It seems that the Chinese Communist Party has added at least one to the list of religions that it might imprison you for promoting. Chen Yu-fu reports that a Taiwanese person has been detained and questioned in China “on suspicion of spreading and developing the religion of I-Kuan Tao” (“Religious groups warned of China travel dangers,” Taiwan News, December 26, 2023).
I-Kuan Tao has been developing in Taiwan for years and has attracted millions of followers internationally, including some Taiwanese businesspeople based in China, the source said.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) vigorously suppressed I-Kuan Tao in the early days of its rule, but later became more tolerant of its development in China and did not label it a cult like Falun Gong, the source said.
According to the WITH.org site (“WITH” stands for “World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters”):
I-Kuan Tao (pronounced “yee guan dao”) is one of the most significant spiritual movements in Taiwan. Its name can be literally translated as “the Tao that unifies all with the one.”
I-Kuan Tao is rooted in Chinese traditions, with teachings emphasizing traditional values such as family, honor, respect and moderation. It is no exaggeration to call I-Kuan Tao the definitive and authentic Chinese form of spirituality.
The appeal of I-Kuan Tao is not limited to the Chinese. The movement is open to everyone regardless of ethnicity. Many people in the West have already experienced the warmth and acceptance of Tao practitioners. They have also discovered, within I-Kuan Tao, progressive teachings that resonate with the Western mind.
I don’t see anything very distinctive in this summary. All the major religions propose to unify all with the one somehow or other, have a cross-ethnic and cross-cultural appeal, bill themselves as authentic, etc. Perhaps they disagree about family and honor. Anyway, the news is that the CCP once regarded I‑Kuan Tao as very bad, backed off for a while, and now again regards I-Kuan Tao as very bad.
CCP officials have a lot of time on their hands and only one way to use it, beating up on everybody else.
It’s probably best to assume that if you are in China and profess a religion other than state worship, functionaries of the Chinese state will regard you as suspect and will need little incentive to give you a hard time. If in addition you hail from Taiwan, which for seven decades the mainland has been gloweringly threatening to invade, this probably doesn’t help.
