12 Day Heart of China Cultural Spiritual Tour

Background

Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the three pillars of Chinese Civilization. After 2000 years of influencing and mixing with each other, they have blended together and form the every fabrics of the Chinese society today.

This tour aims at offering an opportunity for non-chinese speaking people to learn the basics of these three traditions, including the core teachings from the original founder of the three traditions. Through this tour, participants can expect to gain an broad yet focused overview of Chinese culture, about how Chinese understand the relationship of the body mind spirit, of self and the world, and how one can cultivate one’s life utilization wisdom from these 3 traditions.

Through the tour, attendees can expected to gain wisdom and experience on the following topics:
- how to face one’s emotion and thought
- how to maintain harmony in human relationship
- how to survive in a turbulent world
- how to cultivate chi(qi), the fundamental life force in human being
- how to understand relationship between our self and the world
- way to immortality, freedom, liberation, dao realization, and nirvana

Tour Outline

The tour will be held in the Daoist sacred mountain of Wudang. To facilitate an holistic exercise and experience, the tour is setup to allow for even distribution of physical, mental, and spiritual trainings intertwined with temple and site visits around the mountain. The daily schedule is as follows:

0730-0830: breakfast
0830-1000: morning lecture
1030-1130: meditation
1200-1400: lunch and rest
1430-1530: afternoon lecture
1530-1700: exercise
1700-1800: meditation
1830-1930: dinner

Lecture scope includes:
1) Chinese Basics: Yinyang, Bagua, Five elements, Essence-energy-spirit system, I-ching, Traditional Chinese Medicine
2) Confucianism: Confucius Analects
3) Daoism: Daodejing, Qingjingjing
4) Buddhism: Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra

Exercise training includes:
1) Kung fu basic trainings (stretching, stances, steps, punches, kicks)
2) Qi-gong (5-element Qigong, Baduanjing)

Mediation training includes:
1) Daoist meditation methods
2) Buddhist meditation methods

Depending on participant interest and condition, temple visits (e.g. purple heaven palace, golden top and mountain tour will be arranged to allow for maximum appreciation of the mountain. The tentative itinerary is as follows:
Day 1: Arrival
Day 1-3: Regular lecture/practice
Day 4: Rest, Mountain Visit
Day 5-7: Regular lecture/practice
Day 8: Rest, Mountain Visit
Day 9-11: Regular lecture/practice
Day 12: Conclusion and departure

Teachers

LI Siming

LI Siming (Derek), is a spiritual teacher specialized in nonduality and Taoist philosophies. He had attained a Master Degree in Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and had worked as a Researcher, Engineer, Planner, and Police Inspector, in both the US and Hong Kong. He started his training in Wudang Mountain in 2007 and is currently focusing his effort on Taoist Meditation and Taoist scriptures translation.

Derek started his spiritual pursuit since college. Apart from academic exposure in eastern and western philosophies, he had trained himself in a variety of physical, mental and spiritual disciplines, including Shaolin Kungfu, Taichi, Qigong, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Judo, Hatha Yoga, Chakra Energy Healings, Zen Meditation, Consciousness Research, and Devotional Nonduality. He had held lectures in Taoist and Buddhist philosophies in US, Hong Kong, and Wudang Mountain in both English and Chinese. He is currently the Culture, Philosophy, and Meditation teacher in Wudang Taoist Cultural Exchange Center. He will be the main lecturer of this tour. See some of his works at Chinese Philosophy and his Blog.