Xunzi deeply studied the thoughts of various schools since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Through research, criticism and mastery, Xunzi really became a great thinker who learned from the changes of ancient and modern times and became a unified theory, and opened a new generation of study style, especially for Taoism and Legalism. Xunzi's thought of "man can conquer nature" and "master fate and make use of it" shines with the light of materialism and illuminates future generations.
Xunzi's health-preserving thought runs through his materialist dialectics of "man conquers nature" and "grasping fate and using it", but Xunzi did not talk about health-preserving in general. Xunzi's discussion on the way of health preservation has a series of characteristics, such as "governing qi and nourishing heart", "being quiet", "maximizing yin and yang", "taking life as the priority", "keeping pace with the times" and "cultivating self-cultivation". Xunzi's exhortation to learn specifically discusses the strong will and perseverance of "perseverance, a stone can be carved" in health cultivation. Xunzi is a representative of Confucianism who pays equal attention to learning and enlightenment. He put forward the theory of learning from others in health preservation and monasticism.
Throughout history, China's Confucianism, from Confucius to Mencius, and then to Xunzi, has explored the way of keeping in good health in different historical periods. Confucius put forward that "benevolent people live long", Mencius put forward "cultivating noble spirit", and Xunzi emphasized a series of health preservation methods such as "governing qi and nourishing heart" and "cultivating self-cultivation". Xunzi's theory of health preservation is more profound and concise than Confucius and Mencius' theory of health preservation. To understand Xunzi's idea of keeping in good health, we must study Xunzi's works deeply, and then go beyond and learn from them to get its essence.
Xunzi's health theory covers a wide range, so we will focus on three aspects. It is inevitable that the words of one family are biased and only seek jade.
"Treating Qi and Nourishing Heart" and "Deficiency of Tranquility"
Xunzi said in "Cultivation": "Treating Qi and Nourishing Heart". For the word "heart", the average refiner may not know its deeper mystery. More than 2,500 years ago, Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, saying that "the heart makes the spirit strong". The word "Shi" can be used as a verb, which can be understood as mobilizing qi with your heart. "Heart" refers to the mind and mind. The refiner who regulates qi with "heart" is the strong one. This "strength" can be a tribute to the refiner, and it can also be understood as a symbol of the high level of "gas refining" kung fu. China's Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism all have * * *, and Confucianism says, "Treat people with sincerity"; Taoism says: "Nourish the heart and spirit"; Buddhism said, "See nature with a clear mind".
Lv Chunyang, one of the famous Eight Immortals of Taoism in the Tang Dynasty, has a saying: A thousand words only find the refined heart. The single crystal "Singing the Truth" says that the word "refining the heart" is the consistent knowledge of sanctification. Guan Zhong, who was earlier in China's history than Confucius, specially wrote "Heart", which said that the heart is in a sovereign position in the human body, and its activities are kept on the right path, so that the nine orifices can operate according to the routine and enter a quiet realm. The sky is positive, the ground is flat, people are static, and only when they can be calm can they settle down, be alert and alert, and have strong limbs. Essence is the essence of qi, and the connection of qi is life. With life, there is thought, with thought, there is knowledge.
The theory in Guan Zi's Heart Method is very enlightening to interpret Xunzi's theory of "treating qi and nourishing heart".
After Xunzi talked about "treating qi and nourishing the heart", he went on to talk about "empty silence" These four words are profound and difficult to understand, but the avenue is always simple. I think we can refer to Laozi's thought to understand Xunzi's "empty silence". Laozi's Tao Te Ching has an incisive interpretation. He said: "Everything is born with a life", "Be empty, be quiet and believe".
"China Taoist Internal Medicine for Health Preservation" says more clearly: "The universe and human life are dynamic and static biochemistry, and the end point of biochemistry must be death." Without ethereal poles, people can't be refined into pure yang. "Empty silence" means that people enter the bright realm of ethereal Dafa through cultivation. Health preservation is human's self-control of animals, and it is the initiative of nourishing the heart and nature.
The word "heart" in Xunzi's theory of "treating qi and nourishing heart" is profound and mysterious. Looking at the "governance" of "governing qi and nourishing heart", we might as well compile a Taoist classic "Xuantong Jing" to understand: "People have the right qi, the heart governs qi, and the heart is chaotic. ..... those who have gained the Tao are in a restless mood, while those who have lost the Tao are in a disordered mood, "a mass of vital qi, a piece of Dan Xin", "the heart is in harmony with vital qi", "the heart is lonely in the sky" and "the heart has nothing to rely on, and the heart is uncertain". In addition, the book "Sexual Perfection" says well: "If you want to learn Tao, talk about cultivating your mind first." This shows the depth of Xunzi's theory of "emptiness and quietness"
"Yin and Yang" and "Everything is born"
Xunzi said in the theory of heaven: "the stars go around, and the sun and the moon pass?" The emperors of the four seasons are big in yin and yang, generous in wind and rain, and everything has its own support. " Xunzi's "Yin and Yang" refers to the Yin and Yang in the universe. When yin and yang are enlarged, everything can be produced. According to the qi transformation of Yin and Yang, the way of keeping in good health and practicing is the real way. The Book of Changes says, "One yin and one yang is the Tao". In the Song Dynasty, the real person in Niwan of Dan wrote Song of Avenue, saying, "True yin and true yang are the true way". There is a saying in the Taoist classic "Huang Ting Jing": "Tong Lihua finely tunes Yin and Yang" and speaks a word "tune". Lv Chunyang said in Zhi Xuan Pian: "There are all kinds of yin and yang in Xuan Pian, and the word is called the king of all laws". Many Dan families know that "you can't mess around without knowing Yin and Yang". Zhuangzi said: "When people gather, they will live, and when people disperse, they will die." . "yin and yang maximization" and "everything depends on life" are about the role of the universe and the change of human qi.
"keep pace with the times" and "cultivate one's morality"
Xunzi said in "Self-cultivation": "Treating qi and keeping in good health, Peng Zu is the last, cultivating self-cultivation, which is worthy of Yuyao. Keep pace with the times, help the poor, be polite and trustworthy. Where blood, ambition and care are used, the ceremony will be in accordance with the rules, and if it is not used, it will be chaotic. ; Eating, drinking, clothing, living, and movement are all harmonious because of ceremony. If you don't have ceremony, it will be chaotic. " It means that people's blood gas should be smooth, and diet, clothing, shelter and exercise should be carried out in moderation. It also talks about "keeping pace with the times" and "self-cultivation" in health preservation, which embodies the materialistic health preservation thought of "my life is in my absence"
Xunzi emphasized the word "communication" in health preservation. "Lu Chunqiu" has a cloud: "A mortal has 360 knots and nine orifices and six entrails, and ... blood vessels want to pass through it." "The General Record of Shengji" said: "The internal organs, bones and nine orifices of human beings are all connected in one breath." Xunzi's theory of "keeping pace with the times" can be described as well-intentioned, with special emphasis on the words "appropriate" and "timely". "Yi" is best understood, and "time" can be interpreted as every moment. The specific point of "keeping pace with the times" is that in terms of health care, it is best to have a smooth blood flow at all times.
To be "timely", you can't fish for three days and dry the net for two days. Xunzi knew that health care could not be "cut short" or opportunistic. Put forward the spirit of perseverance. Xunzi's "Persuasion" said: "Accumulated soil makes mountains, and the wind and rain are prosperous; The water drops merged into the ocean and the dragon was born; Accumulate goodness into virtue, the gods are complacent, and the sacred heart is prepared. Therefore, you can't take Wan Li Road without accumulating steps; If you don't accumulate small streams, you won't be a river. Leap, not ten steps; This is a great contribution to the success of Ma Xu. Perseverance, rotten wood can't be carved; Perseverance can open the stone. " Xunzi said that only perseverance can have firm will and perseverance.
Therefore, Xunzi's thoughts of "treating qi and nourishing heart" and "cultivating self-cultivation" are deeply integrated into the thoughts of "man will conquer nature" and "destiny will be used", which is still of positive significance to today's health preservation and cultivation.