Motions of the Tao: ritual, meditation and tai chi as paths of Taoism

Twenty-four lamps lit on an altar form the Chinese character for jade, in honor of the Jade Emperor. A practitioner explains that the light is a wish for health and peace for everyone. It is one of the scenes in Motions of the Tao, a short documentary about Taoism as it is practiced today in the temples of Fung Loy Kok.

The film was made by the very institution it portrays: Fung Loy Kok, a Taoist school linked to the International Taoist Tai Chi Society. The tai chi taught there is a variant of the Yang style created in Toronto by the Taoist monk Moy Lin-shin and now practiced in more than 25 countries. There is no outside voice in the film, which should be kept in mind.

Laozi and the three vehicles

The narration begins with the tradition of Laozi, the attributed author of the Tao Te Ching, and with Zhang Daoling, who centuries later gave Taoism the form of a religion. Historians debate whether Laozi existed; the oldest known text of the book dates from the late 4th century BC. The film then presents the three vehicles of practice: good deeds in daily life, rituals and ceremonies, and internal alchemy, a set of techniques that includes meditation and tai chi.

Gods as teachings

The Jade Emperor appears as an administrator of the universe, not as its creator, and the kitchen god as the inspector of each household's deeds. On a deeper reading, the practitioners say, these figures embody virtues such as wisdom and compassion. A ceremony for the dead shows priests calling on deities to guide souls who died in suffering.

The body before theory

The most interesting thread is the idea that Taoist spirituality begins with the body. One practitioner recalls that Moy told Westerners to train for years before talking about meditation, because they lived too much in their heads. Liturgical chanting is described as a breathing exercise. The stated goal of internal alchemy, returning to the state of health of a baby in the womb, is a belief of the tradition; tai chi as moderate exercise, on the other hand, has studies in its favor.

Why watch

Taoist rites are rarely filmed outside Chinese communities. In 26 minutes, the documentary offers a clear and respectful view of this temple life, as long as one remembers that it is a school's presentation of itself.