Western Disciples, An Exciting Event in Wudang Mountain

After returning back down the mountain to Purple Heaven Palace, one of the most exciting events of our trip took place. Two students, Michael Vollero and Scott Mayer completed the discipleship ritual, formally initiating them into the Wudang Daoist lineage. The ritual was a two-hour event involving chanting, and ritual offerings of incense. Both of the new disciples bowed to show their respect for the lineage, were given Daoist names, and their names were entered in the registry (list of Wudang Daoists).

Believe it or not, the traditional initiation ritual is not often performed at Wudang Mountain. For many years, the Daoist masters have only accepted their students as disciples, allowing them into the lineage, in small private ceremonies. According to Master Li, who officiated the ritual, this was the first time the traditional initiation ritual had been held for almost 10 years, and the first time it had ever been done to initiate foreign disciples. Not only did this ritual involve an exciting step for Wudang Mountain, welcoming foreign disciples, it also involved a return to tradition, reviving the ancient ceremony. We were honored to be a part of this process. Click to learn how Chinese medicine treats Hypotension (Low Blood Pressure).

Daoist Studies Institute
Shortly after the ceremony we moved our regular classes to the Daoist Studies Institute two hours away. The Daoist Studies Institute is a temple and a university all rolled into one. The Institute offers a three-year program in Daoist history, ritual, chanting, meditation, philosophy, and English. The group enjoyed a lecture on Wudang Daoist history with Professor Yang Li Zhi the chair of the Wudang Daoist Culture Historical Society, and a lecture and practice session on Qigong and Daoist Meditation with Master Wang the Institute's meditation professor.

After visiting the Daoist Studies Institute, the group headed home to the United States. After returning, one participant wrote to us sharing feelings that seem to sum up the group's experiences, "the opportunity to visit Wudang with an "insider" is unlike anything someone could achieve by traveling on their own. The sheer vastness of these sacred mountains is overwhelming, but Zhou, Xuan-Yun's presence, personal connections, and knowledge made this pilgrimage one of the most fulfilling experiences in my entire life." We all returned from the mountain inspired, and with our batteries fully charged for the road ahead.