The "life" mentioned here does not refer to all living things, but only to human life. As far as I know, there have been many explanations for "life". For example, it has three elements: body, spirit and soul, called life; The unity of divine knowledge and innate qi is called life; The harmony between form and God is called life; There is a way, which means that "life" is life; It is said that vitality and form are both life. Taoism also has a wonderful explanation of life. For example, Wu Yun's Theory of Vitality holds that true essence, Shen Yuan and vitality are inseparable from form, and form is the so-called life; In the Neiguan Classic written by Taishang Laojun, "Qi reaches the human body, which means life", and "Born from Tao, which means life", that is, Qi is the source of vitality, which stimulates the human body and is born from Tao, which means life; "Taiping Jing, Treatment of Prolonging Life" holds that essence, qi and spirit are collectively called life, not to mention that God was born in it by using qi, and the three are combined to form a treatment. I think that Taoism's "theory of life" (or "theory of three meanings of life"), which emphasizes the harmony of spirit and spirit, is still philosophical and appropriate, and is closely related to Taoist health culture. This is one of the characteristics of Taoist outlook on life.
Second, the Taoist understanding of the origin and form of human life
The Journey to the West said, "If a monk doesn't know the cause of his birth and the root of Tao, he doesn't know the source." If you want to live forever, you should first cultivate the foundation of your life. Can you know? "("Cloud Seven Signs "Volume 88) That is to say, monks know the elements that make up life, and then they must know the origin of human life and the ecology of its material structure. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have different views on this issue. Regarding the origin of life, Confucius said: "Life and death have a life, and wealth is in the sky. Xunzi said, "Praise it from heaven and use it to control your destiny." . "Cohesion Biography" says: "Lotte know life, so don't worry. "Confucianism believes that the origin of life lies in destiny. Buddhism believes that "all laws have no self" and "all behaviors are impermanent". Sometimes the body is an accidental and transient collection of six elements, namely earth, water, fire, wind, air and knowledge, which are born and died in an instant according to fate, while the "six big" and "five aggregates" (color, reception, thought, action and knowledge) are illusory. It is believed that life forms are not real noumenon at all, life has no origin, and forms are illusory and nihilistic. Taoism opposes both the Confucian theory of destiny and the Buddhist theory of illusion, and holds that the origin of life is the "vitality" of Tao. Only the transformation of primitive qi and the neutralization of yin and yang qi can produce human life. It is a tangible and qualitative real existence, and it is the product of the harmonious combination of essence, qi and spirit. " The spirit of form gathers "("Cloud Seven Signs "volume 977 words), so Taoism believes that the origin of human life is" vitality ".
As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, Laozi's Tao Te Ching revealed the theory of cosmogenesis. Said: "Things are mixed and born naturally. Lonely, independent, walking around without danger, can be the mother of the world. I don't know its name, the word is. " (Chapter 25) also said: "Tao is a thing, only vaguely. It's embarrassing, and elephants. I was in a daze, and there was something inside; It's subtle. There's essence in it. Its essence is true, and there is a letter in it. "Chapter 2 1 reveals that the origin of the universe is Tao, which is a real thing, with images, objects, essence and faith, not nothingness. The general "nothing" just means that it is too subtle to touch, but it is actually "there". As for the development of the universe, there is a cloud "Tao is rushing, and it is useless to use it." "Deep, like the ancestor of all things" (Chapter 4). "Tao gives birth to one, life gives birth to two, life gives birth to three, and life gives birth to everything. All things are negative and embrace yang, and tend to think that they are harmonious "(Chapter 42). The so-called "one" means "vitality", "two" means mixing elements and transforming the yin and yang of heaven and earth, and "three" means that Yang Qi, who floated lightly to the sky, and Yin Qi, who fell heavily to the ground, intersected and transformed to produce neutral qi, which converged into adults. The neutralization of yin and yang is three qi, and all three qi are heaven, earth and earth. Therefore, "vitality" is the religion of life.
Regarding the ecology of human body structure, Taoism believes that among all things, human beings are the most spiritual and expensive. Human body structure has the authenticity of material form. This point is very specific and clear in many Taoist classics related to health preservation. As for the definition of human life form in Neiguan Jing, the old gentleman in Taishang said: "Being born in the Tao is nature, so things are the heart, ... moving to camp is the soul, being quiet is the soul, rejuvenating is the blood, nourishing the spirit is the essence, nourishing the spirit is clear and glorious, nourishing the spirit is turbid and late and healthy, which can be summarized as the body of a hundred skeletons." There is no fantasy in it. Wu Yun's theory of primordial qi says: primordial qi begins to sprout, qi begins to form, forming quality, forming embryo like an egg, and qi is round and ready-made. "Enlightening yin and feeling yang, exuding vitality, and being in the middle of your arms are also human beings." He also said: "People are born with vitality and are shaped by God. Influenced by Yuan Yi's Qi, the liquid was refined. When the weather decreases, God will disperse; If the earth and gas reduce consumption, the shape will be sick; When vitality decreases, life dries up. Therefore, as soon as the emperor got angry, he returned to the pulse, filled the mud pill and strengthened his vitality. In fact, the brain is full of spirit, the spirit is full of gas, the gas is full of shape, the shape is full of vulgarity, and the eight evils are eliminated. In fact, the vitality solidifies into bone, and the intestine turns into tendons. Its vitality is inseparable from its size, so it can live forever. " China's Tibetan Scripture says: "Heaven and earth have yin and yang and five elements, and people have five zang-organs blood. Five elements, golden wood fire, water and earth. The five internal organs are lung, liver, heart, kidney and spleen. Gold begets water, aquatic wood, wood makes a fire, fire begets soil, and soil begets gold, so the way of cultivation is endless. The lung gives birth to the kidney, the liver gives birth to the heart, the heart gives birth to the spleen, and the spleen gives birth to the lung, nourishing up and down, without rest ... The five internal organs and five elements interact with each other and circulate day and night, endlessly. ..... yin and yang of heaven and earth, the way of five elements, contained in people. Those who get it can count yin and yang, seize the opportunity of heaven and earth, and enjoy the five elements. There is no beginning and no end, and the gods will not die. " All these show that Taoism is simple and practical in understanding the origin and form of life, the law of self-life and the pursuit of longevity. The "life" of the human body originates from the "vitality", and the "life" of the human body is tangible and qualitative, which is another feature of the Taoist view of life.
Third, Taoism's attitude towards life and the teachings of "I am in charge of my life" and "immortality"
There are many differences in the meaning and attitude of human society to "life". We clearly realize the value of life and a positive attitude towards life, so as to establish the concept of cherishing and loving life and firmly practice the ways and methods to realize the highest ideal of life.
Confucianism believes that everything in life depends on "destiny", and human life forms are bound to be destroyed in life. Only spiritual moral demeanor and achievements can be passed down to future generations, and a person's life can only be a life within the limits of fate. Even if he makes great achievements in Xiu De, he will only "propose in people, succeed in heaven" and resign himself to fate.
Buddhism believes that everything in the world is illusory and the world is a sea of suffering. Life is struggling in the sea of suffering. It has neither the interest nor the value of life, so it just pursues enlightenment and nirvana.
Taoism and Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have completely different attitudes towards life, advocating that "my life belongs to me, not to heaven and earth" (see The Journey to the West), "longevity is more important than life" (see Du Fu), and carrying forward the doctrine of "attaching importance to people and life" (see Taiping Jing). As Mr. Chen Yingning, a famous Taoist scholar in modern times, said, Taoism is to fight against "destiny" and "nature", break the law of life and death, get rid of the domination of nature, and open up a new life path in which people can "become immortals in all forms" and "live forever", so as to prolong people's life to the greatest extent and make life obtain the most perfect and harmonious happiness (see Chen Yingning's Taoism and Health Preservation).
"Taiping Jing" said: "It is not a trivial matter to die in the world. When you die, you will never see the world, the sun or the moon again, and your blood will be blotted out. Put all your eggs in one basket. Living between heaven and earth, everyone has a life and cannot be reborn. " He also said, "Therefore, my husband's staff sergeant hates death and lives happily. He can learn from the gods, so he can live a long life. This staff sergeant is the first person to have a will. " ("Hurry to learn the truth" Volume 49). He also said: "The world obeys the nature of heaven and earth. Five behaviors hide, four seasons are qi, and yin and yang also pass on the same kind. Everyone is happy to live and hate to die. " (Countless Tactics of the State, Volume 93)
Ge Hong's "Bao Puzi to Su" thinks: "The morning light repairs nature, so those who reach its shallowness can serve everything, and those who get its depth can live long." He also believes: "People who seek longevity are cherishing what they want today, and they don't want to be vain, but want to fly high." If you are lucky enough to stay at home and not die, why hurry to heaven? "
Taoism sings "My life is up to me" and "attaching importance to life" with fearless spirit, and firmly practices the way of cultivation, believing that people can "live forever" and enjoy a happy life on earth forever. This reflects the brave and strong belief and will of those who advocated "valuing life" in ancient times. This is the most obvious and prominent feature in the content of Taoist life view. Fourthly, Taoism's theory of combining life and Taoism and cultivating students is not only to praise the teachings of "My life is mine" and "Immortal Taoism is your life", but also to promote the innovative ideal of "life". More importantly, Taoism has built a set of theoretical and practical methods system that can realize the ideal of "living forever and living on earth" at the same time, which is the theory of "the unity of life and Taoism". How to focus on "double cultivation of life" Tao Te Ching said: "The living die. There are three people in life, three in death, three in life, and nine out of ten in death. " Chapter 50 is intended to tell the world that maintaining life is not an easy task, and there are many crises in life, which should be guaranteed. The theory of "the unity of life and Taoism" and the cultivation method of "double cultivation" are the roads and lights created by Taoism for human health.
Wu Yun's "On Yuan Qi" said: "People often lose their way, and people don't lose their way; People often die, but they don't. Always save your strength and don't lose your way of life. Long-term protection of Tao and life, when God and life are together, the shape is long with God. " Sima Chengzhen's "On Sitting Forgetting" said: "Those who keep in good health should be careful not to get lost in Tao, and those who are Tao should be careful not to die, so that Tao and life can be combined into one, and life and Tao can be combined into one, which will last for a long time. In a long time, those who are Tao will gain the quality. As the saying goes,' the great virtue of the living is also the great joy of the land, the great blessing of the people and the life of the people. "Westbound Sutra" said:' My life is in me, not in heaven. From this point of view, if you cultivate your own shortcomings, you will gain something from heaven and lose something from humanity. "The Neiguan Sutra of Taishang Laojun said:" The invisible Tao is born bright; Life can't be constant, keep it with Tao. If you are born and die, the Tao will be abolished, and the Tao will be born and die. If life and Tao are one, they will live forever and become immortals. " He added, "The old gentleman said that there is no life and death in the Tao, but there is life and death in the form. Therefore, people who live and die belong to the Tao. The shape is so living, and its way is also; So the form of the dead, lost its way. If people can survive and keep the Tao, they will live forever. "
The most active and effective way to cultivate Tao and maintain its vitality is to cultivate yourself in order to improve yourself. Therefore, at the beginning of its establishment, Taoism inherited a large number of immortal formulas from China's ancient immortals (stones) and Huang, and also integrated a hundred schools of thought and colorful folk health-preserving formulas, and gradually formed a health-preserving cultural system with "double cultivation and health-preserving" as the core. It shows that its theory and formula are very rich, and it is expected to prolong life and ascend to heaven and become immortal. Such as internal and external alchemy, persuasion, guidance, gas refining, walking, breathing, fetal rest, rest, sitting and forgetting, fighting skills at home, etc. Guiding theories about yin and yang, obedience, life, existence, emotion, movement, air, temperature, realm, etc. It also contains exquisite philosophy and practical experience.
Fifth, the concept of "everything is one with me" and the theory of spiritual realm.
In addition to expounding the basic ideas and methods of the above outlook on life, Taoism also emphasizes that practitioners must be cautious about all things in the universe and pay attention to the triple realm of cultivation. That is, to establish the concept of "the unity of heaven and man", "the coexistence of heaven and earth and me, and the unity of everything and me" (Zhuangzi's theory of homogeneous objects), all things in the universe are mutually beneficial. Correctly treat the inner cultivation of self and achieve the realm of tranquility and self-correction; Correctly treat the troubles of secular society and reach the realm of spiritual transcendence; Correctly understand the objective external natural environment, conform to nature, maintain natural harmony, and achieve the realm of practicing heaven and earth.
The Tao Te Ching says, "People practice the earth, practice the sky slowly, practice the Tao in the sky, and the Tao is natural." The Yellow Emperor Yin Fu said: "Heaven and earth are thieves of all things; Everything is a thief of mankind; Man is the thief of all things. Three thieves are appropriate and three talents are safe. " Heaven, earth and human beings are endless and restrict each other, which is the law of the natural avenue. Only three kinds can be intact, each in its place, and the individual can be intact, maintain Tao and prolong life. In other words, people can't look at their self-cultivation in isolation, but should understand the close relationship with everything in the universe. Under the concept of overall cooperation, we should properly handle our relationship with society and nature. This is the direction and ideal goal that practitioners should not ignore and relax.
Tao Hongjing's record of nourishing and prolonging life said: "Ji Tao said: people who are not natural are all free, with poor diet, excessive lewdness, disobedience to yin and yang, restless spirit, exhausted life, and all diseases arise, so they will not end up." He also said: "The immortal scripture says: My life is in my absence, and fools don't know that this is the key to life, so those who cause all kinds of diseases and evils are arrogant and don't know how to cherish, so they are born in vanity." It is believed that the internal qi contains god, while people are expensive, and people are expensive in life. Life is the foundation of modeling, and modeling is God's tool. If God uses it, it will be exhausted, and if he is tired, it will be harmful. "If you can swim quietly, think about doing nothing, wait for your vitality, guide it in the leisure room, and take care of it, and bait it, you will often be divided into good years and old age. If you want to indulge in debauchery, serve wisdom and pursue wealth, you will be lost in your arms, will not send yourself away, will not be polite, and will eat and drink without restraint. If you do, you'd rather avoid getting hurt. " The classic Tao Te Ching teaches the world to improve themselves spiritually, that is, "self-knowledge", "self-confidence", "self-knowledge, self-discipline, and short self-esteem", "perseverance, unfailing enjoyment, being rich and arrogant, and keeping oneself to blame", all of which are true.
People live in society, and people are closely related to society. On the one hand, practitioners should get rid of worldly desires and dirt, and on the other hand, they should ask Xiu De to help others. "Bao Pu Zi Dui Su" said: "Those who want to seek Tao should be based on loyalty, filial piety and benevolence. If you don't cultivate morality, you can't live forever. "
People live in the natural environment, and nature is the origin of all things in the world. Of course, people must follow the laws of nature, coordinate yin and yang, conform to nature, maintain natural ecology and maintain harmony in order to keep the Tao and live forever. Huangdi Neijing said: "The four seasons of yin and yang are the same for all things, and the source of life and death is the same. If you go against it, you will suffer from disasters, and from it, you will not be able to suffer from harsh diseases. "
In a word, heaven, earth and people, that is, self, society and nature, are a harmonious whole, and only through training can merit be complete. In short, understanding nature is the requirement, the unity of form and spirit is the key, respecting Tao and morality is the foundation, and conforming to nature is the foundation.
To sum up, the main points of Taoist life view are: the theory of three meanings of essence and spirit; Primitive vitality theory, truth theory of form and quality; Self-control of life; The theory of attaching importance to people and life; The theory of the unity of life and Tao; Immortal positivism; The Theory of Everything is all the same; Taoism and naturalism. This is a big and deep topic. At present, scholars who study human life science in the world are very concerned about the Taoist outlook on life and health culture, and cherish the experimental and academic value of Taoist related materials, which is considered as the contribution of Taoism to human life science. We Taoists should strive to carry forward the essence of Taoism and benefit mankind. ?