika-Studien der Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin)

In 2007, the Chinese Department of Humboldt University (Berlin) staged a symposium on the foundations of Daoist ritual. The results in English and Chinese (with summaries) are presented in this book. Daoist ritual is embedded in Chinese culture, and so considerations from the Confucian point of view made the start. The following contributions deal with components of Daoist rituals that matter on a basic level, involving exorcism, realities of minor rituals, and movements in Taiwan and China up to present times. The focus is on relevant canonical traditions, on orthodox rituals and generally known literary themes of religious importance. A third group of contributions concentrates on aspects of medieval ritual, on its canonical sources and historic performance. Pious designs of care are evident in Daoist medical efforts that were also studied at this symposium.