Second Session of the First Council of the World Federation of Daoism

The Second Session of the First Council of the World Federation of Daoism took place on Wudangshan (Hubei) from September 24 to 26, 2025. 

We opened it with a round table on the theme Seeking Dao in Wudang; Dialogue on Taijiquan and the Dao. A wide-ranging discussion developed on physical practice that does not follow the Olympic paradigm of “Citius, Altius, Fortius” or “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” but rather a form of practice that encourages the individual to cultivate their own physical capacities in the sense of health and well-being.

This was followed by the opening ceremony, at which the new standardized Chinese-English edition of the Daode jing was presented. Dr. Misha Tadd wrote of it: “Yesterday I took part in a high-level dialogue and launch event for the new bilingual publication of the Daode jing, issued by the World Federation of Daoism. I also participated in this project and helped select the content for the English translation. This is the first standardized (imprimatur) edition of the Daode jing issued by the Daoist association and is of historical significance.”

In the main part of the Second Session of the First Council of the World Federation of Daoism, all of us who have been part of the pilot East - West project since 2023 presented the results of our joint work based on sister agreements. In addition to the Rector of the SDT, representatives of Mexico, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland also reported on mutual cooperation. Representatives of the United States were not present.

We summarized our presentation and cooperation with our sister temple, Chongdao Gong, in six main points:

1. Co-organization of the international Quanzhen Yun Gao Gong seminar from July 10 to October 6 at Chongdao Gong monastery near the city of Yichun in Jiangxi Province, China. Two members of the SDT became holders of the 40th generation of the Qiu Chiji Longmen tradition and the 41st generation of the secret Chao Quanzhen Longmen tradition.
2. Organization of the visit of a nine-member Chinese delegation led by Abbot Song Chongdao to Slovenia from October 22 to 26, 2024. In cooperation with the University of Primorska and the Faculty of Theology of the University of Ljubljana, the SDT prepared three lectures: one at the University of Primorska, one at the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana, and one on the theme Digitalization and AI as challenges for ethics and religion as part of the annual international symposium at St. Joseph’s in Celje.
3. Publication of two Daoist contributions in the academic journal Edinost in Dialog; the first by Professor Emeritus Stephen F. Bokenkamp of the University of Arizona, and the second co-authored by Abbot Song Chongdao and SDT Rector Jure Čeh.
4. Presentation of the establishment of the Department of Daoist and Traditional Chinese Music within the academic college of the SDT. Presentation of the three-year program, the work carried out so far, and the working conditions. The work program was prepared by the head of the department, Maj Dolšak Fabris/Yuan Ximing.
5. Presentation of a book donation: during this time, we succeeded in obtaining for the SDT a collection of 11 books on Daoist inner alchemy and the complete latest edition of the Daoist canon, the Daozang, consisting of 99 books. (More on this in a separate article.)
6. Presentation of the work on a trilingual book (Chinese, Slovenian, English) of one of the most important Daoist classics: Qingjing jing 清静经 (Scripture of Clarity and Stillness), with explanation and commentary. The book is currently in the process of being translated into Slovenian...

The conclusion of the second session was enriched by the evening performance International Daoist Music Performance of Tai He Yuan Yue, conducted by Liu Hong. It consisted of both classical and modern approaches to Daoist music.