Buddhism was very complete in the Tang dynasty, and there were many Buddhist temples in the Tang dynasty that could even educate the people. Buddhist monasteries carry out medical education and missionary work through medical theories consistent with Buddhist thought, which can not only educate the people, but also achieve their own missionary purpose. The same is true of Taoism, but the difference is that Taoism does not use temples to spread its own ideas, but practices medicine in the world, and uses Taoist ideas to convey the concept of health preservation in the process of treating diseases. Sun Simiao is the most famous person who combines Taoism with medicine. As a master of Taoism, he began to spread ideas for Taoism with medicine. Although both of them are for missionary work, on the whole, whether Taoism or Buddhism can spread medical education to the people, that is the best channel.
Medical education in the Tang Dynasty was not as popular as in the Song Dynasty, and medical skills were mostly spread by mentoring, which was relatively limited and would not be widely spread among the people. As a result, medical resources are in the hands of a few people, and there is also a special medical institution in the palace-Yu Tai Department. However, although there will be official medical education institutions in the local area, many local people have great demand for medical services, and the duty of local medical institutions is still to serve dignitaries. It is very rare for people to get high-quality medical resources.
Buddhism became the main medical education of the people in the Tang Dynasty, and many Buddhist temples appeared in the Tang Dynasty to explain astronomical calendars and medicine to the people. Of course, Buddhist medical methods are still taught by teachers and apprentices, but they cannot be taught to the people, but they can be consulted to meet the basic medical needs of the people, promote the mutual exchange of medical undertakings in society, and also promote Buddhist medical ideas. In the theoretical system of Buddhism, boudoir beings are an important part, so it is also necessary to provide corresponding medical assistance for people's livelihood.
Buddhist medical thought, under the psychological factors of Buddhism's compassion for all beings, has trained generations of Buddhist doctors to practice medicine and save lives. Taoism also adopts the same missionary methods as Buddhism, and some Taoist priests have richer medical theory and practical experience and more superb medical skills. Although Buddhism and Taoism cannot fully represent professional doctors, they also play a very important supporting role. These groups have broadened the channels for people to seek medical treatment, and Buddhism and Taoism have also spread further here.
In addition to traditional medicine and acupuncture, Buddhism and Taoism also have many similar treatments, that is, psychotherapy uses its own beliefs to treat patients at the spiritual level. Although this kind of psychotherapy is not unique to the Tang Dynasty, it has been perfected by the development of the theoretical system of Buddhism and Taoism in the Tang Dynasty. This also provides a new treatment channel, and this simple treatment method has been widely accepted, and people will be rendered by Buddhism and Taoism.
The prevalence of Buddhism and Taoism in the Tang Dynasty made up for the shortage of official medical education, cultivated a batch of monks and Taoists who were proficient in medical skills, and continuously injected fresh medical blood into the society of the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, because of their own beliefs, they have been bound by their own beliefs in medical theory and medicine, but they have also promoted the improvement of folk medicine. Although Buddhism and Taoism have a strong religious color in medicine, they go deep into the people and can use their own unique treatment methods to provide psychotherapy and other services for the people and the royal family. Therefore, in the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism and Taoism, two religions with different beliefs, were able to practice medicine by faith, which was an important stage and an indispensable part of the development of medicine in the Tang Dynasty.
References:
Fazhu yuanlin
Old Tang book