道中詞彙 Glossary
By Derek Lin 一貫道 I-Kuan Tao In the Pinyin romanization system,
I-Kuan Tao is written as Yi Guan Dao. This matches the way it is actually pronounced in Chinese. Yi means one, Guan means through, and Dao
means the path. Together, I-Kuan Tao is the spiritual path focusing on the one true Tao that unites (goes through) all things.
明明上帝 Ming Ming Shang Di
Ming means clarity. Repeating the character twice emphasizes and amplifies its meaning from clarity to enlightenment. Shang means the utmost, the ultimate, or the highest. Di means ruler. Together, Ming Ming Shang Di
can be translated as the Highest Ruler of Enlightenment. This is a
reference to the Tao being the natural laws of the universe and the
ultimate principle governing everything.
老母 Lao Mu
Lao means ancient. Mu
is the Chinese character for mother turned sideways, indicating the
Universal Female Essence that gave birth to the totality of existence
as the supreme miracle of creation. Together, Lao Mu is another name for the Tao, focusing on its nurturing and life-giving aspects as the ultimate source of everything. The terms
Ming Ming Shang Di, Lao Mu and the Tao are synonymous with one another.
三曹 Three Realms
The Three Realms are: Heaven, inhabited by divine beings; the material
world, inhabited by mortals; Hell, inhabited by ghosts. The ideal of
I-Kuan Tao is to spread the spiritual teaching and salvation of the Tao
to all sentient beings whether they are in Heaven, Hell, or the
material world between the two.
五教 Five Religions
The Five Religions are often misunderstood as Buddhism, Taoism,
Confucianism, Christianity and Islam. In actuality, "Five" in this
context means multitude rather than a literal count of five. Thus, Five
Religions point to the most significant traditions of the world that
uplift and inspire people.
師尊 Shi Zuen
Shi means teacher and Zuen
means reverence. Together, this term denotes I-Kuan Tao's most revered
teacher, Zhang Tian Ran (張天然, 1889-1947), who along with Shi Mu served
as spiritual leaders of the I-Kuan Tao movement in the modern era, as
well as the Eighteenth Patriarch of the Zen tradition that began with
Bodhidharma. I-Kuan Tao followers recognize him as the reincarnation of
the Ji Gong Living Buddha, and also know him by the name of Tian Ran
Ancient Buddha.
Shi means teacher and Mu means mother. Together, this term refers to Sun Su Zhen (孫素真, 1895-1975),
the great teacher of I-Kuan Tao who not only taught her followers the
spiritual path, but also nurtured them as a maternal presence. Today,
she is also known to I-Kuan Tao followers as the Divine Mother of China
and the Yueh Huei Bodhisattva.
道長 Tao Zhang
Several advanced Tao cultivators assisted Shi Zuen and Shi Mu when they
began their work decades ago. These individuals were all the more
remarkable because the teachings of I-Kuan Tao were not at all well
known back then. They achieved mastery of the Tao, and are known as the Tao Zhang collectively.
老前人 Lao Chien Ren
Within a division in I-Kuan Tao, Lao Chien Ren holds the highest
position of spiritual leadership. This position, like other positions in
I-Kuan Tao, may be occupied by either a man or a woman.
前人 Chien Ren
Chien Ren is the position below Lao Chien Ren and above the Lao Dien Chuan Shi.
老點傳師 Lao Dien Chuan Shi Lao Dien Chuan Shi is the position below Chien Ren and above the Master.
This is known as Dien Chuan Shi in Chinese. Dien means to point, as in pointing to the Great Truth. Chuan means to transmit, as in transmitting the Great Tao. Shi
means teacher. Together, these three characters denote an ordained
Master of I-Kuan Tao who has been charged with the Heavenly Decree (天命)
to spread the message of the Tao far and wide.
引師 Introducer
An Introducer is a Tao practitioner who introduces a Seeker of
spirituality to I-Kuan Tao, and leads him or her into initiation.
保師 Guarantor
A Guarantor is a Tao practitioner who guarantees the good character of someone who seeks initiation into I-Kuan Tao.
功德費 Token of Merit The
typical I-Kuan Tao temple never engages in regular solicitations of
donations. Masters often support temples financially instead of drawing
salary as ordained clergy often do in most traditions. They are able to
sustain this long-term because they have mastered positive karma, so
that the more they give, the more abundantly they receive. The
requirement to collect the Token of Merit in the Initiation Ritual is a
way to introduce new followers to the same karmic mechanism, which may
seem inexplicable, but is quite real and has the power to benefit
everyone. 壇主 Shrine Owner A high-level cultivator of the Tao may decide to take the step to become the owner of an I-Kuan Tao shrine (母壇). This ownership comes with the responsibility to serve as an example to others, and is therefore charged with two requirements not imposed on the typical Tao cultivator. The first is the total willingness to practice the rituals every day as specified in the handbook of rituals. The second requirement is the Cleansing Ritual (清口) where one takes a vow to become a vegetarian and to refrain from telling untruths. The discipline of Shrine Owners makes them respected and important figures within the Tao Community. 母燈 Mu Light Mu in this context is the same character as the one in Lao Mu.
Also known as the Buddha Light (佛燈), this is the central and most
important element of the I-Kuan Tao shrine. Because the Tao is the
ultimate force and principle rather than a human-like deity, it should
be depicted with the energy of a flame rather than any human
likeness. The Mu Light is backed by a metal plate inscribed with the
characters Wu Ji (無極), meaning without boundary or unbounded.
When the Mu Light is lit, it shines through these characters,
representing the way reality itself reflects the brilliance of light
shining from the Tao.
道場 Tao Community
A community of the Tao exists whenever two or more Tao cultivators come
together in a spirit of harmony and mutual respect. This can range from
the formal setting of a temple to a small group of individuals working
together informally to share the teachings of the Tao with the world.
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