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Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong : a Case Study of Its Organizational Characteristics and Conversion Experiences of Title Adherents

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Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong : a Case Study of Its Organizational Characteristics and Conversion Experiences of Title Adherents Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong : A Case Study of its Organizational Characteristics and Conversion Experiences of Title Adherents Author(s) NG, Ka Shing Citation Journal of the Graduate school of Letters, 9, 41-53 Issue Date 2014-03 Doc URL http://hdl.handle.net/2115/54958 Type bulletin (article) File Information 03_KaShingNG.pdf Instructions for use Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers : HUSCAP Journal oftheGraduateSchool ofLetters,Hokkaido University Vol.9;pp.41-53,March 2014 41 Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong: A Case Studyof its Organizational Characteristics and Conversion Experiences of Adherents Ka Shing NG Abstract:Through extensivefieldwork in aYiguan Dao BuddhaHalllocatedinHong Kong,this paper attempts to study the organizational characteristics of this Chinese religion and the conversion experiencesofitsadherents. It first discussesthedevelopmental historyand features of this religion through textual analysis and interview. Drawing insights from Lofland and Stark’s model ofconversion (1965), it attempts to studyhow conversion takes place in Yiguan Dao through analyzing the narratives of twelve Yiguan Dao practitioners in Hong Kong. It suggests a five-stage model to explain their conversion to Yiguan Dao that consists of (1) predisposing personal conditions;(2) developing social ties with Dao practitioners;(3) receiving Dao;(4)cultivating Dao and (5)promoting Dao. In brief,socialnetworksplayasignificantrole in theconversion process as it often takes places within family, among friends, colleagues, and neighbors. (Received on October 28,2013) Introduction Yiguan Dao 一貫道 (also known as Tian Dao天道,I-Kuan Dao or theWayofUnity) was founded in 1905byLiu Qingxu in mainland China,but itcan traceitsorigin doctrinallyto Luo Sect(15th century)and organizationallyto “Prior-to-heaven Dao”(18th century). Itwasperceived asacultatthispointoftime. BasedondatafromChineseprovincialgovernments,Linestimated that there were at least 1,500,000 members in the 1940s in Mainland China with the largest membership in Shanxi province(421,375)(Lin 2007:270). When theChineseCommunistParty (CCP)cameinto powerin 1949,Yiguan Dao suffered ruthlesssuppression bythegovernmentand manyofitsmastersand practitionersfled to Taiwan and Hong Kong,placesthatwerebeyond the control ofthe CCP at that time. After surviving a similar suppression bythe Kuomintang in Taiwan, Yiguan Dao was officially recognized by the government in 1987. Hong Kong and Taiwan arethen known asstrongholdsforthespread ofYiguan Dao afteritseradication on the Mainland bytheCommunist regime. Nowadays,it has established overseas branches in Amer- ica,Canada, South Asia and Europe and succeeded in attracting local members beyond ethnic ◯C 2014 bytheGraduateSchool ofLetters,Hokkaido University Ka Shing NG:ngkashing＠let.hokudai.ac.jp 42 Ka Shing NG Chinese. Thereason forchoosing Yiguan Dao asacasestudyistwo-fold. Firstly,although Yiguan Dao is a fast-growing religion in Chinese communities and has attracted scholarlyattention in Taiwan (e.g.Jordan & Overmyer1986;Lu 2008;2011)and Malaysia(Soo 1997),thereislittleor inadequatestudieson itsdevelopmentin Hong Kong (Soo 1997:24). Thispapercan shed some lights on the characteristics of this religion and therebyenrich the sociological studies of new religion in contemporaryHong Kong. Secondly, it is interesting to see how conversion takes placein Chinesereligions,and howitmaydifferfromtheprocessessuggested in theLofland and Stark’s model (1965) derived from thestudyofa Western religion (i.e.Unification Church). M ethodology In September2012and March 2013,I conducted fieldwork in aYiguan Dao BuddhaHallin Hong Kong for myPh.D.thesis. I focused on a group ofbelievers in Bao Guan Buddha Hall 寶光佛堂,which is located in a factoryestate in Kwan Fong, New Territories (Figure1). This Buddha hall is chosen for a number ofreasons. Firstly,Bao Guan Buddha Hall belongs to Ji Chu Division 基礎組, which is one of the most well-established divisions among the eighteen divisions of Yiguan Dao and has the most branches in Hong Kong. Focusing on this group enablesmeto understand howatypicalBuddhahallofYiguan Dao hasoperated in Hong Kong. Second,thefactthatBao Guan BuddhaHallhasattracted membersofvarioussocialbackgrounds thatsuitsmyinterestindoing aqualitativeanalysisofconversionexperiencesofadherentscoming from different backgrounds. Figure1. Passing through the corridor filled with chairs is the entrance of the Buddha Hall In thispaper,thehistoryofYiguan Dao in Hong Kong isexamined mainlythrough theoral histories of members. Besides, along with participant observation (attending Dao lessons and vegetarian banquets and taking part in religious rites regularly), data are gathered through semi-structural interviews with members. In particular,twelveactivemembers wereselected on Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong 43 the basis of Snow and Machalek’s identification scheme (1984:172)1 for in-depth interview to study their conversion experiences. The results are compared with Lofland-Stark’s model of conversion attheendofthispaper. Appendix1summarizesthedetailsoftwelveinformants. In termsoflimitation,narrativeanalysisbasedoninterviewsoftwelvecurrentYiguanDaoadherents is qualitativein nature. Thereforeit mayrepresent theideas ofsomemembers and should not beviewed as thegeneral pictureoftheorganization. Doctrines of Yiguan Dao Yiguan Dao believes that all creatures in this world are created bythe Eternal Venerable Mother(Wusheng Laomu 無生老母)and will return to thisorigin ifonescan find theright way (Dao) through “cultivating Dao”(xiudao 修道). The organization rejects the label “religion” and regardsitselfmerelyasagroup ofpeopleknown as“Dao cultivator”道親 who practiceDao and pursuethesaving truths. According to Yiguan Dao’sofficial history,thetruthsoriginated fromWusheng Laomu and wereconsecutivelyinherited by68Saintsuntiltoday(Song 2011:101- 4). Prominent figuresin theDao-orthodoxyincludePangu,Laozi,Confucius,and Shakumuni. Theorganization claims that thesaving truths ofmankind arenot onlyfound in theclassics of Chinesereligionsand philosophies(Confucianismand Taoism)butalso in theholyscripturesof differentworld religions(Buddhism,Christianity,and Islam). Therefore,itisimportantforDao cultivators to enhancetheir knowledgeoftheseclassics. Yiguan Dao promotes a strict vegetarian diet. To cultivateDao and freeoneselffrom the cycleofreincarnation,onemust stop killing (eating meat)and changeto avegetarian diet. The religion also putsparticularaccenton thepromotion ofgu-li (古禮),asetoftraditionaletiquettes invented in ancient China.2 Forinstance,disciplesarerequired to bowto theirmaster,wearrobe insideBuddhahall,talk and act with propermanner,and sit separatelyformen and women,etc. All Yiguan Dao members acquirethesan-bao 三寶 (English:three treasures) at the end of initiation rite,which arebelieved to beholypowerrendered byEternalmother. TheyareXuan Guan 玄關 (a point on our facewherethesoul enters our physical body),Wu-zi-zhen-jing 無字 真經 (sutra without words) and He Tong 合同 (a symbolicseal or mudra) (Chen 2008:29). 1 Theyarguethatconversion occurswhen oneexperiencesfourstagesknown as(1)biographical reconstruction, (2)theadoption of a master attribution scheme,(3)a suspension of analogical reasoning,and(4)embracement of the convert role. 2 The purpose ofwhich is to maintain Chinese family ethics and social harmony through the promotion of proper standards (usuallyderived from Confucianism) ofmoral principle,behavior,and speech.Adopting the spiritsofgu-li and applying theminto contemporarysociety,Yiguan Dao’sdoctrinesandpracticesemphasizethe unbreakablerelation between masterand disciples,familyethnics,seniority,genderdifferences,properoutlook and speech,and respect to others. 44 Ka Shing NG Yiguan Dao in Hong Kong When theChineseCommunist Partycameinto powerin 1949,Yiguan Dao wascriticised as “reactionarycults”(fandong huidaomen) bythe Maoist government and became the target of suppression togetherwith otherpopularreligions(Soo 1997:23). Millionsofordinarybelievers wereforced to discard their faith,and thosewho werereluctant to do so wereput into jail and somewereeven executed (Lu 2008:40-1). SomeleaderswereabletoescapetoHong Kong where religiousfreedomwasguaranteed bythecolonialgovernment. Upon theirarrivaltothecity,due to the lack of human and financial resources, re-establishing the organization was not an easy task. Some were so poor that theycould not even feed themselves. Some lived together in a smallflatto reduceliving expensesand madesmallhandicraftlikeplasticflowersto earn aliving. Yearslatertheywereabletosaveenoughmoneyandstartedtobuyorrentnewproperties(usually flatswith rooftops)big enough forreligiousactivitiesand group worships. During the1950s,the religion retained a low public profile (Soo 1997:1). According to I-Kuan Dao Headquarters (1988:63),it had morethan 300 Buddha Hall and morethan 50,000 membersin Hong Kong in thelate1980s. When July1st 1997neared Hong Kong,theorganization had to prepareitselfunderthenew government. Given CCP’s past suppressions on Yiguan Dao,manymasters who escaped from the Mainland decided to leave Hong Kong and focused their missions in overseas Chinese communitiessuch asthosein America,Canada,and Australia. Asaresult,thenumberofDao initiators in Hong Kong has dropped a lot and some Buddha halls were forced to close down. Theorganization also adopted alowfileapproach somefewyearsbeforeand after1997,such as reducing theirrecruitmenteffortsoreven temporarilyclosing theholyaltar,making itimpossible to conduct initiation rite. It isonlyuntil 2000when
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