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A study of the Yiguan Dao (Unity Sect) and its development in Peninsular Malaysia Soo, Khin Wah
Abstract
This dissertation is a study of an important and widely adhered to sectarian religion in Peninsular Malaysia originating from Taiwan (and Hong Kong), namely the Unity Sect (Yiguan Dao). It is a lay voluntary religious organization of congregational character, with its own worship centres, organizational structure, rituals, and interpretation of both canonical and spirit-writing texts. The sect places much emphasis on the rehabilitation of morality in response to the degeneration of human behaviour; cultivation of morality constitutes one of the major remedies suggested by the sect. Nonetheless, it remains largely unknown to the general public and is faced with continuous verbal and written attacks, and was (and still is) accused by its opponents as a 'heretical' sect. Notwithstanding this, the sect has continued to progress with its proselytism at an even greater rate in the last two decades. To date, there is still no systematic study of the Yiguan Dao in Peninsular Malaysia, especially its recent development. It is the objective of this dissertation to provide a detailed description and analysis of the sect's organization, teachings, and rituals, to help the public understand better what the sect in actuality teaches, and how its rituals are conducted. Most importantly, based on first-hand research data, this study helps to draw the reader nearer to the real picture behind the success of the Unity Sect which is based on the strong religious convictions of its members. This study also discusses the ongoing institutionalization and intellectualization process of the sect in Taiwan and its implications for the sect's future development. In the concluding chapter, a further examination is carried out concerning the success of the sect's proselytism in the Peninsula from the perspectives of cultural and ethnic identities. The question of the Unity Sect's 'globalization' is also discussed in this chapter.
Item Metadata
Title |
A study of the Yiguan Dao (Unity Sect) and its development in Peninsular Malaysia
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1997
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Description |
This dissertation is a study of an important and widely adhered to sectarian religion
in Peninsular Malaysia originating from Taiwan (and Hong Kong), namely the
Unity Sect (Yiguan Dao). It is a lay voluntary religious organization of congregational
character, with its own worship centres, organizational structure, rituals, and
interpretation of both canonical and spirit-writing texts. The sect places much
emphasis on the rehabilitation of morality in response to the degeneration of
human behaviour; cultivation of morality constitutes one of the major remedies
suggested by the sect. Nonetheless, it remains largely unknown to the general
public and is faced with continuous verbal and written attacks, and was (and still
is) accused by its opponents as a 'heretical' sect. Notwithstanding this, the sect
has continued to progress with its proselytism at an even greater rate in the last
two decades. To date, there is still no systematic study of the Yiguan Dao in
Peninsular Malaysia, especially its recent development. It is the objective of this
dissertation to provide a detailed description and analysis of the sect's
organization, teachings, and rituals, to help the public understand better what the
sect in actuality teaches, and how its rituals are conducted. Most importantly,
based on first-hand research data, this study helps to draw the reader nearer to the
real picture behind the success of the Unity Sect which is based on the strong
religious convictions of its members. This study also discusses the ongoing
institutionalization and intellectualization process of the sect in Taiwan and its
implications for the sect's future development. In the concluding chapter, a further
examination is carried out concerning the success of the sect's proselytism in the
Peninsula from the perspectives of cultural and ethnic identities. The question of
the Unity Sect's 'globalization' is also discussed in this chapter.
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Extent |
17393087 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-04-17
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0088243
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1997-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.