Likely in perfect good faith, newly ordained priests from Europe, America, Taiwan, and democratic Asian countries in fact now “represent” a Chinese body under Party supervision.
by He Yuyan
China Taoist Association is becoming increasingly active in ordaining and certifying foreign Taoist priests. No doubt, the latter are in perfect good faith and happy to be acknowledged as part of a “genuine” Taoist tradition. And they do have the opportunity to visit magnificent Taoist temples in China and familiarize themselves with ancient texts and iconography.
However, the China Taoist Association is not a purely religious organization. It is under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through the United Front Work Department, which de facto appoints its leaders and oversees its activities. As “Bitter Winter” has reported, a plan is being pursued to further “Sinicize” Taoism, a code word for converting the priests of China Taoist Association more and more into mouthpieces of the CCP and of “Xi Jinping’s thought on religion.” For instance, it has been recently announced that Taoist priests should “diligently practice and embody the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CCP Central Committee.”
Obviously, this state of affairs creates a political problem. Foreign priests trained, certified, and under the authority of the China Taoist Association will continue to receive instructions and inputs asking them to spread Chinese propaganda, CCP slogans, and the lie that religious liberty exists in China. Inadvertently, some of the foreign priests controlled by the China Taoist Association may even become United Front informants about the situation of the Chinese diaspora religious communities in their countries. These security concerns are even more serious when Taoist priests from Taiwan place themselves under the authority of the CCP-controlled China Taoist Association.
From November 13 to 17, a massive training and ordination event was concluded by the branch of the venerable Chinese Taoist movement Zhengyi Dao that is under the control of the China Taoist Association. Approved by the State Administration of Religious Affairs, the event was hosted by the China Taoist Association and supported by the World Taoist Federation and the Jiangxi Taoist Association. Longhushan Sihan Tianshi Mansion hosted the event, with 396 Taoist priests from thirteen countries and regions attending, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Belarus, Denmark, Australia, Hong Kong, Macao—and Taiwan. They received Scripture and Ordination Certificates.
Zhang Jintao, Vice President of the China Taoist Association, acted as the Master of Ordination; Ding Changyun, Vice Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the China Taoist Association, as the Master of Supervision; and Zeng Guangliang, Executive Vice President of the Jiangxi Taoist Association, as the Master of Recommendation.
On the morning of November 17, Tianshi Temple held a ceremony for the newly ordained students. The Master of Ordination granted the ordinations, and students received sutras and certificates, making twelve vows under three masters. The legal affairs group then submitted a list of students as per discipline and the students were ritually ordained.
One can only hope they will find ways to cut the umbilical cordon with the China Taoist Association—and once again we are not casting doubts on their good faith. However, the presence in foreign democratic countries and in Taiwan of Taoist priests who are in some way the representatives of a CCP-controlled organization should be considered with attention by local authorities.
Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.
