In truth, there is no such thing as a Daoist Art. There are only arts practiced in a Daoist way.

Most of the arts which we study, practice and teach were created in China by people from Daoist, Bhuddist or Confucianist traditions. Today, these arts are practiced by various people around the world. We also practice Somatic therapy, a modern therapeutic art form based on body awareness. We believe that any art can be “Daoist” if it is practiced with respect for the tradition it came from and with the intention of exploring and embodying the mystery of the Dao.

What is the Dao ?

Dao is a Chinese word which means way or path.

In ancient China this word was commonly used by philosophers such as Confucius to describe a doctrine, a “way of thinking” or a “way of acting.” However, in the Daoist tradition The Dao was used to describe the indescribable. The Dao is the nature of the universe itself which goes beyond any human conception and cannot be summed up in words.

道可道，非常道。

名可名，非常名

Dao called Dao is not Dao.

Names can name no lasting name.

(Dao De Jing Line 1 – translation by Addis-Lombardo)

To explore the Dao we must forget what we think we know.

We must stop using concepts.

The Dao must be experienced and intuited as a state of being.

“We are not interested in “being Daoist” but rather in “Daoist being”

(Louis Komjathy - Lundao 6/6/2023)

We practice body centered healing arts in a Daoist way, with the intention of connecting with this mysterious state of being beyond words and concepts.

An alternative name for The Dao is :

玄

Daoists use this word Xuan / Mystery to describe the Dao.

This is a way to signify that Dao is something which no human will ever fully grasp.

A similar term has been used by First Nations peoples for thousands of years,

- Gichi-manitou is an Anishinabe term which is often translated as “Great Mystery”

- Wankan Tanka is the Lakota word which has also been translated as “Great Mystery”

The Daoist arts Community Center is located on Tiohtià:ke, the place where nations and rivers unite and divide, which is also known as the Island of Montreal. This is the unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation who are the traditional custodians of its lands and waters.

As current residents of this land we seek to be in good relations with all nations, with all peoples, with the animals, the plants and with the earth itself.

As we practice these arts in a Daoist way we are exploring wholeness and healing through our relation to the great Mystery of all creation and also through our relations to neighbors, to ourselves and to our earth.