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Join Daoist Studies professors Livia Kohn and Robin Wang on an exciting study tour to rarely explored locations of the Daoist religion. Follow in the footsteps of the ancient sage Laozi’s legendary travels and learn about Daoist history, its myths and practices, and its role in Chinese culture. Visit major temples, hike on famous mountains, practice qigong, soak in hot tubs, and enjoy relaxing massages.
Day 1 (Thu). Transit. Depart the US. Book your flight to Beijing according to your own convenience. Make sure you have a valid Chinese visa in your passport.
Day 2 (Fri). Arrival. Fly into Beijing and transfer to your hotel. Meet your fellow travelers and enjoy a welcome banquet.
Day 3 (Sat). White Cloud Temple and Long Life Spa. After qigong in the morning and a sumptuous breakfast, visit the current headquarters of Daoism in the heart of the city and see Laozi as a member of the Three Pure Ones, the Daoist trinity. Learn about the history of the temple, the main features of the Complete Perfection school and its complex pantheon. Understand how Laozi functions as a major deity of the religion. After lunch, go to the Daoist Long Life Spa near the Altar of Heaven and let yourself be pampered with a relaxing foot massage, facial, or body soak. Enjoy a Daoist dinner in a near-by restaurant.
Day 4 (Sun). Train to Zhengzhou. Travel for about five hours by train to Zhengzhou in Henan, the province at the heart of Chinese civilization. Arrive at the hotel and relax, catch up on sleep, do some reading, and maybe go for another massage. Dinner on your own.
Day 5 (Mon). Birthplace. Visit Laozi’s birthplace in Luyi, about 2 hours southeast of Zhengzhou. Learn about the history of the place, unravel the early legends surrounding the ancient sage, admire the steles and temple buildings in this holy site. After lunch, on the way back, stop at the alleged birthplace of the Yellow Emperor in Xinbian, about 45 minutes south of Zhengzhou. Appreciate the development of this legendary figure and his increasing role in shaping Chinese identity today. Join us for dinner and relax.
Day 6 (Tue). Luoyang. Travely by bus for two hours. After check-in, visit the fabulous Longmen caves and understand the Buddhist impact on the image and myths of Laozi. Relax in the afternoon, maybe with another massage or a swim in the hotel, then go out and explore the city’s restaurants. Dinner on your own.
Day 7 (Wed). Mount Hua. Take a fast train and in under two hours reach the sacred peak of the west, near the area where Laozi crossed from the central plains to the west on his way into emigration. Enjoy the Cloud Terrace Monastery (Yuntai guan) at the base of the mountain and hike around the lower range. Dinner on your own.
Day 8 (Thu). Mount Hua. Spend the day exploring this spectacular mountain, by cable car and on foot. Enjoy the various temples, the fabulous scenery, and the incredible views. Learn about its various immortals and sages. Relax with a massage and join us for a group dinner.
Day 9 (Fri). Transit to Louguan. Going past Xi’an and further west, visit the place where Laozi is said to have transmitted the Daode jing to Yin Xi, the Guardian of the Pass. Check into your hotel, then visit the temple. Learn about the founding of Louguan in the fifth century and appreciate its importance as the first formal Daoist monastery. Marvel at the wonderful steles with the text of the Daode jing and relish the architecture and art work of the place. Have dinner with everyone at the hotel.
Day 10 (Sat). Louguan. Take a day off to explore this beautiful area, visiting immortals’ pavilions, hiking in the mountains, or just lazing around. Lunch and dinner on your own.
Day 11 (Sun). Transit to Chengdu. Return to Xi’an by bus, then by air to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. After arrival and check-in, relax with a massage or spa in the afternoon, then enjoy a spicy Sichuan dinner with everyone.
Day 12 (Mon) Chengdu. Visit the Black Sheep Temple (Qingyang gong) where Laozi met Yin Xi after the latter underwent three years of intensive Daoist cultivation, reciting the Daode jing 10,000 times. Learn all about the legends of Laozi in Sichuan and their meaning both within Daoism and in comparative religion. Enjoy local parks and markets on your own.
Day 13 (Tue). Mount Heming. Visit the place where Laozi, after emigrating and ascending to Heaven, returned to reveal the Dao to Zhang Daoling and appoint him as Celestial Master, thus founding the first organized Daoist school. Return to Chengdu at night for a relaxing spa experience, then go out for a dinner adventure on your own.
Day 14 (Wed). Mount Qingcheng. Travel to this most famous of Daoist mountains in the west of China, stopping on the way at Dujiangyan to visit the Erwang miao, the temple of the two local kings who established dams and major flood control in the are. After arriving at Qingcheng, check into a local hotel, then visit the Celestial Master’s Grotto, yet another place that claims to be the place where Laozi revealed the Dao to Zhang Daoling. Take the chair lift up to the top and marvel at the beautiful old temples and gigantic new Laozi statue there, then hike down at your leisure. Rest in the late afternoon or go for another massage, then have dinner on your own.
Day 15 (Thu). Mount Qingcheng. Take the day to explore this great mountain on your own, maybe venturing further afield and entering the inner mountains which are less explored and have lots of little trails and hidden temples. Join us for a farewell dinner.
Day 16 (Fri). Transfer back to Chengdu for a flight: to Beijing to return home; to Changsha (Hunan) to attend the international Daoist conference on Women (6/24-28; US $300); or wherever your travels may take you.
Price: US$ 3600/person (double occupancy), includes
5-star hotels in Beijing, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Xian, Chengdu;
4-star hotels at Huashan, Qingcheng shan, Luoguan;
all transportation inside of China (train tickets, airfare, and coach service);
all meals and spa treatments (massages) as specified;
English Guide services and all tips;
2 textbooks for preparation (Daoism and Chinese Culture; God of the Dao).
Additional: China visa, roundtrip air; meals not covered; personal expenses; shopping.Timeline: Deposit of $900 due at sign-up; remainder due March 1, 2011.
Contact: Livia Kohn (liviakohn@gmail.com) 727-501-6915
Come to a spectacular site on the northern California coast and explore how living a Daoist life can make a difference in the world today. Daoism can provide a more appropriate world view, conceptual structures, and behavioral guidelines that allow us to treat self, society, na-ture, and the cosmos as one interconnected webwork and thereby bring healing to our fellow humans and harmony to the world.
To immerse ourselves in Dao, our day begins with qigong stretches. After breakfast we ex-plore six areas of progressive unfolding: cosmic thinking, mental ease, energetic potency, body awareness, social connection, and ecology. In each case, we use original sources from key religious scriptures. Lunch follows, then a break for resting, hiking, pool, or sauna.
In the afternoon, we experiment with different forms of Daoist cultivation: sitting in obliv-ion, visualization, dietetics, daoyin exercises (breathing, qi-guiding), interpersonal connection, and Feng Shui. Preparing a healthy, vegetarian dinner while applying positive internal energy, we offer the opportunity for participants to share their practices and expertise, while con-tinuing our discussion of Daoist worldview and lifestyle choices, becoming ever more ready to live a Daoist life full of harmony and integration.
Livia Kohn is Professor Emerita of Religion & East Asian Studies at Boston University. Her specialty is medieval Daoism and the study of Chinese longevity practices. She has written and edited numerous books and is a long-term practitioner of taiji quan, qigong, yoga and meditation. Seen as one of the worlds foremost scholars, Livia is an expert at placing each practice in its historical and cultural context, relating its current application and efficacious-ness to modern western living.
Dates: May 15-22, 2011
Location: The Sea Ranch, Sonoma County, California
Price: $980 (includes room, board, tuition, and textbooks); $700 local (non-residential)
Textbooks: The Taoist Experience; Daoist Body Cultivation
To register and hold a place, send a deposit of $300 to
Livia Kohn, P. O. Box 609, Dunedin, FL 34697 (include your e-mail address)
For questions, email liviakohn@hotmail.com or call 727-501-6915SYLLABUS
Day Time Topic
Sun 5:00 Arrival
7:00 Dinner
8:30 Orientation
9:00 Opening CircleMon 7:00 Crane Qigong
8:00 Breakfast (Group A)
9:00 Lecture: The World According to Dao
10:30 Text Study: The Taoist Experience, chs. 1-4, 7-8
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Discussion: Concentration, Insight, Oblivion (Tao Ex, chs. 29-32)
4:30 Practice: Quiet Sitting
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 SharingTue 7:00 Bear Qigong
8:00 Breakfast (Group B)
9:00 Lecture: The Daoist Body (Body: Intro, ch. 1)
10:30 Text Study: Tao Ex, chs. 21-24
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Discussion: Visualization and Body Gods (Tao Ex, chs. 25-28)
4:30 Practice: Inner Smile
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Qi DancingWed 7:00 Dragon Qigong
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Lecture: Ways of Energetic Transformation (Body, chs. 2-3)
10:30 Text Study: Tao Ex, chs. 17-20
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Discussion: Daoyin and Dietetics (Body, chs. 4-5)
4:30 Practice: Daoyin
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 SharingThu
7:00 Snake Qigong (1)
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Lecture: Advanced PracticeEcstasy and Alchemy (Body, ch. 6)
10:30 Text Study: Tao Ex, chs. 33-36, 41-42
12:00 Lunch
FREE AFTERNOON
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 OpenFri 7:00 Snake Qigong (2)
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Lecture: Self and Society, Cosmos and Morality
10:30 Texts: Tao Ex, chs. 13-16
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Discussion: The Ideal Daoist (Tao Ex, chs. 37-40)
4:30 Practice: Harmonizing Qi
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 SharingSat 7:00 Snake Qigong (3)
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Lecture: Feng Shui and Proper Placement
10:30 Exercise: Houses and Interior Design
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Sharing
4:30 Practice: Qigong Review
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
8:00 OpenSun 7:00 Qigong
8:30 Breakfast
9:00 Discussion: Daoism in the World Today (Body, chs. 7-8)
10:30 Closing Circle
12:00 Lunch
1:00 DepartureSITE
The Sea Ranch is a community of private homes, sited with careful attention to the natural landscape along a 10-mile stretch of the Sonoma County coast in Northern California (www. tsra.org/index.php). The nearest town of Gualala (walala) has two grocery stores, a drug-store, a bookstore, several art galleries, gift shops, restaurants, medical and dental clinics, and nearby Gualala Point Regional Park:
We have rented Pelicans Rest, a home toward the north end of The Sea Ranch and a short walk to the bluff-top trail, Walk-on-Beach, swimming pool and sauna, and tennis courts. The reverse floor plan takes full advantage of the north coast views, and the house features a gourmet kitchen and outdoor hot tub and shower. With four bedrooms and three+ baths, the house accommodates 8 people. Couples are welcome, as three of the bed-rooms have queen or double beds (we will supplement as necessary with comfortable Aer-oBeds).
The Sea Ranch is approximately three hours by car north of San Francisco and Oakland airports (SFO, OAK); 1 ½ hours from Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa (http://www. sonomacountyair-port.org/). TSR is also accessible from the airports by bus, with a connection in Santa Rosa (http://airportexpressinc.com/home.html; http://www.4mta.org /schedule_maps.php, rte. 95). Depending on arrival and departure times, we will organize a group car rental or may pick you up in Santa Rosa.
