I-Kuan Tao Foundation of America
From IKTWiki
Contents |
Forward
With the holy essence of Tao in his heart, Senior Master Pei-Cheng Chang, founder of Ji-Chu (Foundation Division) of the I-Kuan Tao in Taiwan, continuously strives to spread the universal truth or Tao with enlightenment and compassion to all people around the world. I-Kuan Tao has flourished globally and established public cultivation centers on all five continents with the blessing from the Almighty God.
Senior Master Twan Chang continued the mission to spread the Tao to the United States. After searching countless locations, the first Ji Chu branch of the I-Kuan Tao was founded in San Francisco and named the Congenital Taoist of America. Then he sat up a Chinese school and was helped by many masters, teachers and senior staff to promote universal truth. This was the beginning of bright and holy journey for the pioneers and future Tao members.
As the number of Tao members grew, Senior Master Pei-Cheng Chang visited San Francisco Bay Area several times and felt the need for a bigger space to accommodate more people. Thus, the I-Kuan Tao Ji Chu branch in Taiwan started the planning of building the second temple in San Francisco. Senior Master Twan Chang and his family offered unanimous supports and generous donation to this project. It was their help as well as the assistance from many other Tao members that made the opening of a second temple possible. The new temple called I-Kuan Tao Foundation of America, also known as Zhong Shu Temple, was officially inaugurated on June 18, 1995. The administration of this temple was assigned to Master Chung Shiong W.
On the grand opening day, Tao members and guests from all over the world came to celebrate this significant event. They witnessed the former San Francisco Mayor M. Jordan proclaimed June 18th as the official “I-Kuan Tao Day.” Since then, the foundation has become the heart of the Tao community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
A Message from the Founder
It has been about sixty years since the Ji Chu Zhong Shu branch was found in Taiwan in 1947. During these times, we have kept convictions to the aspirations of our Great Master Chang and Great Mistress Sun, and faithfully conveyed the tenets and the authentic lineage of Tao. With heavenly blessing, the Tao continues to bloom worldwide. Public cultivation centers are now established on all five continents. Indeed, the inauguration of the I-Kuan Tao Foundation of America (Zhong Shu Temple) heralds an era of prosperity for I-Kuan Tao.
In the Confucian Classics, Tao was described as “Zhong” and “Shu.” The word “Zhong” can be thought of as loyalty and Oneness, and “Shu” as forgiveness and compassion. We have abided by these teachings, those of our Great Master Chang and Great Mistress Sun, and carried out the missions of I-Kuan Tao. We have done so in the faith that we may bestow upon our followers the true tenets of Tao, in order to foster peace, harmony, and understanding among the peoples of all nations.
Since opening the Zhong Shu Temple, we seek to fulfill the vows of our Great Master Chang and Great Mistress Sun, to spread the essence of Tao to all corners of the earth and bring enlightenment to all sentient beings. Here is a place where we can learn, cultivate, and deliver teachings of the Tao. It is our most sincere hope that each of our followers will come to love and honor each other. Hopefully, this temple will become a spiritual sanctuary for more and more followers to cultivate and share their true realization of the Tao.
The Spiritual Lineage of I-Kuan Tao
- Devotion to Tao, with Virtue and Decency;
- Compassion and Oneness for All;
- Passion for Arts;
- Self Discipline in Propriety;
- Instill Ethical Conducts in Human Relationships.
The Mission of I-Kuan Tao
- To venerate Heaven and Mother Earth
- To praise all divinities
- To love and honor our parents
- To respect our teachers
- To be trustworthy
- To live harmoniously with our neighbors
- To be loyal to our country and diligent in our duties
- To develop nobility and observe propriety
- To change from vice to virtue
- To purify our hearts and thoughts
- To cultivate our true self through our physical self
- To recover our original self
- To promote civilization
- To abide by the Five Bonds of Human Relationships and the Eight Cardinal Virtues
- To advocate the Four Moral Principles
- To bring out the innate goodness and benevolence of people
- To revive peace and order in our society
- To build a harmonious world
Scenic Location
I-Kuan Tao Foundation of America (Zhong Shu Temple) is conveniently located on the corner of Judah St. and 9th Ave. Two blocks away is the beautiful Golden Gate Part with its great entertainment facilities. The prestigious medical school of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is to the east. North of it is the internationally well-known Golden Gate Bridge. To the far west is the Pacific Ocean. You can reach the temple through various public transportation systems like the MUNI and local buses. The commute is very convenient.
Description of the Building
The grand building of the I-Kuan Tao Foundation of America sits on a site measuring 12,500 square feet. The three-floor building provides a versatile space of 40,000 square feet. Constructed in classical revival style, the building it-self is a unique masterpiece of architecture. You can see ultra-tall columns outside the building and broad windows permeate the lovely San Francisco sunshine into the building. With fully equipped facilities and roomy space for various activities, the building can accommodate hundreds of people.
One end of the third floor houses the Hall of God and the commodious well-furnished kitchen is on the other end. The multi-furnished kitchen is on the other end. The multi-purpose auditorium featuring a two-floor high ceiling is on the second floor. The unique classical revival-style architecture amazingly supports the capacious auditorium without any visible beams. You can find a comfortable area for reading and discussions outside the auditorium. A lot of Tao books are also available on shelves here. There are a tidy cafeteria and an office on the first floor. Outside the building is a parking lot.
Facilities and Sessions
The Hall of God
The Hall of God is the focal point of the temple. It is where ceremonies, prayers and rituals are held. Central passage to I-Kuan Tao is the belief in God, Creator of the universe. Twenty Chinese Characters have been used to describe the greatness and virtues of the Almighty God and can be translated as follows:
- Clear and Brilliant the Almighty God
- Of Immeasurable Pureness and Void
- With Ultimate Divinity and Reverence
- The True Ruler of the Universe
- And All Living Beings
We also honor Buddha Maitreya, who has vowed to bring enlightenment to all sentient beings. The Buddha Maitreya statue serves as a reminder of his virtues, tolerance and compassion for the salvation of all living beings.
The Auditorium (Multi-Purpose Lecture Hall)
The auditorium on the second floor offers an ample space for all kinds of activities, such as forums, discussions, meetings and various celebratory events. Tao members also hold weekly meetings here to seek their true realization of the Tao. Different topics are covered in those meetings and discussions are always encouraged. Everyone has the opportunity to share ideas and thoughts with a sense of peace for all sentient beings and improve one’s cultivation on the path to awaking.
Classics Revival Classes for Children
The purposes of these classes are to foster the fundamental moralities of life as well as compassion and kindness in our children. Through reciting Chinese poems, singing interesting folk songs and learning creative arts, we hope to bring up an awareness of traditional values to children. These classes provide a great environment conducive to learning traditional cultures.
Tao Literature and Reading Sources
There are many collections of books concerning all kinds of religions and spiritual teachings in the world. All visitors are welcome to explore through our temple shelves of books here to fulfill their quest for truth and attain inner peace and joy.
English-Speaking Tao Class
The Bay Area is a merging pot containing different ethnic groups with diverse backgrounds. Due to the increasing number of the English-Speaking Tao members, it is necessary to offer an English-speaking Tao class specially designated for them. Besides the regular class, the temple offers various workshops focusing on the teachings of universal truth and learning how to apply them to our daily life.
The Cafeteria
Vegetarian meals are always provided after every Tao meetings to nurture our body physically and spiritually. In addition, these foods are all environmentally friendly.
Development of Tao in the Bay Area
I-Kuan Tao has been established in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years. We have been actively working to bring out he hidden good in everyone. The Tao enables us to achieve inner peace and true happiness. Due to he Chinese origin of the initial Tao members, the propagations first started in the Chinese community, and then to Vietnamese and others. There has been an increase in English-speaking Tao members in recent years and we hope to make Tao accessible to all people regardless of nationalities, religions or races.
Weekly activities: scheduled classes on Saturday and Sunday.
Workshop topics: fundamentals of the Tao, and a series of spiritual and social related topics, such as health, family relationships and emotions.
Other workshop locations throughout the South and East Bay Area.
Special activities: On eastern and western holidays, I-Kuan Tao Foundation of America (Zhong Shu Temple) hosts a variety of social gatherings, outdoor activities, and potlucks to encourage togetherness and sharing in different settings. There are group field trips to Taiwan to enable Tao members to trace their collective roots and create a unique bond amongst them.
Community services:
- Promote healthy and nutritious vegetarian diet.
- Participate in disaster relief and fund raising activities, plus may other charity and volunteering works.
- Provide comfort and help to Tao members in crisis.
Spreading Tao to other states: With the migration of Tao families, Tao has expanded not only to other cities, but also to the states of Hawaii and Michigan.
Ji Chu Zhong Shu Branch in Taiwan and around the World
Ji Chu Chong Shu branch and its devoted cultivators are commonly present throughout the world. With its strong foundation in Taiwan Ji Chu Zhong Shu branch now has cultivation centers in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Canada, United States, the Netherlands, United kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Myanmar, Vietnam and many more elsewhere.
Acknowledgements
Engraved in our hearts are the heavenly blessings and the support from our Senior Master Pei-Cheng Chang and Senior Master Twan Chang, masters, senior staff, as well as all the Tao members. Thanks to those predecessors for their pioneering efforts in spreading and propagating the Tao.
We treasure and savor every moment in our journey, and we truly believe that if we can follow the fundamentals of Tao, and bring in new talents and involvement from younger generations, we will be able to invite more families to receive the Tao. Through the beliefs and active cultivation of the Tao, we will all do our best to reach out to the lives who need help.
We earnestly appreciate all the supports and care we have received in the past. We are dedicated to continuously promoting the beliefs and practice of the Tao so that we may bring love, compassion, peace and harmony to the world.
@ First edition, 2005.
