There are many beautiful legends on both sides of the ancient Song Dynasty. Luyi County, Henan Province, through which ancient Song He flowed, is the hometown of Laozi Li Er, the originator of Taoism in China. According to legend, Lao Tzu once came to the place where Zaoji Town in Luyi County is now located, and exchanged many velvet skins for wine. But he only took a gourd with little milk as a container. The wine shop owner was surprised and reluctantly put the gourd into the jar. Unexpectedly, in an instant, a jar of wine was all put into the gourd. I took a swig myself and poured the wine left in the gourd into Song He. Suddenly, Song He was surging and the green waves were rolling, but Lao Tzu rode away on a green Niu Piao. Since then, the wine brewed in Song He has been called "Jujube Wine Collection", which is mellow, sweet and unparalleled. Later generations described this vivid story with the poem "A green wave flying egret, a blue cow in the air". Nowadays, when foreigners come to Luyi County for a period of time, they will find that the well water here is obviously a little sweet, and it seems to have a aftertaste after the entrance, which is mellow and sentimental.
Heluo Culture-Heluo Spring and Autumn Period-Laozi's alchemy and Cuiyunfeng
Cui Yunfeng, at the top of Mangshan Mountain, about 4 kilometers north of Luoyang, is said to be an alchemist of Taishang Laojun.
Laozi, whose name is Zhong Er and whose name is Bo Yang, is from Qurenli, an ancient county of Chu.
Legend has it that his mother felt pregnant with a meteor and gave birth naturally. His mother was pregnant with him for 72 years, and he was born under his mother's left armpit with white hair, so he was called "Lao Zi". His mother gave birth to him under the plum tree. He fell to the ground and could still speak, pointing to Li Shu and saying, "Take this as my surname". There are three holes in his ear, so that Zhong Er has no wheels (hence the name Zhong Er, also known as iron pot); Eyebrows are like Beidou, blue in color, with purple hair in the middle and five inches long; Eye pupil, through which green tendons pass, with purple light; Double column nose; The mouth is square, with 684 teeth, like a square mound, with horizontal ridges on the cheeks.
He is such a magical person, so he became the official in charge of the "Wangcheng Storage Room" of the National Library of Zhou Dynasty.
In 520 BC, when Laozi was 52 years old, the Zhou Dynasty faced diplomatic difficulties and there was an internal struggle for the throne. All the books and records of the sutra depository were collected by Wang Zichao and others in Chu State, and the vassal state became more and more powerful and coveted the imperial court. Seeing the decline of the Zhou family, Lao Tzu had no books to manage, so he had to leave Wang Huan and go to Cuiyunfeng, the highest mountain in Mangling, north of the city, to meditate.
Cui Yunfeng is lush with pines and cypresses. Overlooking it, the Luohe River, Longmen Mountain, Wanan Mountain and Wangcheng are vivid, which makes people suddenly enlightened. After my career was frustrated, I put my energy into an alchemist. He built the Altay Red Bagua Furnace, and mobilized the spirituality of heaven, earth, water, fire, thunder, mountains, wind, rain and clouds with the principle of internal and external consistency. After refining for 998 1 day, there was a crash when the furnace was opened, which was still like an earthquake. I saw thousands of golden lights going in and out of the furnace hall and soaring into the sky. I took one for my own use, and suddenly my bone came off, and my face turned purple.
When I went up the mountain, I tied the green cow to a valley near Cui Yun Peak for peace of mind. After Dan Cheng, Lao Tzu touched the green cow with the elixir, and the green cow became a magical cow. Lao Tzu rode a green cow freely and went out to Hanguguan, leaving behind a masterpiece, Tao Te Ching. Later, Tianzhu was spread westward to educate the conference semifinals. In fact, it is hidden in Laojun Mountain, the main peak of Funiu Mountain in Luanchuan County. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, laojunmiao and Taizong Ancestral Hall were built on the mountain and renovated. The medicine stoves and Dan furnaces of the Ming Dynasty have been preserved. It has been decorated now.
In the Tang Dynasty, in order to commemorate the founder of Taoism, a temple called Shangqing Palace was built on the peak of Cui Yun, and a "Qingniu Temple" was built where cows were tied, also called "Xia Qing Palace", and the valley where cows were tied was called "Qingniu Valley". Zhang, a poet of the Ming Dynasty, described this story in "The Green Cow Roars at the Valley":
Where does this avenue lead? An old man with white hair.
The famous escape column in history, and Danlian Cui Yun Palace.
Purple gas rushes through the customs, and green cattle roar at the valley.
Quicksand crosses Wan Li, seeking vacuum in the west.
Heluo Culture-Heluo Spring and Autumn Period-Laozi: Founder of Shangqing Palace
At that time, the vegetation of Cuiyunfeng must be very good, as can be seen from its name: "Cuiyun" is decorated with green trees; "Cloud" is supported by high terrain. Information: Cuiyunfeng is located at the highest point of Mangshan Mountain, with an altitude of150m. When you board the plane here, you can overlook and think, so I walk up and look around from time to time. Let's look at "Rebuilding the Monument to the Shangqing Palace", which says that Cui Yunfeng "backs Mangshan's hometown, faces the Iluoxi River, leans on mountains and rivers, faces a small room, backs Taihang Mountain, and crosses Hanguguan ... beautiful mountains and rivers, and clouds open the world". "Think about it," the Taoist said. There are such good mountains and waters around Cuiyunfeng, which is really a good place to practice and be enlightened. Can't Laozi, who works in Luoyang, practice here? " ? Legend has it that Lao Tzu often comes to Cuiyunfeng to practice alchemy and write books after work. Although his ancestral home was Qurenli, an ancient county in Li Xiang (now Luyi County, Henan Province), he moved to Luoyi, the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, with his father Li Ganju at the age of 6, and lived here for more than 60 years.
After I realized the Tao, I attracted people who are eager to learn all over the world. One of them wants to learn from him, and that person is Confucius, a scholar of Lu. In 523 BC, the king of Lu gave Confucius an ox cart and a bookboy, and the 30-year-old Confucius came to Luoyang dusty. The purpose of his trip is very clear: first, to learn the "first king system", second, to explore the "source of rites and music" and third, to examine the "moral rules". Lao Tzu accepted Confucius' inquiry, sometimes in the city and sometimes in Cuiyunfeng.
After a meeting, Lao Tzu asked Confucius, "What book are you reading now?" Confucius said, "I read Zhouyi, and all saints read this book." Laozi immediately denied it and said, "saints can read." Why read it? Do you know what the essence of this book is? " Confucius replied: "It is to promote benevolence and righteousness." Laozi said: "The so-called benevolence and righteousness is a confusing thing, just like mosquitoes biting people at night, which can only cause trouble to people."
At this point, Lao Tzu paused and continued: "You see, swans are naturally white without bathing every day, and crows are naturally black without dyeing ink every day. The sky is high and the ground is thick. When the sun and the moon come, they will shine. When the stars come, they will be arranged in order. Plants are born with differences. If you practice Buddhism, you should follow the laws of nature, and you will naturally get the Tao. What's the use of preaching righteousness? Isn't that as ridiculous as beating gongs and drums to find LostSheep? "
One lesson after another fooled Confucius, who didn't say a word.
Lao Tzu asked again, "Do you think you have reached the Tao?"
Confucius said, "I have been seeking Tao for twenty-seven years, but I still have no way!" "
Laozi said: "If Tao is a tangible thing that can be given to people, then people will try to give it to the king;" If Tao can be given away, people will give it to their relatives; If the Tao can be made clear, people will tell it to their brothers; If the Tao can be passed on to others, people will compete to pass it on to their children. However, this is impossible. The reason is simple: if a person does not have a correct understanding of Tao in his heart, that Tao will not reach his heart! "
These words, seemingly simple, are actually very meaningful, and Confucius is a little puzzled. He defended: "I am also working hard! I have been studying The Book of Songs, Shangshu, Li, Yue, Yi and Chunqiu. I have explained my predecessors' way of governing the country and met more than 70 monarchs, but none of them adopted my idea. It seems that people are too hard to convince! " Lao Tzu said, "The six arts you have learned are just old things in the former king's time. What's the use of saying they are? " What you are learning now is the same old stuff. "
Confucius listened devoutly, saying that he would resume the rites of Zhou when he returned to Lu, which I thought impossible. Laozi said: "Etiquette should keep pace with the times. Now that the world has changed, the ceremony of "Zhou" is no longer suitable for the times. " He warned Confucius: "The bones of those people you mentioned are rotten, but their words are still there." . As a gentleman, you should go into politics when you meet the right opportunity. If the time is not ripe, just let it go. I like Artemisia. People who are good at business hide their goods from others. Rich as they are, they seem to have nothing. A respected gentleman is often as naked as a fool. You have to lose your pride and desire and your persistent ambition, because these things are not good for you at all. I can only tell you this. "
Laozi's speech was a bit harsh and ugly, but Confucius understood after listening: Laozi has fully realized the Tao! Later history proved that Laozi's foresight was completely correct, and Confucius later traveled around the world to restore the ceremony of "Zhou", which was really unpopular and hit a wall everywhere.
Oh! When I think about it today, the great Confucius is like a pupil in front of Laozi. He hasn't spoken for three days since he came back from Lao Zi. His student Zi Gong was very strange and asked the teacher what was going on. Confucius said: "bird, I know it can fly;" Fish, I know it can swim; Beast, I know it can run. I can catch what I can run with a net; Can swim, I can catch it with silk thread; What can fly, I can shoot it with an arrow. As for the dragon, I don't know how it took the wind and cloud to heaven. I saw Lao Tzu today. He is as unfathomable as a dragon! "
In fact, he should have added: "In a small country like Lu and Wei, I can give lectures as long as I travel. In big countries like Chu and Qi, I want to get close to their monarchs, but I don't know the depth of a city like Luoyang! I am a teacher elsewhere, but I am a student in Luoyang! "
Confucius was really shocked when he came to Luoyang to see Laozi.
Later, someone asked his opinion, and he replied without thinking: "I am depressed, I am Zhou!" " "The answer is crisp, concise and firm.
After Laozi left Luoyang, Luoyang people built Laozi Temple in Cuiyunfeng.
Confucius left Luoyang, returned to Shandong and founded his Confucianism. Laozi in Luoyang was also the curator of the National Library of Zhou Dynasty. Confucius' learning from Laozi in Zhou Dynasty is clearly recorded in Historical Records and Laozi's Biography of Han Fei. In the mid-1980s, I visited the Shangqing Palace many times. At that time, Taoist priests were teachers, but they were new here. I asked him about Confucius' visit to Zhou, and he showed me a couplet:
Learn to spread the three thousand scholars in Donglu and spread the Tao in the Western Zhou Dynasty for eight hundred years.
When my eyes lit up, I asked him where he came from. He said it was sent by Taoist friends. This pair of couplets is really good. It only takes 14 words to sum up all the things of Confucius and Laozi, Confucianism and Taoism. However, I am puzzled: the combined life span of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty is 800 years, of which the Western Zhou Dynasty is less than 300 years. How can you say "800 years of Daoyan Western Zhou Dynasty"? Later, after thinking about it, I realized that it was only for antithesis, because the first part of the couplet had the word "eastern Shandong" and the second part was very neat about "Western Zhou Dynasty". We can only understand it this way. When I came to see the Qing Palace this time, I found that there were few couplets everywhere. If only I could carve these couplets!
Let's keep talking about Lao Tzu.
Laozi is a great man. While working to write a book, he worked in the city and made an alchemy in Cuiyunfeng. He stands between joining the WTO and being born, always ready to retire. Later, the Zhou royal family had a civil strife for kingship. When Wang Zichao saw that he could not win the throne, he ordered people to flee to Chu with all the books and files.
This is tantamount to selling national cultural relics, but I am anxious to death. But he is a prince, and I can't stop him! But with the loss of cultural relics, he is always suspected of dereliction of duty. He couldn't stay in Luoyang any longer, so he boarded Cuiyunfeng, took a green cow and an excellent teenager, and left for the west.
I left in such a hurry that I didn't even bring my death note. How can we pass without relevant documents? So when I walked to Lingbao's Hangu Pass, he was blocked.
Interestingly, Guan Lingyin of Hanguguan has a good brain. He knew that although the old man with white beard had nothing to do with his family, he was very learned, so he was complimented, invited and persecuted. That night, he asked Lao Tzu to write a 5,000-word Tao Te Ching and let him pass. In fact, it seems that every sentence in the Tao Te Ching is essential and reasonable, covering almost the operation law of everything in the universe. How can it be done overnight? The classic Tao Te Ching must be written in Luoyang before it can be blurted out in Hanguguan, or it can be memorized in Laozi's mind first and then written in front of Yin. This is the final version. The place where he planned the layout of the article for the first time must be Luoyang City and Cuiyunfeng.
When I came to lead the green cow grazing on the Cui Yun Peak, the cow saw that it was going out of Luoyang, and yelled at the west for three times. Therefore, Luoyang people built the Green Cattle View where the green cattle grazed, and called the valley on the west side of the Green Cattle View the Green Cattle Valley, which is still in use today. Cattle are green cattle, which are in harmony with the Taoist color "cyan". People who can see the landform can still see it today. The landform here is like a cow, with its head west and tail east, and its general direction is west. There seems to be nothing left for it in the East, just like his master Lao Tzu left Hanguguan without hesitation after writing the Tao Te Ching.
Although I left, I couldn't take Cui Yunfeng away after all. He succeeded in enlightenment here, and it became the birthplace of Taoism. He was also honored as the originator of Taoism, and Luoyang became the cradle of Taoism. After he left Luoyang, Luoyang people built the Laozi Temple in Cuiyunfeng to commemorate him. This is the prototype of the Shangqing Palace.
Laozi, the first person who laid the foundation stone of Shangqing Palace, left a road to visit immortals in Cuiyunfeng, Mangshan, which was sought after and developed into Taoism. I often think: Luoyang people are always proud of the White Horse Temple as the "source of interpretation" and "ancestral court". In fact, isn't Shangqing Palace the "source of Taoism" and "ancestral court"? Therefore, Song said: Luoyang Shangqing Palace, the source of Taoism; I miss Lao Tzu so far, flying over the eaves and walking over the wall.