Daoist Studies Symposium
27 Mar 2026
02.00 PM - 06.00 PM
Alumni, Current Students, Industry/Academic Partners, Prospective Students, Public
Keynote: The Role of Compassion in the Historical Development of Daoism.
Speaker: Terry Kleeman
Daoism was founded in opposition to the ritual practice of the Chinese common religion, which centered on blood sacrifice to gods and ancestral spirits. Daoists were offended by the violence of the killing, and rejected the worship of supernatural beings who would accept gifts created through violence. An early Daoist ethical code puts is succinctly: “To kill the living in search of life is to depart far from life” 殺生求生去生逺矣. For centuries, the Daoist battled against these bloodthirsty profane spirits, attacking their temples with spells and incantations, employing their spirit soldiers to fight against the dead generals and their spirit soldiers 鬼兵.
Beginning in the tenth century, new Daoist movements arose that interacted more directly with these spirits. Daoist priests now acted as Ritual Officials (faguan 法官), enforcing a supernatural code of conduct for all supernatural beings, exorcising and punishing those who did harm to the innocent.
Organised by Michael Stanley-Baker
Schedule
| 2pm | Terry Kleeman The Role of Compassion in the Historical Development of Daoism. |
| 2.30pm | Kenneth Dean Daoist ritual law and the problem of local Southeast Asian gods and spirits |
| 3pm | Michael Stanley-Baker Medicine and Religion in Early Imperial China |
| 3.30pm | Tea |
| 4pm | Esmond Soh Many Gods, Many Tales: Astralisation under Liturgical Compulsion in Nine Emperor Gods Temples in Southeast Asia |
| 4.30pm | Feng Yuchen Worms in Early to Medieval China: Taxonomies, Symbolism, and the Body |
| 5pm | Tao Zhijun Medical Liturgy and Morality: Situating the De-institutionalization of Chinese Medicine within China’s Big Health Industry |
| 5.30pm | Choi Chi Cheung Taoist Ritual in the village: The Jiao festivals in Hong Kong |
| 6pm | Closing Remarks |