In modern society, Taoism is still sought after. For example, the comments made by hundreds of lectures on Laozi and Zhuangzi are still very popular. Foreign scholars also speak highly of Taoism. For example, Dr. Needham emphasized the important role of Taoism in the development of science and technology in China in the first volume of his magnum opus History of Science and Technology in China, and pointed out on page 199 of the book (China Science Press) that "Taoism had a set of complex and subtle concepts in the pre-Qin period" and "it was the basis of all scientific thoughts that China later produced".
Generally speaking, Taoism has played a great role in the development of China's philosophy, medicine and health preservation, made outstanding contributions to the Chinese nation, and left us a splendid cultural heritage.
Now, I will focus on Taoist health preservation, which is an important part of traditional culture. Keeping in good health, citing Gao Lian, a health expert in Ming Dynasty, said in his book "Eight Notes on Respect for Life" that "keeping in good health is the first thing, and curing diseases is the most important thing", it is not difficult to understand its meaning, which is to cherish life and make it healthy and long-lived.
One of the guiding ideology of Taoist health preservation is Lao Zi's exposition on respecting objective laws in Tao Te Ching, which says that "man should follow the earth, the earth should follow the sky, the sky should take the way, and the road should follow nature". The same is true for health preservation, which should be carried out on the basis of respecting the laws of the universe, nature and social development. It should be the right time, the right place and the right people. Don't do anything that ignores the laws of nature and goes against the laws of social development. To act according to objective laws, we must grasp the "degree" and balance yin and yang so as not to be out of balance. Only in this way can medical care achieve the expected goal. As Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching requires, keeping in good health must "know his men and keep his women;" Know its white, keep its black; Know its glory and keep its shame; Know its yang and keep its yin. "The two can't deviate.
The second guiding ideology of Taoist health preservation is that "goodness is like water, water is the good of all things, and water is the evil of all things, so it is slightly more than Tao" in Laozi's Tao Te Ching. People who need health care have a peaceful mind and virtue like water. Water conservancy everything, don't want to fight, nourish everything, never care about gains and losses. With the spirit of "indisputable spirit", "indisputable virtue" and "giving more without seeking" of water, people can be calm and natural, and have a natural avenue in their hearts to achieve the best health care effect.
The third guiding ideology of Taoist health preservation is "simplicity, selfishness and no desire" required by Laozi's Tao Te Ching. Self-interest and distractions are too heavy to achieve the goal of health and longevity. Reducing selfishness and indifference is a basic point of life. People who keep in good health must "cherish fame and fortune, forbid debauchery, store wealth and goods, spoil interest, get rid of madness and illness". If you indulge in fame and fortune, status, power, debauchery and foreign wealth, and indulge in strict demands on yourself, then health and longevity will be empty talk, and even be possessed by evil spirits in the process of health preservation, which will damage your body and mind until the patient becomes entangled and dies young. ? The fourth guiding ideology of Taoist health preservation is that Laozi's Tao Te Ching points out that "Tao gives birth to one, two, three and everything. ...... All things embrace Yang and rush to think of peace. " This is a discussion about the law of natural generation and change. First, it refers to the chaotic vitality derived from Tao, which is divided into two to become yin and yang, and the intersection of yin and yang becomes three, and the intersection of yin and yang generates everything. Everything in the world is a combination of yin and yang. The balance of yin and yang has created a state of harmonious development of the world. Deviation of yin and yang leads to disease, yin and yang are doomed, harmony leads to everything, and balance leads to auspiciousness. This is the law of nature and life. Similarly, there is only "harmony" for people who practice health. Only when they get along with natural human beings in balance can they achieve the unity of man and me, the unity of things and man, and the unity of nature and man, and they can live a long and healthy life.
The fifth guiding ideology of Taoist health preservation is the philosophical proposition of "My life lies in my absence" advocated by Taoism. "Bao Puzi" puts forward that "my life is immortal in my absence"; "Wuzhen Zhang" said: "A magic pill is swallowed, and my life is in my absence." These views all represent the Taoist outlook on life. Taoism believes that people's life span can be completely controlled by themselves, and the initiative of life span is manipulated in their own hands. In order to achieve this goal and prove that human beings are the masters of their own destiny, Taoism has turned the concept of life autonomy into a practical activity of health preservation. For thousands of years, countless Taoist ancestors have been practicing their strong beliefs of resisting death, pursuing immortality, seizing the nature of heaven and earth, and fighting against fate with their own actions of health cultivation.