Welcome to the British Daoist Association
The British Daoist Association (BDA) was formed in 1996 and is a non-profit organisation. We are an informal community of daoist cultivators who meet together regularly to share the teachings and support one another in our practice.
The main aim of the Association is to create an environment where the Clear and Tranquil path of daoist cultivation can be taught and shared in the West. We organize and run meditation and daoyin retreats that are rooted in teachings from the daoist classics – Laozi’s Daode jing, Liezi , Zhuangzi and Qingjing jing (The Clear and Tranquil Classic). These teachings are not caught in time or place and are a wonderful guide for us in turning towards the Dao.
Our cultivation reflects the ancient tradition, sometimes called ‘mountain Daoism’ inspired by the natural environment and the simplicity of being. With no external ceremonies or rituals, free from religious institutions and dogma, ‘mountain Daoism’ was born out of a hermit tradition where teachings and experiences were shared amongst small groups of cultivators in an informal way. Our retreats are held in this spirit.
Heritage & Diversity
We acknowledge and respect the diversity of the daoist tradition and are keen to maintain a dialogue with other approaches. We occasionally invite guest teachers and in the past we have been fortunate to host retreats by Liu Ming, Eva Wong, Ken Cohen, Feng Xingzhao and Meng Zhiling. We have also built up and continue to maintain strong links with the temples and the daoist community in China and we are greatly indebted to them for the support they have given us over the years.
Open to All
Even though the Association is named the British Daoist Association, we are not confined to accepting cultivators from the UK – membership is open to all. The Association has members in a number of European countries who regularly participate in retreats.
Membership
Membership of the BDA provides access to retreats as well as to an archive of the Association’s Dragon’s Mouth magazine (no longer published). To register as a member, please go to the Membership page.