Rites and rituals of Taoism

Order and harmony

Incense sticks at a temple ©

At the heart of Taoist ritual is the concept of bringing order and harmony to many layers of the cosmos: the cosmos as a whole (the world of nature), the world or human society, and the inner world of human individuals.

Taoist rituals involve purification, meditation and offerings to deities. The details of Taoist rituals are often highly complex and technical and therefore left to the priests, with the congregation playing little part. The rituals involve the priest (and assistants) in chanting and playing instruments (particularly wind and percussion), and also dancing.

One major Taoist ritual is the chiao (jiao), a rite of cosmic renewal, which is itself made up of several rituals.

A shortened version of the chiao is a ritual in which each household in a village brings an offering for the local deities. In the ceremony a Taoist priest dedicates the offerings in the names of the families, performs a ritual to restore order to the universe, and asks the gods to bring peace and prosperity to the village.

Temple rituals

Temple rituals can be used to regulate ch'i and balance the flow of yin and yang both for individuals and the wider community.

Other rituals involve prayers to various Taoist deities, meditations on talismans, and reciting and chanting prayers and texts.