Receving a Taoist name and initiation.

[dan the man]

What does anyone know about receving a taoist name and being initiated?

[Golden Dragon Shining]

Why do you need a Daoist name?

You could name yourself? If you feel that suits your present self more. I've given myself a number of names over the years, fun to see how they develop. Each with as much significance as my birth name.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Sionnach

[Zhongyongdaoist]

What does anyone know about receving a taoist name and being initiated?

 

I'm not completely sure what you mean by this, but if you mean initiation/ordination into "Religious Daoism", this is discussed in more or less detail in several scholarly works, most notable Michael Saso, but Jerry Alan Johnson's book, Magical Tools and the Daoist Altar (The Temple of the Celestial Cloud, 2012), has a very detailed discussion beginning on p. 273, which even includes pictures of ordination certificates, the various grades of instruction and some information on what is studied, etc.  The information is too detailed and complex to summarize here, but I hope this lead is helpful.

[dan the man]

Just a question.

[Brian]

That which we call a rose...

[henro]

Michael Sasso has some things to say about ordination.....

 

 

https://michaelsaso.org/daoist-ordination-buddhist-abhisekha/

[SirPalomides]

I have huge respect for Michael Saso and he's done great work in explaining inner workings of Taoism to English readers. I'm puzzled though by his insistence that the word "Taoist" must = daoshi, and that any non-daoshi calling themselves "Taoists" are somehow engaging in fraud or presumption. Part of this, I think, was motivated a righteous indignation at the way Taoism has been appropriated, distorted, and exploited by ignorant Westerners for book sales and other unsavory purposes, often accompanied by ignorant scoffing at "religious Taoism" as actually practiced in China for ages. It is of course important to make sure the authentic traditions are not obscured or hijacked by the bullshitters.

 

The problem is that there is no indication, from the history of usage of the Western word "Taoist,"  that it was ever intended as a 1:1 translation of 道士. And since Taoism itself is such a complex matrix of disparate cults, practices, mythologies, philosophies, etc it seems bizarre to try to delineate the tradition in such a strict, clericalist way. Even some of the recognized "orthodox" sects today were founded by people who were not conventionally ordained by existing lineages. Not to mention the plethora of folksy, semi-literate "red hat" sects, whose origins are often obscure, but who Saso nonetheless recognizes as genuinely Taoist.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Besides becoming ordained into a Taoist Religious Order or naming yourself, you may obtain a talist name if you go through Bai Si with a lineage holder becoming an inner door student to a traditional Sifu.

In the kung fu lineage i follow any students who pass the inner threshold are given a name in the lineage family.

Since our Sifu is taoist then this means that name will be a taoist one.

 

In the classic tale ”Journey to the West” the Pretty Monkey King is baptized with a Taoist name by his teacher of taoist arts of transformations and magic.

He proclaims himself Great Sage, Equal of Heaven at one point and is adressed as such (with a heavy dose of sarcasm) and when he forcibly enters service to Tripitaka the revered monk baptizes him with a Buddhist name that is both flattering and admonishing at the same time.

 

Plenty ways to get a name, it’s a manner of recognition by peers, followers or superiors to acknowledge you or your efforts or actions, thats as i understand it at least.